Regular soft washing of your roof is considered to be incredibly important due to both the long term and short term purposes it serves. Therefore here comes the importance of knowing a soft washing technique.
Soft-Washing Purposes
Ensures Durability
Accumulated organic growth, sludge, and stains significantly reduce the effectiveness of a roof’s purpose and lose its physical appeal. However, regular roof cleaning prevents such growth and stainings. Therefore, removing the threat to the safety and the risk of having to do a complete roof replacement.
Saves Energy
Roofs with dark stains and patches tend to attract noticeably more sunlight into your house. This will cause a temperature build-up within your house that would require you to utilize energy to notch up the indoor cooling.
Thus, a roof cleaningVancouver will help prevent you from having to incur such unnecessary costs and preserve energy.
Improves Outlook
A cleaner, well-maintained roof undoubtedly improves the exterior appearance of a building. Regular roof cleaning will reduce the possibility of having to invest in a total roof replacement and it would boost up the market value of your house in case the need arises to sell it.
Preserves Warranty Conditions
Most shingle and roof tile manufacturers make it such that their warranty is valid only if the roofs undergo the required maintenance over time. After all, they would not prefer spending on something that was not their fault. Therefore, you most probably would not be reimbursed for the losses caused due to the damages arising from poor maintenance.
However, as important as soft washing your roof is, there are several do’s and do not’s that you need to be aware of and it is important to know them for a better understanding of a soft washing technique.
The Do’s In A Soft Washing Technique
- Do clean your roof periodically. It is essential to prevent organic growth from breeding throughout your roof structure.
You have a wide range of cleaning options including soft detergents that you can make use of to remove such growth. These detergents can be easily cleaned off after a while along with the waste. - Do make sure you are safe. Safety is of utmost importance and as heights are involved you can never be too careful. Consider hiring the services of professionals if you have never done this.
- Do stick to soft washing your roof. Power washing requires expertise and should not be done unless deemed essential.
- Ensure that your downpipes are connected to gutters.
- Do periodic checks for water leaks and patches on your walls.
- Do periodic checks for water leaks and physical damages in your roof structure.
- Make sure there are no collections of growth, tree limbs, and debris that cause blockages in your roof structure. Such blockages can cause water pooling and leakages.
- Prevent the spread of any existing damages. Try to curtail the damages to a particular area and fix them as soon as possible before it worsens.
- Always use eco-friendly chemicals.
- Make sure that your environment doesn’t facilitate the deterioration of the roof. Remove tree limbs that provide excessive shade and factors that dampen the environment as they support the growth of mold.
The Don’ts In A Soft Washing Technique
- Do not facilitate the collection of tree limbs and debris within your roof. Use a minimally invasive technique such as a leaf blower or a broom to remove such debris regularly since they can facilitate the growth of algae, moss, and mold.
- Do not pressure wash your roof. Even the slightest amount of pressure aimed in the wrong direction on shingles can cause them to loosen, remove the granules that protect the shingles, and even cause physical damage. Thus, always stick to soft washing your roof.
- Do not unknowingly test detergents on your shingles as even the slightest miscalculation when using the detergent can cause permanent damage to the shingles. Always make sure you are using the right detergent. If you have not previously tested the detergent on your shingles, do test it on a spare shingle prior to use.
- Do not use sharp tools on your shingles or try to scrape off any growth from them. They could cause permanent damage to the roof structure and even remove the texture.
- Do not spray water pointing upwards. They can accumulate on the roof structure and even seep into your house.
- Do not take the small growth of moss and algae on your roof lightly. They can breed overtime through shingles enabling spacing between the tiles. This, in turn, can cause water leakages and even loosening of the roofing structure, exposing the entire structure to harm.
- Do not climb onto the roof without safety harnesses.
- Do not try to clean your roof alone. You cannot single-handedly deal with everything up there. Always make sure you have someone else to help you.
- Do not use chemicals or other harmful substances on the plants.
- Do not try to clean your roof without professional advice.
Thus, beware! Do it if you believe you have the necessary knowledge of a soft washing technique, skills, and expertise. Else, hire professional help.