I went out this morning to look at a roof of a local Pizza Hut. I was told it was just painted a year ago and it’s already got black stuff all over it. I’m wondering if it’s a combination of algae and grease. When you rub in it, it kind of balls up. Has anyone had any experience with this? I’m not even sure I have the equipment to do it, but in my mind, it would take some strong SH mix with Roof Snot for dwell time. I don’t have an actual soft wash set up, but I think a simple unit could be set up relatively easily. I did come across some info that you could use one of the electric sprayer set ups you get from a farm supply store, but I don’t know how effective that would be. I have read that it’s a good idea to rinse metal roofs. I certainly don’t want to take the paint off, and I can see in some areas that it’s already peeling. I wonder if it was a shotty paint job to begin with. The manager said he could take a rag and with some water, just wipe it clean, but I don’t think that’s a good plan for the whole roof! I also wonder the feasibility of just using some pressure and water to get it done that way. Any advice/input would be greatly appreciated.
How many questions are in ther? Which one do you deem most important at this time? We’ll start there.
Really there’s only one actual question 
The rest is caffeine fueled thoughts. Honestly though, I’m just looking for input on what it might be/best treatment option. I will also accept feedback for my random thoughts though.
There are too many random thoughts to make sense of.
What did your test area show?
I haven’t tested anything yet. Before I do anything, I’d like to verify what I think might be the way to go. I’m sure there are people who have washed various metal roofs - or even done a Pizza Hut - that could steer me in the right direction. Beings the roof was painted in the last year, I wasn’t sure if that would make a difference as to the treatment options.
I’m not even sure I’m going to proceed with the job. I’ve not done roofs yet, but you have to start somewhere. Overall, I don’t think it would be terribly difficult to do given the right tools. I told the manager I’d see what I could find out and let him know, whether that means I do it or I point him to someone who can. I thought this would be a good first step in the process.
Run away. When in doubt leave it be. It is covered in grease from exhaust fans over DTM paint probably. Anything that removes the grease removes the paint. Let the next guy deal with it.
Yeah, listen to @Innocentbystander and run away. There’s no chemical/heat/pressure that’ll remove the grease but leave the paint intact if it wasn’t painted properly. Heck, even wiping it with a wet rag (like the manager is suggesting) will probably uncover some weak areas of the paint and cause more peeling.
