Sussex County Roof Cleaning Report post Posted August 18, 2014 ahh i came across this a long time ago i remember when i started out. This is very very true, never leave moss on the roof, ever. It will NEVER go away by nature. It's a job in itself to remove it, and can be very tricky. We deal with it on EVERY roof we do up here in B.C Canada. Sometimes we have to use handbrushes, puddy knives, rinsing, etc. Also, it needs another treatment. Zinc sulphate @ 35.5%. It's like flour and it sticks to roofs and creates a barrier for a year. Apply it after the roof is completely clean. The moss won't come back for a very very long time. It's also cheap and goes a long way. But yes, you must remove it. I am interested in seeing what you do, may give you a shout sir I don't know about your moss in BC ,but here in the states once the treatment has been applied that moss is dead and as it dehydrates and turns black, the wind and rain knock it right off. Sure if its moss caused by trees consistently over shadowing/protecting the areas form direct rainfall it will take longer,but it will happen. Why add the step of the zinc sulfate since your mix will do the same thing? I like to treat the roof or mossy area twice. Once before rinse and one after. 1 Apple Roof Cleaning (813) 655-8777 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PeakOfPerfection Report post Posted August 18, 2014 What you don't realize is that some of the moss we have in the Pac Northwest (I am about 30 min south of Richard) can be a special sort of hellish roof dwelling creature. Some of it is TOUGH and can take more than a year to come off...even thru rain and snow seasons. We have our fair share of rain up here and some of the stuff we deal with does not just turn black and come right off. Some of it doesn't even turn white when you spray it...it just laughs at the SH and then eventually turns a bit brown. Depending on the maturity and species, it can sometimes take additional steps to get it off. 3 Capitol Pro Wash, Ultimate Roof Cleaning & Pressure Washing and Apple Roof Cleaning (813) 655-8777 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Josh Brown Report post Posted August 21, 2014 Reading through these things I'm learning a lot but somethings aren't coming clear to me. Possible one of you guys would be willing to help out. I live in an area where most houses have no gutters. It's just a problem I have to face. When rinsing a house with no gutters, some people catch everything, even the rinse. How? Secondly, if you rinse the roof while another guy is on the ground rinsing the plants AND plants are covered, would this be sufficient? My mix is SH, water and Roof Snot(which I love)... What is Trisodium Phosphate, where would one buy it, and what are the benefits of mixing SH - TSP - Soap over just SH - Water - Soap? What would the ratio be? Would you guys recommend it? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Apple Roof Cleaning (813) 655-8777 Report post Posted August 21, 2014 Reading through these things I'm learning a lot but somethings aren't coming clear to me. Possible one of you guys would be willing to help out. I live in an area where most houses have no gutters. It's just a problem I have to face. When rinsing a house with no gutters, some people catch everything, even the rinse. How? Secondly, if you rinse the roof while another guy is on the ground rinsing the plants AND plants are covered, would this be sufficient? My mix is SH, water and Roof Snot(which I love)... What is Trisodium Phosphate, where would one buy it, and what are the benefits of mixing SH - TSP - Soap over just SH - Water - Soap? What would the ratio be? Would you guys recommend it? No need to "catch" everything, suggest you watch my 4 roof cleaning videos, and see how it is done. TSP is a powerful cleaner that makes a difference on light colored shingle roofs, and on concrete tile. It is not absolutely needed, and suggest you get some experience first, before using it. 1 Josh Brown reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PeakOfPerfection Report post Posted August 21, 2014 I would also be very careful with the roof snot. Any surfactant which increases cling on the roof will also increase cling on the foliage and is more likely to cause burn issues. Play with the amount of chem added. Also, play around with your SH mix percentages. Your goal should be to use the lowest amount of SH possible while still remaining effective. This is a good rule to follow anyways. Keep in mind that SH activity increases with temperature. A 90 degree day will require less SH than a 40 degree day. Ultimately, the goal is a mix with the least amount of runoff and the lowest amount of SH and surfactant this will require playing and adjustment. Best to do this on roofs with gutters when possible. Oh...and please fill out your signature! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Josh Brown Report post Posted August 21, 2014 I would also be very careful with the roof snot. Any surfactant which increases cling on the roof will also increase cling on the foliage and is more likely to cause burn issues. Play with the amount of chem added. Also, play around with your SH mix percentages. Your goal should be to use the lowest amount of SH possible while still remaining effective. This is a good rule to follow anyways. Keep in mind that SH activity increases with temperature. A 90 degree day will require less SH than a 40 degree day. Ultimately, the goal is a mix with the least amount of runoff and the lowest amount of SH and surfactant this will require playing and adjustment. Best to do this on roofs with gutters when possible. Oh...and please fill out your signature! I have searched my settings for "Signature" and cannot find it. There seems to be some glitches in this forum... I am signed in but there are some features that I'm still not allowed to do. When signed out, there is a search bar, when signed in, there is no search bar. Kind of strange. When I go to my name and click "My Content" or "Content/Follow" it says I don't have permission for that??? Anyways, maybe you can help with that. In any case, I'll get to it as soon as I can figure out how. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Josh Brown Report post Posted August 21, 2014 No need to "catch" everything, suggest you watch my 4 roof cleaning videos, and see how it is done. TSP is a powerful cleaner that makes a difference on light colored shingle roofs, and on concrete tile. It is not absolutely needed, and suggest you get some experience first, before using it. Where would I find these videos? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PeakOfPerfection Report post Posted August 26, 2014 I have searched my settings for "Signature" and cannot find it. There seems to be some glitches in this forum... I am signed in but there are some features that I'm still not allowed to do. When signed out, there is a search bar, when signed in, there is no search bar. Kind of strange. When I go to my name and click "My Content" or "Content/Follow" it says I don't have permission for that??? Anyways, maybe you can help with that. In any case, I'll get to it as soon as I can figure out how. At the top of the website, click on your user name....a drop down menu should appear....click on settings....click on Signature. Best to follow the format like you see in mine or Chris' (Apple Roof Cleaning) to get better SEO. 2 Apple Roof Cleaning (813) 655-8777 and Josh Brown reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Apple Roof Cleaning (813) 655-8777 Report post Posted August 26, 2014 Where would I find these videos? Here you go, watch all 4 of these roof cleaning videos https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6A234E1900AC23ED 1 Josh Brown reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Roof Cleaning Palm Harbor Report post Posted September 19, 2014 Good info. Not sure how I missed this one. Haven't been on the boards much lately. 1 Apple Roof Cleaning (813) 655-8777 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fast Finish Report post Posted September 19, 2014 UPDATE,..(GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS?).. It has been a year later(since starting the thread) and with all the roofs that we have done I have come to the conclusion that it is a high risk/ low reward part of the business for us. Here is what I have found and tracked this last year........ Our number one request is for super steep pitched roofs that are un walkable and they need lifts ,extra gear etc.., and physical removal of the moss. And even if we charge $800-$1500 or more TO DO IT,(and we have) the effort, time, liability, and near accidents have basically made it a losing proposition overall... But that is not the worst part- The worst part is that our phone rings off the hook for doing these constantly and I am now turning away customers for the reasons above.( I always ask on the call if they are two story roofs, what pitch etc...)... It took a year to build a monster that is eating us alive. We are referring our customers away under the guise of being to busy (which I hate) when the truth is we want to discontinue what we started. We tracked over 40k worth in 4 months we let go. We even delisted it off of Angie's list completely for this specific service.... The easy one story normal pitched roofs- rarely get cleaned or want the service. WHY? Probably because they are easy and most home owners figure they will get to it on their own even if they never do.. I am still doing the easy ones when they come up, but it is probably one out 20 in my area... I would love to have options at this point.... Business is to new to sell off just a service, and we do other things so we wouldn't sell off anyway. If anyone would pay for my referrals locally, I would do it in a heart beat for those clients. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Apple Roof Cleaning (813) 655-8777 Report post Posted September 20, 2014 UPDATE,..(GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS?).. It has been a year later(since starting the thread) and with all the roofs that we have done I have come to the conclusion that it is a high risk/ low reward part of the business for us. Here is what I have found and tracked this last year........ Our number one request is for super steep pitched roofs that are un walkable and they need lifts ,extra gear etc.., and physical removal of the moss. And even if we charge $800-$1500 or more TO DO IT,(and we have) the effort, time, liability, and near accidents have basically made it a losing proposition overall... But that is not the worst part- The worst part is that our phone rings off the hook for doing these constantly and I am now turning away customers for the reasons above.( I always ask on the call if they are two story roofs, what pitch etc...)... It took a year to build a monster that is eating us alive. We are referring our customers away under the guise of being to busy (which I hate) when the truth is we want to discontinue what we started. We tracked over 40k worth in 4 months we let go. We even delisted it off of Angie's list completely for this specific service.... The easy one story normal pitched roofs- rarely get cleaned or want the service. WHY? Probably because they are easy and most home owners figure they will get to it on their own even if they never do.. I am still doing the easy ones when they come up, but it is probably one out 20 in my area... I would love to have options at this point.... Business is to new to sell off just a service, and we do other things so we wouldn't sell off anyway. If anyone would pay for my referrals locally, I would do it in a heart beat for those clients. Get hold of Kevin from Peak Of Perfection Roof Cleaning up in Bellingham Washington. He does steep roofs all the time, and installs roof anchors! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fast Finish Report post Posted September 20, 2014 He is 6 hours away on a good day with no traffic.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
garyw Report post Posted September 20, 2014 Build a system like mine and you won't have to get on roofs. (shoots 70"). Then you can exand your business and grow in peace.. Look at mine here. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PeakOfPerfection Report post Posted September 21, 2014 One question...what is your current rig? The thing I find is that the rig makes all the difference when it comes to high/steep roofs and a lot of moss. If you are doing it with an electric setup, you are working way too hard. The fact is, many bigger 2 story homes can be hit from the ladder...IF you have a pump system capable of delivering the goods with tons of reach and flow like mine or Gary's. It makes wash downs much easier when you have a pump spurting out massive amounts of water 70' into the air. Also...trying to get every possible piece of moss off the roof is counterproductive. We typically remove about 80-90%, with the rest left to decay. I explain very clearly to the home owner that there is likely to be some mature moss plants on their roof if it hasn't been cleaned in the past 5 years. When we are gone, everything WILL be dead, but the remaining moss is too mature to remove without ripping the roots out and damaging the granule layer on the shingle. I remind them that this method is designed specifically to preserve the life of the roof. The moss DOES come off, but it will take some time. If anything is still up there after a winter season, call us in the spring and we will swing by and hit the trouble spot again. It is very rare we get call backs. Then they need to call us back out in 3-4 years for a maintenance coating. As for close calls, nobody should be on a steep 2 story roof without safety anchors and a harness. They are easy and quick to install. They are a billable item to the client. 1 CanaSpray reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tigerwash Report post Posted September 24, 2014 Is there ever a problem with leaving the mix on too long? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PeakOfPerfection Report post Posted September 24, 2014 It depends on the roof material. SH reacts in the presence of sunlight and contact with organic materials. After spraying, the residue is salt water. Leaving it on, assuming you are using a standard range mix strength, is not an issue for asphalt shingles. Tile....ask Chris. Metal is a no no. It needs to be rinsed immediately, preferably with METSO added to the rinse water. TPA...rinse. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Apple Roof Cleaning (813) 655-8777 Report post Posted September 25, 2014 Is there ever a problem with leaving the mix on too long? No, except on a roof w/o gutters, all that dried up roof cleaning chemical can come down and toast plants, unless you get a really hard rain. Always rinse Metal, like Kevin said. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ReNew Roof & Exterior cleaning Report post Posted October 13, 2014 Chris, I watched your 4 videos, what are you using for a pump? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Apple Roof Cleaning (813) 655-8777 Report post Posted October 13, 2014 Chris, I watched your 4 videos, what are you using for a pump? In those video's, that is a Black Kynar 1/2 inch Yamada roof cleaning pump Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ReNew Roof & Exterior cleaning Report post Posted October 13, 2014 I sent you a private message Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
