Brick Lime Stains?

[svp07 14]

I am searching for a product that will get rid of the lime which discolors brick and gives it that white hue; if it is lime. It would also help if it cleaned the rest of the surface also. Another thing I can't seem to find an asphalt roof cleaner without Sodium Hydroxide as the cleaning agent, any other suggestions. I was thinking of trying the EFC-38 percarb....

Thanks for the help,

Steve

I also just got my LLC formed for Omega Power Washing...Go me!

[Russ Johnson 141]

EacoChem makes masonry restoration chemicals. Check them out. NewAgain has come out with a new roof cleaner without SH, they sent me a sample, but I've yet to try it. Maybe this weekend. I'll report back and let you know how it turns out.

[Firedkm 14]

Prosoco makes several kinds of brick cleaner. http://www.prosoco.com/Check out there site. You really have to choices for asphalt roof cleaning tto get great results. A product with Sodium Hydroxide or use a bleach solution. Bealch is the quickest and easiest way and using a sodium hyroxide base cleaner will yield better results but takes longer to do a roof with it.

As far as using efc-38 it will work but the dwell time to kill the mold is long. However there is really no chance of killing any plants or other landscaping. I would use efc-38 for cedar roofs and I use a bleach solution on the asphalt roofs. It took me over a year to really decide on what to use myself before I launched roof cleaning in my business.

I did alot of freebies on roofs with friends and family trying out all different kinds of ways to clean.

Good luck

[svp07 14]

Thanks for the responces. I thought the dwell time of the EFC-38 would be longer....any chance of adding a small amount of bleach to that mix for the roof wash. I was also going to add a foamer to it to increase the dwell time.

Steve

[Paul B. 523]

I would not add a foamer for roof cleaning - it will take for ever to rinse it off.

Below is part of my post last year on another BB - some of it may be out of context but if you have patience, read thru it as it may give you some additional insight to roof cleaning.:

"Sodium Hypochlorite is one of the few chemicals approved by asphalt shingle manufacturers. Lot of roof cleaners use Sodium Hydroxide which is not an approved chemical. I would also venture to say that most shingle manufacturers are not very enthusiastic about people walking on roofs, especially while combined with using harsh chemicals.

The following are also some of the approved materials for removing or preventing algae growth on shingle roofs.

- Zinc sulfate (monohydrate)

- Zinc chloride

- Copper sulfate (also called blue stone)

- Potassium salts of fatty acids.

- ZINC AND COPPER STRIPS (copper being more effective than zinc)

The ARMA (Asphalt Roofing Manufacturing Association) www.asphaltroofing.org

This was one document available a couple of years ago:

www.asphaltroofing.org/tb_217.pdf

There is no guarantee that all manufacturers (present and future) approve the same roof cleaning methods. Majority of the time the homeowner is not even sure of the Brand of shingles.

There is also information on research and approved cleaning methods by:

Clemson University Cooperative Extension Services and

U of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences

(there are also other universities that have the same data available.)

Cleaning is not a long term solution to mold, mildew and algae growth.

Adding Zinc strips would be one option

I believe Copper strips work better than Zinc.

Some roofs may require strips at 15 ft intervals as these strips have about a 15 foot effective range (according to some studies I've read).

There are a host of chemicals that can be applied to retard the growth of mold, mildew and algae. In my opinion, other steps should be considered prior to or in conjunction with applying retarding chemicals, as you are not curing the ailment but only applying a temporary "pain reliever".

(Here, you are facing problems that deck restoration and house siding cleaning contractors face on a daily basis.) Accumulation of debris on a roof has deteriorating effects on the roof. Debris can retard the shedding of water and can retain moisture that allows growth of mold, mildew and algae.

To promote drying, you may need to suggest the trimming overhanging branches or even the removal of trees that can cause excessive shading and slow drying of the roof. Regular leaf and debris removal should also be suggested to your customers."

[svp07 14]

Thanks Paul,

I had read that Clemson had done some research on roof cleaning. I think I will look it up...on a side note Clemson was the best 4 1/2 years of my life so far I graduated from there. Thanks again for the help Paul its appreciated, what companies put out the sodium hypochlorite if you knonw of any.

Steve

[Firedkm 14]

Steve,

Sodium hypochlorite is Pool chlorine at 12.5% and bleach at 4-6%.

I buy mine from the local pool store and cut the ration down myself. I use a 60% water to 40% chlorine. That gives me about a 3-6 % solution. I dont add anything else to my solution. Just spray it on and basically buy the time you are done spraying the roof you can start to rinse it down.

[RyanH 14]

I have read the same information Paul put up from many different places. Owens Corning has begun using copper-coated granules on roofs to prevent any growth of algae, so they have some idea of what's going on in that department.

Steve,

Small world. My dad graduated from Clemson (some years ago). I just graduated from Georgia Tech last week. I don't care much for college sports, but if I did, can you imagine the rivalry that would be in our house?

[svp07 14]

Ryan,

I think you said you were a chem major, right? What else is in chlorine besides the sodium hypochlorite? (I hated chem when I was in school and now here I am trying to figure out all the chem interactions...go figure.) I am also interested in your roof brew; we already discussed the climbing gear...mine is coming later this week i think. I am really conserned about the health of the roof after I leave and using high concentrations of sodium hypochlorite does concern me.

By the way how did you get into powerwashing? I think we are about the same age, I'm 26. I am a teacher and starting this up for summer, weekend, and after school work. I was personal training, but there is a lot of nonsense with it.

Later,

Steve

[RyanH 14]

Steve,

Actually, it's chemical engineering, which pretty much means that the only thing I can do is tell you anything you want about steam and how to distill alcohol. You'd think we would do alot of stuff with chemistry, but it focuses mostly on the properties of chemicals (nothing useful when you want to actually make stuff).

I guess you are referring to chlorine bleach. I'm not sure of all of the stuff they put in it, but I do know that in addition to sodium hypochlorite you will also find sodium hydroxide (in smaller amounts). After that it get's a little tricky. Clorox makes an outdoor bleach that has some stuff in it to really remove dirt and grime. I don't know exactly, but probably some surfactants and detergents. Regular bleach like you use in your laundry doesn't contain all of the extra stuff.

Thanks to the advice from some people here, I started using TSP in my house wash. Now I use about 10 cups of calcium hypochlorite (from the pool supply store) and about 1.5 cups of TSP per 20 gallons water and X-jet at 2:1. I have found that this works well for vinyl siding and asphalt roofs. The only thing I've found is that I usually need to clean the windows after I wash the house. Since this is a service I do anyway, I don't find this to be a big deal. From the post Paul posted a few days ago, I take it that hypochlorite (the active portion, whether it is bound with sodium or calcium) is okay for the roof. I just make sure I rinse very thoroughly. I try to leave the strong degreasers (hydroxide) off the roofs.

[RyanH 14]

Steve,

here's the personal mumbojumbo in case nobody wants to read it with the relevant stuff above. Yeah, close in age. I just turned 25 a few months ago (wife is 26, though). A few years ago I started a commercial janitorial service so that I could have better working hours while I as in college (took me 7 years in case you were wondering about the time/age thing). Fast forward to last year. One of my accounts had some really bad mildew growing on their main entrance, bad to the point of being slippery in when it rained. I talked some things over with them and worked it out that I could pressure wash it. Trouble was, I didn't have a pressure washer. I bought the machine, did the job (which paid for half of it), did a few jobs around my neighborhood to get some experience and make enough money to pay off the machine. After spending entire days doing what now seem like simple tasks, I started investing in some equipment to help. Extension wands, extra hoses, hose reels, sprayers, a ladder, etc. The entire time I was reading almost every thread that was ever posted on this site and a few others (this has by far been the best for me, though) and learning. Starting advertising, bought some more equipment, made my wife mad because I never accumulated any money, I just reinvested it in more equipment. Now I have most of what I need, I'm finished with school, so I guess I will put it to work. I've never had a complaint on my work, so I guess that's sign that I'm doing something right. I'd like to teach, but the schools around here are funny. They would rather hire someone who has a teaching degree than someone who *really* knows what they are talking about. It's like they would rather have someone who will be understanding of kids' faults and pamper them (keep in mind that I'm in GA, the worst in the COUNTRY for education in public schools). I'd teach chemistry and physics, and math (I really like calculus) if they would allow it. Oh well. I'll still keep the equipment to do work here and there. I just need something a little more stable for the time being (we're supposed to have three kids according to the pencil test). I'm looking at getting into real estate in the very near future, but one never knows. I'll keep at the washing, though. Believe it or not, it's rather relaxing (especially on sunny summer days).

[randyh56 14]

What is TSP? I suppose that I will not hurt the plants and stuff. Does the pool chlorine come in powder or liquid.

Thanks,

Randy

[Aplus 525]

TSP = Tri Sodium Phosphate

[staudend 14]

Eacochem's Saferestore is pretty amazing stuff, I've used it several times and it rocked on limestone and copper stains on limestone and concrete. It's supposed to remove just about any stain there is on masonry. Nick