I just posted this over at the ARCA Forum, to answer a question someone had. There is some good information for those of you dealing with shingle roof cleaning in colder climates then here in Tampa, Florida. Hope this helps some of you ?
Chris, listen, many roof cleaners I have trained told me to use hot water with 1/2 to 3/4 cup TSP per gallon of mix. Mix the TSP and the HOT water first, let soak a few minutes, stir again, then dump in the chlorine, if ya can. The TSP really help cold weather cleaning, as does the hot water. Then they make their mix on the strong side, like 60 percent chlorine to 40 gallons water/TSP. Tey pull up to the house, fire up the burner(do NOT boil peanuts) and using the PW wet one side of roof ONLY down with hot, but not scalding water. You also take your roof cleaning hose with you up on roof. Now, as SOON as you have wet down a ssection of roof, let the roof have the Love. If it is really cold, simply wet down a section of a section of the roof, or, a section of a section of a section The IDEA Chris is to make the roof cleaing solution Happy! NEVER attempt to clean a roof on a cold and CLOUDY Day, you need the Sun! Better to have 40 degrees and sunny, then 45 degrees and overcast!
The reason you make a 60/40 mix Chris is because the hot water you have wet the roof with will automatically DILUTE the 60/40 mix down to ARCA and RCIA standards!
I know, I know, TSP is a PITA to mix , but used correctly, it is your FRIEND, and you need all the friends ya can get taking on a light colored roof, in cold weather!
For anyone reading this, do not wet roof with scalding hot water !!!
The Frogs hate it, and it aint good for a roof either!
Also,, some have reported to me that rubbing alcohol speeds up cold weather roof cleaning as well.
Rubbing alcohol is an ingredient in Apple Cider anyway, but remember Apple Cider was developed in Florida ?
The cold weather guys have told me that doubling the amount of rubbing alchol in the apple cider formula really helped in cold weather roof cleaning!
Be advised that rubbing alcohol will burn your mix up faster, so make no more then needed that day ?
IF doublingthe amount of rubbing alcohol in your cold weather roof cleaning mix, I suggest going UP to 1 cup TSP, to compensate for the loss of PH induced by the additional Isopropyl ?
BTW, the rubbing alcohol is added LAST !
Ya wanna dump it in, stir thje tank, and go start cleaning, and BTW, when using double rubbing alcohol, it is not a bad idea to leave the lid OFF the tank
Once you dump it in, you will see why, it will actually start SMOKING
This complete cold weater roof cleaning information has never been posted on the RCIA Forum, probably because I never got around to it ?
But God knows my friend Dave Westerman has given a LOT to RCIA, just wanted to re pay his kindness.
So Chris, there you have it Son, the "secret" to cold weather roof cleaning, as best I know.
The other "secret" is patience, us old men, and cold shingle roofs are stubborn, and take awhile to clean. Give the chemical TIME to work, and be aware it can take 20 minutes or so. TSP, Rubbing Alcohol, and hot water to warm up the cold roof section by section are a cold weather roof cleaners best friend, next to boiled peanuts
-- Edited by Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa FL (813) 655-8777 on Wednesday 10th of February 2010 11:04:28 AM
Chris, you guys are amazing and unbelieveably helpful. I know that we will start the year by doing some cold weather roofs and your input, knowledge, and experience will be very helpful.
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Danny and Mike Spiczenski
Indiana Roof Cleaning Safe Roof Cleaning Non Pressure Roof Cleaning Indianapolis Black Streak Removal
Chris You da' man. I see you in every other forum out there and your advice is always so imformative. Gonna call you the THE MAN. Mark Adkins Midfield Texas
Chris, you guys are amazing and unbelieveably helpful. I know that we will start the year by doing some cold weather roofs and your input, knowledge, and experience will be very helpful.
The best thing I have learned in 55 years on this Planet is this. Help others, and you get helped. Do good things, good things "happen" to you Life is like a Boomerang, throw out good stuff, good stuff comes back to you. Works for me!
Chris, we all appreciate the cold weather advice up here on the frozen tundra. What guys like us may really need is advice on moving south! At least ice fishing season has been extended.
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Kurt Ristow Above & Beyond Roof & Exterior Cleaning Frankfort, IN 46041 cell #765-242-9113
Chris, we all appreciate the cold weather advice up here on the frozen tundra. What guys like us may really need is advice on moving south! At least ice fishing season has been extended.
I miss Ice Fishing! Gave me all the "excuse" I needed to drink some Vodka to "warm myself up" LOL Don't think I ever went fishing in my life ? I call it "drinking with a fishing pole"
I love eating my bluegills...very tasty, but it's microsurgery for hours. I am longing for the Mangrove Slam" from your area. Speckled sea trout+redfish+snook=mangove slam. Plus, you're fishing damn near nekkid. Boat drinks are mandatory.
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Kurt Ristow Above & Beyond Roof & Exterior Cleaning Frankfort, IN 46041 cell #765-242-9113
I love eating my bluegills...very tasty, but it's microsurgery for hours. I am longing for the Mangrove Slam" from your area. Speckled sea trout+redfish+snook=mangove slam. Plus, you're fishing damn near nekkid. Boat drinks are mandatory.
Absolutely! Snook, grouper, and Cobia are good eatin, and so are Sheephead and Pompano. Tampa Bay used to have tons of Mullett, we netted them by the tons! Every Bar here used to have smoked Mullett, free if ya drank a beer or 2 there daily ? We overfished Tampa Bay, but new fishing limits bringing the once abundant Mullett back!
Thanks Chris. It worked out great. I didnt prewet the roof with warm water because my washer only has one temp and thats HOT! But we did use our regular mix with hot water and tsp.
Had to add a little patience to the mix..... LOL
The days are getting longer so hopefully we wont have to deal with the cold too much longer!
Thanks Chris. It worked out great. I didnt prewet the roof with warm water because my washer only has one temp and thats HOT! But we did use our regular mix with hot water and tsp.
Had to add a little patience to the mix..... LOL
The days are getting longer so hopefully we wont have to deal with the cold too much longer!
Great Chris! There is a considerable amount of MIS Information going down on some "information forums" Bear in mind SOME people do not want you to know certain things, they feel threatened perhaps ? Cold Weather roof cleaning IS possible, as you found out. No, it is not as easy, nor is it as fast as what we here in Tampa, Florida are used to. But you deal the hand of cards you are dealt. It takes patience, true, but we have RCIA certified roof cleaners out doing it everyday
Maybe it is time to think about a temp control for your burner Chris ?
Warming a section of the roof up with slightly hot water, then hitting it right away with the cold weather roof cleaning chemical mix is faster
But, as we try to teach here at the RCIA Forum, roof cleaning is not a road race. So what you may have to take a few hours to clean a roof in cold weather ? At a price of 400.00 for a roof cleaning, that is 200.00 an hour
Not too bad for those of us who have no college degree, and more then many with a degree too !
I drove through Cincinnatti a few years back, and licked my chops Chris. Thousands of dirty roofs to clean!
There is literally a small fortune to be made cleaning roofs up north, and little competition too, compared to what I face daily here in Tampa!
You got to go get the work, true, but usually once you clean one roof in a neighborhood, you get some more, ask for referrals, and go from there.