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While a snow covered roof with hanging icicles can be a thing of beauty, a leaky roof and damaged gutters are not. If damage to your home or business isn’t a good enough deterrent, icicles kill roughly 15 people in the United States each year, according to the Death in Society Research Foundation. Icicles are nothing more than the result of buildup of ice on your roof and in your gutters. Without going into too much detail ice dams are formed when part of the roof is warm enough to melt snow, which trickles down to parts of the roof are cold enough to freeze the runoff water. You will see this frequently if your home as an overhang or eave that extends further than your siding. So why is this bad? Well, when water freezes on your eaves it can start freezing water higher and higher up on your roof line. If the water freezes under your shingles it can damage your roof, sheathing and in some cases your attic. A simple prevention is sweeping the built-up snow off of your roof. Unfortunately, you would have to do this every time is snows and if your roof is high who wants to deal with ladders in the freezing cold? And surely you do not want to call a ice dam removal contractor every time it snows. Temporary Ice Dam Solutions One solution that is only temporary is to install heat tape along the the surface of your roof in a wavy pattern. This will melt the snow and allow the water to run off. The problem is this fix is only temporary. You may read that axes and chisels work but again this is only a temporary fix and you may end up damaging the material under the ice. The best way to prevent ice dams is to keep the attic cold in the first place. This way no heat being lost from your home to your attic can melt the snow on your roof. Insulation like spray foam is probably your best bet. But again if your house allows heat to get to your attic it may not work properly. Logically, you would think that you would...

First off, there is a big difference between a steamer and a hot water pressure washer. They both heat up regular tap water up but a pressure washer takes longer to get the job done and can easily damage roof shingles. A high temperature pressure washer, depending on the manufacturer can heat water temperature up to 250 degrees. The problem is most commercial hot water powerwashers output at least 5 gallons of water per minute. A steamer on the other hand will heat water up to 300 degrees an outputs less than one gallon of water per minute. This allows the steamer to cut into the ice dam so you can remove large chunks of ice at one time. If you come across this article you are probably trying to educate yourself on how to remove ice dams from your roof and gutters. You probably came across several other articles that refer to mechanical methods, which are tools you can use to alleviate the situation. While we would not recommend tackling a job like this on your own, ice dam removal contractors may use chain saws, sand blasters, hammer, axes, screw drivers and ice picks. You probably also came across articles referring to compound methods, which are chemical ingredients that can get the job done like salt, dry heat, ice melt, roof tablets, or calcium and magnesium. You may have even come across bizarre methods like heat cables and blow torches. Well, the problem with compounds is if you are inexperienced you can damage your roof or gutters. Most of the compounds like salt and roof tablets are meant to prevent ice dams, not get rid of them. If you are even successful in getting roof tablets up on your roof (through a window or with a ladder I imagine) it is difficult to have them remain in once place. Remember, you are putting them on ice so they can easily slide off. The problem with blunt objects like axes and ice picks is that you can easily damage whichever material is under the ice. The same can be said about heat cables in addition to the obvious safety hazards involved. As per one instance in which I came across someone using...

At least once a week we will be asked by a homeowner to pressure wash a wooden deck. Before I even ask the size of the deck I fire right back with questions of my own, “Are you planning on sealing and staining it when we are finished?” Now you may think I ask this so we can piggyback services contracting services and make a few extra bucks off of one customer. Truth is we do not even offer deck sealing and staining so if pressure washing and staining are the only services you are looking for we will save you time and refer you to another pressure washing and deck staining company in your area.  While it seems like these services would go hand in hand we would rather refer you to a painting and staining specialist who not only has experience with pressure washing wooden decks but also sanding and staining. Unfortunately, it can get a bit expensive if you want it done correctly. This is because it is not generally a one day process. Most contractors will recommend pressure washing the first day and sanding and staining the next day. Why is Sealing or Staining Important At this point you may be asking yourself why sealing or staining a wooden deck or fence is important. Depending which source you read approximately half of residential homes in the United States have at least a wooden deck, siding, fence or roof. While this number may be declining in recent years due to the increased usage of composite materials like vinyl siding, composite decks and vinyl fences the point is there are a significant number of homeowners that still have some form of wooden materials used on the property. You probably know that rain, snow, and other precipitation can wear down natural wood and cause cracks, fading and in some cases mold and mildew. Over time sun light will cause fading in wood decks and fences. And, if you see some form of mold or dirt growing it will most likely not disappear on its own. Staining or sealing your deck can prevent all of these things at least for some period of time. Cleaning Product to Use Many homeowner...

We often get questioned on why we close up shop during the winter months. While I do not like having water hit my face and hands in October and November, it is not the reason pressure washing companies close up shop in our area between December and February. People often say “Well you have a hot water heater to heat up the water.” While this is is in fact true water still has the potential to freeze in the lines, hoses and water pump before the water reaches the hot water heater. Sure, many pressure washing contractors like us here at J&J Power Wash have an enclosed box truck. Sure we can install electric heaters, pilot lights and heat lamps to protect water pumps. And sure, we can install recirculating water pumps in our water tanks to keep the water circulating throughout the day making it more difficult for the water to freeze. But what none of these things do is protect the homeowner or commercial property clients from several issues. Let’s say we pressure wash a vinyl siding home in mid-January with temperatures expecting to be below freezing. If we get your siding looking brand new, which is not a guarantee because the chemicals we use to clean your home often do not work below a certain temperature, the water we use still has to go somewhere. Aluminum brighteners and acid washes do not work below 60 degree temperatures. What if it freezes on your siding or roofing and creates an ice dam and damages your home? What if we pressure wash your sidewalks and the water freezes and someone comes along and slips on your property? It is almost impossible for us to guarantee that we do not spray door locks and door jams on your property or break drums on commercial vehicles. These can freeze  and cause several issues. It is for these reasons that we encourage homeowners and commercial property owners to wait until the weather breaks in late February or early March to have any pressure washing completed. While we probably would be able to make it work there is just too much risk involved to...

Most pressure washing contractors do not work during the winter months around the Philadelphia area. It is not because we are afraid of the cold or snow but because the water we would need to use can freeze our lines, especially in the 12 degree weather that the area is facing this week. That does not mean there are not a few tips homeowners should know about cleaning and repairing a roof during the cold season. If you are reading this article I am assuming that you are a well-advised homeowner in terms of keeping up with the quality of your home. A large part of our business in October, November and December is gutter cleaning and gutter unclogging. You have probably already read the nightmare stories about ice dams forming or gutters freezing over and breaking because of clogs in your gutters. What you may not know is that it is just as important to have your roof cleared of debris before you unclog your gutters. It does not take a genius to realize that what goes up must come down so if you hire a gutter cleaning company to unclog your gutters before the first frost make sure you have them clean the debris from the roof FIRST. While your contractor is up on your roof any pressure washing contractor can perform a simple inspection and tell you if you are missing any shingles, if your chimney may leak, or if any gutters are damaged. A contractor should also make you aware if you have any branches from nearby trees that may need to be trimmed back to avoid scraping the roof, dripping sap onto the roof, or a branch breaking and damaging the roof. If you are interested in gutter or roof cleaning please contact us at 215-703-8306 to setup a free estimate. We offer pressure washing, powerwashing, window cleaning and graffiti removal in the Greater Philadelphia...

If you want your house looking as good as the two pictures below, give J&J Power Wash a call. We are back at it again. Over the next few weeks we will be uploading some pictures for our 2011 portfolio before we start up again in 2012. If you would like to see additional pictures just click on the portfolio link to the right.   Our Pressure Washer Our trailer contains a hot/cold pressure washing machine as well as a 500 gallon water tank for those of you that do not have access to water. If you choose to hire a pressure washing contractor they should have a similar looking tank and machine. If they do not you may have not hired the right contractor. The most important aspect and what makes our pressure washer different from those that are generally rented at a hardware store is the water temperature. Most commercial grade pressure washing machines have the ability to heat water up to 250 degrees to remove those tough stains that may require heat to dissolve like oil spills. About J&J Powerwash If you choose to go the second way and like the before and after photos pictured above please contact us at 215-703-8306 to setup a free estimate. We offer pressure washing, powerwashing, window cleaning and graffiti removal in the Greater Philadelphia area. To learn more about how to pressure wash please visit our blog....