Three different houses in the last two weeks. All three with the same general stain. Worse under the eves, then down the siding in lines. Appears to be over the studs. Won’t come off with HW or a brush. Is it oxidation? Any way to remove it? F13? Walk away?
My guess would be that the siding is oxidizing at different rates due to the temperature difference between the studs. F-13 would probably do the trick.
Some people have reported successfully downstreaming or x-jetting straight F-13 without brushing. But I would plan and price it based on brushing every square inch if you do attempt this restoration.
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That could be two different things:
- Older siding which was nailed up using regular steel nails and they are rusting and the rust is leaking out the weep holes.
or
- Those are hot spots. Places where the nail heads get so hot that they discolor the siding as they bake underneath. Hot spots are usually white but in a pattern like your picture.
You don’t have to walk away. Just inform the customer in writing (text msg works) that there’s no guarantee of cleaning that or making it go away.
Some additional info. The third picture in the group…Its worse than it looks in the picture, lots of staining up high. After washing the house, it developed large amounts of orange colored stains down low. Some on the studs, some directly under each piece of siding. Repeat washing didn’t remove, nor did a brush dipped in HW mix. As a final attempt, I spayed a spot with diluted F9 BARC. The stain went away. I then sprayed most of the lower house with F9 which helped. This only happened on one side of the house. The rest of the house cleaned up fine with just my HW mix. Ideas? Would F9 work on the upper stains or on oxidation?
The good news is that I informed the customer beforehand that it probably wouldn’t come off. I explained oxidation and permanent stains They seem pleased with the end result. I however would like to be able to do more. Hate walking away with a house still looking like that. Any ideas what would cause the orange stains to appears after washing? Wish I had a picture. It was pretty bad. Luckily BARC made most of it disappear.
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The alkalinity of the bleach may have accelerated the oxidation or it was already there and you just removed what was covering it.
How often is everyone seeing stains that they can’t clean? In the last 12 houses Ive cleaned, I would say 4 have been less than ideal results (mostly just one side). Oxidation, rusty nail spots, dirty stains under the eves, and road side dirt that just won’t come off. Is my mix strong enough? 3 gal 12.5% with 2 gal water and 4-5 oz elemonator. My machine is 5gpm with 10:1 injector. I keep trying other chemicals with mixed results. 2% SH spray bottle didn’t touch any of the stains. BARC seems to help with some of the discoloration but not the stains under the eves. Today I tried F10 (sodium per carbonate) on a small section of siding with not luck. I think Ive set realistic outcomes for the owners, and I haven’t had any complaints that I know of. I guess my question is, am I overthinking this? Stains are stains and don’t come out…Wish I could burrow some of you guys with tons of experience to see what your outcome would be. Advice?
Do u wash helicopters?
If its not organic and taken care of with house wash, its extra. Set expectations helps a lot i think. Ill be watching for answers as always, cause outside of rust, hard water stains i just stick to what i know i can clean.
Guess thats what I need to get comfortable with. Organic stains make me feel like a hero. They just disappear. The other stubborn stains make me lose sleep at night. Always wondering what Im missing.
No I don’t wash helicopters. Not the first person to ask. I was a helicopter flight medic for 26 years. Decided to mix some of my past to create a unique name. The guy that designed my logo did an excellent job, however the helicopter should have been much more animated. Makes for a cool looking wrap on my enclosed trailer. Luckily it says POWER WASHING in large letters with bullets naming what I clean.
Overthinking… a large part of this business is the education side and being able to communicate that to the customer.
Be confident, your the expert.
Get to know… and be able to explain confidently
Oxidazation on siding and gutters
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artillery fungi
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hard water staining
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lower vinyl staining from mulch/dirt
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scuffs, scrapes
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bug crap
If you park a car in the woods for decades and then wash it will it look brand new?
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