Under Pressure uses a pressure-free method that’s good for your roof!
Let’s talk about some fun stuff like algae and bacteria! What, that’s not a fun topic for you? Well it’s certainly a fascinating topic for us here at Under Pressure. Because algae and bacteria are what make up those black streaks on your roof! And we have a great solution for taking care of them.
But why should you even bother with that? I mean if you’re not selling your home anytime soon, maybe curbside appeal is not as important to you. But the truth is that those streaks are more than just unsightly. . . they are eating away at your roof! Your roof is one of the most expensive components of your house to repair or replace.
That’s right, if your roof isn’t cleaned regularly, especially if algae is visible on it, it can lead to rapid deterioration of your shingles. Shingles help block UV rays, which as you know, we get a lot of here in Southwest Florida. And without being properly blocked, UV rays lead to less energy efficiency and higher electrical bills as you will end up having your air conditioner running more to keep the house cool.
Not only that, if your roof is being eaten away by algae and bacteria, then you’ll have to replace your roofing much sooner than you should need to. Have you priced out roofing lately? It can cost more than $10,000 to get your roof replaced!
So, now that you know this, you want that black streak off your roof right away don’t you? And there are plenty of options in how to get rid of it. There are several techniques used to clean tile roofs in Southwest Florida, but the most common is pressure washing. The problem is . . .
You should never pressure wash a roof.
Here are some reasons why:
1. When you pressure wash a roof, only the top layer of algae is removed while the spores remain alive in the porous tile. So that black streak may be gone, but only for a short period of time. The stains usually reappear within a year and you will need to get your roof cleaned again. And meanwhile, that algae is still eating away at your roof.
2. Another thing that you should be aware of is that pressure washing can cause a lot of damage to your roof. When using a pressure washer to clean a roof, the technician is applying up to 4500 psi of water to your tiles. That can easily cause tiles to shift and a large amount of water to spray underneath the tile and ultimately shorten the lifespan of your roof. Technicians also have to walk a great amount on almost every tile to ensure they are all clean. This causes broken, cracked and shifted tiles on your roof.
3. For red tile roofs (such as you often see here in SWFL), pressure washing can remove or dull the glazing on the tiles. Once that glazing is removed, the coloration of the tile begins to fade, leaving you with a pinkish roof. Eventually, it will start showing the bare cement, leaving you with an unsightly roof.
4. And if you have a shingle roof, the pressure washer can damage those shingles even more than tile. Any type of pressure washing on shingles literally sprays 10-15 years off the life of your roof. Using high pressure can remove the aggregate from the asphalt shingle leaving them unprotected from the elements. High pressure will not only damage the shingles but it will void your warranty.
5. Surface cleaners, water brooms or any type of “low pressure” washing is still pressure washing and very harmful to the life of your roof.
For these reasons, you should always hire someone who knows what they are doing (hint: That would be us at Under Pressure! Don’t be fooled by the name, we pressure wash the areas of your home that are safe to pressure wash, such as your driveway, but never the roof.). Professional roof cleaning is a relatively new industry and a lot of people just go in there and they think that if they have a power washer that they are able to clean a roof. You should never allow anyone who utilizes a power washer or pressure washer to clean your roof.
We at Under Pressure strictly use only Roof Cleaning Institute of America approved techniques to clean roofs. We do not use “high pressure” or “low pressure” washing on roofs. We clean with no pressure applied to the roof. Also, we use minimal walking on roofs to maintain the integrity of the roof. The products applied to the roof 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 have been proven to be the best and most effective methods for cleaning a roof.
