Is Taking Care Of Your Roof That Important?

By Author: Carl Elinor
Total Articles: 1
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Roofs are one of the most expensive components of your house. And unlike many other expensive elements, a bad roof can have more serious repercussions than simply being aesthetically unpleasing. Carpets can become threadworm and paint or cabinetry outdated without causing any serious damage. Water damage from a roof leak, however, can cause anywhere from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars in repair costs. That being said, you would think such a costly and critical component as your roof would always be the first to receive maintenance dollars. Sadly, that is often not the case.

I think part of this absence of or slowness to address roof maintenance is simply from a lack of understanding of what actually needs to be done to it and why. Fortunately, the answer is simple and comparatively affordable. Roof cleaning. Roof cleaning goes beyond just enhancing the aesthetics of having twenty-five to forty percent of your home's exterior visual impression look better. Keeping your roof free of moss and debris will allow you to get the maximum amount of life out of it. Regardless of whether your roof is composition shingle, ...
... tile, cedar shake, composite tile or even metal, a roof will always benefit from roof cleaning.

A clean roof, that is one free of moss and debris, will retain less water that is slowed down in draining off to the gutter system. Either roof moss or debris can work to form small "mini dams" that cause roof water to flow in areas and directions it was not intended to flow. By having less unplanned water retention on the roof surface, a clean roof will reduce the chance of premature rusting of associated metal components (nails, staples, flashing), and have less deterioration of the roofing material itself.

Moss has rhizoids (the equivalent of roots for moss), which can literally grow in to and attach themselves to the roofing material. Similar to pulling up a weed and having some dirt come along with the roots, even if you employ the most careful available method a small amount of roofing material will be lost. Cedar roofs in particular can become water logged from not being able to properly dry. This in return can act as a host for insect infestation or the introduction of rot. Thus, you can see the benefit of preventative maintenance prior to the roof requiring moss removal.

Knowing the above information, we now look at the next logical question: How best to perform roof cleaning? There are several stages of answers to this question. First, roof cleaning should be performed professionally. The annual number of emergency room visits attributable to ladder and/or roof falls has been quoted in the hundreds of thousands. If you are not on ladders or roofs on a regular basis and don't have the proper fall protection equipment, turn the job over to someone else. Leave the do it yourself jobs for projects that might not kill or injure yourself. Plus, anyone but a professional might also harm the roof.

Next, let's define who is a professional. Avoid using the jacks-of-all-trades (painters who are already onsite offering to include the work, handymen, landscapers, etc). You want to use a professional roofer and even more specifically, preferable a company experienced or specializing in roof cleaning. Of course, any contractor who sets foot upon your property must be licensed, bonded and insured. Additionally, in areas such as Portland Oregon, anyone applying roof treatments must also carry pesticide applicator licensing (even if the treatments are green and environmentally friendly).

This finally brings us to the method of cleaning. Always remember that the goal of cleaning and maintenance is to preserve the roof's life, so any method that is hard on the roof can defeat the entire purpose. Avoid more abrasive methods of roof cleaning such as power washing. There are still occasions when there is no other option to address the problem. In such situations, make sure the job will be done using the proper equipment that delivers lower water pressure and higher water volume. Preferably, look for a company that offers either hand brushing, air blowing or treatment cleaning of the roof depending on the size and type of moss infestation. Roof debris, while easier to address than moss, will work to speed up the onset of moss and mildew. Debris can best be handled with just air blowing, either with backpack blowers or sometimes compressed air.

A roof treatment should virtually always go hand in hand with the roof cleaning. Often, a small remnant of moss will be left behind (you want to avoid being too aggressive in trying to initially eliminate all moss) and treatment is critical to finish the job right. Plus, treatments will act as a moss preventative and roof preservative moving forward. Look for treatments that are environmentally friendly and that do not corrode your gutter system if at all possible. As mentioned above, once a roof has been cleaned periodic treatment will keep you from having to re-clean the roof every few years.

Following these recommendations will help you maximize the life of your roof. Accordingly, this will result in great cost savings over time and likely a higher home value for refinancing or upon selling.

Tom Derringer of All Surface Cleaning Company has years of experience in Roof Cleaning、Roof Repair. His company has unsurpassed Integrity & Value for Roof Cleaning, Gutter Cleaning and Deck Refinishing. Call today 503-590-9274.