Cleaning the roof yourself - DIY

[SRC]

Since there seems to be a fair amount of interest on the internet about trying this project yourself - I thought I'd write a post about it. Feed back is welcome.

 

http://www.srcroofcleaning.com/blog

[Grime Busterz]

IMHO, needs to have a little more aggressiveness to it, and reassuring. For example:

 

"That ugly looking roof is not only an eye sore, but the algae that is causing your roof to look dirty and in need of replacement could actually be costing you money. Reports have stated that algae can feed off the limestone in your shingles. When this happens it can cause your shingles to deteriorate much faster than normal which will result in a costly repair or even more costly replacement."

 

"That ugly looking roof is not only an eye sore, but it's also algae attacking the limestone filler in your shingles, which will not only damage, but will also deteriorate your shingles over time and will often lead to costly pre-mature roof replacement or repairs." 

 

IMHO that leaves questions in the mind of the HO, if you have facts on this.. Schedule an estimate, provide them with all the facts your trying to push, sell the face to face.

[Green Apple Roof Cleaning Co LLC]

SRC, 

 

 Nice way to inform the public. There are a lot of home remedies for cleaning your roof from hardware stores, Home depot, etc. People think that they can buy 10 gallons of cleaner and dilute with water and clean a roof. Many people want to give this a try to save a few dollars . As we know this may mask the streaks, but they are sure to return. I have cleaned roofs 4 years ago that are still clean. I see 0% savings and 100 % danger and risk by the home owner. 

[Stay Clean]

Some homeowners are stubborn and feel they can do this themselves but some things are better left to professionals. I did an estimate last week where I walked into the backyard and looked onto the barrel tile roof and the top portion of it was clean. Naturally I asked who cleaned it. The customer said he did it himself with a plug in pressure washer. I couldn't help but laugh as he told me he didn't like heights and it took him all day to clean maybe 25% of an 1800sqft house. He said he gave up after that. Needless to say he was sold once I explained the right way to do it and my test spot was clean before I left.

[PeakOfPerfection]

And to get technically picky...Gloeocapsa Magma is not an algae. It is an ancient photosynthesizing Cyanobacteria, the most successful microorganisms on earth. Yes, you have bacterial colonies living and feeding off your roof. Besides the damage they do by eating the calcium carbonate, limestone layer, they also promote the colonization and growth of other destructive organisms. When they eat the limestone filler in the shingle, they fix nitrogen into ammonia which acts as a fertilizer source for moss, algae and lichens to grow and flourish. 

 

Remember...know thine enemy! 

[Anaclitic]

I once tried cleaning the roof myself using the Simpson 3200 PSI Pressure washer thought it is not professionally cleaned, it is good enough. You can also check out this review of Simpson 3200 PSI Pressure washer at https://gardeningfacts.org/best-pressure-washer/simpson-pressure-washers/simpson-3200-psi-pressure-washer-reviews-megashot-msh3125/.