Why Its Important To Remove Roof Mold
This summer, Greater Atlantas rainy conditions and high humidity created the ideal conditions for roof mold. When allowed to grow unchecked, mold stains and damages roofs.
Mold is usually the result of algae growth. In rainy, humid weather, algae can take hold and grow quickly on your roof. This causes the roof materials to remain damp, which promotes rot. When rot sets in, so can mold. Even with no rain, warm, humid weather creates ideal conditions for quick mold growth.
Roof mold thrives in shady, moist conditions. The problem commonly occurs on the northern section of the roof and in areas that remain shaded throughout the day from surrounding plants or buildings. Throw in excessive moisture from rain and humidity, and you get mold overgrowth.
Here are five good reasons to remove mold and moss from your roof as quickly as possible.
Roof Mold Is Unsightly
Roofs are the most visible element of the home. Drive down the street, and youre likely to notice a homes roof from a distance. Mold is often black and creates streaky, ugly stains on your roof. These stains can make an otherwise attractive home seem neglected.
Mold Can Travel
Mold can wash off your roof in the rain and get tracked into your home. Indoors, mold can take hold and create health problems. If theres a great deal of rotting on the roof because of moss, mold can penetrate roofing materials. Mold promotes wood rot and erodes the asphalt in shingles. It can also spread onto adjacent structures.
How To Clean Mold Off Roofing Shingles
Though you might pay more attention to your homes interior, the exterior condition is just as crucial. We understand how difficult it can be to stay on top of certain problems like mold when it appears in out-of-the-way places such as your homes roof, but just because it is out of the way doesnt mean its not dangerous.
A Better Way To Clean Your Roof
A better solution is to buy a commercial roof-cleaning product, such as Spray and Forget.
As a protective measure, you still have to spray any surrounding foliage with water before and after applying the cleaner, but there’s no rinsing required, and many of these products offer extended protection against future algae and mold growth. The best way to apply it is with a garden sprayer from the roof, but there also are concentrated versions you can hook up to a garden hose to apply from the ground.
One drawback of these cleaning solutions is that, unlike bleach, they take a little time to get rid of the staining, sometimes several weeks or months.
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Saturate The Shingles With Wet & Forget
You will start the process by saturating the shingles with the roof cleaner. The biodegradable cleaner is a unique and effective way to clean any exterior surface. Upon application is will attack algae while protecting the integrity of your roof, getting rid of stains without harming it in any way! You can apply it once it has been diluted with water. The gentle cleaning action of a gentle cleaner will remove even the most stubborn stains. It doesnt require scrubbing, rinsing or harmful acids to clean your roof shingles. Its also safe for your skin too! It takes time depending on how much algae is present on your shingles. I may multiple applications but should be able to see initial results within 30 minutes 1 hour
What Are The Health Risks Of Black Mold
Naturally occurring molds are all around us, both indoors and out. But it’s when mold lands on something wet, say a damp bathroom wall, and starts to colonize that it becomes a problem. Thats when mold spores produce allergens and irritants that can trigger asthma attacks and allergic symptoms, including sneezing, skin rashes and runny noses, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In the case of Stachybotrys chartarum, the spores can also produce poisonous chemicals called mycotoxins. But the same is true for many molds, given the right conditions. That’s why the Center for Disease Control and Prevention says: “It is not necessary to determine what type of mold you may have growing in your home. All molds should be treated the same with respect to potential health risks and removal.”
How to get rid of mold fast
First, you’ll want to determine the size of the outbreak. This will tell you if you can clean the mold yourself, or if its reached a point where you need to bring in the pros. If the outbreak is less than 10 square feet, the EPA says it’s safe to handle the cleanup yourself . Professional mold remediation is expensive, costing around $2,000 on average. Thats another reason why it pays to jump on mold outbreaks before they have a chance to spread.
Assuming the mold cleanup situation is still DIY, start by gathering your tools and materials, then follow these step-by-step instructions for mold removal.
Tools
Instructions
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How To Clean Mold Off A Roof
This article was co-authored by Mike Kapur. Mike Kapur is a home inspector and the owner of Sonic Home Inspections, a home inspection company in Westchester, New York. With over 15 years of experience in pre-inspecting properties, Mike specializes in mold, radon, asbestos, lead, water, and air quality testing as well as hazardous materials, pest, infrared, and general home inspections. Prior to founding Sonic Home Inspections, Mike worked pre-inspecting apartments. Mike holds a BS in Accounting from Queens College and is a Certified Mold Assessor in the state of New York.There are 17 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 63,879 times.
Its easy to let a mold problem sneak up on you on in out-of-the-way places like the roof of your home. Just because you cant see it, however, doesnt make it any less dangerous. At best, slimy black mold deposits are an eyesore at worst they can pose serious health risks. Thats why if you find evidence of mold growing on the roof of your home, eliminating it right away should be a high priority. You can bust up stubborn mold, along with other types of growth like moss and algae, by spraying your roof down with a powerful chemical cleaner.
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How To Use Bleach Mixtures On Your Roof
The following procedure is for bleach-cleaning only using JOMAX. If JOMAXis not available in your area, use a TSP mixture with bleach added.
If you think it wise to leave the bleach-brew on the roof longer than therecommended time, thinkagain! As mentioned earlier, long term exposure to bleach can damage most any surface, and yourroof is no exception. However, this piecemeal approach is the likelyto cause the least damage.
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Will Bleach Damage Asphalt Shingles
Anthony Lara
If youve ever thought about cleaning your roof, youve probably considered using bleach or some other kind of harsh chemical. Depending on the stain, or mold/lichen, thats grown on your roof- just pressure washing isnt going to be enough to totally remove the filth.
With that being said, its important to understand how such a powerful chemical like bleach can damage your roof if not applied properly.
So the main question you might have before you go up to clean your roof is, Will bleach damage asphalt shingles?
If you dont have time to read the entire article- or just need a quick answer to your question, then heres your answer.
Straight To The Point:
If applied with an appropriate water-bleach ratio, then bleach will definitely not damage your asphalt shingles.
How to clean asphalt shingles:
What Are The Dark Streaks On My Roof
You may have noticed dark streaks across your roof. Given that moss grows upright on surfaces, and algae stays low and flush to the surfaces it grows on, its likely any dark streaks you see are algae.
Algae staining on roofs all start out being spread by wind, birds, and varmints, affecting homes across much of the United States.
This algae normally begins its lifecycle as airborne spores that will settle on your roof, especially those roofs that have asphalt shingles. The northern exposure of roofs has the most chance for algae to survive/thrive because that part of the roof is exposed to the least UV and dries last after morning dew and rain.
As the algae grows and spreads, it begins to look like large black streaks on your shingles.
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Mold And Mildew Growth
As you can see, the alga gets on your roof easily enough the wind just has to blow in the right direction and there it is. Just as easily, mold and mildew follow. The standing water and humidity, the rapidly growing spores and wood rot, these are quick and fertile breeding places for mold. This can be expansive, and as a result, expensive. Often the damage is done well before its discovered, as mold on the outside of the house is usually indicative of mold on the inside of the house.
You cant prevent spores of algae and moss or mildew from landing on your roof. But you can prevent growth. Obviously the best care is preventative care. With regular cleanings you can get rid of the algae before it even becomes an issue, and definitely before it gives way to rot, mold and mildew.
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Why Is Moss Bad For Shingles
You may feel that a bit of moss gives your roof some charm, just as ivy growing up the side of your house might. While moss may be beautiful, it is a detriment to your roof. Heres why:
Most plants gather water from their roots, but mosses gather water from their leaves. Therefore, they do not mind that shingles, unlike soil, are a dry and relatively nutrient-free environment. They will grow roots directly into the shingles, which can destroy the shingles and create the opportunity for leaks.
When it rains, moss will soak up water and retain it, creating consistently wet conditions on your roof. Moss growth will also interfere with proper drainage of water off the roof as water needs to trickle through or around the moss instead of running straight down to the gutters. The resulting constant exposure to water can degrade shingles.
Over time, moss can also work its way under shingles, lifting them up. This uplift creates opportunities for water to penetrate lower layers of the roof and, potentially, your home.
While minor moss infections may not cause many issues, it is likely to become severe over time. Once you spot moss growth on your roof, you should take steps to resolve it. If you have a severe infection, you may have no choice but to remove the shingles that have been damaged by it. A professional roofer can help you assess what kind of intervention your roof needs.
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The Process For Removing The Mold
When Orlando roofers like Janney Roofing remove mold, we start by protecting the lawn and landscaping. We first splash the plants with water to protect them from the bleaching solution. Next, they cover the area closest to the roof with plastic sheeting or tarps to protect the soil.
The choice of roofers for removing mold, among roofing supplies, is a special bleaching agent formulated for roofs. The roofing contractors mix this bleaching agent with water and spray the roof down, paying close attention to areas that are stained. They will let the mixture stay on the roof for a bit to ensure it penetrates the stain. Finally, we will wash the roof down with water to remove the bleaching agent and the stains.
After rinsing the roof, we will inspect the roof again for mold and stains. If needed, we can reapply the bleaching to specific areas to get the last of the mold and staining off. After the last of the mold is gone, they will remove the tarps and then spray the ground down to dilute any run-off from the cleaning process.
How To Keep Mold From Returning
No matter how diligent you are about removing visible mold, if you don’t address the underlying issue, it will come back. Where theres mold, theres moisture, says Larry Zarker, CEO of the Building Performance Institute, which trains and certifies professionals who specialize in creating healthy, safe and efficient homes. Here are some common mold hangouts in homes, along with ways to eliminate their moisture source.
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Will Bleach Discolor Shingles
No, bleach will not cause discoloration in your shingles, or asphalt shingles.
Especially not if you apply bleach with the 50-50 mixture that we recommended above, then youre definitely not going to deal with any discoloration.
Generally, the only thing elements that can cause shingle discoloration is just general wear-and-tear from getting absolutely blasted by the heat of the sun over the years. Also, certain kinds of algae and moss can cause discoloration, which is even more motivation to get your roof cleaned routinely.
Tips To Prevent Roof Algae & Moss
Roof algae and moss usually grow because of moisture and bacterial growth. You can stop that growth from ever starting in the first place, effectively making your roof last longer. Here are a few ways to prevent future growth once you have gotten rid of moss and algae:
- Trim trees near the home: Overgrown trees often spread bacteria onto the roof and cause algae growth. Make sure to plant trees far enough away from the house and trim them back regularly so they arent hanging over the roof.
- Get rid of standing water: Standing water is another factor that can contribute to mold and algae growth. Minimize standing water on the roof by fixing shingles, cleaning gutters, and performing small roof repairs as necessary.
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Why Shouldnt I Add A New Roof Over Moss
When you need a new roof, it may be tempting to add a second layer of shingles over your existing shingles. Doubling up your shingles can save time and expense on your roof replacement as your roofer doesnt need to remove and dispose of the old shingles. This strategy is convenient for homeowners because the replacement wont take as long or make as much of a mess. However, there are some circumstances where merely adding a new layer of shingles isnt a good idea.
For example, when you have significant moss growth on your roof, simply covering it up with new shingles isnt wise. Several potential problems may occur if your roofer simply adds a new roof over your existing, moss-covered roof. These potential problems include:
Removing Moss And Algae From Asphalt Shingles: The Bottom Line
Preventing algae and moss from growing on your roof is easier than trying to remove it. Removal can take several months before the moss can be blown away, revealing clean shingles underneath. Always keep your roof clear of overhanging branches, and clean your gutters regularly. If your roof in Tampa needs repaired thanks to unchecked moss growth, contact Code Engineered Systems today for a free, no-obligation quote.
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More Ways To Keep Your Roof Mold
As mentioned earlier, regular cleaning to remove leaves, twigs and other organic material helps to keep a roof mold-free. Finally, for a really long-term, low-maintenance solution, you can specify algae-fighting shingles when it’s time to hire a contractor to replace your old roof. These are made with copper-clad granules on asphalt shingles. The special granules naturally inhibit algae growth by the same process as the zinc and copper strips.
How To Remove Lichen From Roof Shingles
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Weigh which shingle materials might be best for your home.
If necessary, use a power washer to remove growth of moss, lichens gallons per hundred square feet of roof area. Allow cleaning solution to remain on shingles from 15 to 30 minutes, then
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