How to keep your Jacksonville roof clean and looking new
Eventually, every roof in Jacksonville will need to be cleaned. In moist humid parts of the country (like Florida), algae will grow on asphalt and tile roofs. It usually appears as black streaks. Left untreated, it’s likely that you will get a letter from your home owners association due to its unsightly nature. The algae will shorten the life span of your roof because its actually feeding on the lime in your roof shingles. To add insult to injury, expect higher energy bills because when the roof darkens, it retains more heat in the summer. Yes, cleaning the roof is part of regular home maintenance.
When hiring a contractor, ask them their process. There are several ways to NOT clean your roof.
1. Mixing bleach and water.
This is one acceptable method, but the mixture and application has to be correct. If the concentration is too strong, you can actually damage the roof and make it brittle. Also, any runoff will kill landscaping if not diluted property. A few hundred dollar roof cleaning job can end up costing you thousands if you're not careful.
2. Power washing
Sure power washing will remove the algae spores, but it will only relocate them somewhere else on your roof. Worse, blasting away at high pressure will cause you to loose aggregate on your asphalt roof and dramatically shorten its life. Don’t do this!
3. Yourself
Look, it’s dangerous up there. You don’t have experience climbing steep roofs and it’s easy to lose your footing or misjudge your balancing. It’s just not worth the risk. Roofing is consistently named as one of the top 10 dangerous jobs in the world.
The best way to keep your roof looking its best is to hire an experienced professional. They know the right chemical mix that is environmentally safe and effective. Be sure to ask for proof of proper insurance coverage because if someone does get hurt, you could find yourself in a mess. Look for reputable companies like Pristine Exteriors that have a reputation online and show up acting professional. Trust your instinct when a guy shows up in a nondescript truck and landscape trailer.
The team at Pristine- Exteriors always shows up in well- marked equipment and will gladly show you the risk management paperwork. Their reputation is well documented on Google with a 4.9 star rating.
