Your home’s roof, like any other element (or system) of your home, should be kept clean. This will prolong its longevity and save you money as a homeowner in the long run.
But one thing you should never do is power wash it. Here’s what you should know, from a high level.
Keeping Your Roof Clean
As a homeowner you may be aware that keeping your roof clean is an imperative. Twigs, sticks, leaves, and other debris can trap moisture on a roof.
If left there for too long, that moisture can encourage the growth of mold, mildew, and moss that will break down the shingles and can damage what’s underneath as well. Over time, leaks are also likely to form.
So, from time to time, you should either sweep or hose off your roof and remove any mold that exists, or have a roofing professional do so for you.
You may at one point have thought: why not powerwash it? You can powerwash a deck, you can power wash siding, and doing so can remove moss, mold, and mildew from them.
However, you should never power wash your roof.
The Hidden Dangers of Power Washing
Even if your roof is covered in moss or is discolored, and you’re confident that power washing can remove this debris, powerwashing is likely to do more harm than good.
Your roof’s shingles are coated in protecting granules that extend the life of the roof and which protect it from UV degradation. Powerwashing will dislodge this, and once the shingles are stripped of them, they will break down more quickly under exposure to sunlight.
Power washing is also physically violent and the water is likely to force its way under the shingles, where it can soak under the roof and cause leaks.
In addition to that, power washing is strong enough, when carelessly performed, or when the stream is directed at an inopportune angle, to peel up the shingles completely. Done in this manner, power washing will directly damage your roof.
Perhaps the worst part is that power washing is only superficially effective. While it can strip away discoloration and remove a surface covering of mold or moss, it won’t kill them at the root. What you’ll end up doing is damaging the roof but not solving the problem at the source.
Let’s also consider the fact here that most roof warranties explicitly state that power washing or pressure washing the roof will void them, so if you want to keep your roof under warranty, don’t power wash it.
And lastly, there are better, more effective, safer alternatives. Moss and mold treatments that actually kill and dislodge these maladies are far more effective than power washing, not to mention just sweeping or hosing off a roof can remove most debris that’s an issue. The power of a pressure washer just isn’t warranted most of the time.
At the end of the day, it’s also important to consider that it’s safer for you to hire a professional to get up on your roof and clean it anyway.
Roof in Need of Repair? Get in Touch with a Roofing Company in Indianapolis
Those of you reading this in need of roof repair or replacement services in Indiana, if you need a roofing company in Indianapolis, visit Roof Masters and Exteriors website today or get in touch with them.
In addition to roof repair and replacement services, they also offer roof inspection and ventilation services in addition to siding repair and replacement. If you have questions about the state of your roof and are not sure how to proceed, get in touch with them today.
For more information about Roofing Contractors Noblesville Indiana and Siding Contractors Carmel Please visit : Roof Masters and Exteriors.