There are several reasons why you should clean your roof — none of which are as important as prolonging your roof’s lifespan. You may look at your roof and think, “Wow, it’s so dirty!” The sad truth is that’s not dirt at all. It’s a moldy bacterium known as Gloeocapsa magma, and it is prematurely deteriorating your roof. Early deterioration means early replacement, which in turn means giving up your hard-earned money before you should have to.
This mold weakens roofs in a multitude of ways. Its filament root system not only burrows into the roof surface, causing cracks or fissures, but the byproduct of photosynthesis that it excretes is also highly acidic. Once the gloeocapsa spreads, it allows colonies of even more aggressive bacteria — such as mold, moss and lichens — to thrive and expedite roof deterioration. These menaces are what you see darkening your roof. It usually starts as streaking and quickly overtakes the entire roof. Once the roof is covered, there is no protection from the ultraviolet light of the sun. Most manufacturers incorporate some form of UV protection to reflect the light and heat.
This then leads to another serious problem. Because your roof has become much darker, it absorbs significantly more heat, making your home hotter — often by 60 degrees or more. This excessive heat is transferred into the attic and the roofing substrate, which for asphalt shingle, will begin to dry out the petroleum base and lead to cracks and leaks. The warmth trapped under the roof then begins to heat up anything that it comes into contact with — including ducting, walls, pipes and ceilings — making your home harder to cool and causing your air conditioner units work harder and use up more energy.
This ultimately leads to higher energy bills and increases the chances that you have to prematurely replace A/C units. Every type of roof, your asphalt shingle, tile, slate, wood, aluminum, galvanized metal and especially roofs treated with elastomeric coatings, will have a greatly reduced life span if not properly treated and maintained.
Fortunately, Envirowash Hawaii LLC has the solution for this epidemic.
Owner Mike Wedge says, “Simply pressure washing a roof does nothing to solve the problem. In fact, the use of a pressure washer is highly discouraged by the American Roofing Manufacturers Association and the roof-cleaning industry.
“Our revolutionary soft-wash process ensures that these organisms are eradicated and that there is no potential for damages caused by high pressure. When you compare the cost of premature roof replacement, along with increased energy bills, you will see that it doesn’t cost to treat your roof — it pays!”
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