Pressure Washing A Roof

You should be able to find several indispensable facts about Pressure Washing Roofs in the following paragraphs. If there’s at least one fact you didn’t know before, imagine the difference it might make.

While pros can expect to finish a roof cleaning job in a timely fashion, a do – it – yourselfer may take a little longer. However, by using our pressure washers and following directions, you can achieve professional results and have a brand new looking roof, all by yourself, within a reasonable time frame, without killing your plants and grass! It’s safe to say that it’s impossible to control all variables, but you can fight them and win with preventative maintenance services or long term protection.

Featured Pressure Washer Tip: Gas Powered pressure washers are normally more powerful than electric powered pressure washers. High water pressure levels are ideal for cleaning large areas and removing tough stains. They are typically very portable, and therefore commonly found in industrial settings. Gas-powered pressure washers must only be used outdoors due to carbon monoxide emissions.

General house wash is ideal for most roof cleaning applications.

Black staining is caused by the growth of algae and fungus spores that land on your roof, ( Staining is not caused by pollution, soot or jet exhaust ). These spores need three things to grow: heat, moisture and some kind of nutrient. The nutrient comes from dirt and the shingle itself, primarily the limestone filler used in manufacturing the granules. Shingle roofs are manufactured with different degrees of quality. Pricing is one way to tell the quality of a roof and the manufacturer warranty is another. Most roofs applied by builders and roofing contractors are in the low to medium quality range.

Featured Pressure Washer Tip: Electric Powered pressure washers are lightweight and conveniently used around the home, or for light industrial projects. They are limited in cleaning power production, but are very safe and extremely efficient. They are ideal for cleaning patio furniture and cars. Electric powered pressure washers can be used either indoors or outdoors and are extremely quiet. Electric powered pressure washers are designed for occasional use, typically about 2 hours per week.

Higher quality roofs are generally found on expensive custom homes and where the owner has taken a special interest in the quality of the roof.

Clay tile roofs are fragile and caution should be taken when walking on these roofs. Wood shingle roofs will require the least amount of pressure at about 1000 PSI or less. When pressure washing any roof use caution around flashing. Never pressure wash at an angle that will allow water to flow up the roof and under the shingles. Bleach should not be used on shingle or wood roofs as it will cause damage.

Those of you not familiar with the latest on Pressure Washing Roofs now have at least a basic understanding.

Featured Pressure Washer Tip: How do pressure washers work? Pressure washers connect to a standard garden hose (or another water source). Their engine, high pressure hose, and nozzle all work together to create an accelerated water stream which can be about 50 times more powerful than a garden hose.

But there’s more to come.

You never want to try to pressure wash from a ladder. The pressure from the wand can knock you off balance.

To protect your roof from early replacement, annual pressure washing is recommended. You will want use between 1000 – 1800PSI depending on your roof material. Metal roofs are becoming more popular because of price and the length of time it lasts, a higher pressure may be used on these type roofs. You should always contact the roofing material manufacturer to find out recommended pressures for their product.

Featured Pressure Washer Tip: How much horsepower do I need? If you are unsure about choosing the right sized engine for your pressure washer, just keep this in mind: a higher horsepower engine is required to produce higher PSI and higher GPM, resulting in more CPU.

You may want to try an extension wand for those hard to reach places.

A note of caution: Cleaning your roof by yourself can be hazardous. Roofs over a 7 / 12 pitch are not walkable, even for trained professionals. A roof is not going to clean itself nor is it only going to take five minutes. Cleaning a roof is a project that is going to take some time and effort and a few trips up and down the ladder.

So now you know a little bit about Pressure Washing Roofs. Even if you don’t know everything, you’ve done something worthwhile: you’ve expanded your knowledge.

Featured Pressure Washer Tip: What does a pressure washer “plunger” do? Do I want Ceramic or Non-ceramic? The plunger is the part that rapidly moves back and forth within the pressure washer pump to actually create the high pressure water stream. Ceramic plungers are much more efficient and will extend the life of the pressure washer. Non-ceramic plungers will ultimately wear down, and hinder the overall performance of the unit.