The Roof Cleaning Institute Of America Training & Certification Forum
"Find A Certified Roof Cleaner Directory"

When I have the privilege of speaking with any of you, I try to remember to bring up the topic of chemical savings for you.

As a roof cleaning equipment supplier and chemical manufacturer, we appreciate you choosing PWP but want to see you save your hard earned money whenever and where ever possible. 

We recommend that you buy your raw materials locally whenever possible.  You will save on shipping.

For example, if you are currently paying a certain price on SH and have never thought twice about asking for a discount, now is the time.

Here in the Tampa bay area we pay about $0.93 to $1.15 per gallon for Sodium Hypochlorite, Chlorine or SH!

For those of you whom have been through the search with me on the phone, you may be familiar with the process outlined below.

1.  Google your zip code or city and key words such as chemical supplier in Clearwater, FL or chlorine 33765 or commercial pool supplies TampaBay or sodium hypochlorite Pinellas County, FL.  (For obvious reasons, using 'SH' does prove to provide the results you are hoping for.)
2.  Google your zip code or city and major chemical suppliers such as Brenntag, Univar, Helena Chemicals, Harcros, Athena, Ashland and Brainard.  For example, I would use 33765 Helena Chemicals or Tampa, FL Brainard.  If you are lucky you will find at least one in your city or in a nearby.  If you are really lucky, you will find more than one.  It is rare that I speak with one of you and can't find a supplier.
3.  Ask your city's drinking water plant manager where they purchase the SH and ask for the delivery days.  (This may be a good source for FREE or cheap tanks or drums.)
4.  Call as many as you can and find out what their bottom dollar per gallon would be for shipment or pick-up.  Beat them up a little on price like your customers do to you on a roof cleaning job!  Remember that most of the salespeople at chemical supply companies are commission based.
5.  Call up the companies again and play them against each other and let them know that you can find it for less at another competitor.  Ask for a price decrease.  Ask for a decrease if you plan to purchase more than once a week.  Ask for a decrease if you are going to pick it up.
6.  Make sure you get a label and MSDS for the SH from the supplier. Ask for a spare label and make copies of it.  Make sure your SH container is properly labeled.
7.  Make sure you are using a proper storage tank or drum and follow all regulations accordingly.
8.  Do not let your SH sit for too long.  The enemies of SH are time, heat, uv rays and organics.  (I seem to remember that SH may start off at 15-12% and at 90 deg F it breaks down rapidly to about half the effectively of 7.5-6%.  I may be a little off)

Bundle your chemical purchases for better pricing. 

Keep the Oxalic Acid used for to neutralize wood decks after a Sodium Percarbonate treatment and rust removal in a sealed container far from the SH.  They are opposites, acid vs base, and will combust on contact with each other.

Ask for broken bags of bagged chemical for a discounted rate or maybe even FREE.  They will give you the chemical or discount it tremendously to get rid of it.

When looking for Borax, understand that there are at least two types.  They manufacture 5 mol and 10 mol Borax.  The 10 mol is the 'concentrated' version.  Dig deep to high school chemistry where they discussed how much was in a mol.

Ask for the imported version of the bagged chemical unless you strictly by American or need to use it for a recipe that requires a very pure product.  When you ask for the imported version, you will save money 99% of the time.  To be certain, ask for the price of the domestic product and the imported product for comparison.

Ask if some of the products can be purchased in smaller quantities or ask if you can buy it from one of their customers that purchases a lot of the chemical.

If you need help with finding better pricing, please give me a call. I am excited for you when we can work together finding ways to save your money.  Savings on chemical means more profit on your jobs.  Many of you have experienced the sound of my voice changing as I smile when I have found that a major supplier or two can be found miles from your house. 

WE STRONGLY ADVISE THAT YOU CONSULT A CHEMIST WHEN CONSIDERING CONCOCTING YOUR OWN MIX.
Look at the MSDS's for cleaning products sold on all these websites.  Study the first page.  Some of these products are quite simple to make and will save you a whole lot of money.  Many of these very popular cleaners that you use to clean gutters, wash houses, clean decks and wash buildings have only 1, 2 or 3 non-hazardous ingredients in them.  You don't have to add the fragrance or colorant. WE STRONGLY ADVISE THAT YOU CONSULT A CHEMIST WHEN CONSIDERING CONCOCTING YOUR OWN MIX.


We hope that this information helps you.

We sincerely appreciate all of your support for Pressure Washer Products and are very grateful for choosing PWP!