Roof cleaning is fairly new and only became an industry in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. It was primarily started up in the Southern United States, with the state of Florida being one of the main areas of growth for the industry. And no wonder, because down here in Southwest Florida (and the rest of the state), we have the primary ingredients that make bacteria, mold, and mildew grow. . . namely heat and humidity.
Initially, roof cleaning companies used pressure washers to clean the ugly black streaks from people’s roofs. However, if you read our last month’s blog post, you learned how bad pressure washing is for all roofing materials. Any type of pressure washing on shingles literally sprays 10-15 years off the life of your roof. The high pressure removes most of the granules of the shingle, and usually voids the roof’s warranty. Pressure washing on tile roofs is just as damaging. The high pressure actually shifts the tiles out of place or cracks them.
Plus, pressure washing does not really take care of the root of the problem, and it will only be a few months before you start to see those ugly streaks again. That’s because the black streaks aren’t “dirt.” The main culprit of those black streaky roof stains is a bacteria called Gloeocapsa Magma. It’s a bacteria! That means it’s a living organism—it’s a plant that will put down roots. Other forms of microorganisms can be found in union with the bacteria, including mold, fungi, algae, mildew, lichen, and moss. When you pressure wash, you do not blow the roots off the roof, so the bacteria, mold and mildew grow back quickly.
The filament root system of the fungi and algae are growing on, and digging in to your roof. Fungi and algae that are growing on a roof have root systems that can cause damage to shingles such as uplifting, spreading of shingles, and decomposition. The roots open up tiny cracks in the shingles, tiles or other roofing materials. Many of these organisms growing on roofing surfaces do much of the same thing. They spread the shingle like a fan. Because the shingle is attached on the back, the front ends of the shingle flare and roll. This is because the shingle is widened at the front more so than the back.
Many roofing surfaces are made with materials that can be metabolized by these microorganisms. For example, shingles contain limestone, which contains phosphates, an excellent source of nutrients for algae, mildew, and bacteria to feed on. These microorganisms will break down a roofing surface and cause decomposition. This in turn, will also aid the process of erosion caused by running water such as rainfall.
The good news is that through a technique we use here at Under Pressure called soft washing, these microorganism stains can be safely removed! We at Under Pressure strictly use only Roof Cleaning Institute of America approved techniques to clean roofs. Those black streaks are an organic pest that are better addressed with algaecides such as you would address a fungal infection in your garden. Soft washing simply uses a cleaning solution to clean your roof. Our Under Pressure technicians simply spray the solution on your roof at around the pressure of a garden hose, and let the chemicals do the work. The solution sprays around forty feet so there is minimal walking and movement on your roof. Most importantly, the cleaning solution actually kills the algae growing on your roof all the way down to the spores. Because of this “non-pressure” technique, your roof will stay clean for years and you won’t need to worry about any damage to your roof.
As you can see, at Under Pressure, our roof cleaning products do the work for us. They even continue to work after we drive away. Every time it rains your roof will get cleaner and release a protective barrier from the algae that actually stains your roof. These methods have been tested and used for several years, and thousands of roofs and has been proven the best and most effective.
Another thing that’s important, at Under Pressure we demand that our policies and techniques follow the safest routes to protecting Mother Nature. When chemicals are used to enhance and speed up the cleaning process in roof cleaning, pressure washing and power washing, we go the extra mile to ensure that we use ONLY biodegradable materials that are environmentally friendly.
If you’re interested in having the black stains on your roof removed safely and with a long lasting results, give us a call at Under Pressure at 239-218-5085.
