Roof Cleaning Can Save Your Roof
Every homeowner faces the never ending problem of algae accumulating on their roofs. It’s starts out as small patches that go unnoticed at first, however, through time these patches grow and begin eating your roof. The manufacturer’s of roofing shingles use crushed limestone when making the shingles as a filler. This helps to bind the fiberglass and asphalt together by creating a matting which creates shingles. However, it’s also the natural food for blue green cyanobacteria algae.
Algae then forms on your roof going unnoticed by homeowners until it is in full bloom covering the portion of the roof that is shaded and humid. Algae will continue to grow until it is removed either by the homeowner or by a professional roof cleaning service. A biocide or fungicide kills the algae so it can be removed.
Once algae is in full bloom it develops a dark colored husk and turns black to protect itself from sunlight. As it continues to grow, algae turns into a thick bed which holds in all moisture from ice, rain, and snow that accumulates on the roof.
If at this point the homeowner does not hire a roof cleaning service to pressure wash and kill the algae, it will gather additional organisms and a colony of lichen moss which is young moss will develop and the process will continue.
The last stage is where the most damage is done to a roof. Once the algae has developed a thick bedding and moisture is added which soaks into the algae, the bedding turns into a sponge like material which becomes the main source of nutrients for the algae. The bedding gradually decomposes which becomes food for the remaining live algae. The live algae starts consuming the limestone which is in the roofing shingles.
Moss, lichen, and algae are like any other plant. They have roots that firmly plant and embed themselves into roofs. The roots are what sucks nutrients out of roof materials and tugs and pulls on the granules in roofing shingles. This is what makes shingles loose and eventually lets water inside the home.
As you can see if homeowners choose not to have their roofs inspected and cleaned every year they may face the costly expense of having their roofs completely replaced. By hiring a professional roof cleaner you not only save your roof from the unnecessary wear and tear of moss and mold, you also have a roof that is in perfect condition extending its life for years to come.
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