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Roof cleaning

i dont know @bill as i only done 2 roofs and both where them thick concrete tiles and heavy in moss
Cheers I've been scraping moss off and then spraying with ddac which takes weeks to clean the roof was wondering if hypo does it quicker

 
I have used a hypo mix on roofs before as I find if applied correctly then rinsed with a hose it cuts the cleaning time down quite a lotOne roof we did when we returned to wash hypo off looked like it had already been cleaned

Also means less pressure and water needed to remove the muck reducing the chance of water in the roof space and removing the granular protective coating on roof tiles
What's the procedure using hypo on a roof is it scrape moss off wet roof then spray on hypo what mix do you use and what types of file can you use it on cheers bill

 
@Green
I was going to buy one with a work mate, as we use them for large commercial jobs as well, this being one of them:View attachment 7763

View attachment 7764

But in the end we worked out that hiring is much cheaper, as even on eBay your looking at £3k minimum for a decent one, and we hire them for just £80 a day - we struck up a good relationship with a tool hire company, and they now give us cheap rates, no hassle and nothing to worry about, we just add the cost onto the job, for the amount we use them, it's silly to buy one, at £80 a time, hiring is better, no maintenance worries, no storage worries etx.. They also have about 6 leisure battery's on them to maintain, as well as the option for petrol driven, so in the end we just thought unless we have loads of work that requires a picker regularly, we can't be bothered with the maintenance of one, and charging all 6 battery's every week lol! The battery back up versions are essential as the engine sometimes doesn't work (cold, issues etc) so having the battery backup is amazing, it is so much quieter when using the battery power as well, much more user friendly
Was just searching for info on roof cleaning and found these pics

Jake they are awesome !

Inspirational I really fancy pressure washing / soft washing at height

(And no Ankalad in sight- ha)

 
I've never bothered with chemicals, I walk on the roof if it's flat enough, if not I use a cherry picker, although you need fall arrest saftey if you walk on them, so it's worth getting a cherry picker...
No need for chems, i did this with my Loncin 15 lpm in two 4 hour stints (over two days as it was too hot to stay up there any longer) and all the moss shot off easily, I think chemicals have there place, but most of the time there just not needed...

It's great to do, wish I could do more roofs, but don't get asked very often as it's an expensive job!

View attachment 7740
Pressure washing roof tiles at anything over a trickle will ruin the tiles

Better to scrape and use chems

 
How would you go about that access wise Daveyboy?

I have turned down three huge houses who asked me if I could clean their roofs, I just said to them it's something i'm going to start doing next year so I can still tap them up. when I look at the roof all I can picture is me sliding off it lol would you use a tower of some sort or just pure goat balance?

 
Daveyboy is right to a extent!

Blasting a roof full pelt 4000psi just isn't neccasory

Treat 2 first this alone cleans most of the muck and loosens everything

Wide nozzle pressure wash on low it's only moss not concrete

New tiles are coated with a surface granular to protect the tiles but after a few years most of this has weathered off hence the very gritty gutters it's the granular

I spoke in depth with many roofers before I did them and they all agreed it's actually better to software then scrape over and over with trowels etc

 
Softwash is good but scraping is a lot better than jetwashing

The tines on the surface of tiles are designed to wear over the years and a tile should last 80-100 years

Blasting with jetwash can seriously reduce the lifespan

How would you go about that access wise Daveyboy?
I have turned down three huge houses who asked me if I could clean their roofs, I just said to them it's something i'm going to start doing next year so I can still tap them up. when I look at the roof all I can picture is me sliding off it lol would you use a tower of some sort or just pure goat balance?
I am an ex roofer(grew up on roofs with mums roofer husband and ladders working on windows for mates dad) and would use my goat balance as you call it but i would be harnessed and tied off to a solid point also

 
Dav

Softwash is good but scraping is a lot better than jetwashingThe tines on the surface of tiles are designed to wear over the years and a tile should last 80-100 years

Blasting with jetwash can seriously reduce the lifespan

I am an ex roofer(grew up on roofs with mums roofer husband and ladders working on windows for mates dad) and would use my goat balance as you call it but i would be harnessed and tied off to a solid point also
dave you grew up on a roof ! That must have been hard

Thought I had it tough in Barnsley ..

 
I have been laddering to gutter height then power wash lance on minimum flow

With customers little karcher! Slow going but looks good - although I think it needs treating after as I can see small bits of growth

It's that job I showed you eviestevie ... I'm on a steady day rate so doing a day a week when weather not great for windows - do you ever treat after washing ?

 
If you treat it then any lichen will gradually die off so any of the dark marks which don't come off should gradually fade away as they die and rot

 
I always use low pressure Dave, and the customer knows the potential side effects, but most times it actually is so deteriorated that all the sealant has gone anyway, but yeah you are correct Dave, but so many people pressure wash roofs, and as long as you can offer to reapply a sealant, it's up to the custy

But I always tell the crusty that this could damage the surface granular, and that they may want it re-coated ,

Then it becomes there problem not mine,

I do tell them I can re apply a clear roof sealant (like superdry) for a charge of £££ but they always say no don't bother - up to them that way...

 
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How would you go about that access wise Daveyboy?
I have turned down three huge houses who asked me if I could clean their roofs, I just said to them it's something i'm going to start doing next year so I can still tap them up. when I look at the roof all I can picture is me sliding off it lol would you use a tower of some sort or just pure goat balance?
Cherry picker mate

 
Even with the little karcher I noticed all the bits of grit coming off tiles so will get some Hypo Monday from farm supplies

 
Just saw your old pics jake of the cherry pucker job - awesome!
Thanks mate, we try lol!

It's become second nature with the pickers now, but we were a bit nervous when we first used them, but defo look into a local tool hire company to hire them, if you start doing roofs etc! We just add it to the price of the job :thumbsup:

And it's s much safer than roof ladders etc

 
Thanks mate, we try lol!
It's become second nature with the pickers now, but we were a bit nervous when we first used them, but defo look into a local tool hire company to hire them, if you start doing roofs etc! We just add it to the price of the job :thumbsup:

And it's s much safer than roof ladders etc
I actually went up in one last week on site - to remove one sticker that I could not reach off triple ladder ! Was quite funny really - took 10 minutes set up for 5 seconds work

 
I actually went up in one last week on site - to remove one sticker that I could not reach off triple ladder ! Was quite funny really - took 10 minutes set up for 5 seconds work
On site? Was you doing builders clean taxloss

 
Just some thoughts from my side of the fence .... check your wording and make sure your insurance policy will cover you for this type of work.

Most policies will have a height limit and a lot of policies also have a "premises restriction, often to "shops, offices, domestic etc" and they may also restrict the PSI used for pressure washing ... lots of potential issues with this type of cleaning and unless you have made sure your wording is spot on, you could get caught out with it.

If I can help you decipher it in any way, I am happy to do so.

 
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