To rinse or not to rinse is THE question!

[Thomas]

Hi TGS,

I do many tile roofs here in FL. I have a great method that I have been using
with my 3.0gpm shurflo and 12% chloro.
I recently observed and spoke with one of the larger roof cleaning companies
in the area and learned that many companies are leaving the cleaning solution
on the tile roofs(not asphalt).

This boggled my mind but after some research and many many days up on the
roof rinsing I think this may be the ticket. Opine on this for me please:

My research (lol google) has found that sodium hypochlorite decomposes
from heat and light. In fact @ 40c or 104f the chlorine starts to decompose.
So, as many of you know tile roofs are real HOT in the summer here in SUNNY
Florida.....

If one were to leave a say 70ish% solution on a tile roof, wouldnt the chloro
decompose into O2 and or salt in a week or so? Why rinse the chloro down off the roof while it is still active, killing the plants?
I think these "Bigtime" companies have done there homework..what do you all think?

Im in the middle of a large condo roof cleaning gig....Is leaving the chloro on
the roof going to hurt the color/glaze of the tile? I have been rinsing it off for a long time and fighting the huge amount of time and money I must pay my ground man(human $12p/hr water sprinkler).

I found a neat site that had a chart that showed that in storage 12% will decompose to 9.5 or 10% in 7 days. Wouldnt the heat and sunlight make this much more rapid?

I am also searching for a way to thicken up the chloro with no luck:{

Thanks
Thomas

[Henry B.]

Hey Thomas,

I've seen a few guys post that they leave it on asphalt shingle roofs also... I rinse it off myself but I am interested in learning about what you hear on this thread. I know sunlight degrades chlorine and I think I've heard that heat does also. I know chlorine in tap water only lasts for about 24 hours or so.

[Don Phelps]

We cleaned a tile roof a while back and tarped the plants, etc. and watered before, during and after the cleaning process and all was fine. Unfortunately, over the next few mornings, the dew would cause water to trickle off the roof in the valleys of the barrel tiles and it left a thin 'burn line' across the top of the shrubs. The homeowners never said anything about it, but I was driving by to do another job and noticed it on my own. The chlorine had dried on the roof before we were finished. Due to moisture in the air, the chlorine was reactivated each night for a few days.
Long story short, we'll rinse tile too from now on. I've cleaned a lot of roofs, but this was a first.

[PWkid]

If I'm not mistaking its the sodium that burns the leaves it draws the water out of the leaves and dries them up.I rinse all my roofs 2 reasons.1 it gets the chemical off the roof and lessens the chance for burning the plants from dripping 2 I think when you rinse it make the roof look better and gets the mold, mildew, dirt, off the roof and on the ground.Then when I'm done I rinse the plants again. my .02 worth.

[Chappy]

The only time I rinse the tiles is if they are painted, (for some reason the paint holds the dirt and mold and needs rinsing to be complete.) On most tiles I do not rinse. I do cover all plants under drip line then rinse the tarps off and the plants after I take them off, (Had a hedge burn from residual chlorine on the tarp once.)
Now, I havent thought about the dew before. that could present a problem, but most of the roof cleaning Ive done is when it is warm enough so we dont get down to the dew point at night. When it rains it will dilute enough so there are no problems, unless there is a light misting, which almost never happens here. Since your in the same area, I think youll be fine if you do the same.
Why dont you give me a call some time.

727-432-2501

[CCPC]

I now rinse every roof. I do this for two reasons. One, you can get better looking results when the roof is rinsed. Two, I've found that I use far less chemicals when I rinse which saves money and lessens the effect of the chlorine on plants.
Some rinse because they fear that the shingles will dry out from the soduim. I don't think thats anything to worry about, not from a one time application every three years. Now if you were to soak a roof with chlorine every day for month then I think you would see some serious ware. I usually apply my chlorine, let it dewll anywhere from 10-45 minutes, rinse thourghly, and then mist the roof once more and leave it. I've found that the second misting coat does a great job of removing the pesky brown tint that is somtimes left behind after rinsing.

[Chappy]

. I usually apply my chlorine, let it dewll anywhere from 10-45 minutes, rinse thourghly, and then mist the roof once more and leave it. I've found that the second misting coat does a great job of removing the pesky brown tint that is somtimes left behind after rinsing.[/QUOTE]


CCCP
do you xjet on or sure flow pump. what percent%

I had that happen on a shingle roof yesterday, applied with sure flow at about 7% chlorine, rinsed, did neighbors house, put everything away and noticed the a big area on the first one that had that same pesky brown tint, Fortunately it wasnt large and I just took a pump up and misted it.

[Chappy]

Hey Thomas,

Where do you get 12% at? THe pool supply co's have 10.5%

[CCPC]

CCCP
do you xjet on or sure flow pump. what percent%

I use a 1.8 or 3 gpm shurflo, depending on the roof.

Hey Thomas,

Where do you get 12% at? THe pool supply co's have 10.5%

The only strength I've seen around here is 10.5% as well.

[GymRat]

I still very rarely rinse. I see no difference when I rinse. I would rather let the detergent keep on working after I leave.

[Thomas]

Hey thanks for the replies:P

The tiles look the same when I rinse them or not. So far I think leaving the
chem up on the roof is the ticket. Main reason is the plants on the buildings
I have left it on are PERFECT. On the units I rinsed I had burning and even
killed some. Even after the dreaded three day test I have no burning or loss
of plants.

It seems to me that it is all about finding the correct strength for the dirt/mold
you need to remove. Make it strong enough to kill/clean it with one good pass, so nothing runs. I think I may start taking the temp of the tile roofs. The hotter the better. I ran up a ladder on a unit I did about 2 days ago and put my nose
down close to the tile and it didnt have a strong smell at all. Im actually using
stronger chloro but much less! Now I just want it thick..thick like honey.

Hi Jon:P I get my chloro from Pinch a Penny here in Valrico. Many PW's get there chem at this one...he gets real hot stuff:D

[JamesHayhurst]

I've cleaned hundreds of roofs down here in south east texas and I've yet to spray a roof where I could just walk away without rinsing. I've tried (on low pitch roofs) 50shc/50h2o, 60/40, 80/20 using 10.5% and a shurflo pump with minimal runoff. The pool store keeps the shock air conditioned and I always test it for strength and it is good. I spray from the bottom to top and a dry roof and see instant results. However, there are always spots. I then rinse the roof with just a garden hose and 90% of the spots are removed. If the mold is still there I just simply mist and it is done.

There are about 7 huge chemical plants in the area, we have an average of 80% humidity, it rains often (most likely acid rain), and more moldy roofs than I could do in three lifetimes.

Could any of the reasons above be the main factor making these roofs extremely hard to chemical clean?

Oh yeah, I'm currently paying $3/gallon for 10.5% at the pool store and patiently waiting for my request to a local chemical company to be approved which will get me the same chemical for $1.10.

In the mean time I'm desperate for a solution to my problem. Could anyone help me?

[CCPC]

What problem are you tallking about? If you are reffering to there being brown patchy areas after the first coating of chemical, then no worries, Thats normal and will never be avoided even if you were to use full strength chlorine. I always apply a first coat then go back and touch up the patchy areas, then rinse and if I still see some areas that are a little brownish I mist them and leave it.

[PWkid]

Hello James sometimes, I run into the same thing I run my mix the weakest 80/20 most of the time its straight.I have less run-off the stronger the chemical.The mold is thicker in some areas and requires a little more dwell time.I just leave the chemical on and come back to that area and its gone.I then rinse the area.I never rinse it and then reapply chemical,if I have to reapply I want it to be as dry as possible.

[JamesHayhurst]

Thank you both for the replies but I just wanted to know if the smog, acid-rain, humidity, etc has any affect on the mold. I'm sure it does, but does anyone know how much it affects it?