Surfactant and Detergent?

Just about a year ago now a former member here,...Ted Watson fell from a roof cleaning job and lost his life. Falls do happen,..and they can happen to anyone who is careless and even those who THINK aren't being careless.

Jeff
 
The big secret is to get a long eye bolt from a bolt store. Say at least a foot by 1/2". Tie your rope on it, and drop it in a vent pipe.
 
Polypropylene or a good 12 strand braided polyester. Overtime, You will need to replace the ropes no matter which type you use. I use the heavy 7300lb. 12 strand, Braided Polyester for both my "Load" line and my "Life" line but I keep the rope as dry as possible. Here in Maryland, Most of the roofs I do are simply too steep for just a rope grap system like the kit Home depot offers. I have to use ascenders on my load line and have the rope grap on my life line. The ropes are 150' each so I can anchor to something on the back side of the homes. Either a "Good" solid tree or a solid deck joist, etc... Try not to tie knots in the rope. They will weaken the rope. If I have a good solid "Live" tree(10" or larger trunk) I wrap the rope around the base of the trunk at least 7 wraps and take the tail of the rope and feed it back through the main line to secure the tail. It will not come loose... I never tie off to a chimney!!!!!

If you can't find a suitable anchor and need to use your vehicle as a tie off, Make certain, No-one is able to move your truck while your on the roof. Don't leave keys in the ignition or within sight while on the roof! Many times I have to use my truck as an initial tie off point so I angle the truck and trailer so I can have a straight shot from the trucks receiver up to the roof without rubbing past the trailer.

It's sad I have to mention this however, Some folks wouldn't give it much thought, If you will be working where kids are present, Make certain to inform the customer about your safety lines and tell the customer they "Must" keep the kids away from your ropes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mike
 
Good afternoon everybody, I have another question of the day for everyone. Is CLR the same as that F9 chemical to get rust off cement? Also the degreaser purple power or the zep brand equivalent to the ones the sell at the any pressure washing online stores?
 
I doubt CLR is as effective as F9,..two different acids. Oxalic is cheap enough to have on hand and works on many forms of rust and has other uses as well.

I think PP is hard to beat,..both in effectiveness and the cheap price is a bonus. I used F-13 once and there wasn't even a comparison to PP,..Especially at any type of dilution rates they claim,..I had to use it straight to even be close to PP. Not very cost effective.
When purchased wisely,..PP it can be had for $19.00 per 5 gallon bucket,..shipped to your door! I use it mostly on gutters,..very effective on the typical streaking. Like any of these cleaners though,..very temperature dependent. It's also an awesome degreaser!

*Likely gonna get a few opinions on this,Ha,Ha,..Been discussed MANY times over the years.

Jeff
 
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clean2be said:
Polypropylene or a good 12 strand braided polyester. Overtime, You will need to replace the ropes no matter which type you use. I use the heavy 7300lb. 12 strand, Braided Polyester for both my "Load" line and my "Life" line but I keep the rope as dry as possible. Here in Maryland, Most of the roofs I do are simply too steep for just a rope grap system like the kit Home depot offers. I have to use ascenders on my load line and have the rope grap on my life line. The ropes are 150' each so I can anchor to something on the back side of the homes. Either a "Good" solid tree or a solid deck joist, etc... Try not to tie knots in the rope. They will weaken the rope. If I have a good solid "Live" tree(10" or larger trunk) I wrap the rope around the base of the trunk at least 7 wraps and take the tail of the rope and feed it back through the main line to secure the tail. It will not come loose... I never tie off to a chimney!!!!!

If you can't find a suitable anchor and need to use your vehicle as a tie off, Make certain, No-one is able to move your truck while your on the roof. Don't leave keys in the ignition or within sight while on the roof! Many times I have to use my truck as an initial tie off point so I angle the truck and trailer so I can have a straight shot from the trucks receiver up to the roof without rubbing past the trailer.

It's sad I have to mention this however, Some folks wouldn't give it much thought, If you will be working where kids are present, Make certain to inform the customer about your safety lines and tell the customer they "Must" keep the kids away from your ropes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mike
Click to expand...

All of our rope access equipment and training cone from http://www.realityropeaccess.com
 
Noticed after chemical washing a roof that it left streaks on the gutters. Is there a way to prevent that from happening?
 
Hey Bira, Most all of us who work on homes or buildings which have gutters run into the same problem from time to time. When applying your solution, Spray along the gutter line area, Not down to the gutter.

I always have a garden hose at the top of my ladder for several reasons. If I need to rinse any plants below me, I can simply spray water down to them. I've never had a solution hose rupture however, If I do and it sprays all over me, I have immediate fresh water with me and finally, I wet the face of the gutter before applying the roof mix. If any splashes over the edge to the face of the gutter, I rinse it immediately.

If you really roast the face of a gutter, Wet everything down which is below the gutter. The siding, windows, shutters(if equipped), and any plant life, etc... with plenty of fresh water and then quickly spray down the face of the gutter along the entire run. Re-wet everything below the gutter while giving the gutter a 2-3 min. dwell time and then rinse the face of the gutter with a garden hose.

It's just a little learning curve with the application of your mix.

All the best,
Mike
 
Bira83 said:
Noticed after chemical washing a roof that it left streaks on the gutters. Is there a way to prevent that from happening?
Click to expand...

Are they clean streaks? Not sure what SH will do to gutters? I spray 50/50 on them all the time and the only streaks I see, are clean streaks.
 
376f5c7fc9c7b1b4432de7b8f9d10305.jpg

Hello everyone and happy new year. I was asked to pressure clean a tennis court and I am wondering if using a surface cleaner is safe on that hardtop? My machine is 4000psi 4gpm
 
Happy New Year Bira! I don't have any experience with Tennis Courts so, Hopefully, Someone who does will step in.

If you land the job, Let us know how it goes!!!!!!!!

Mike
 
Bira83 said:
376f5c7fc9c7b1b4432de7b8f9d10305.jpg

Hello everyone and happy new year. I was asked to pressure clean a tennis court and I am wondering if using a surface cleaner is safe on that hardtop? My machine is 4000psi 4gpm
Click to expand...

It all depends on the condition of the surface....you would have to check first by testing. We usually use a dedicated pump with about a 30% mix and then rinse.
 
Hello everyone I had a quick question regarding a few degreasers. Out of the following which would you choose to get oil stains out of pavers and cement driveways using regular water:
Wd25 super heavy duty degreaser
Dragon juice
Red raider
Bd20 butyl
Bd200 butyl
Thank you everyone for your future responses.
 
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