I'm also a Soft Washer (Panoramic Clean in the Richmond, VA area) and I have a document from GAF stating that they have seen premature granule loss from asphalt roofing with as little as 150 PSI. Considering most residential water pressure is from 60 to 90 PSI, 150 PSI is really not much more, and it is a pressure people can readily understand that do not truly understand much about PSI ratings. ARMA and manufacturers recommend SH for asphalt shingles. People say they are dishonest and just trying to get you to ruin your roof so you have to replace it sooner. That's such an ignorant statement though. Can you imagine the class action lawsuit that would bring about? There is a video a roof cleaner that uses a pressure washer and roof rover in the Richmond, VA area posted about 8 years ago that he said that on the local news when they did a spot on his business. That makes about as much sense as a car manufacturer telling you to put gas in a diesel engine. People say bleach will make asphalt shingles brittle. GAF has tested this and proven it causes no harm, which you already know as it was tested with the Green Wash. Where I think the brittle shingles come from is the untrained chlorine cowboys in the profession that do not have any real training and do not understand the chemicals being used and how they react. I think you were trained by AC Lockyer, as I was, and in my opinion (with no factual/real research), what is making the shingles brittle is the people mixing things like Dawn and other degreasers. Degreasers break down petroleum products and asphalt is a petroleum product. I have not proof to back this up, but that is the only thing I've been able to come up with for brittle shingles related to roof cleaning. It is sad that there is no laws in place requiring some kind of official training for the roof cleaning industry, but until there is, there will be plenty of unethical and untrained people cutting corners at the customers expense to make a buck, which just makes the rest of us look bad. I had a 5 gallon tote of SH that was hours old when I bought it. It was spare and I didn't use it, and it got shuffled into my shed when I moved and it was about a year old when I found it. The liquid was 100% clear with absolutely no yellow tint that you see in SH. I have a sensitive nose and I opened the SH and it had no spell. I stuck my finger in and tasted it and it was very salty water. I have absolute proof there that SH will decay to nothing but salt water (and 0.2% sodium hydroxide) if left alone in a sealed container out of the sunlight, although the temperatures were up in the 90's and low 100's that summer, but I agree 100%, it definitely breaks down. I will not use SH for roof cleaning once it is about 30 days old. This is exactly what is meant when people say SH is unstable - it decays quickly, even in a well sealed container stored in appropriate temperatures. Thanks for the great video, and best of luck in the business!
@@fuqutube Powder SH? Wouldn't that be CH or Calcium Hypochlorite? I've never seen powdered SH. CH is a great option, but it is easy to have wind drift and if your assistant on the ground misses anything you will end up with white calcium deposits on the windows, siding, AC units, decks, cars, plants, anywhere the wind blows the CH and it is not rinsed before it dries. I used that my first year in business but measuring and mixing the powder and trying to keep everything rinsed when the mix evaporates on cars and other hot surfaces so quickly....it just wasn't worth the tradeoff. If you use the proper SH catalysts to give you the same level of cleaning with a lower SH mix you can do great work faster with no problems. In the past 10 years I've only shocked two plants. One was where I asked my assistant to rinse a small garage roof with no gutters and plants in the drip line, but he got a call from his wife and forgot and I didn't follow up behind him, so this left the bushes with the thin line of death in the drip line, but lush growth on both sides. The other I had heavy moss growth on a small section of roof and the gutter ran to an underground drain and I should have used my gutter cane to flush water through and saturate the soil before I started spraying, and keep using the gutter cane on a lower flow to push the SH away from the sensitive plants near the gutter. Over the past 10 years, I'm sure I would have had more issues with CH spots than those two plant issues, but all the plants mentioned here recovered fully with some TLC from me.
Doug, you explained it well! I am the owner of Tropical Roof and Exterior Cleaning Systems in Orlando Florida. I have been in this industry for over 20 years and everything you said is spot on. We clean mainly roofs, I personally clean around 700 a year and over the years I have been approached by many new product salesmen with products that I knew before they even present it to me were just snake oil. Nothing works except sodium hypochlorite, and like you said about what ALL ROOFING manufacturers say to use and the snake oil guys say otherwise. Good video! Very accurate, and yes there is a big difference in SH quality and percentage. 12.5 is the best, the manufacturer Allied Universal is who we get ours from and I avoid Oddessy, brenntag and a few other branded SH due to low quality and I am certain that it is about 8 to 9% max and stale. Many roof cleaning companies buy that brand because it is cheap at around .40 to .50 cents per gallon in bulk. I try to explain to some of the others that they are spending more in the long run and that brand leaves a nasty residue and deposits in tanks. I however my current tanks that are about 7 years old and are spotless with no residue. The 12.5% you can mix it at a 35% SH to 65% water ratio and it will clean faster, better and not dry up as fast since there is more water in the mix as opposed to using lower grades to where if the mix has any more than 20% water it will take longer to clean and since it is mostly SH at 80% in the mix it will dry faster and leave spots all over the roof that will need to be touched up as in doing a few coats. I can spray a shingle roof that is pretty bad in 1 coat with a 35% mix without having much run off (we call it the NO DRIP" and I do not have to go back over it again except for spots that the fan tip may have missed if that does happen. I can talk about roof cleaning for days. Again good video!
I Daniel Oakes, owner of Oakes Brothers Home Improvements in Valdosta Ga. I’m originally from Vero beach. I do a good bit of roof and house washing. I did a painted metal roof yesterday and the s.h wouldn’t wash off the roof without direct pressure from a soft wash tip and 4gpm which I am against and almost never have to do. It was killing it but it just wouldn’t wash off. Ever ran across this and what would I do in this situation? I try not to walk metal roofs because it’s dangerous as hell and very easy to damage so I am trying to figure out how to stay on the ground or at least a ladder.
@@danieloakes6637 Is the paint original or was is repainted at some time? What percentage mix are you applying? Is the growth green, black or has is started to grow lichen on the roof? Also, it is cold up there in GA right now. I usually do metal roofs when it is above 55 degrees. If the roof is painted and the mildew is heavy black I will always bump the mix up to 60 to 70% and do 1 side or section at a time. Do 1 even coat starting at 1 end and then go over it again which usually does it. I wait until the area treated is 100% clean before I rinse it off. There are cases where the roof has been painted, but whoever painted it did not prep it properly. I.e. painted over left over mildew spores and that stuff will grow right through the paint. Try this: take some straight sh and put it in a small heavily mildew covered area. Let it sit until the black has pretty much disappeared and turned a dull greyish color. Rinse off with a water hose. If that does not remove it, it may now be mildew or it could be bleed through from mildew in the paint. Kind if like mildew on window caulking that was caulked with Big Lots or Dollar store caulk. Let me know what the out come is. You can also contact me if you have any other questions.
@@SquirrelXLaunches it was about 50-55 degrees and probably 4% dwell almost to a dry and treat 2-3 times started to see it dying off but still wouldn’t wash off without pressure. I know that’s a weak mix but I always try to use a minimal amount of s.h on metal to prevent streaks so I treat it multiple times at a lower percentage. Guess it needs to be hotter
@@danieloakes6637 yeah, metal roofs are a pain sometimes. Cold air and light mixes are no match for mildew. Especially on cold metal roofs. If it cold to the touch I would rather wait even with a hot mix.
I use the term Solutions. If they pry further, I only answer until they stop asking. Some solutions never raise a question. Then, from there, a bit at a time, until they are happy, don't overcomplicate this issue. And if your thoughts constantly are, "Oh, god, they're going to ask about SH." You're right; you're bringing it to them with your mindset.
Doug, Garland from Garco Pressure Washing. Very good video. Just watched Pressure Washing Service destroy customers roof with small surface cleaner. Sodium Hypochlorite is the best and safest way to clean a roof. Keep the videos coming customers need to be informed. Out of curiosity, I contacted Gaf and Certainteed Asphalt Shingle Roofing Mfgr's and ask about Pressure Washing Asphalt Shingles. Both manufacturer's informed me it voids the Warranty.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!! I don’t need to watch 20 videos now. And I won’t use my pressure washer on my roof!! You probably just saved me thousands of dollars. How do I get a case of beer to you 🍻😂😂
I am a Water Plant Operator. We use hypo for our water disinfection processes. We just received a load today.. 5000 gallons. Our lab tested it to be 14%, with a relative density of 1.2 spg @ 20C. We keep two bulk tanks that hold about 5000 gallons each, and they last us just about a month, depending on the water temperature and average conductivity.
We are about to start roof wash services and roof rejuvenation services this spring more people are interested in this type of service then I would’ve thought
I am not sure why you would want to rinse? If you apply to your roof on a warm day, it will evaporate in 30 mins tops. There might be some left in the gutter but I doubt it will do anything but discolor the inside of the gutters. if this does not hurt the roof , why not just let it stay there and let the heavy rains rinse.
Not all home have rain gutters. Most homes in my area don't have any gutters. But even with rain gutters the gutters need to be fully flushed out. It also depends on where the downspouts drain. There's a lot more that goes into it than just spraying the roof. Or at least there should be.
Just one comment. You state why would asphalt shingle manufacturers and the Asphalt Shingle Organization recommend bleach to clean asphalt roofs if bleach damages shingles…….. because damaged shingles need to be replaced. Taking 1, or 4 or 8 years off the life of a shingle means those shingles would have to be replaced sooner and more often ( $$$$$ ) over the life of the home. I’m not saying that’s what’s going on but that would make sense for someone who sells or installs asphalt shingles.
Down here in South Florida things to grade super quick. It's delivered at 12 and a half percent but after one day of those tanks being outside and the next morning you load up about 100 gallons of sh on your rig by the time you get to the customer's house and you've got your mix and everything it's no longer 12 and a half percent you're lucky to get 10 and a half to 11% and that's about it. That's why we just keep it simple and we don't use the silly math measurement. The way it's done is super simple. If you've got 50 gallons of sh and 50 gallons of water. That's a 50% mix. If you've got 40 gallons of sh and 60 gallons of water well, that's called a 40% mix. So whatever percentage of sh by liquid you have in that tank versus water is basically what percentage we call it. None of this 1% 3% and 6.5% and and 5.796521% kind of jive you know what I mean. But now during the winter time it's a little bit different sh goes slightly dormant and is not as effective so it's a real toss-up. But then again when it's delivered it'll stay nice and hot for a little while longer when you're up north. Six of one half a dozen of the other you know how it is
Verbal typo. It's hard to talk that much for that long and not make any mistakes at all. It looked like he was following some bullet points, but not reading a 100% typed out prepared statement. He was probably thinking about the next subject while still finishing another.
The difference between 9.0% and 9.1% is not 1% as stated.....it is 1/10 of a percent! Basically no difference. As likely as not, only testing's lack of ability to be precise.
Do you think the manufactures of shingles will back their warrantee, or for that matter still be in business when you have a problem. Best way in my opinion to clean a roof is prevent, or minimize algae and moss with a copper sheathing strip at the peak straight across
Would it not be simpler if the Roofer's used metallic stirps like Zinc or galvanized metal on both sides of the crown and on heavily shaded roof a second stirp across the middle? I have been a Landlord for 40 years and my Roofer has used this process on any shingle roof buildings they have done over the last 25 years. The strip will oxidize over time and wash down the roof plane when it rains, making the roof plane much less habitable for moss, algae and lichen.Soft washing is only temporary solution, whereas, metal stirps have proved to me to be a preventative cure? Now the strips don't last as long as the shingles and when my gutter cleaners do their annual service, if they spot any microbial growth, my Roofer comes out, spot treats and installs ne metallic strips and they go back to work @ first rain. Depending on rainfall the Metallic Strips last from 10-15 years. Whole lot cheaper than an annual Soft Wash!
Well... Yes and no. Galvanized metal, as well as copper and others, will prevent the growth. As an example, if you look under a roof vent or chimney flashing you might notice it's cleaner, and that is because of the metal. However, it would take a lot of exposed metal strips and that would be, and is, expensive and unsightly. It's also not completely successful so you can get hyper dark areas attacking any area that's not covered by the metal.
Your Video is very informative. I however have a question that needs clarification, I do understand there are may types of roofing materials name, shingles, Tile roofs, Metal roofs, stone roofs. Is a no pressure washing approach recommended for all these roof types??
Hey Brad, the shirt in this video was a "oops-click order". I designed all of our shirts but when I ordered I ordered the wrong ones. The shirts you were able to see in Tampa were the correct shirts and we got them from Ink It My Way but they have changed their entire platform so I'm not sure where we stand with ordering shirts anymore.
Good video! How come you don't address the installation of zinc strips to avoid recurring mold, mildew, moss and fungus? Do you do this for customers? Do you think it works to keep the roof clean? Or do you hope to come back to clean the roofs that never have zinc strips installed?
What Doug said, and they do not always work correctly. If the roofing is old and not level, having high and low spots, the zinc will flow into the lower spots, and leave the higher spots untreated resulting and something similar to zebra stripes on the roof where it is clean and dirty. Besides, copper is about 10X more toxic to these organisms than zinc. :0) Also, adding stuff like that to a roof is probably falling under "construction" which is probably outside his field, and I doubt his insurance would cover that work.
I sprayed a roof on a very hot day, full sun, about 12 in the afternoon with 12.5%. 3 hours later i sprayed the roof , caught the runoff and there was no bleach smell. That product probably degraded by about 70% in 3 hours.
Did you know per the EPA most bleach you buy off the shelf is only good for sanitizing surfaces around the kitchen and bathroom for about 90 days after purchase? remember where he discussed how bleach breaks down? That is why. Even in a sealed container that has never been opened or exposed to sunlight or high heat will break down to pure salt water over time. After that 90 days the bleach is still good to use in laundry, but not sanitizing.
Do you rinse a roof with water right after you apply the SH ? I have a company that is saying that they don’t rinse it off and I was wondering if that’s ok to leave it in the roof until the rain washes it off Thank you in advance
SoftWash Systems has cleaned in excess of 140,000 roofs and they rarely rinse. I think the ARMA put that into their document because so many untrained companies use Dawn as a surfactant which is a degreaser, and degreasers break down petroleum products. Asphalt is a petroleum product, so if they applied the SH with Dawn and you do not rinse, you would damage the roof. GAF has done tests to simulate a surfactant I use and SH as if the surfactant and SH were left on the asphalt roof for 30 years and there was no damage, so it is safe to leave on. There are situations where you would want to rinse though depending on pitch, gutters, plant type and where they are located and so on. I've been in business about 9 years and almost never rinse and I've never killed a plant.
Is oxygen bleach not recommended to clean roofs over sodium hypochlorite? I've read that oxygen bleach is more gentle but cleans just as well if not better.
Great question. There are many chemicals that can be used instead of Sodium hypochlorite (bleach). But none are as effective and this includes oxygenated bleach. Every product has pro's and con's and some forms of the oxygenated bleaches will leave a white residue on the surface of the roof or exterior cladding. Also, bleach does not "clean". It kills and/or oxidizes. It "bleaches" out the color and breaks down the organic matter.
Definitely mix with water and dilute. We buy SH in higher strength so we can dilute it as needed depending on how badly the roof is stained. If we had a 100 gallon tank of SH and needed a 4% mix, that would be roughly 300 gallons worth of 4% SH after dilution. If you needed 3%, that would be roughly 400 gallons worth diluted from 12.5%. There are laws about how much bleach you can legally carry without a commercial drivers license and a tanker endorsement, which I think is 119 gallons. At 120, you need the CDL. That may vary from state to state, so that plays into the strength we use too. By carrying a higher strength, you can do more work before you need to go back and refill your bleach tank, so you can stay productive longer.
The surfactant helps break the surface tension and helps give the sodium hypochlorite (bleach) its power and stick.....so it is a crucial ingredient. We industry standard surfactants because they are tested for our specific use and because bleach should not be mixed with many other chemicals.
I know my response here is super late, but all I've ever seen professionals suggest is that you soak your plants down with water before allowing any bleach to land on them, then soaking them down once again after the bleach has (potentially) made contact. You could also throw a tarp or something else over them beforehand. Hope this helps.
@@Drewsroofingandhomerepair Well, I would think that ".... without damaging plants" would indicate that the homeowner didn't want whatever would be used to damage any plants at all other than moss.
It is not as simple as that. Think of it this way...what can you put on your roof that is strong enough to kill the PLANTS on the roof, but that will not harm the plants on the ground? It comes down to spray technique and proper rinsing.
The answer is simply NO, not without taking precautions. But, the answer to your question is NO, you cannot use without harming your plants under the drip line or close by. Be aware of what ever flows off your roof and where it ends up, including down spouts for homes with rain gutters. Winds may carry some also.
Has anyone ever heard of or used a chlorine enhancer. my understanding is that it's supposed to increase the potency of the sh and give it a longer shelf life?
There are bleach catalyst out there, but they spike the potency of the bleach, but in trade it generally drastically shortens the useful life of the bleach. Think along the lines of someone taking medication and alcohol. The two together make the medication act much stronger, but the duration of the medication is usually shortened because the catalyst burns it up faster. Bleach manufacturers add a small amount of sodium hydroxide which helps to stabilize the bleach so it last longer. I think they add about 0.2% sodium hydroxide if I recall correctly.
I do have a question for you. Some guys are saying to rinse it afterwards some are saying to not rinse just let it work what os your professional advise on this matter and thank you for the video ?
Do you mask the smell of your bleach roof mix with a scented surfactant or do you just leave it alone and let the bleach smell exist ? If yuh do mask it what do you use and how do you use it?
It's used on asbestos roofing all the time. Asbestos can be a slippery slope depending on the condition. It's really too much to type out here but be careful when dealing with asbestos. The roof may last darn near forever but if replacement is needed it can be very expensive. Condition means everything.
@@dougiedo5505 Thank you so much Doug. Yeah, I'm kinda aware of the danger that asbestos can represent. The house we're living in is quite old, and asbestos roof in this neighborhood was quite common back in the day. I want to replace it for cement or clay tiles, but as you said, it's quite expensive. But with your reply I'll clean my roof more confidently and relieved. Thanks a lot, God bless you!!
That greatly depends and you need to be careful when cleaning metal. Especially if it's hot from the sun. I know this isn't the answer you're looking for but there is no one-size-fits-all.
That's a broad question really, but there are two main factors. #1 is to prevent your mix from touching the plants and # 2 is to prevent your mix from entering the soil. Mostly we cover the plants with Tyvek and create a trough to get the mix away from the root system.
Again it does depend but are we talking about a 10% mix or 10% sodium Hypochlorite? Tyvek 100% won't smother plants.....it's one of the reasons we use it. There have been multiple occasions where we covered plants in the blistering hot sun all day. Assuming no rain gutters then no, although people do just pre-wet and spray they are risking damage to the plants.
Not sure their procedures. However, I have seen some folks no rinse..not sure if its a " bleach " mix and blended mix of some kind...but they usually dont seem to rinse.
Thank you for this informative video. In two weeks I will be washing my house and roof. Could you give me advice on what my mixture should be. I have a 5 gallon bucket to put the chemicals in and my pressure washer will be coming in the mail in two weeks. I appreciate any and all help you do provide
Hi Mr. Anthony, Different mixtures will be needed for the different areas you would be cleaning. Using a pressure washer for the roof is likely not going to work and really should not be done. If you let me know what area you are in I can help you find a professional with the right equipment to clean your roof.
I'm just remembering you said it's a brand new roof so no, it should not lighten it at all. It's only going to lighten the roof that needs to be cleaned. And again, talking about an asphalt shingle roof.
If by "pool chlorine" you mean sodium hypochlorite the answer I would give is "maybe". It's been tried and has positive and negative properties....with more negative than positive. Hence the reason the industry has not adopted it.
@@mannyruiz9011 HI How did that work out.?....what sort of roof?...did you use 12.5% pool sodium hypochlorite undiluted or did you dilute? if so to what % , did you add a surfactant? and what? , did you rinse the roof after a period of time?.......interested to know. cheers
Fire them and call their insurance company....By the way....The insurance company probably won't pay for the damages because the contractor was likely working outside the scope of their coverage. Seen it happen.
We live in central Florida and It's 2 years old, it has a little bit of pollen from the two oak trees in my yard. The manufacturer is FABRAL if that helps. It's not really that bad.
@@Leolioness44 you should have someone local to you come take a look at it. I would recommend looking someone up at spraywashpro.com/directory/?radius=2000
Great video. Thanks for the information. I have heard of people using hydrogen peroxide... Is that common practise? I hear its effective and much safer on vegitation.
Typically companies that use hydrogen peroxide follow up with a surface cleaner on the roof...which is a big No No. Hydrogen peroxide also will not clean the roof "today"....it's more of a wait and see type of cleaning. Then reapply when you know what did and did not come off.
So SH is the best way for instant results. I've seen advice on treated the roof with SH, rinse off thoroughly and just spray another coat to leave on for mother nature to do it.
Definitely the best way. I do believe in rinsing "most" every job. There are things to consider. Yes or no on rain gutters, How bad was the infestation, how much roof area and where will the roof drip to/on to are the main questions.
It depends on what you are cleaning and what your desired results are. Wet and Forget has some good reviews and as always some bad reviews. If you have dark streaks on your roof I would not waste my money because it simply wont do the job and/or wont do it correctly. I believe it would work as a yearly preventative after a professional roof cleaning. For houses and decks I think it can do the job for you but don't expect it to work the day you apply. Also, I don't think it will work properly on thick or heavy infestations. Wet and Forget is not an instant results type of cleaner so if you are looking to save some money and don't mind waiting to see the results, it might be the right cleaner for you. For me it's all about maintenance. I think if you stay on top of your homes maintenance then Wet and Forget will likely work to help keep the infestations at bay. If you have allowed your home to get heavily infested....maybe hire a pro to get you back on track first.
YAY! Someone that knows not to mix ammonia and bleach! You get the gold star today! Wet & Forget is not a fast acting product, so you would need to spray it on, then wait and see if it worked. If not, spray and wait again. Many refer to this as "Spray & Pray". As roof cleaning professionals we do not use this because if someone is paying us to clean their roof, they want to see results, not wait weeks or months to see if it worked. So I'm not saying it will not work, it just doesn't work quickly. Many of these Spray & Pray products do not work fast enough to be effective on established stains.
Since most barrel tile roofs aren't painted it's something that should be evaluated first. I would suggest finding out who the paint manufacturer is and see what their recommendations are.
Ok so my question is, I used fresh 12.5 and sprayed it at 2.5 water to 1 in a light gray asphalt shingle roof like always and when I finished the spray I turned around and the entire roof turned dark brown as if I burnt it, has that ever happened to you?
