Hello. Going to be cleaning a concrete tile roof, and have just had so many different answers to my questions that I have landed here to hopefully get something more consistent. My brain hurts. Tiles are from 94, and definitely show wear. Pics of protected, and weathered. Going to scrape moss first, then hit with chemical. Either with pump sprayer, or soap tip on my pressure washer. With tiles in this condition, is bleach gonna be ok, and at what mix? Also wondered about best surfactant to add and not react to the bleach. Then a final rinse with pressure washer… broad fan tip, just to run water over things.
As I see many on here also run businesses, I also wonder what a ballpark cost might be if I hired this out. Roof pitch is not steep. Like 5/12 ish house is 3800 square ft, but dont know actual roof sq. Ft. Its a pretty big roof in my opinion. House is also 2 story.
I don’t know if this is a good job for you with the questions you’re asking. Do you know somebody in this area that does this kind of work that you can partner up with to show you the ropes and do like a 80/20 on profits with? Roof is in the $2,000 range for me. No scraping or pressure. Just application of roof treatment.
I dont know anyone in the area. Just to clarify… I dont intend on using the pressure washer as a pressure washer but as a rinsing hose. I guess I should have been more clear of my intentions. Plan is to use a 4 gallon backpack sprayer and 10-12% hdx liquid chlorinator at 2.4 gal. Water to 1.6 gal SH, and 2 Oz. of dawn dish soap. Going to dampen sections about 100 sq. ft. at a time and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes, then rinse. I will start at the top and work my way across then step down allowing the tiles to dry before I have to walk across them again. I will have a helper on the ground soaking the vegetation and gutters ahead of me. Usually it is recommended that the larger pieces of moss be scraped off before treating. I usually do it regardless because people like instant gratification. So removing the large pieces of moss then treating the roof makes a noticeable difference while the time needed for the treatment to kill the rest goes by. I have no problem skipping the scraping if it isn’t needed.
I may not know everything there is to know about this process, but feel I have enough knowledge to perform this task. I am comfortable walking the roof, and feel I can do it safely and properly to avoid damaging the tiles.
If there is anything I have wrong, can be optimized, or that I completely missed, well that is why I came here. To learn, and get any tips that I can to make this experience successful, and efficient.
Would that $2,000 include cleaning out the gutters? I assume it would.
Thanks to anyone who takes the time to read, and respond to this. It is appreciated.
Carrying 4 gallons of bleach on your back is dangerous and dumb, don’t do that. You slip and that spills down your back or it gets a leak and starts dripping on you, you’re gonna have a bad day. Besides, a roof that size will take forever with a pump sprayer. Also, Dawn is not a bleach stable surfactant, don’t use that, get something designed for this work. How did you land this job with zero experience cleaning roofs?
I am going to emphasize again that I don’t think you’re ready for this job, no offense intended, but I think you should give this one a pass. Do not put caustic chemicals in a backpack sprayer and walk around on a roof with them. Maybe others can chime in, but I don’t think people are going to have much different to say. I can see already Nick is giving you good advice telling you your plan is not good.
Look at it this way, if you try to execute your plan, the way you have it, there’s a very high likelihood the job will not go well. But if you give this a pass, there’s no failure. That’s probably much better for you professionally speaking to not take a loss here.
PS just FYI I’d ball park this around one drum (55 gal) for the job depending on how easy the first pass goes.
Feel free to message me and we can talk, I can tell you how I got into roof cleaning and it might help you. I haven’t been doing it long like some guys here (@Racer comes to mind as a roof cleaning guru), but I did a slow progression and I did many many simple roofs before I moved onto more complex high angle stuff. Happy to help brainstorm with you about a game plan for your company.
I have zero experience with cement tile roofs. I wasnt looking for this job, it just landed in my lap, and didn’t seem overly complicated, with the right precautions in regards to the tile. The fact that the entire roof is a walkable pitch was the only reason I decided to go for it. The size, and vessel or method of getting the cleaner up there was a concern. Settled on the 4 gal. For size only. If I could not wear it somehow, I certainly wouldnt. I knew a one or two gal. Pump sprayer would be ridiculous. The 4 gal. Is just this side of ridiculous, and while not ideal, better than a one or 2 gallon pump. The estimated amount of solution needed is without question an issue.
The concerns are valid, and due to the info I received here, looks like I will have to back off.
Thanks for the input, advice, and information to all who were participants in this thread.
