Impressive Craigslist ad

That actually is a good ad. It looks like they incorpoated their website directly into the ad. How do you do that? Does anyone know? :confused:
 
Pat Norman said:
Yeah I was pretty impressed until I saw the pitchwitch! :eek:
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Hi guys, haven't really formally introduced myself but I've been hanging around since Dec or Jan reading, think I joined in Mar.? not sure.
I'm in marietta, Ohio and have been remodeling since 79'. My customers started asking about the stains on roofs and I didn't have the answer so I googled it. Well, 1st thing I came to was a percarbonate site which said, " START YOUR OWN ROOF CLEANING BIZ". My next move was to open a phone book and there was NOBODY doing it... so here I am.
Guys, I know this has probably been hashed over ever since these boards started, but I am new to this cleaning thing so I gotta speak up. I also know I am subjecting myself to some bashing but the pitch witch and others like it work. I have been remodeling since 1979 and I know if I am damaging shingles. ( I am not) I pull 800 psi from my machine, divide that by 4 nozzles and I figure I am using 200 psi at best.
I'd like to offer the no pressure method as an alternative in certain situations, (ie slate, tile etc) but I just can't get it to work. I tried the apple sauce in a small test on my house but I must've done something wrong. I only mixed 5 gallons total and applied with a garden sprayer. Wouldn't that do the same job?
Anyway, I will continue to use percarbonate and low pressure as long as my customers and I are satisfied with results. As far as the amount of time spent on a job, I can do two roofs a day easy and we generally upsell extras. I'm not opposed to spending time on the job to make money.
 
Lester said:
Hi guys, haven't really formally introduced myself but I've been hanging around since Dec or Jan reading, think I joined in Mar.? not sure.
I'm in marietta, Ohio and have been remodeling since 79'. My customers started asking about the stains on roofs and I didn't have the answer so I googled it. Well, 1st thing I came to was a percarbonate site which said, " START YOUR OWN ROOF CLEANING BIZ". My next move was to open a phone book and there was NOBODY doing it... so here I am.
Guys, I know this has probably been hashed over ever since these boards started, but I am new to this cleaning thing so I gotta speak up. I also know I am subjecting myself to some bashing but the pitch witch and others like it work. I have been remodeling since 1979 and I know if I am damaging shingles. ( I am not) I pull 800 psi from my machine, divide that by 4 nozzles and I figure I am using 200 psi at best.
I'd like to offer the no pressure method as an alternative in certain situations, (ie slate, tile etc) but I just can't get it to work. I tried the apple sauce in a small test on my house but I must've done something wrong. I only mixed 5 gallons total and applied with a garden sprayer. Wouldn't that do the same job?
Anyway, I will continue to use percarbonate and low pressure as long as my customers and I are satisfied with results. As far as the amount of time spent on a job, I can do two roofs a day easy and we generally upsell extras. I'm not opposed to spending time on the job to make money.
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2 roofs a day... Wouldn't you rather do 6? Unless you are able to charge 3 times as much, spending more time is NOT making more money.
 
No, I don't believe I'd like to clean 6 a day... at least for now, I'm pretty satisfied with 2. ( i'm already doubling my salary) My point was that every time you guys see someone using a pitch witch, there is a deragatory comment, like your way is best or the only way.
My customers all ask what I am using and will it harm plants or is it dangerous. I feel confident in saying it is safe, and that my method doesn't harm shingles.
I'm not knocking the whole bleach thing, in fact I'd like to learn how for those really difficult roofs. Just cleaned gutters on a house yesterday that had a tile roof as well as 3 others close by. I didn't even know we had tile roofs around here. We do have alot of slate though, something I wouldn't want to get on at all.
 
Lester said:
I've been hanging around since Dec or Jan reading, think I joined in I also know I am subjecting myself to some bashing but the pitch witch and others like it work. I have been remodeling since 1979 and I know if I am damaging shingles. ( I am not) I pull 800 psi from my machine, divide that by 4 nozzles and I figure I am using 200 psi at best.
QUOTE]

Not quite accurate enough. Here is how it works. Your pump only makes so much pressure to go through the nozzles but when you add nozzles like a surface cleaner (2 to 4 typically) then the flow out of each nozzle divides the flow but the pressure stays the same.

When you have several nozzles you are dividing the flow, not pressure to each nozzle. You still have 800psi hitting the nozzles but your flow is less so that is still more than enough pressure to lift the granules. The manufacturers sales reps state that the granules can handle maybe 150 to 200psi.

If you have a 5gpm machine and you run the 4 nozzle pitch witch then you only have 1.25gpm to each nozzle but still 800psi. If you had a larger gpm machine you would be better off because of the "Cut" that the spray makes with lower flow. The more gpm's you have, the thicker the cut and less sharp it is and less damage, kind of like comparing a razor to a butter knife in a way.

I don't recommend the pitch witch for roof washing (I have one myself and have seen damage with shingles on the ground trying it out to see what it can do to them) and it does remove granules. That is fact as I do parking lot striping and use shingles to block lines, use for crisp starts, etc...and bought a couple bundles of new shingles to use. Over time, hot days, rain, walking on roofs, etc....will cause the granules to get dislodged so after hard rains you will see some granules in the rain gutters.

There are many ways to clean a roof and the majority here do it the low pressure or no pressure way, not going into the pressure vs. chemical debate here, you can read older posts if you want to see the differances.
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I will definitely give that some more thought as well as attempt to get a pressure gauge at the nozzle to check that. Let's say it is 800 psi at each nozzle... I always hear that as you move your tip away from the target, you are in effect, lessening the pressure. So at what point is the pressure actually 800? at the exact exit point of the tip? Does that mean if I'm 4" from the surface, the pressure is less?
 
No way for us to know your pressure with out knowing what you tip sizes are and flow of machine.

To each his own I guess. I have seen roofs cleaned safely with both methods. However, the #1 goal of ANY Business is to maximize profits. This is done several ways. One way is to increase selling price and another is to minimize costs/expenses. My largest cost in this Business is LABOR and it's associated expense like Matching FICA, Unemployment insurance, Workers Compensation etc. So, less time on a job, the better. It is about Profit.

Doubling your Salary means nothing when spending 4 times as much in expenses. It is PROFIT that is needed.

Just an FYI.... I sell everyday against guys that claim "Green" "Landscape Friendly" etc at double thier price. I SELL them and tell them the TRUTHS about Bleach versus what a chem supplier told you to say when bad mouthing bleach.

For the original topic.... The website actually states they use the ARMA method for roofs. I'd say the pitch witch picture is for show. Probably a stock pic from the internet.
 
Lester said:
Hi guys, haven't really formally introduced myself but I've been hanging around since Dec or Jan reading, think I joined in Mar.? not sure.
I'm in marietta, Ohio and have been remodeling since 79'. My customers started asking about the stains on roofs and I didn't have the answer so I googled it. Well, 1st thing I came to was a percarbonate site which said, " START YOUR OWN ROOF CLEANING BIZ". My next move was to open a phone book and there was NOBODY doing it... so here I am.
Guys, I know this has probably been hashed over ever since these boards started, but I am new to this cleaning thing so I gotta speak up. I also know I am subjecting myself to some bashing but the pitch witch and others like it work. I have been remodeling since 1979 and I know if I am damaging shingles. ( I am not) I pull 800 psi from my machine, divide that by 4 nozzles and I figure I am using 200 psi at best.
I'd like to offer the no pressure method as an alternative in certain situations, (ie slate, tile etc) but I just can't get it to work. I tried the apple sauce in a small test on my house but I must've done something wrong. I only mixed 5 gallons total and applied with a garden sprayer. Wouldn't that do the same job?
Anyway, I will continue to use percarbonate and low pressure as long as my customers and I are satisfied with results. As far as the amount of time spent on a job, I can do two roofs a day easy and we generally upsell extras. I'm not opposed to spending time on the job to make money.
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God help us. This is gonna get ugly.
 
A pitch Witch, pressure washer, etc. is useless and harmful to any and every roof.

The SH/water method is the ONLY ARMA, GAF, and OWens-Corning approved roof cleaning method. Lester, if you were in my market, I would run your roof cleaning business straight down the toilet. No offense, but I hope you don't share a market with any RCIA roof cleaners, or you are basically handing them the ammo to shoot your business right between the eyes.
 
Lester said:
I also know I am subjecting myself to some bashing but the pitch witch and others like it work. I have been remodeling since 1979 and I know if I am damaging shingles. ( I am not) I pull 800 psi from my machine, divide that by 4 nozzles and I figure I am using 200 psi at best.
QUOTE]


Let's start here back at the beginning.

How do you know you have 800psi coming from the machine? Do you have a pressure gauge there and can verify that it is only 800psi or are you guessing?

What psi and gpm does your machine make?

How are you adjusting the pressure?

Are you verifying the pressure with a gauge?

Let's start here and see what the answers are before asking more questions or making assumptions.
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Yes, I have a gauge that I install just before the wand for setting up the machine.
3800 psi machine 4gpm . We adjust the pressure by turning the little knob thingy that has a + and - .:confused: turn it to the + and it goes to 3800 turn it to the little - and it goes down to what I want. When I pull the trigger, the gauge reads 800psi.
Let me say that I have been on the roof purging the hose before firing up the machine, and it was cleaning just fine without the machine even on! So I shall try to even go lower and see what happens.
 
precisionpower said:
A pitch Witch, pressure washer, etc. is useless and harmful to any and every roof.

The SH/water method is the ONLY ARMA, GAF, and OWens-Corning approved roof cleaning method. Lester, if you were in my market, I would run your roof cleaning business straight down the toilet. No offense, but I hope you don't share a market with any RCIA roof cleaners, or you are basically handing them the ammo to shoot your business right between the eyes.
Click to expand...

I will try what GAF-elk recommends 80% water-20%bleach &20 cups tsp per 100 gal . apply, wait 20 minutes and rinse with low pressure.
They also say POWER washing is not recommended. :eek: no kidding
 
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