How to Maximize Your Roof's Lifespan

by Tom Rafferty, Expert Contributor and Owner of Rafferty Painting & General Contracting

If your roof has ugly dark streaks, know this: Those streaks may look like dirt, mildew, soot or mold, but what they really are is algae. The most common type is known as gloeocapsa magma, more commonly known as blue-green algae. As this algae grows on your roof, it starts as small spots that eventually become visible streaks. By the time the algae is noticeable, it usually has been on the roof at least two months.

Algae spores are airborne, which means they can be carried by wind, animals and even on your clothing. Airborne algae spores can quickly spread from rooftop to rooftop in a neighborhood. This is also true for townhomes, condos and apartment complexes.

Roof algae is much more common today than it was 20 years ago.

Traditionally, asphalt shingles got their name from being made of mainly asphalt (an oil-based product) and felt material. To save money, most shingles today contain some asphalt but they’re mostly made up of fillers such as fiberglass and crushed limestone. Unfortunately, those fillers encourage the growth of algae because the crushed limestone serves as the algae’s main food source.

Algae is extremely harmful to your roof!

As algae feeds off the lime in the roof shingles, your roof starts to deteriorate. If you don’t regularly remove the algae, your 20-year roof life will likely be reduced to half that amount.

So, how do you remove blue-green algae?

First of all, you should never power wash an asphalt roof. If a contractor suggests doing that, they do not know what they are doing! A qualified contractor has special low-pressure cleaning machines to ensure there’s no damage to your roof. To ensure your roof’s maximum lifespan and keep your property looking great, you must maintain your roof.

Tom Rafferty, Expert Contributor and Owner of Rafferty Painting & General Contracting

RAFFERTY PAINTING & GENERAL CONTRACTING

610-626-9141

www.RaffertyPainting.com

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