Glenrock Nj Roof Cleaning – What's That Ugly Black Stain On My Roof?
In humid areas of the country there’s a common problem that a lot of homeowners share, and that’s ugly black stains on the roof tops. You can drive down just about any neighborhood and find a house or two that sports this massive stain problem. But most people don’t seem to notice it on their own roofs.
A lot of people may think this is just a normal part of a roof’s life cycle and that these stains just mean the roof is getting old and will need replacement in a few years. But that’s only true in some cases. When the stain is due to the roof breaking down, it looks more like streaks that begin at a point and feather out some as it goes down the roof.
This is basically a bleed through of the roofing materials that were substandard when installed on the roof. Roofing materials shouldn’t act like this as they age. But over time, poorly manufactured materials break down and starts to travel down the roof. It can be caused by extractive bleeding of the asphalt, or sometimes also dirt or soot.
More often, the black area is actually a stain caused by a living organism that can be cleaned off. This stain looking substance isn’t a stain at all. It’s an algae called Gloeocapsa magma and it can be cleaned off the roof with the right treatment.
This algae survives off the crushed limestone that asphalt shingles are made of. It spreads by spores moving from wind and animals from roof to roof and is present just about everywhere. The difference from one area to the next or neighborhood to neighborhood is the humidity levels present that the organism needs to survive.
Black stains aren’t the only color of roof stains that can be common in certain areas. You’ll find an array of stain colors on roof tops if you’re looking for them or do what we do for a living where you see a lot of roofs. You’ll find brown, red or rust colors, green, gray, or even white. Most of these are also actually living organisms like algae, moss, or mold, or mildew.
Roofs need special care when it comes to getting them clean. What’s difficult and necessary is in understanding that they need just the right amount of water pressure applied in order to effectively clean without harming the building materials involved.
You want to be sure to get the stains off your roof if you have them. Letting these organisms thrive is out of the question because they will destroy your roof. When they feed off the limestone on your asphalt shingles, this breaks down the material causing it to crack and become weak. At that point, the shingle isn’t able to keep the roof water-tight.
At Softwash Ranger, we have all the tools and techniques necessary to remove the the ugly black algae from your roof and other surfaces of your property. If you have any questions about Glenrock NJ Roof Cleaning, just give us a call at the number below and we’ll be happy to help you out.
If you are looking for Glenrock NJ Roof Cleaning please call 844-438-7638 or complete our online request form.
