Imagine what your car would look like if you didn’t wash it for 25 years. Or, your awning. Or, your patio furniture. Or, anything outdoors. Yet, that’s exactly how 99% of us treat the roof over our heads. I read that about 50% of roofs are replaced not because they were worn out, but simply because they were neglected and therefore looked like crap. Like mine did. Perhaps, yours, also? If elected President I will put a stop to this atrocity!
Well, let’s get right to it and look at pictures. That way you can decide if it’s worth reading the entire article.
Since we’ve lived here we believed we bought a house with a light gray roof. Over the past decade it kept getting darker and darker gray. The back roof below is a picture of the dark gray (right side) vs. how it looked after being cleaned (left side). The front roof was even darker … almost black in many spots.
Below is a closeup of the Hideous Life Form living on our roof. That bigger piece of mold, moss, algae, what-the-hell-ever is about the size of a quarter. There wasn’t hardly a single roof tile without creatures-from-hell feasting on my limestone. In the above picture, at the top right, you’ll see a Living Creature that’s about two feet by one foot!
[SIDE NOTE: A bit of trivia … do you know why algae grows on the roof? Basically, it’s due to the fact that one of the key ingredients in asphalt shingles is limestone. Limestone is naturally composed of calcium carbonate, which is what algae feeds on in order to spread. This paired with the moisture from the rain or humidity helps to provide the perfect and notorious living environment for algae, moss and lichen …. which are all pure eeevil.]
Here it is all done. When I started out all I wanted was to get my light gray roof back. Imagine my surprise when I discovered for the first time that we had a light BROWN roof!!
That black&white line on the right side of the picture right next to the roof? That’s the Power line. If you have one of those also, then try not to touch it with your metal sprayer wand.
Still with me? OK, here’s the Super Secret Formula. It’s so simple it’s almost embarrassing.
— 2 gallons water
— 1 gallon 12.5% Sodium-Hypochlorite (aka chlorine, aka bleach)
— 3/4 cup TSP (TriSodiumPhosphate)
— 3/4 cup GAIN Original Laundry Detergent
And, that’s it! A couple notes about the ingredients.
BLEACH NOTE: Regular household bleach will not work, even if undiluted (which is a bad idea no matter what). Household bleach, depending on brand, is 3%-6% sodium-hypochlorite. Too weak! You need the strong stuff, commonly known as POOL SHOCK. You can buy it at any swimming-pool supply store. I bought mine at Leslie’s ($5 gallon) which has stores in pretty much every state. You want the liquid, not the powder. You want the 12.5% chlorine, not the 10% (which will work in a pinch but, on really moldy roofs such as mine it will require two passes). Lastly, you do not want the Calcium-Hypochloride Pool Shock because it leaves behind a chalky residue for a long time. You want to ONLY use the SODIUM-Hypochlorite.
GAIN Detergent Note: Gain is sold pretty much in any supermarket in America. Why only Gain? Because it has an ingredient in it, Ammonyx, which actually helps the bleach do its job better. Some other detergents have Ammonyx however, they also contain other ingredients which hinder the chemical reaction needed. It’s Gain or bust, baby. But, the real reason you need a detergent is to act as a surfactant. That’s just a fancy word meaning “get the bleach-mix to stick to the roof“. Without it, the majority of your bleach/water mix would run off the roof and into the gutter. Lastly, the detergent is scented and does a terrific job of masking that horrible bleach odor.
For more fascinating info on “why Gain?”, as well as a slew of great info on roof cleaning see the link below. (That website is the primary source of most of the information in this article.)
APPLICATION
1)- You’ll need a 3-gallon hand-held garden sprayer. I bought an Echo from Home Depot for $42. Worked great.
2)- No roof prep is needed. Just start spraying.
3)- Start from the peak of the roof, working your way towards the gutter. Do not stand behind the area being sprayed. Stand to the side and spray as large an area you can. Combined with my tallness, plus the length of the sprayer wand, I was able to do 8 foot wide swaths. Normal people should easily be able to do 6 foot swaths.
4)- Spray enough to thoroughly soak the roof tiles. You’ll know when it’s enough when the liquid no longer sticks to the roof but starts running off.
5)- Once you’ve reached the bottom, wait 15-20 minutes.
6)- The stuff seems to stop working when it dries out. So, on a hot roof and/or on a sunny hot day you will need to keep the roof misty wet. Just mist it! Do not use so much water that you’re washing off the chemicals. Also, once it completely dries, it takes about three times as much water and time to rinse off the bleach.
7)- After 15-20 minutes, simply hose down the roof. I hosed down with the narrowest (powerful) stream possible. That’s really not a lot of psi-force from a garden hose. I had less than half a cup of roof particles in the gutters after completing the roof.
8)- You see a stiff straw broom on the roof. Most (95%) of the Moldy Creatures simply dislodged with the garden hose spray. The huge spots required a little encouragement from The Broom. Just lightly scrubbing back and forth a few times, and all of it disappeared. About 95% of the roof cleaned up wonderfully after just one pass. The other 5% of the heavily darkened area became clean after the 2nd pass.
9)- Mix ingredients, spray on, wait, hose off. That’s all there’s to it folks!
—–
I was able to do the job in two days. A younger and better looking man — and someone who doesn’t take multiple beer and cigar breaks –can easily do it in half a day.
How much material did I need? For an 1800 sq ft house; 10 gallons of Shock ($50), large box of TSP ($18), largest container of Gain ($20) — $88 bucks total.
SAFETY
1)– You chemists here will attest to this — that 12.5% bleach is potent, and dangerous to human health. Don’t risk breathing in any stray micro-particles of spray! You can buy a throw-away respirator/goggle kit from Home Depot for about ten bucks. Do it! Also, wear gloves — unless you think peel-away skin is a cool thing.
2)– Do you know what happens with the combination of water, bleach, detergent, and mold? That roof becomes extremely slippery. Really slippery. Crazy slippery. Scare the sh*t out of you slippery. That’s why you spray from the side, not in front of you. And for heaven’s sake, don’t wear sneakers doing this job. At least wear shoes with a thick sole and a defined thread pattern.
3)– If you don’t have gutters, you will have to protect your plants/shrubbery with some tarp, unless you like your greenery brown. Even with gutters there will be over-spray below. But, that’s not that big a concern. Just give your plants a nice soaking before you start, and then hose them down quickly as the over-spray occurs.
BLEACH MYTHS
If you’re a tree-hugger, save-the-whales, and love Mother Earf kind of person — “Bleach??? Oh, YUCKY-POO!!!” — then, this article will repulse you. Too bad. Nothing I can say will convince you otherwise. Go find a Safe Space. Or, go call Madge, who will gladly clean your roof with super eco-friendly Palmolive.
I’m talking about the myth that bleach is bad for your roof. Poppycock! Well, I’m just an amateur know-nothing. So, let’s see what the professionals have to say:
GAF Roofing Manufacturers; — “GAF recommends cleaning the roof with a special mixture. That mixture is: 4 gallons of water, 1 gallon of bleach and 1 cup of TSP. Apply this mixture with a garden sprayer, let sit on the roof surface for up to 20 minutes, and rinse with low-pressure water.” Here.
Gee whiz! THEY have my super secret formula also! I am not going to belabor the point because it’s the same message wherever you look. Major roofing manufacturers like Owens Corning and organizations such as the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association ALL recommend bleach and low pressure water to clean asphalt roofing shingles.
OTHER USES
It works great on fabric. In the first picture above you can see that the awning definitely has black algae streaks. I applied it to the fabric and left it on for only ten minutes and rinsed. Seriously, it now (almost) looks like the day it was installed. It works great on concrete. We have 60 feet of concrete “sidewalk” leading from the side of the house to the back deck. There are four slabs between two rows of bushes, about 16 feet, which are black as black can be. That’s what happens when you don’t clean it for 50-some years. It took three passes, but it looks like it was poured last week. This stuff is awesome.
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY FOR STRONG YOUNG MEN?
In this part of the country (NJ) we got quotes as high as $1,200 …. for about $50 worth of material (they get their materials at wholesale). Imagine that! Some roof-cleaning contractors claim they can do 5 houses per day. In NJ, that $6,000 gross for $250 worth of material. Not bad.
Many times they don’t even need to go on the roof. They have vans with 500 gallon tanks and fancy compressors and other stuff. They put the ladder against the gutter and spray/rinse from there!
I’m not strong. I’m not young. I’m not even sure I’m a man, although I identify as one. But, if I was all those things, I’m pretty sure I’d look into this business opportunity a little more deeply. Even if I was afraid of roofs (which I am), I could always hire some illegal aliens for el-cheapo denario …. lol.
—
Thanks for reading. Look for another helpful house article next Friday; “How to paint kitchen cabinets with a brush — and make it look like it was professionally sprayed.”
.
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When you’re done with the cabinets / counter tops / roof – why move?
Post some pic’s of your cabinets.
There will definitely be pics.
Why move? Good question. I don’t want to own a house, especially in NJ, when the shit hits the fan. Mobility and freedom, baby!!
That looks great Stuck, you done good!
Thanks, Bea. You’ve always been a supporter when it counts.
Not that this type of article fits what TBP is all about. Just a change of pace.
But, my main reason for posting it is because I’ve never done this type of thing before and I was surprised how cheap (NOT, easy lol) it is to do …and the end result is virtually foolproof …. and with so many people struggling financially in these times, hopefully we can save them some of their hard-earned money if they considered cleaning their roof.
Stucky- I’m just shocked that the roof is actually brown which suits the brick color quite nicely. I expect a pro could not have done better.
Stucky, you must be new here. I wouldn’t be able to find the comment but admin once said that this site was a place where people share their lives and stories. It was an interesting comment and I don’t recall what provoked it.
Therefore, I do not assume this place is ‘about’ anything. It is like Bob Dylan said of himself, if you think you know what he’s about, you don’t really know.
I think admin leans towards the philosophy of self-reliance. I could be wrong. That’s the vibe I get. Others have defined it as an alt-right site. Still others think it should be a racially pure gathering place. Admin has suggested if there were pre-qualifications, they would include a minimum IQ of 85. He hasn’t spelled out a rules of conduct because he expects that as adults, we have learned all that from our parents, teachers or parole officers.
Thank you. Really looking forward to next week.
Stucky – my super-duper compliment to you.
I had that same algae on my steep garage roof; used a product in a hardware store (mixed with water and used a ladder and Backpack Sprayer); waited 5 mths and had to reapply; it took at least 1 year before the algae was gone.
The only advice I would give to your cure is not to brush the algae – it is a growth into the shingles (like a tumor) and you will remove parts of the shingle.
Great Info – you have impressed me with this shit.
Waiting for your home interior work.
FWIW, if you can’t find the strong bleach where you are you can use a second gallon of regular full strength laundry bleach in place of one gallon of the water.
Roof looks great, should make it sell faster.
Used to use copper sulfate to kill that stuff and moss proof roofs, it’s frequently available in hardware or drug stores. Always seemed to be a permanent cure where I used it.
It might not be legal to use it now, EPA, environmental toxins, and all that sort of stuff.
Yeah, that store stuff just doesn’t do a great job.
Last year I attempted to clean the awning. Went to Home Depot and bought super-duper-extra-strength-never-before-released-to-humanity algae removal …. for about $23 a gallon …. and I scrubbed and scrubbed.
The result? Well, look at the awning pic which is just 3 weeks ago. The store stuff did clean it up a little. But, overall, it still looked crappy. Then I went to the place who sold us the awning. They said they have an even BETTER super-duper-extra-strength-never-before-released-to-humanity algae removal product. Even more expensive. Same mediocre results.
Sprayed on the Pool Shock. I’m not lying … I could SEE it lightening up after about 30 seconds. No shit, really.
You are correct about brushing the algae. However, on the more stubborn pieces, nothing I tried prevented parts of the shingle from coming up. I even took a plastic scraper an gently lifted up the algae. Sure enough, roof parts stuck to it! Maybe I should have just left it place … and it would have fallen off on its own? Well, too late for that …. lol
Yes, over time the Algae would have disappeared without causing severe damage to the shingles.
Well …. FUCK!!!!!
If I remember my biology correctly, algae hardened onto a surface bonds with that surface in a way that alters or damages that surface. In other words, part of the shingles is coming off with it.
Nice work, man!
Very interesting. Especially regarding the roof algae, etc and the difference looks very impressive.
I also really like the casually dressed, life-sized Einstein in Repose roof ornament as shown in the 3rd photo above. Can you get these at Home Depot? I imagine these could dual purpose as a lightening rod as well?
All very cool…
Unhaunted, It’s probably a Halloween decoration.
Gotta admit man. Looks pretty good. Around these parts the problem isn’t what is on shingles but if they have curled or not. Likely the local climate here. Snow, salt and rain, mixed in with a few days of sun ain’t good for much of anything…
It used to be that shingles lasted as long as advertised. But not anymore. Not sure why exactly. I have been told that manufacturers are mandated to use less tar. Tree huggers lurking out from safe space likely to blame.
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Anyways It looks like your shingles are in pretty good shape. You should be able to sneak it past the home inspection. Well as long as they aren’t regular viewers of TBP. Looking forward to seeing how the cabinets turned out.
I’ve always been told that curled shingles is due to inadequate attic ventilation. It was explained to me that the roof gets fried from below due to the extreme heat that builds up in the attic in addition to being baked from above on hit days. I never investigated to find out if it was true as it was time to replace anyway and I was already planning to ventilate the shit out of my soffit and install an attic fan. However, there was very little ventilation prior to re-roofing and someone had blocked the gable vents on each end and the old shingles were severely curled.
Hey Stucky
Yesterday I was a bit bored so I decided to troll a feminist blog. Fucken hillarious. I gas-lighted the joint. Man I must have struck a nerve, maybe many years of practice and hard knocks here on TBP.
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This is just a partial list. I ended up having to block notifications.
I was thinking maybe we get a Posse together and go over there and light the place on fire.
Whadda ya think?
RiNS….two fucking days in a row you commented on the femmy blog but you did NOT provide the url, site address.
just google
We Hunted The Mammoth
written by a guy named david futrelle
This is the comments policy..
I am willing to wager Stucky last about 5 minutes before he is banned.
Kokoda likely not far behind…
WTF! Special snowflakes can’t be hurt………..
Comments Policy
Don’t make me do this.
[UPDATED — rather radically — 7/20/2015]
Welcome to We Hunted the Mammoth! If you’d like to comment here, read this first.
Unmoderated internet forums quickly become shitheaps, so we have a few rules here. One thing to remember right off the bat: this is a feminist blog, designed (mostly) for a feminist audience. You don’t have to be a particular kind of feminist to post here, or even a feminist at all, but you do need to keep this in mind.
First comments from new commenters – or old commenters changing their name – automatically go to moderation. Regardless of your politics, if you start off here with a jerky or tediously argumentative comment, or if you trigger some other red flag for me, your first comment will never see the light of day.
MRAs, MGTOWs, PUAs, Red Pillers, “Equalists,” #GamerGaters and the like: you will be allowed to post here, if your first comment is amusing and/or not especially egregious, and if you more-or-less behave.
But I reserve the right to revoke your posting privileges at any time for any reason. You have a right to your opinions, but you don’t have a right to our attention. I am especially not interested in hearing your thoughts on Anita Sarkeesian (or some other target of angry dude harassment online).
Oh, and I sometimes set aside threads here as “no troll, no MRA” threads. If you post in one of them, even politely, you will be banned.
If you’re NOT an MRA or a troll, welcome!
You’re who this blog is really meant for. The comments too, provided you can participate in a generally constructive manner and can treat those you disagree with here with a certain degree of respect. Snark is fine; attacks and accusations and namecalling, not so much.
If someone – whether a troll or a regular commenter — is acting badly enough to possibly warrant a suspension or ban, EMAIL ME OR THE MODS. That’s the fastest and most effective way to get it taken care of.
Some slightly more specific guidelines.
No bigotry (misogyny, racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, body shaming, and so forth). No slurs. I’ve put the worst ones in the mod filter, so comments containing them won’t appear. If you want to discuss someone else’s use of a slur, disguise the word so your comment won’t get caught by the filter – though if you do this as a “clever” way to use a slur yourself, you may well find yourself banned.
No threats or violent comments. That includes telling someone to “die in a fire” or remarking that so-and-so would probably be better off dead. This rule is in effect even when you are talking about vile misogynistic shitbags.
No gratuitously nasty personal attacks. Yes, discussions can sometimes get a bit contentious. You’re not required to be perfectly nice all the time. Just don’t be a total asshole. And don’t drag your disagreements with someone into every thread.
No doxxing or posting of personal identifying information. Don’t spread rumors or speculate without evidence on the possible criminal activity of anyone else, whether this is another commenter or a misogynistic shitbag.
No rape apologism, pedo apologism, victim blaming, and so forth.
Don’t misgender anyone. If you do it accidentally, apologize and get it right the next time. If you do it deliberately, you’re out.
Don’t attack anyone for their sexual preferences or kinks, so long as they involve consenting adults. Refrain from weird or creepy sexual oversharing. Whatever your opinion of sex work, don’t disparage sex workers, or use words like “whore” as a pejorative. (Feel free to talk about MRAs who are using the word pejoratively.)
Don’t attack people for their religion or their lack of religion.
Don’t be a mansplainer or indeed any kind of ‘splainer. That is, don’t lecture anyone on something they know better than you, particularly if that thing is their lived experience.
Don’t post too much or try to make threads all about you. Try to avoid drama.
If you have personal issues you want to bring up, that’s fine! Use the troll-free open threads set aside for personal stuff. I’ll post a new one every couple of weeks. (I also start threads regularly to discuss big events in the news that people here are concerned about; feel free to email if you think something has happened that warrants one.)
No sockpuppeting. No lying. No misrepresentation of yourself or other people. No posting in bad faith – e.g. posting friendly comments here while trashing the site and/or the people on it elsewhere.
No pile-ons. If a number of people have already offered the same criticism of another commenter, don’t add more comments to the pile.
All this said, you don’t have to be perfect to comment here. As sociologist Katherine Cross (@Quinnae_Moon) has noted, very few people arrive “fully formed to the world of activism, the perfect agents of change, somehow entirely cognizant of the ever shifting morass of rules and prescribed or proscribed words, phrases, argot, and thought.”
I want this blog to be open to all those who genuinely oppose misogyny and bigotry more generally, even those who may slip up from time to time.
Still, if you’re new here, or new to feminism, and the regulars here are telling you to avoid certain words, or pointing out something that you’re doing that’s problematic, don’t take it as a personal attack (unless it is couched as a personal attack, in which case email me). If they tell you to avoid particular language, uh, avoid using that language, and don’t explain that in your country calling a person a something-or-other is perfectly fine.
You don’t have to agree with all the rules and/or cultural norms here; but while you’re commenting here you are expected to respect them. If you think a rule is really, really wrong or ridiculous, don’t argue about it in the comments; send me an email about it.
And this brings us to the issue of ableism, which has been a contentious one here.
NOTES ON “CRAZY”
Avoid “crazy” talk. That is, using words like “crazy,” “psycho” and the like to describe the terrible ideas and actions of people you don’t like. It’s stigmatizing to those dealing with mental illness, who really don’t need the extra indignity of being compared to MRAs. Try using words like “ridiculous” or “absurd” or “terrible” instead. Call someone an “asshole” instead of a “psycho.” Try to avoid internet diagnoses of mental illness, and don’t use autism or Aspergers as an excuse for someone’s shitty behavior.
Saying someone is “paranoid,” “delusional,” or “narcissistic” is fine, if you don’t mean it as a diagnosis; these are useful descriptive terms.
If there is evidence that someone you are discussing does indeed have a mental illness, and this is relevant to the discussion, it can be appropriate to bring this up, though you should keep in mind that a hunch is not evidence.
All this said, words like “crazy,” “psycho,” and the like are extremely common, and plenty of people (including feminists, progressives, and people dealing with mental illness themselves) use them casually without intending to stigmatize those with mental illnesses. There’s a difference between saying “crazy people should all be locked up” and “boy, Eraserhead sure was a crazy movie!”
If you’re someone who uses these terms casually, and doesn’t actually want all “crazy” people locked up, it doesn’t make you an evil person, but you need to refrain from doing it here. (Again, if you disagree with this policy, and feel a need to make this disagreement known, DO NOT ARGUE ABOUT IT IN THE COMMENTS, send me an email instead.)
If you are a regular commenter here, and someone uses a problematic term like “crazy” or “psycho,” remind them gently that this is not how we do things here, and send them a link to this comment policy (and possibly the Welcome Package as well). Unless what they have said is particularly egregious, do not insult them or question their motives.
If they argue, remind them that arguing about this rule is also not allowed. If they continue,do not argue back; send me or the mods a note and they will be banned. (This may take a little while, so be patient and please do not give in to the impulse to argue with them.)
If others have already reminded them of the rules, move on.
Again, if someone is acting really shitty in the comments, whether a troll or a regular, SEND THE MODS (or me) AN EMAIL.
One other thing to keep in mind:
MRAs read this blog. So I would strongly urge you to comment here using an anonymous handle that cannot be traced to your real identity. And to be very careful about revealing any sort of personal information on this blog. If you inadvertently post something using the wrong account, or that otherwise reveals personal information, let the mods know so we can remove those comments.
Oh, wait, one other other thought:
Enjoy yourself!
Can you say “perfidious Jew” there? I don’t see any rule against it. I fucking love loopholes.
You are right. Don’t see it on list of prohibited things. Can’t see why not.
I wonder if guy running that joint is a Perfidious Jew..
I posted a comment to the “Hillbullies” about 5 min ago – it is in moderation
kokoda
You will have to post screen shots of responses if it sneaks by the moderator.
I can’t believe real people would even use that website.
Dude,
Please…not to dis you or anything but you craaaazy…
Fem blog? Me thinks you are identifying as a fem. Or
experiencing ID with women. Are you fresh in love?
Whatever. Nevermind. Sorry man.
suzanna
“We Hunted the Mammoth (formerly Man Boobz) is a feminist blog dedicated to poking fun at various instances of egregious sexism on the Internet (and sometimes outside of it)”
http://www.wehuntedthemammoth.com/
I wouldn’t last two fucken pussyfied minutes there.
You have to laugh at that policy. Chapter and verse and then he ends with
Enjoy yourself!
And you are right Stucky. You likely wouldn’t even get posted. Anyhoo if folks here want to see what an internet echo chamber/safespace looks like hop on over. I find lurking there an interesting social exercise..
I can’t put up with these people in real life, much less on the computer, too.
I would love to …. when we get another computer …. soon, I hope. We’re down to 1 computer …. the one Ms Freud uses for work …. and I’m already catching hell for being on it too often/long.
STUCKY:
A year ago, my PC went bust; arrived at Best Buy and bought a Lenovo for $550; a gaming PC (fast); Windows 10, and I forget the RAM and Storage, but it is a lot.
Works great.
Had to call Ninja Trader on an issue and the guy happened to look at the internals of the PC and was impressed. He mentioned that people pay a lot for ‘special’ Trading Computers but liked mine just as much.
Nice post, good recipe for future project, as all north facing roof sides get this way eventually.
I had a friend in FLA who did the same thing, sort of.
After one of the hurricanes blew in, he did a claim for a new roof, took the $$. and bleached the roof to make it look all brand new, for the inspection.
PS he really hates insurance companies, and thinks he should get all his premiums back, all the time…
who else hates insurance companies?
I do! I do! I hate insurance companies.
Nice job, Stucky. I’ll give you 100 bucks to come do my roof since you’re now a professional. Roof Cleaners B Us, LLC. Seriously, it looks great. I had someone do my roof a few years ago with pretty much the same solution and you are correct about the greenery below. Fried two of my azaleas directly under the valleys.
Articles like this are a true positive for TBP. A nice break from the usual while being helpfully informative and even motivational. Thanks
If you ever decide to put your energies into something productive you’ll be scary.
Algae isn’t just ugly, it eats and destroys the roof. It seems to me that eliminating that problem IS productive. Or, is only mending cow fences productive?
In other words, I have no idea if your comment is a compliment or a criticism.
It was a compliment. HSF doesn’t like to give criticisms.
Are you new here?
Yes, I’m new. Been here just a couple of months.
Can you fill me in on the “inner workings” of TBP?
Thanks, in advance.
Stucky, I’d like to welcome you to TBP but I’m afraid you don’t sound white. If your not a lilly white Jersey Lilly, you have no business being anywhere near TBP. Aren’t you the guy that makes that special BBQ sauce?
Who are you voting in for president?
Do you like vagina?
Who was your favorite; Jan or Dean, Simon or Garfunkel, Tom or Dick, Ginger or Maryanne?
If your not cauc you won’t get the answers right.
EC
Who are you voting for?
There was a white dude outside the Walmarts. He asked if I’m registered to vote. Unh, I said.
I can register you to vote right now, he said.
I could have gone into a long speech about belonging to an online group of trekkies, trannies and Trumpies. Instead, I walked past the dude.
The beautiful blonde told me if I don’t vote, I have now right to complain. Actually, I do. I did not select these bastards. I did not vote for them. About all I can do on 11/8 is give my consent. Fuck that.
They can take away all your rights, they can’t give you any because the rights are not theirs to give.
Here’s a useful right: you have the right to remain silent. Any vote you cast can and will be used against you.
EC… that is the kind of comment that once bonded our friendship with silly putty.
Maggie, I thought we only agreed to stay together for the sake of the minnow.
I understood it as a compliment – you’ve been working too hard.
I agree with Kokoda.
Hey Kokoda. You got past the mod……
We’ll see what happens. I posted as well…
“Algae isn’t just ugly, it eats and destroys the roof. It seems to me that eliminating that problem IS productive.”
I’m short of time at the moment but I’ll be back to post some info on preventing the moss/algae. You’ll be pissed at how cheap and easy it is!
Pray tell Sir.
It’s a compliment AND a criticism. The compliment part is that you have a very unique way of setting out to do something and then coming up with a beautiful finished product. The critique part is spending your time trying to make a 25 year old three tab shingle look new rather than something utilitarian. 25 years for a shingle is about the max. Their purpose is to shed water, not as a decoration. Personally I thought that the lichens were aesthetically pleasing given that the next logical step- if you plan on remaining in that house- is a new roof. Removing them pulls their root system out, thus exposing the roof to future leaking rather than shedding the water if you had simply left them in place.
I’m slaughtering chickens next weekend, if you come up and give me a hand I’ll send you home with a cooler full and I promise not to speak as you reinvent the process. I’m just curious as to how you’d approach it.
Whenever I have an exchange with you I feel like we need a translator.
HSF…
You have a point. Altho I am so fond of stuck usually I give
him 100% for heart. And where he lives. Actually, I suspect
the Mrs. is happy and does not want to leave. Every improvement
and she is happier to stay. LOL
Suzanna
Thanks Stuck,
Gave the Mr the laptop and he was impressed w/ your work
and the pictures, all of it. We have those grey green “splats” looking
stuff on the N roof and the porch roof below. A summer project hails.
You are such a smartie.
Suzanna
That’s awesome … being a help to someone! Thanks for letting me know. Makes the time to post this worthwhile.
I’m not all that smart. I’m very good at researching, reading, and assimilating new data. That’s all. But, thank you for the compliment.
Hey … what’s up with the new name “maxer’s mom”? I’m guessing you have a son named “Max”? Shit …. I AM a smartie!!
We had a Maddie’s Mom. Where is she? OMG, I still picture her au buffo with a tray of sandwiches.
She replied, EC, you’ve been peaking.
Why are the women here so fucking hot and smart?
Hey Stucky,
I bought a house years ago that had a black slimy moss covered roof due to being surrounded by 100′ cottonwoods. Back then I was able to buy a zinc strip about and inch and a half wide and 50′ long. I nailed it down on both sides of the peak about 2″ from the top and tarred the nail holes. After about a year my roof looked just like yours and stayed that way for the next 17 years. Zinc powder works too.
That should be part of any new roof installation in wet climates.
Can you still get zinc strips? I have no idea how to take care of a roof. This post was very informative. My ex-husband used to do all that stuff.
“If elected president I will put a stop to this atrocity.”That’s just great: more free shit for everybody!
Seriously,you did a nice job.Hope this helps selling your house.New Jersey is not the place to be in a SHTF situation.I would already be out of Charlotte NC but my mom is determined to stay.Bless her heart.
bb, I’m next door to you in South Carolina. I think it’s sweet you stay for your mom.
I couldn’t leave either because my 84 year old mother world never leave. She was born in this town. So here I stay. It’s a small town but the bad part is we’re close to Augusta, GA, which is not a place to be when all hell breaks loose.
Im not sure why it would be important to spend 3x the money on higher % bleach when you could just use 2-3x as much of the dirt cheap bleach along with less water. It’s all watered down anyway. It reminds me of a friend who once told me I had to use 99% peroxide… “dont use the cheap stuff, its only 50%” but then instructed me to mix this premium 99% peroxide 50/50 with water. smh
You don’t understand.
Regyoulah two-dollah bleach is 3%-6% sodium-hypochlorite.
Five dollah Pool Shock is 12.5% sodium-hypochlorite.
That’s a YUUUGE difference when it comes to cleaning. Trust me on this, regyoulah bleach just won’t do the job, even at full strength. It sure as hell didn’t on my awning. Those little algae bastards are TOUGH as nails!
BTW, you can NOT put in two gallons of 6% regyoulah bleach … and call it 12% bleach! lol
99% peroxide would not only be difficult to find but extremely dangerous to use for anything outside of a proper laboratory or rocket engine. It is subject to spontaneous explosion and deteriorates rapidly on its own just sitting around.
So would 50% which can and occasionally is used in rocket engine systems and torpedo drives.
30% will result in instant oxidation of skin if it touches it and can explode or burst into flame if it comes in contact with some chemicals.
Hair bleach peroxide is usually 6% and is more than concentrated enough to make explosives as the Muslims like to do.
Your friend was probably talking Volume instead of percentage, Volume being the amount of oxygen volume released in decomposition, not the amount of H2O2 in solution which is what percent is. This is important to know if you are buying from a chemical supply house instead of a retail store or beauty supply (where you will find it rated in volume).
“I’m not strong. I’m not young. I’m not even sure I’m a man, although I identify as one.”
LOL. I’m going to print this off. My roof could certainly use this treatment, but I’m pretty sure I’d kill myself trying it. I found this idea: http://www.propowerwash.com/board/upload/showthread.php?20643-Roof-anchor-No-need-to-find-a-tie-off-point Tie off to this gizmo that you drop down into a roof vent pipe. I’ll have to learn arc-welding to make one, though.
Ha!
I also made a gizmo.
No way in hell am I carrying three gallons of liquid (about 30 pounds – including the detergent, TSP, and sprayer) up a ladder, and then navigating from the ladder to the roof. I hate ladders!!
So, I tied a clothes-line around the sprayer handle. Threw the other end of the rope on the roof. Then, once safely on the roof, I just pulled up the sprayer! Easy Peazy, Loueezy.
Dang…..I woulda never thought of that. ?
I usually just tie off on the trailer hitch of my truck parked on the opposite side from the one I’m on. Moving the truck over occasionally to compensate for linear extension of the rope as you work across the room keeps it short enough to keep you away from the edge if you slip.
Absolutely not OSHA approved if you’re doing something commercially.
FWIW, I’ve rappelled several hundred foot cliffs alongside a road several times tied off to my truck.
Anonymous, you seem to be a pretty smart guy. Interesting stuff.
If you want to extend the life of your roof up to another ten years for cheap. Paint it with aluminum roof coating. The Southern exposure is most important. Get the good coating from a roofing supply not the watered down junk from depot.
Of course you will have the ugliest roof in the neighborhood but it will save you a small fortune in reroofing.
Yeah …. that looks pretty crappy.
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Plus, won’t it blind airplane pilots flying overhead?
Standard procedure on flat roofs.
Won’t blind pilots but might blind your neighbor.
Check the sun angles for the neighbor you don’t like. 🙂
I had my house re-shingled about six years ago but I still have problems. I have a ceiling leak I have to fix due to ice during a bad winter, and I have problems with branches rubbing the roof, causing leaks, from a tree beside the house. I try to have the branches trimmed regularly but that costs money and I can’t do it myself. Cutting down the tree is a lot more expensive, which I can’t afford right now, over a $1000 dollars.
I’m thinking of switching from shingles to one of the new aluminum roofs next time I need to fix the roof. I live in an old neighborhood, and the old houses with aluminum roofs never need replacing. They’ve had the same roofs since I was a little kid and my grandmother lived in the house, and I have to admit, I’m over 50 now, but the houses are older than I am, as are the roofs. Apparently, they just need some new paint every once in a while. Does anybody know if the new aluminum roofs hold up as well as the old ones? And does anybody have thoughts on this? I thought about a slate roof but I was told the house wasn’t designed for that and it wouldn’t be a good idea.
I’m assuming you are talking about a “standing seam” roof, the kind that has raised seams running the length of the panels and not the aluminum shingles with granules on them that look like cedar shingles?
The standing seams come in two seam varieties I’m aware of, one is about an inch wide raised seam and the other a very thin crimp looking seam (it’s not actually crimped). If you ever need to go on the roof to access something you should think a metal kids playground slide plus a bit of extra slipperiness, they will kill you fast if you try to just walk out on them.
It’s easier to rig fall protection on the thin seam roofs than the wide ones. Simple “C” clamps provide anchor points for the thin seams (use more than one) but will not attach to the wide seams without crushing them.
The granular covered aluminum shingles look good and have high traction but walking on them without denting them requires some skill, they are thin metal and if you step in the center of them you will make a very visible dent in them.
Any of the metal roofs should last as long as you do for the most part, hail damage makes them look bad but doesn’t affect their water tightness. They’re probably the most fireproof of roofing which is why you see a lot of them used in forest fire prone areas.
Vic, better to spend the $1000+ on cutting down the tree now than $6000+ on putting on a metal roof in a couple years when your current roof should last another 15 to 20 years. If you’re getting ice dams you probably have problems with insulation and/or ventilation rather than problems with the roof itself. Usually professionals will come take a look at it for free if you call them and ask for a quote on the job. If you you have two or three come and look at it and ask lots of questions you should get a pretty good idea of what is wrong and what needs to be done.
Both Anonymous and Annie, thank you so much for that information. That definitely helps in deciding.
Money is tight right now because I’m paying for my son’s college. My son told be about two months ago that when he gets out of college and goes to work (he plans to be an engineer) that he would build me the house of my dreams. I told him he’s wonderful and has a good heart, but by the time he got out of college, he would probably be ready to get married and start a family and be too concerned about his own house rather than building me one.
He’s a great son and, to me, paying for his college is worth it.
A big mistake I see people make near me is having tree branches growing to the point where they are always touching the roof. Very bad idea. Also, people will let moss that falls out of the tree sit on there, usually wet since it falls most often during rain, until a good breeze blows it off, which could be a while. No one WANTS to climb up a ladder with a broom or something and get that shit off after a good storm, but I’d rather do that than have my roof fail me a few years early.
That’s sound advice. But it takes money to have branches removed or the tree taken down. And on top of that I’m scared of heights, so getting on the roof? Forget about it.
Wet and forget will kill and keep killing moss for the better part of a year with one application.
Well, the 4PM simply did not show up for the showing APPOINTMENT. Didn’t even bother calling. Cocksuckers.
The 6PM people showed up exactly at 6PM. Young married couple with a kid. They are both ……… psychologists (at Rutgers Univ.). Woohoo!! As always, we chatted a couple minutes and then left. They stayed for ONE HOUR! That has to be a good sign, right? Keeping our fingers crossed ……
Hey Stucky! Isn’t the innerwebz great? We owe Al Gore so much for inventing it! Glad you found an inexpensive solution to your roofing problem.
I know you are trying to sell and move but this tip will work on any shingle roof. Buy a two inch wide roll of zinc. Cut a piece long enough to go the full length of the roof section you have and gently tuck it up under the ridge cap shingles near the very top of the roof leaving about one inch exposed. As rain and snow melts it will run over that little strip of exposed zinc and pick of microscopic amounts of zinc that wash down over the entire roof creating an environment that is hostile to mold, moss and algae. This will prevent these issues on a new roof and if you’re patient, it will kill existing mold, moss and algae. Tucking it under the ridge cap shingles prevents nail holes. If your shingles are still flexible (warm days are best) you can gently lift a ridge cap shingle every 5 feet or so and nail it or even glue it with a dab of construction adhesive.
Regarding TSP: You may already know this from your kitchen painting experience but make sure you get true TSP. They make two flavors, both labeled TSP but the one labeled environmentally friendly is crap.
Regarding the Pool Shock. As part of our preps people should buy and store pool shock rather than household bleach because the household stuff is unstable and loses effectiveness relatively quickl. Pool shock tablets are stable, more concentrated and can be broken up into small pieces and dissolved into an old bleach bottle to use for sterilizing and cleaning.
I think you covered it but the chemicals your using can damage plants and soils below. I used to use bleach to sterilize some of my beer making equipment. I had a gravel/dirt area in one corner of my yard where I would dump it and I can tell you that worms will shoot out of the ground with enough speed to catch air when their little worm environment gets contaminated by bleach. It can also change the ph of the soil so care is needed.
Good stuff, I_S. Thanks!
“Whenever I have an exchange with you I feel like we need a translator.” ——-hardscrabble farmer
That’s VERY funny. I’m still smiling. I think our interactions are marred by a temporal flux in the space-time continuum which causes neutrino overload in my warp core. Whatever.
You make good points.
Except, I would never replace a roof until it actually started leaking. Do you replace piston rings simply because the car has 200k miles? Or, do you wait until there’s actual failure? Same with the roof. We’ve been here 15 years but, I have no idea how old the roof actually is. Maybe 16? Maybe 30? Now that it’s cleaned and I can see and inspect the actual shingles, I’m thinking that roof has many years left in it.
BTW … we DID have the house “sold” earlier this summer. The buyer then shelled out $500 for an inspection. There were 12 items listed on the inspection (I fixed 10 of them), a few of them totally trivial, but the roof was NOT one of them. (The buyer backed out because his FATHER didn’t like the house. Pussy.)
But, the real reason I cleaned it is because we are trying to sell the house. We’ve had several people question the roof condition because it’s so fugly . Hopefully, now it won’t be an issue whatsoever.
Regarding the chickens? How would I do it? Why …. CHOKE those chickens, of course! Please send pot of chickens pronto. lol
“Can you still get zinc strips?” ——– Vic
Yes. Home Depot. 2.67″ by 50′ —- $33.47
Check Craigslist or your local paper for a handyman to install it. I can’t imagine it would cost more than $100 …. and, as I_S and others have said, it will protect your roof for many many years. That’s a LOT cheaper than getting a new roof.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Master-Flow-2-67-in-x-50-ft-Zinc-Moss-and-Mildew-Preventer-Strip-NMM50/100004640
Thank you so much. Great info.
Soooooooooooooo, “Regular household bleach, (3%-6% sodium-hypochlorite. Too weak)…will not work, even if undiluted (which is a bad idea no matter what)”…BUT, “You want the 12.5% chlorine, not the 10% .”
Ah gets it. Regular bleach, aka Clorox, is too fuckin weak out of the bottle and too dangerous to use undiluted anyway but if I concentrated it 2X somehow (maybe by boiling off the water) then it would be just right. Cool.
Don’t boil it.
Bleach is made by bubbling Chlorine gas through a lye (sodium hydroxide) solution to form a sodium hypochlorite solution, boiling it will release chlorine gas and leave a lye solution.
The lye solution isn’t the problem you will face, the free chlorine gas is.
I really enjoyed this article. I hope more of you guys will do articles like this because I can learn a lot.
I’m not good at this type of thing because I’ve never had to do it before. In fact, I had to read a home repair book to figure out how to lay tile in my bathroom. Came out pretty damn good, too. 😉
Great article.
Found this gem of an article. I’m thinking about trying this on my roof. It’s pretty damned high, though (probably 20′) from the gutter to the ground and it’s a 9/12 pitch. I’m thinking I should tie myself off in some way (where I hopefully won’t strangle myself).
Where the hell has Stucky been? Is he OK? Should we send out a search party?
I can’t put up with these people in real life, much less on the computer, too.