Unsightly black streaks, moss, or lichen on your roof? Do you think that a simple scrubbing can take them away? Incorrect. These pests are living on your roof, for free, and they are there to stay unless you do something about it. They usually start growing on the north sides of your roof or other parts of your roof that receive the most shade. This is because they thrive when the roof can stay wetter longer.
All County Window Cleaning offers a roof treatment process that kills the organisms on your roof without causing damage to the shingles that protect your home and your investment. Our process is the only approved method recommended by the Asphalt Shingle Manufacturer’s Association. This method is sometimes called Soft Washing or Roof Washing and is completely safe for your asphalt roof shingles. It does not void your shingle warranty, does not create further damage to your shingles, and does not shorten the life of your shingles. The pests are killed within minutes and come off naturally with the weather’s wet and dry cycles. The black streaks (gloeocapsa magma), a type of algae, will come off within hours of the treatment. Lichen and moss can take up to 9 months to come off naturally. During the treatment, the organisms will turn white and then brown until they come off of your roof. This is what is supposed to happen.
It’s common to see other contractors cleaning using high-pressure water, scrubbing, scraping, etc., to clean roofs, but this method is worse for the roof than the pests growing on it. Using high-pressure water or other mechanical means of removing the growth removes the granules that are there to protect your shingles. It can also lead to water intrusion inside your home. Not only will this damage your roof, but the pests will come right back, sometimes within the same year, because they are still alive. Our process kills the growth and the spores that you can’t even see.
All County Window Cleaning offers a 3-year Service Warranty from the date of application on FULL roof treatments. Partial roof treatments are not warranted because without treating the entire roof, we cannot guarantee that spores on the “clean” sides will not simply blow over to the more shaded areas right away. Should any of the pests reappear after the FULL roof treatment within 3 years of application, we will investigate, and if it is determined that gloeocapsa magma, moss, or lichen have returned, we will schedule a service to re-treat your roof for FREE.
The best time to have a roof treatment done is when you first notice the discoloration on your roof. The sooner it’s treated, the less damage it will cause to the shingles. Lichen is especially harmful because it removes the granules anywhere it grows. The granules protect the asphalt shingle. Once it’s removed, you may see “bald” spots, which are spots where the granules are missing.
Every year, we get more and more phone calls from homeowners telling us that their homeowners’ insurance company will cancel their policy if they don’t clean their roofs. We have a lot of experience with this and can provide all the information needed and answer any questions you or your insurance company have. Homeowners often get a letter right before or during the winter season. We cannot properly treat a roof during the winter since the chemicals used require it to be above 50 degrees to work properly. In this case, we will often provide information to the insurance company and give them a scheduled work date for it to be completed when it gets warmer. This is often enough for them not to cancel your policy immediately.
Can your home insurance be canceled if you don’t wash your roof? Watch this eye-opening report.