[keithc]

Hi,

Ive been looking into roof cleaning now for awhile, i have seen a few people on here mention that they do this service so would like abit of advice.

Are their enough people that actually require this service? if so, is it really as profitable as it seems?

I have a pressure washing business atm and would just like to see if this is worth the effort marketing ect. i have all the gear i.e roof ladders, safety harness's ect and am keen to get started but havent done a roof cleaning job before so are their any tips you could share or advice for starting out?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks, Keith

[brilhoservices]

For roof cleaning there should be good product which we can use easily and also remove the stains quickly and also more affordable. 

[chris scott]

There is please contact me for a sample.

[BDCS]

I'm sure bettaware must do something 

[chris scott]

We have been using a chemical (safe) for a while now.It was initially designed for cleaning the roofs of listed buildings were pressure washing etc was deemed to risky.
The product kills moss and algae and also cleans the roof back to the original substrate..with pretty impressive results!

[Phil @ Extreme Clean]

Hi Chris i have a large roof to do its 4 houses long front and back what would your attack be iv'e only priced to scrape all off not add chemicals can you email me details of your chemical plus prices etc cheers Phil.

cleandry@hotmail.co.uk

[Phil @ Extreme Clean]

just looked on your website Chris is it Mossclear your onabout looks a good price and good coverage my idea on cleaning the roof was to scrape and wire brush all the moss off then i could put your chem on would that be the way to do it or would the chemical go on 1st ? also how long will it keep moss from forming after treatment ?

Cheers Phil.

[Blast Away]

That Moss Clear that Chris is trying to sell is an algaecide. Benzalkonium chloride at 5%.

Basically a weakened labelled up tub sold non other by the worms at smart seal, whom Chris seems to be associated to.

You can buy 12% Benzalkonium chloride (Algaecide) from http://www.centurywise.co.uk/view.asp?pid=128

Or even from Chemix in Wigan for cheaper than Centurywise's price.

Why not even put your own label on it, dress it up, weaken it and sell it to the next idiot.

[Kenny83]

I tried some patio magic on my backyard the other day, they are a sandy coloured riven type stone, full of lichen, it didnt kill the lichen, left some nasty brown stains (due to the ferous content i think) although it did do a good job of killing the moss on the block paving, it is supposed to be a detergent based cleaner aswell like armatillox etc, to be honest I'm glad i tried it on my back yard instead of a customers as i know i wont be using it again
By far the best way of killing moss, lichen and algae i have ever come across so far is sodium hypochlorite
 

[Kenny83]

Just had a look at the moss clear stuff on chris' website, also noted the fungicide wash at the side of it £4 cheaper.... aren't these 2 products the same?

[Phil @ Extreme Clean]

Hi Blast,

Would i put this on before i scraped off or should i scrape what i can off then use the product ? Also does it prevent from moss returning ?

Thanks Phil.

[chris scott]

That Moss Clear that Chris is trying to sell is an algaecide. Benzalkonium chloride at 5%.

Basically a weakened labelled up tub sold non other by the worms at smart seal, whom Chris seems to be associated to.

You can buy 12% Benzalkonium chloride (Algaecide) from http://www.centurywise.co.uk/view.asp?pid=128

Or even from Chemix in Wigan for cheaper than Centurywise's price.

Why not even put your own label on it, dress it up, weaken it and sell it to the next idiot.

Blast away i take on board what you are saying and to some extent agree with you .
But it would be better to check your facts first as your assumpitions about myself and products i use are completely incorrect.I have been in the external cleaning/sealing job for a number of years now ..like yourself i am aware of products on the market that do and do not work.
During the coarse of my work i have met and been working with some of the top industrial chemists in the country.
Any recomendations i make to someone will have been thoroughly tried and tested by me and i will be aware of there uses and limitations.
Phil if you would like to call me i will discuss your job and the viable options for doing it .

[Blast Away]

What's incorrect, Chris? Are you talking about Moss Clear or something else?

Which part do you agree with me on?

Is Moss Clear not a weaker product than the one I linked to?

[chris scott]

That Moss Clear that Chris is trying to sell is an algaecide. Benzalkonium chloride at 5%.

Basically a weakened labelled up tub sold non other by the worms at smart seal, whom Chris seems to be associated to.

You can buy 12% Benzalkonium chloride (Algaecide) from http://www.centurywise.co.uk/view.asp?pid=128

Or even from Chemix in Wigan for cheaper than Centurywise's price.

Why not even put your own label on it, dress it up, weaken it and sell it to the next idiot.

The product i have in mind is not moss clear
It is not benzalkonium chloride (this would kill moss and algae but NOT clean the roof)
It is not "a weakened labelled tub" of the above.
 "worms at smart seal" i have  different opinion of Nick and Nigel ...you are entitled to your own
"Why not even put your own label on it, dress it up, weaken it and sell it to the next idiot" It is manufactured by someone else with our own label attached (i am not a chemist hence manufactured elsewhere) It is far from weakened down, quite the contrary I supply in a "raw " form to be mixed by the contractor for two reasons (1) why pay to post water (2) 1 litre of our product mixed with 35 litres litres of water will treat an area of 100sqm of substrate depending on porosity . 1 litre of our product mixed with 50 of water will treat 200sqm of algae bloom on a building wall. Hence it is important to mix on site to prevent waste.
"weaken it and sell it to the next idiot"  I do not treat my clients as idiots ...i want them to continue to use our products as  i believe they are the best on the market.
I agree with you on some of the claims made regarding sealers and there projected lifespans.

[keithc]

Hi,

i see theres a plenty of comments on this thread but none are even slightly related to my post.

i really need some advice about whether roof cleaning is worth doing as an add on to my business, can anybody shed some light on this? i have bought all the gear now and will be starting feb time so any advice about roof cleaning would be appreciated, is their enough work, how profitiable ect.

thanks

[BDCS]

I earn a modest living on the ground without leaving the ground to clean a domestic roof. I have certainly seen numerous muppets - I mean experts in exterior cleaning with generic websites and obviously spent good money on a training course where you learn the trade in a day. I have made no reference to seal smart in this post and no animals were hurt - I don't know them

[Matt Gibson]

Hi,

i see theres a plenty of comments on this thread but none are even slightly related to my post.

i really need some advice about whether roof cleaning is worth doing as an add on to my business, can anybody shed some light on this? i have bought all the gear now and will be starting feb time so any advice about roof cleaning would be appreciated, is their enough work, how profitiable ect.

thanks

Keith,

Not being rude but if you have already bought the gear, does it really matter? Seems like you have already taken the plunge, so just see how it goes, advertise for the work, do a good job, and if it takes off, great. If not, sell your gear and move on. I have had an influx of roof jobs recently, only got about half of them, as i charge decent money for getting on a roof, its hard work (depending on the type of roof) and some people think its not going to cost them much.

My top tip: Dont fall off

[chris scott]

There are some people earning substantial amounts of money from cleaning roofs.
Myself personally i clean roofs now and again ...if the job pays well,is safe to do (not from a health and safety aspect but from a damage to property etc aspect ...some jobs should be left well alone).
Some firms are claiming 33% saving in heating bills, 25year guarantees on the coatings ...i for one am not/do not want to be any part of this.
Seems to me that a lot of the roof coating firms are "branches" of double glazing firms or part of the travelling community.Take from this what you will .
My advice to you would be try it see if you can make it pay,pick your jobs carefully,understand the risk to persons and property,never underestimate the time it takes to clean the area around where you have been working.
I believe there are several firms on ebay that run roof/driveway cleaning coarses. These firms spend a lot of money advertising ( more than an individual would like/could spend!!) They produce a LOT of good quality leads for contractors who have done there training (training days cost about £100 )
 

[Blast Away]

That Moss Clear that Chris is trying to sell is an algaecide. Benzalkonium chloride at 5%.

Basically a weakened labelled up tub sold non other by the worms at smart seal, whom Chris seems to be associated to.

You can buy 12% Benzalkonium chloride (Algaecide) from http://www.centurywise.co.uk/view.asp?pid=128

Or even from Chemix in Wigan for cheaper than Centurywise's price.

Why not even put your own label on it, dress it up, weaken it and sell it to the next idiot.

The product i have in mind is not moss clear
It is not benzalkonium chloride (this would kill moss and algae but NOT clean the roof)
It is not "a weakened labelled tub" of the above.
 "worms at smart seal" i have  different opinion of Nick and Nigel ...you are entitled to your own
"Why not even put your own label on it, dress it up, weaken it and sell it to the next idiot" It is manufactured by someone else with our own label attached (i am not a chemist hence manufactured elsewhere) It is far from weakened down, quite the contrary I supply in a "raw " form to be mixed by the contractor for two reasons (1) why pay to post water (2) 1 litre of our product mixed with 35 litres litres of water will treat an area of 100sqm of substrate depending on porosity . 1 litre of our product mixed with 50 of water will treat 200sqm of algae bloom on a building wall. Hence it is important to mix on site to prevent waste.
"weaken it and sell it to the next idiot"  I do not treat my clients as idiots ...i want them to continue to use our products as  i believe they are the best on the market.
I agree with you on some of the claims made regarding sealers and there projected lifespans.

That's fair enough. As it's not Moss Clear, I am interested in what it is then.

Keith, roof cleaning is good money, you can earn from £300 to £600 and have most cleaned in one day. That's the price most roofs we clean cost between.
You can clean roofs without high pressure. Soft washing roofs is big in America mainly due to roofs being made up of shingles but it can work well on many type of tiles here too.
A lot of people work off cat ladders, I do myself. Mike Roberts has it nailed on using ropes and harness. Something I've been looking to get off the ground myself for nearly 12 months but not got around to it. I know what to buy just no experience setting it all up. Definitely something other roof cleaners should look into, unless you wanna be seen on rogue traders, which gives me a twitchy bum.

[keithc]

Thanks for the posts

Im just wanting to get my research together matt, i know what your saying but im looking to get started in Feb so im trying to get as much advice as i can and know what im getting myself ino rather than just hopping on a roof and causing more damage than its worth.. Been doing the usual like watching vids on youtube to get the basic jist of things, been looking into each process like soft washing ect but its worth speaking to people on here that have already done it and know the business. I personally dot think you can be too prepaired, especially when doing this kind of work.
 
Thanks for the figures too, ive seen alot of people quoting £800+ so i just wanted to know if this was what people are earning.. Yeh im not too much a fan of showing up on rogue traders either, been trying to look for the vid of aquashield for ages, cant seem to find it :/

Im going to be getting the website done and maybe SEO'd soon so for you guys that are already doing it are their enough responses from customers when you advertise for roof cleaning? Is their enough people that want this service?

[Blast Away]

We've done roughly maybe 18 roof cleans this year.

I would say you would need to pump a fair bit of money into advertising if you were doing just roof cleaning.

[keithc]

Thanks blast away, thats exactly what i wanted to hear