Can You Power Wash Roof Shingles

Pressure washing is very effective but may be best for metal or concrete roofs.

Can you power wash roof shingles.

Of laundry strength liquid chlorine bleach and water. Never pressure wash your roof if you have asphalt shingles. You ll need corrosive cleaner like lye a garden hose a supplemental water pump or a specialized roof or shingle cleaning tool and the proper safety equipment. Sure it s tempting to want to get any moss algae dirt etc.

If you have a consistent problem with mold growth on your roof consult a roofing professional. Any time a low pressure wash service is done it should include the gutters. The concentrated jet will scrape off the small pebbles on top of the shingles and reduce their water repellency which will only make your mold situation worse. Once you squeeze the trigger the powerful recoil on the spray wand can throw you off balance and off of a ladder.

Never use a pressure washer to wash or rinse shingles. For roofs that are streaked and discolored with algae growth moss or other forms of mildew and mold you can still clean your roof and leave the power washer in the garage. You should never allow anyone who utilizes a power washer to clean your roof as they are damaging the shingles themselves by using this type of excessive pressure. For extra cleaning power mix in a non ammonia heavy cleaner like tsp.

It also makes the clean up much cleaner leaving the home or property usually much cleaner than it was before we arrived. What you can expect from a low pressure clean and treat service is a roof to be moss free for a period of 2 5 years. Not to mention using a pressure washer from a high place is dangerous. Utilizing excessive pressure to clean or rinse a roof will shorten the shingle life dramatically.

One part of proper roof maintenance is cleaning the shingles which you can do yourself in less than an hour. Then mix standard laundry bleach with water. Off of your roofing shingles. Pick a cool overcast day so the cleaning solution doesn t dry too fast.

It s generally not necessary to pressure wash a shingle roof for the purpose of removing ordinary dirt and leaves and pressure washing can potentially damage the shingles coating of protective. Yes it will make it look sparkling clean but also you ll end up replacing the roof system sooner rather than later. Use a pressure washer which can loosen shingles and seriously damage your roof. The water pressure will remove the granules that are important for protecting your roof.

But pressure washing your asphalt roof will do more harm than good. The damage caused by pressure washing is not immediately noticeable.