Flat Commercial Roofs - Certified SoftWash Roof Cleaning

John Smith · Lead Tech Certified

Flat Commercial Roofs

Danny Cronauer · SoftWash Systems Certified

I would start with roofs that you can visibly see, they are dirty. Also I mainly do residential and let the commercial work come to me, for now.

Ray Burke · Community Member

Check them out on google maps, satellite view. Amazing how many dirty flat roofs you'll see

Tim Teed · SoftWash Systems 5-Star Professional

to go after commercial roof, you need to find out who the roof consultants are in your area. The big manufacturer names are Firestone, Carlisle, Sarnafil, etc. Roof Consultants work with building owners to specify roofing systems from the various manufacturers. You are looking for white roofs because white roofs are specified to reflect the heat and they get dirty.

John Smith · Lead Tech Certified

thanks

AC Lockyer · Administrator

The three things that drive the sale on commercial flat roofs are,

1. Keeping their warranty.
2. Keeping mold out of the fresh air intakes on the roof.
3. Keeping the reflective value of the roof so that cooling costs dont soar.

Hope this helps.

AC

Zach Maynard · SoftWash Systems Certified Applicator

Just keep in mind that restaurants can be a whole different animal. These will be PVC or tpo roofs which may be exposed to copious amount of animal fats!
These will not come clean with SH or ch due to all the grease.
They are not usually EPDM rubber roofs because the rubber does not hold up as well to animal fats.

John Aloisio · SoftWash Systems 5-Star Professional

You can also try to ooh up with a few commercial roofers who do a lot of roof coating work as well. They will sometimes subcontract out the cleaning of the flat system before they coat it. ALL roof coating manufacturers require the roof be properly cleaned before the application of a coating, espescially any elastomeric or silicones. I have been in the commercial market for 18 plus years and some roofers will actually sub out this work to painters. I is a very untouched market for us roof cleaners that could be potential partnerships with the roofing community.

Bill Booz · Junior Member

There is big money in Roof vacuuming on commercial flat roofs. This is done to replace the aggregate, coat it or redo the roof. I get roof vacuuming leads almost everyday from a contractors network we are part of. It requires a vacuum truck. Another big money maker on flat roofs is installing the cool coat. Most companies installing cool coat on epdm are surface cleaning the roof first. Some jobs are roof vac then cool seal. Big $$$. A roof that is getting coated will require a full rinse with no debris of any kind left on the roof.

You are very right John.

Bill Booz · Junior Member

Now Ac needs to figure out how to get us a vac that fits in a pickup!

AC Lockyer · Administrator

Bill Booz wrote:
Now Ac needs to figure out how to get us a vac that fits in a pickup!

Hummmmmm a big ole multi-purpose vac that fits in the back of a truck. Call me in two years.

AC

Eric Seitz · Sophmore Member

I did 500,000 sq of roof coating last yr I love doing these roofs. Since I was a painting contractor I kind of fell into it!

Bill Booz · Junior Member

Maybe Jerry can build it with ya AC. He's got a lot of vac knowledge.

Mark Fermoyle · Lead Tech Certified

Maybe it (the big vac) could be another battle in the Revolution? biggrin

Boy, that skid is going to get pretty heavy!! wink

AC Lockyer · Administrator

Mark Fermoyle wrote:
Maybe it (the big vac) could be another battle in the Revolution?
Boy, that skid is going to get pretty heavy!!

Or a whole new WAR? Check back with me when this Revolution is over.

AC

Mike Sandefur · Freshmen Member

What percent would you use for these type of roofs and how long do you dwell. I have a roof that has one of these type roofs on it. The owner says the roof is a rubber type vinyl. I am not sure what it is. However its not real dirty. Thanks for any HELP!

-- Edited by Mike Sandefur on Thursday 31st of March 2016 10:15:30 PM

John Aloisio · SoftWash Systems 5-Star Professional

Mike,

It really depends on the type of roof and how infested it is. There are too many types to list, but rubber-vinyl is not one of them. It could be rubber (EPDM) or it could be PVC (vinyl based thermoplastic). There are TPO, PVC, KEE, TPA, EPDM, SBS, APP, Hybris, BUR, etc.... All of these are different and you must check with the manufacturer on cleaning ratios, especially if there is a warranty in place. You do not want to void the manufacturers warranty, since most of them are NDL (No Dollar Limit) and cover both materials and all the install costs to replace. It could cost your insurance hundreds of thousands of dollars if you were to void it.

Find out what it is and take some pics, so we can make an educated recommendation.

Mike Sandefur · Freshmen Member

Thanks for the reply. I will do ASAP and get back to you. Thanks again.

Mike Sandefur · Freshmen Member

I found out the roof is made out of EPDM. Attached are some pictures of it. I didn't see any gutters so I will need to find out where it drains to. I'm assuming it drains into the parking lot or a storm drain.

John Aloisio · SoftWash Systems 5-Star Professional

Mike,

it might be Carlisle white EPDM, but it actually looks like Durolast PVC. Because the way the wall flashings are bagged and hung and those one way vents are specific to Durolast. Either way, you can use a 2% mix and some Terra Wash to clean this roof. It will most likely need some brushing too. The reason there are no gutters is because most commercial roofs have interior drains, which are in the picture as well. You will need to make sure the drains are clear and not clogged or else you will have a major ponding issue and also where these drains dump out. If they dump out into a parking lot or a retention basin is something you need to be clear on before starting. You might need to reroute or rinse something you had not considered in your bid.

Hope this Helps.

-- Edited by John Aloisio on Saturday 2nd of April 2016 07:10:49 AM

Mike Sandefur · Freshmen Member

Helps a lot. Thanks again. I will send after pictures if I complete this job. Have a good weekend!