Essex Roof Cleaning Methods
Cleaning your Essex roof is a messy job and although it isn’t difficult, the main problem is that at a high level it can be hard to access. Even a bungalow or one storey building can be hard to reach unless you have the correct equipment to hand and a reasonable head for heights.
Despite this, Essex roof cleaning is certainly worth doing if only for cosmetic reasons. A new looking roof will revitalise the appearance of your home and not only add to the perceived value of your property, should you be selling, it will also make it look much better and well maintained.
After all, if you have spent time and money on your home maintaining the exterior appearance of your building and your garden, a messy dirty looking Essex roof will ruin this good impression. Nobody wants to live in the house that the neighbours complain about for letting the neighbourhood down!
Aside from aesthetic reasons, Essex roof cleaning is important for maintaining the integrity of your building. Your roof is exposed to all types of weather and moss, lichen and algae can soon build up if left unchecked. This can lead to deterioration and damage such as wood rot, damp and damage to tiles and shingles.
According to Essex roofing experts, there are three main causes of roof damage which accumulates on the average roof, and these go far beyond simple dirt and cosmetic appearance.
Removing Roof Algae
Algae and in particular a strain called gloeocapsa magma or GM is a type of bacteria which is carried by the wind. Once it is in place on your roof it can damage asphalt or limestone materials by gradually eroding the structure. Algae causes black staining and is usually present on shady areas of the roof or the side of the roof that gets the most wind.
Removing Roof Lichen
There are thousands of different types of lichen but they all act in the same way. Lichen is a plant growth that feeds off algae and grows by spreading tentacles of plant growth into all nooks and crannies. Lichen can grow under roof tiles and penetrate deep below the shingles and tiles. Hard to remove, lichen often lies dormant, appearing in wet weather conditions.
Removing Essex Roof Moss
Moss is a plant that loves damp. It will grow in areas of shade and will develop on your Essex roof especially during periods of rain, so considering the British climate; it can always be a challenge. Moss can cause serious damage to roofs. It holds moisture so can cause damp inside and it can grow under roof tiles causing them to lift. It can also freeze in winter, causing the roof tiles to crack.
Cleaning your roof saves you money.
Many Essex roofs have a mix of all three damaging components that if left unchecked can cause a wide range of expensive damage. This means it is far easier and cheaper to clean your roof than it is to deal with repairing the structure of your building or replacing roof tiles.
In addition a dirty unmaintained Essex roof may be harder to heat and cause interior damp, adding to your heating bills and making your home feel damp and uncomfortable. A damaged roof can cause damp patches indoors requiring the need of treatment and redecorating.
How do you clean your Essex roof yourself?
Cleaning your roof in Basildon can be problematic for householders because you do need special tools and you do need to be able to access the roof in order to carry out cleaning.
This means you may need scaffolding or even a cherry picker at your disposal. Although you may be able to reach your roof with a ladder, carrying out roof cleaning while perched on a rung is not only dangerous it is generally ineffective.
You can use a pressure washer on some types of roofing in brentwood but it is important to find out whether your roof is suitable for this type of intensive cleaning because it can cause serious damage to some types of tiles and shingles. You can also remove the moss and lichen by use of a scraper and do it manually but the obvious problem to doing this is reaching the roof. Before you consider cleaning your roof yourself, you will need to work out just how you gain access to all the roof areas because leaving small areas uncleaned will encourage a fast regrowth.