As you drive through your neighborhood, what elements of your neighbor’s home do you notice? Likely the nice landscaping, a front door with a nice decoration, and roofs that are streaked and stained. We notice things that look great and things that look terrible. Curb appeal may be an aesthetic reason to keep your roof clean but there are other important reasons you as well.
A Clean Roof Lasts Longer
When you see a roof with staining or streaking, what you’re seeing is an algae growing on the roof. That algae feeds on the organic materials in the shingle. Those stains and streaks are a sign that something is literally eating away at your roof. Over time the roof’s protective granules will begin to slough off from the roof and then you’ve lost a protective layer of your roofing system. Soon the entire shingle will break down and you’ll have a roof leak.
Branches, leaves, and other debris sitting on the roof can also loosen granules. As it gets wet and heavier, it will begin to slide down the roof’s slope. That friction can cause damage. A stick that gets lodged underneath the edge of a shingle may allow water to get under the shingle’s edge, which is another cause of roof leaks.
Water Damage
You may think about water damage as something that comes primarily from a roof leak, but some water damage is a direct result of poor roof maintenance. When your roof has lots of debris that you neglect to remove, it eventually ends up in your gutters. Clogged and overflowing gutters cause water damage in several ways. First, when your gutters don’t work, the water overflows and can end up anywhere from your basement or crawlspace, to down your walls or in your windows. When water gets into your home, you end up with costly water damage.
In winter, ice dams can form backing water up onto the roof’s surface. Ice dams are a leading cause of roof leaks in the winter. Unfortunately, until the ice and snow melts, it’s hard for your roofer to repair the damage.
Keeping your roof clean does more than just help your home look good, it helps the roof last longer. Cooley Roofing can help if you have roof damage or if you’re tired of looking at your old streaked roof. Many of our new roofing products have stain and streak fighting technology built in to help prevent algae from growing. Call for a free roof replacement estimate today – 366-766-6488.
