NO GUTTERS ON HOUSE! should I attempt the roof?

[newbie pete]

Hello everyone,
I got a call today for an estimate on a house with no gutters. Not just that but, the roof is really steep, pretty dirty, and surrounded by plants. I use a 4% sodium hypo mix with some TSP. Now, I know this will kill the plants or at least do them some damage if I just let it sit in the plant bed. I told the customer that there is a good chance that the plants will be affected but, he still seemed interested (or at least he wants to check if they will really die before attempting). So, I told him I would do a little research but that he would have to sign a disclaimer making me not responsible for any damage before performing the work.
So, this is my research. Has anyone ever attempted this before and if so, what were the results? If I do take the job I'll make sure I have someone hosing the $hit out of the flower bed but, it's really got nowhere to go but in the soil. The bad part of the roof has a lot of thick algae on it so it will definitely take a lot of chemical to kill it and the plants are right below. So, if anyone has any input or any experience with good or bad results, I would definitely appreciate it. No matter what I'm going to tell him that he's taking a chance and put that in writing but, I figured I'd see if I can get some feedback to share with him first. Thanks

[CaroliProWash]

Tent/tarp plants - ground man for watering.

[K.J.]

Originally Posted by CaroliProWash

Tent/tarp plants - ground man for watering.

Exactly!
Also, try thickening up your mix with some extra soap for cling. Spray the mix and let it do it's thing while you or your groundperson (PC, LOL!!) continuously water the garden areas diverting the diluted runoff away from the garden if possible.

[newbie pete]

So, do you guys think that with enough dilution I should be OK? Even if I add soap for cling, all of the chemical is gonna come down when I rinse the roof anyways but, it will give me time to dilut the bed.

[K.J.]

Do not rinse the roof. Constantly dilute the run off even after the final bit of roof mix has dripped and you will be fine. Also do not make your roof mix any stonger than 4%.
Good Luck.

[JetstreamSWFL]

Ken,
When u say not stronger than 4% give me an example. I have a 65 gal chem tank and when I have a nasty mildewed roof I've have used as much as 45-50 gallons of chlorine the rest water and my tsp addition. If you could give a good mix example on a normal roof clean it would be of great help. Thanks..Jim

[Don Phelps]

Originally Posted by K.J.

Do not rinse the roof. Constantly dilute the run off even after the final bit of roof mix has dripped and you will be fine. Also do not make your roof mix any stonger than 4%.
Good Luck.

That's how All Seasons Exteriors, Inc. rolls in Orlando too, Schwartsky!

[K.J.]

For a 4% mix using a 65 gallon tank... use no more than 26 gallons of 10.5 % and the rest water. Add whatever else you like to your mix; tsp, soap, etc..
Wazzz upp Don!

[newbie pete]

Maybe the Florida market is different, but I'm in New England. Do you guys mostly do black roofs? Those I can see not rinsing. But, a lot of the roofs I do have the green moss/algae spores that turn white after the chemical application and stay stuck to the shingles for a LONG time afterwards unless you rinse them off. Is this what your talking about when you say don't rinse or are you just talking about the black roofs?

[Christopher]

Newbie, are you using a groundman to water, keep things watered and to water when finished?

If not, you risk killing plants and grass and what happens if you fall, who is going to call 911 to help you out?

It is just my opinion but if you are doing roof washing, you need a groundman for not only safety concerns but to help keep the plants and grass from dying.

It is common for some people to try and save some money by not having a groundman but when it comes to safety and keeping plants from dying, it is a good decision to have the groundman.

As for having the homeowner sign a waiver for the plants, I would be more worried about when word gets out about others around the country doing this safely and not killing plants by having a groundman to keep the plants wet what do you think your customers will think about you?

Do you think that they will think that you are a tightwad? Not knowledgeable? Don't care about them or their property? Don't know how to do the job you are promoting?

Not trying to start an argument but word is getting out about roof cleaning and how to do it safely, it is not worth it to not have a groundman.