[James pryer]

   
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Hi all,
been thinking of starting a roof cleaning business. Just needed to clear up some questions I have found difficult to get answer for. Any help would be great!
1. Can I use a hypo mix on any type of tile? I know that you can use hypo where it comes into contact with metal.
 
2. How long should I leave hypo on a roof? For a medium darkness roof and a really dark roof?
 
3. Do I need to spray more than once? Or shall I just up the hypo mix?
 
4. Will spraying hypo then washing off any grass\plants that might have been in contact save the plants?
 
5. Will water, hypo and soap be a good soft wash chemical to use? I’ve seen a lot of companies promote a (expensive) chemical that they add to their mix. ( Softwash Soloutions UK - green mix) Is this add on necessary?
 
6. What are the legal requirements when using hypo on customer roofs? Do I HAVE TO tell the,? Do I need a  license or proper  training to use it on customers roofs?
 
Tha ks is very much guys!

[simon w]

You might be better posting this on the general cleaning section. I know there are more guy's on that section that have experience of this kind of work.

[Smudger]

   
Report post
Posted just now
Hi all,
been thinking of starting a roof cleaning business. Just needed to clear up some questions I have found difficult to get answer for. Any help would be great!
1. Can I use a hypo mix on any type of tile? I know that you can use hypo where it comes into contact with metal.
 yes
2. How long should I leave hypo on a roof? For a medium darkness roof and a really dark roof?
 20 minutes will show you if you’ve done enough
3. Do I need to spray more than once? Or shall I just up the hypo mix?
 the worse the algae the stronger the mix - so you may need to apply more than once
4. Will spraying hypo then washing off any grass\plants that might have been in contact save the plants?
 only need to wash down if your careless even pretty strong hypo mix rarely effects plants trees and grass
5. Will water, hypo and soap be a good soft wash chemical to use? I’ve seen a lot of companies promote a (expensive) chemical that they add to their mix. ( Softwash Soloutions UK - green mix) Is this add on necessary?
 well you do the research - many of the soft wash chemicals are not instant they work (supposedly) over several weeks - I don’t use them
6. What are the legal requirements when using hypo on customer roofs? Do I HAVE TO tell the,? Do I need a  license or proper  training to use it on customers roofs?
 something to hide? - your cleaning the roof if they ask be honest - no only weed killers require licence
Tha ks is very much guys!

Roof cleaning is never that straight forward- softwashing will not work on a lot of roofs where moss is you will need to remove by scraping or pressure washing the roof in these cases - I’ve yet to have a customer want a roof cleaned that only has algae on it or wait several weeks to see softwashing work - you will also need ipaf certificate for high access machine and of course insurance

Darran

[James pryer]

Thanks very much Darren!
Please can I have your email so I can email you about that course.

Was always going to scrape the moss off and was going to leave it to the customer if they wanted their roof steamed/hot pressure  Washered (depending on the roof state)

Just read that I should never mix hypo with soap as it creates a nasty gas.  Is there a chemical or Soloution that I can use to thicken up the hypo or will hypo and water be thick enough and not run of the building?

[Smudger]

I find hypo/water mix to be fine - its an advantage for it to run as it covers the roof better

if you need to add anything it needs to be inert - usually a detergent is ok like cherry or the detergents used in kennels - but not things like TFR - you need to check the ingredients and/or get advise from the supplier. - anything with ammonia is a BIG no no

darran@oddbodscleaning.co.uk

Darran

[robert mitchell]

Thanks very much Darren!
Please can I have your email so I can email you about that course.

Was always going to scrape the moss off and was going to leave it to the customer if they wanted their roof steamed/hot pressure  Washered (depending on the roof state)

Just read that I should never mix hypo with soap as it creates a nasty gas.  Is there a chemical or Soloution that I can use to thicken up the hypo or will hypo and water be thick enough and not run of the building?

As long as the detergent is not acidic it will be fine , never add acid to hypo or you will create chlorine gas , which is lethal!

[CleanClear]

1. Can I use a hypo mix on any type of tile? I know that you can use hypo where it comes into contact with metal.

Its corrosive to metal.

[zesty]

I find hypo/water mix to be fine - its an advantage for it to run as it covers the roof better

if you need to add anything it needs to be inert - usually a detergent is ok like cherry or the detergents used in kennels - but not things like TFR - you need to check the ingredients and/or get advise from the supplier. - anything with ammonia is a BIG no no

darran@oddbodscleaning.co.uk

Darran

I was never sure kennel detergent would be thick enough, but looks worth a go.

I always use fairy original or lemon. Although I don’t add much, I’ve found that even on cladding and render, you don’t actually need much ‘surfactant’ it seems to work either way...

[James pryer]

When you say cherry detergent am I right in thinking cherry washing detergent. The stuff you might use one your clothes?

[nathankaye]

AmmonyxLo  and only a dash.
You can buy scented oils to add to mask the smell or you can buy ready made mixes which tend to be more expensive. Yet you factor these costs into your quote.

However saying that, before i get challenged lol, i have done soft waahing but not roof washing.
(Side note, be careful if watching any american softbwashing vids)