Cold Weather roof cleaning

We've cleaned down to 35 with 12.5 it just takes a little longer.

I've had 12.5 under a tarp sit from Nov to March that was fine to use.
 
I buy from Univar and was told when I first started that 12.5% has a 30 day shelf life. The product lable on the drum tells you the manufacturing date and location made.
for example; CI1208456789 The CI states it was made in Cinni.Ohio. The next 4 numbers are the date made. The remaining numbers are batch #'s
Don't know if all companies use this system, Univar does. Ask your supplier to translate the code on his product. Don't accept anything over 2 weeks old unless you are going to use it quickly JMHO.
Gary
 
Hi Lenny - Ted here, just north of you a bit. We spoke on the phone for a while about a year or so ago. Colder weather will be no problem for you, as we're still going strong here in the DC area. We actually cleaned a roof that still had frost on it last week, and it was flurrying a bit during one of the 4 we did today (it was upper 30s). So that you don't go through way too much mix and have tons of run off, simply be very patient during the dwell time. That and inspect the heck out of the job before you call it complete. The sun being very low in the sky this time of year makes it very hard to see through the glare. I rely heavily on good, polarized glasses, binoculars, and another visual from a different angle via the lift. That's the challenging part of a cold weather roof cleaning job to me - the final QC inspection.

Let us know how it goes.
 
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Russ Spence said:
Nope! The freeze point for sodium hypochlorite is 42 degrees.
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Russ, after doing a google search and finding multiple answers, i find that you are mistaken.
The freezing point for 12.5% is -20° Fahrenheit. I am not saying it will work that low but the MSDS i found says that.
 
schrec said:
Russ, after doing a google search and finding multiple answers, i find that you are mistaken.
The freezing point for 12.5% is -20° Fahrenheit. I am not saying it will work that low but the MSDS i found says that.
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Maybe he meant that once the temperature reaches 42 degrees it starts losing potency?
 
Ron Musgraves said:
Nice advice Russ, AC is new to the scene. He still may not fully understand why this site works.

We have a pretty good info share. Pwi will post resource to the best ones. This might be AC site.

Your cheating yourself AC because some won't join. But if you are published elsewhere the chances are greater that someone will join your site.

Frankly it's not against the rules, I just think Russ is giving you good advice.

He has been around running the show for awhile.


Ron Musgraves text me for questions 480-522-5227 Pressure Washing Institute
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I have no issues sharing information. I feel sharing raises the bar in the industry. I have made a decision to share information for no cost within a protected area of my own site. I do know that in the past I have shared information that is controversial. I now try to share controversial information on my own site so it doesn't create drama. I avoid drama at all costs now as I am sure you clearly understand.

Thanks,

AC
 
cajun cleanin said:
The link took me to a page that said I didnt have permission to read it.

Do you have to be a member to read over there?
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I tried to sign up but it took forever and I dont know if I suceeded.
 
schrec said:
Russ, after doing a google search and finding multiple answers, i find that you are mistaken.
The freezing point for 12.5% is -20° Fahrenheit. I am not saying it will work that low but the MSDS i found says that.
Click to expand...
Brian,
I think what Russ was saying is that SH stops working correctly at around 42 degrees not its freeze point. I would wait until the roof heats up maybe mid morning on a sunny day to attempt applying solution.
 
Maybe you should host a Expert forum here?


AC Lockyer said:
I have no issues sharing information. I feel sharing raises the bar in the industry. I have made a decision to share information for no cost within a protected area of my own site. I do know that in the past I have shared information that is controversial. I now try to share controversial information on my own site so it doesn't create drama. I avoid drama at all costs now as I am sure you clearly understand.

Thanks,

AC
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Kiloman said:
So will sodium metisilicate and its a whole lot cheaper.
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Isnt that a degreasing product? Why would you put that on a roof? Just asking!
 
I try to get the unstabilized bleach myself, I don't want it to remain strong for long in the event of runoff, no gutters, no rinse, it helps me to sleep better to know its dying quicker. Plus I like to feel my hands get that instant burn when I touch the raw...and its almost clear, not really yellow..I've been playing with sodium bromide(yellow treat) as an accelerant to sh, its said to degrade the mix faster as well, wish I could speak about the degrade more but I rinse the hell outta the ground so I couldn't tell you, I do find that it does heat the mix up quite a bit(may be a placebo)...but maybe you cold weather guys can try that instead of adding more love to the mix...or you can always drop some isopropyl in there, I know that kills the mix rapidly after it amps up the cleaning ability. Hope I'm not a broken record with this info. Happy new year guys thanks for all the info the past year I've been on here.
 
Diamond Jim said:
In cold weather it depends how bad the mold ,mildew is and how thick the layer is. When roofs get into the 30ties and below over night the mold sucks up moisture, condensation, can be frozen, and stays damp most of the day because the mold is on the north side of the house. These factors increase the time and effectiveness of using the normal routine cleaning roofs.
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Jim, that seems to be consistent with some of my experiences. Recently I did a demo on a roof, it was a pain and I did not get the desired results I am use to. A week later it had rained and the demo area came clean. I had cleaned a couple roofs during that week with no problems and when I returned to finish it, I had the same problem as on the demo. The air temp. was around 55 to 60, but the roof temp. could have been much colder plus it may have been damp from overnight dew. I have thought about getting one of those infrared thermometers to read the surface temp and heat it up with hot water, but also it helps to start with a dry surface which can be tough this time of year in some areas. I find that the mix has to be much stronger too.

I tried the stuff mentioned on AC's site and I couldn't tell that it worked, but I didn't know how much to use and started with small amounts. Some things to keep in mind are that many roof cleaners are from Florida or the south and they don't have the damp cold weather as some north and eastern states have. These areas also have different species of mildew and even moss to deal with and sometimes much heavier build-up on the steeper pitch roofs we have as a result of even less sunlight.
 
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