How To Soft Wash A Zinc Coated Roof & Zinc Flashing
A customer asked if Benz Lightning Cleanze biocide is suitable for cleaning a roof clad in zinc coated sheeting, i.e. galvanised steel? Also zinc flashing?
We told him that galvanised steel is a material that needs cleaning with care. Like lead it can discolour if not protected by pre and post wetting with fresh water. Zinc can take on a hazy look if not looked after in this manner.
We’ve never cleaned a galvanised zinc roof with Lightning Cleanze, so cannot comment from experience. However, at 10:1 Lightning Cleanze is not classified as corrosive to metal. So it will probably be ok but could tend to slightly oxidise the zinc.As always, first treat a test patch to check that your method works on the zinc roofing material you intend to soft wash.
We recommend Benz Bio Cleanze biocide for treating zinc on roofs
The chemical nature of Bio Cleanze enables it to seep between the laps of zinc coated sheets, killing the spores that hide there, better than any other chemical. It’s even more effective at getting between the laps than water .
Quick tip: A light pressure wash will remove most of the surface biofilm and the roof will look reasonably clean. But if not killed with a biocide treatment immediately after being pressure washed, the spores will recolonise and the zinc coated roofing sheets will soon look dirty again.
A single treatment at 30-50:1 is usually sufficient if a zinc roof has been pre-cleaned by pressure washing.
Ben, Leo, Fiona, Stevie & Anthony
How To Know When To Soft Wash Your Roof
There is not a typical timeframe for how often you should be soft washing your roof. Some in heavily shaded and treed areas might need treatment as often as every 2-3 years while others might not need it more than every 4-6 years. There are several things to consider when deciding how often to soft wash your roof.
When Should You Hire Experienced Roof Cleaners
One of the best indicators that professional roof cleaners are the best option is for owners who have little or no experience with pressure washing. By hiring someone with the right equipment, effective biodegradable cleaning products and know-how, the chances of avoiding the need for unexpected roof repair or costly roof replacement are increased. With the right pressure, nozzles and a good cleaning solution, almost any roof can become free of buildup with a power washer.
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Roof Cleaning Cost In Uk
Prices to clean a roof vary depending on the extent of the cleaning and size of the property. Moss removal only will be cheaper than a full soft wash or pressure washing. According to priceyourjob.co.uk roof pressure washing prices average between £8 to £15 per square metre. There are also significant regional price variations with the usual higher prices in London and the south east.
Ease of access to the roof is another factor that can affect costs as this can require equipment hire and be more labour intensive for difficult to reach areas.
Gleam Team moss removal and roof cleaning prices start at £300 and increase with the size of the roof. Our service includes manual moss removal followed by a full soft wash cleaning of the tiles and moss inhibiting treatment. Typical prices are as follows:
- Terrace house = £300
- Semi detached = £400-£450
- 3/4 Bed Detached = £550-£600
- These roof cleaning costs remain the same for all areas we operate in. So our roof cleaning service in London is the same price as it is in Kent and across the south east
- The moss-free guarantee applies to all prices
Gleam Team are based in Maidstone and our roof cleaning service is avaialble throughout Kent including Sittingbourne, Tonbridge, Sevenoaks, Tunbridge Wells, Wrotham, Meopham, Dartford, Ashford and Canterbury.
We also cover Bexleyheath, Sidcup, south London, Surrey and Sussex. Please call 07581 681994 or email using the contact form for a free no obligation quote.
References used
How To Build A Soft Wash System Best Guides
What you will need
Step 1
Connect the pump to the 12-volt battery with the crocodile clips. Take care to ensure you correctly match the terminals. Negative for negative and positive for the positive terminals.
Step 2
Connect the water tank with the pump. It can be a 25-gallon water tank or whatever you can get. Just make sure it can hold a large amount of water.
Step 3
Make sure you have pipes running through the tank from the pump. Valves control the flow of water from the tank to the gun.
Step 4
Using a pipe, connect the tank to the spraying gun. Test to see how far the spray can go. A good gun should spray up to 5 feet in the air, which is comfortable enough for two stories.
Now that you have your soft wash system up and running, you will need to know the right chemicals. Professionals use bleach to get rid of algae and mildew on roofs, walls, and fences. Detergents are also quite safe for use.
Sodium hypochlorite and liquid chlorine in the right concentrations are also great options. Excessive use of these chemicals in large amounts will be disastrous for the surface you are cleaning.
That is the essence of soft washing, which, unlike pressure washing to remove the mildews and algae, makes use of chemicals. The pressure from a soft wash system should be below.
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How Do We Clean Roofs In Kent London & South East
We first lay tarpulin around the house to catch falling moss and cover downpipes to stop bloackages.
We access the bottom of the roof, above the guttering, using ladders or a scaffold tower and then use extendable aluminium poles with a scraping tool attached to manually remove the moss. Gutters are cleared and emptied on completion and during the process.
After removing the moss we soft wash the roof using water fed poles and rinse it clean. We then apply the moss inhibiting anti fungicide.
Finding Leaks On A Soft Top Car
These might include damaged or distorted door seals or accumulated detritus behind the seals and blocked rain channels around the car, including the boot surround. Wet carpets are often a sign. The hood itself may be damaged, torn or lacking in weather-proofing, allowing water to find its way in.
Its an idea to get someone to sit in the car while a water hose is played over it. This might speed up the process of discovery.
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Why Power Wash A House
Your roof cleaning cost is an investment in your home’s structure and condition, as is power washing of your home’s entire exterior. Note why it’s good for every homeowner to have their home pressure washed on a regular basis:
- Consistent cleaning of the home’s gutters, windows, exterior walls, pool deck, and outside concrete and paver stones can restore the color of painted concrete, brick walls, and paver stones, and remove unsightly streaks and dirt from exterior windows. Regular cleaning then enhances a home’s overall curb appeal, making those surfaces and materials seem new and in good repair.
- Power washing a house reveals areas of needed repair, just as it does with a roof! Cleaning a home’s exterior walls can reveal cracks in the brick or tears to aluminum siding, while power washing concrete driveways and walkways can also reveal cracks, chips, and other such damage.
- Built-up dust, dirt, mud, silt, grit, and grime can soften and otherwise damage brick, concrete, and patio stones. Dirty windows become thin and weak over time. Regular washing of these materials prolongs their life and reduces the need for otherwise unnecessary repairs.
- Power washing a home’s gutters removes built-up debris and grime that causes clogs. Clogged gutters allow rainwater to splash over their sides, damaging a home’s exterior walls and foundation. Clean gutters are especially important in tropical areas or those prone to heavy, frequent storms, to help avoid this water damage.
Frequency Of Soft Washing
Soft washers typically only see results in 1-2 cleanings per year because it takes much longer than pressure washing equipment. Also, pressure washing leaves an unsightly residue behind where the chemicals have been used, which will corrode metal chimneys and cause problems in the future. With soft washers, you can get a thorough clean every time!
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What Chemicals Are Used To Soft Wash
You will need to mix a solution to apply to your surface area which consists of the following:
⢠Bleach â This kills any mold and mildew spores, algae, moss, and any other plants or fungi growing on your roof. It also gets into and kills off any root systems in order to prevent further damage to the tiles and to keep anything from growing back.
⢠Water â This is included to dilute the bleach.
⢠Cleaning Surfactant â This aides in the cleaning process by loosening, trapping, and carrying-away dirt and other substances. Due to the chemical nature of surfactants, they get between the surface and the substances clinging to them and push them apart, sticking to the unwanted matter clinging there and lifting them away in a process called roll-up. It is equivalent to dish soap cleaning residue stuck to a plate after a meal: it improves the waterâs ability to wash away unwanted muck. In addition, the surfactant will help prevent excessive run-off so the solution will stay on your roof longer for greater effectiveness.
When you are looking for the best chemical mixture you are really seeking the best concentration of bleach to use on a particular job. Additives and water will certainly help, but bleach is the primary agent. More details on bleach concentration and ratio.
Renovate Or Renew A Car Soft Top
If, despite all the steps to refurbish a soft top, the water ingress problems remain then a thorough inspection is advised. Is the hood mechanism working as it should and does the hood fit properly? Any tears can be repaired professionally but at some point in a convertibles life it is probably time for a new hood. This may not be the cheapest option but it will improve the look of the car and add to the resale value. We may not have the ideal weather for convertible motoring in this country but when the suns shines its a great feeling.
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What Youll Need To Soft Wash Your Roof
To soft wash your roof youll need the following items:
- Safety gear
- Ladder
- Long handled stiff bristle brush and broom and squeegee
- Pressure washer with a low pressure setting and fan nozzle. For the DIY home owner we recommend the Sun Joe Electric Pressure Washer.
- Biodegradable disinfecting cleaning solution such as chlorine or commercial-grade bleach . , tiles, gutters, and for washing exterior walls. Bleach is what we use for our softwash systems.)
- Tarps and painters tape to prevent causing damage to plants, root systems, and non cleaning surfaces.
- Garden hose to use with the pressure washer
When Should You Use Soft Washing Method
Soft Washing should be used on surfaces that are notoriously hard to get clean with pressure or would be damaged if one were to use high pressure on them such as windows, roof shingles, screens, wood paneling, etc. Soft washing was originally designed for the purpose of cleaning algae off of roof shingles.
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How To Weather Protect Your Soft Top Roof
As alluded to above, the next stage for a full refurbishment of a convertible is to weather seal the material so that water runs off the surface, helping to future-protect the fabric. Any previous deep cleaning process will have stripped away any remaining weather-proofing and without this essential step water could permeate through the material and into the cabin. Apart from the discomfort, this could lead to window interiors misting and indeed mould forming inside and nobody wants that. Protect your hood like this:
Roof Cavity Cleaning Cost
Attic cleaning costs$100 to $500, depending on the size, accessibility, and type and extent of debris or damage. Costs increase for jobs that require removing old insulation, relocating stored items, or resolving pest problems. Cleaning the roof cavity is essential to maintain the home’s indoor air quality.
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Benefits Of Shopping For Soft Wash Roof Cleaning Chemicals With Ecolink:
- Bulk Supply Ecolink offers bulk sizing for all our chemical products. This includes 5- gallon buckets and 55-gallon drums to accommodate facilities of differing sizes and encourage price saving for ordering in bulk quantities
- Knowledge and Experience At Ecolink we have crafted our expertise over 30 years of learning and in-field experience to provide for our clients and ensure you choose the best chemicals for your applications while understanding proper use and storage to keep yourself and your facility safe.
- High Quality You can trust that the chemicals you receive from Ecolink are high quality, stable, and safe to handle with proper use.
- Eco-Friendly At Ecolink, we are also dedicated to protecting the environment by offering a full line of green chemical alternatives to help make your practice more sustainable. If you are interested in finding eco-friendly chemicals and cleaning agents, our team of chemical experts can help!
Is It Safe To Pressure Wash Roofs
Marley are one of the UKs leading tile manufacturers and they clearly state on this maintenance page of their website:
The use of high powered jet washes is not recommended as it can damage the surface of the slate or tile, thus reducing its expected life considerably.
Other tile manufacturers all agree on this and specifically warn against pressure washing roofs and they are the people who should know. No one knows their products better than the manufacturers and that is why Gleam Team do not pressure wash roofs. There are other good reasons to avoid blasting roofs at high pressure such as:
- the horrendous mess that would be made all over the customers and neighbouring properties from power washing at height. In windy conditions the moss and dirt would fly even further
- likelihood of damaging and dislodging tiles
- damage caused from walking on the roof
- risk of water entering the loft
- additional costs incurred from hiring expensive cherry pickers
- pressure washing only removes surface dirt and does not kill or remove algae and lichen spores below the surface. this means they will soon recolonise the roof making it look dirty again with black staining
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Roof Cleaning Pricing Insights
Depending on the sophistication of your contractor, there are typically four main points that the companies will take into consideration before submitting a bid:
A few points on each.
Pitch of the roof. The pitch, or steepness, of the roof, determines how the roof can be safely cleaned. The pitch is defined as how many inches the roof rises vertically for every 12 inches of horizontal run. The higher the pitch, the less likely that your technician will actually set foot on the roof. Any pitch over 9/12 is considered to be steep. Most residential homes are designed with pitches between 4/12 and 9/12. For steep roofs, your contractor will try to limit their time walking on the roof. This means your roof will require either a lift or ladder setups around the home to effectively be cleaned. A lift will cost upwards of $400 per day, additional ladder setups will also increase the price as it will take longer to complete the cleaning. If roof access is required, you may need to have anchors installed on your roof. The anchors can then be used for the technicians to tie in and harness. Note: let a professional install the roof anchor! Expect to pay between $50-100 for a temporary anchor.
How To Clean Your Roof With Roof Wash
Use Roof Wash to remove stains caused by moss, black algae, mold, lichen or any fungus that may grow on roofs. It’s highly effective on all types of roofing material: asphalt, metal, tile, wood shake, rubber and new composite materials. Note: we do have some roof cleaning products made specifically for other types of roofing like “Cedar Wash” for Cedar Shake Roofs and “Tile Roof Wash” for all types of cement and clay barrel tile roofing.
If you are afraid of spraying a chemical up on your roof you should be. Not only can the chemical run off and damage your plants and lawn but some roof cleaning products sold online can be fatal to your pets. These toxic chemicals can alter the color of your roof and stain any other surface it may contact on the way off the roof. Our “Roof Wash” is made from earth-friendly hydrogen peroxide and it will not harm people, pets or property. As an oxygen based cleaner, the product only has an active life of 4-6 short hours before this product biodegrades, making it by far the safest product in the roof cleaning industry.
A Wash Safe roof cleaning contractor can be found in just about every state now, but if you can’t find one, we would be glad to speak to your local handyman and go over the cleaning process with them. The biggest challenge as a home owner is figuring out how apply the product to your roof especially if you have one of those hard to reach roofs and we can help with that.
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