[power]

Customers ask all the time, will their new roof stain like their neighbors roof. How do you guys handle this?
What are some of the common causes of staining? What do new roofs have that eliminate or minimize this issue?

 

[DFW Roofing]

The staining is organic growth (algae I believe)

Most, but not all, modern shingles have added nickle or zinc to the aggregate to prevent this. One manufacturer calls it "stain guard" and most give a limited warranty on staining for about 10 years.

Read some labels and you should have all the detail you need.

 

[roofermann]

This is a good article on roof algae;http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/metro/urban-jungle/pages/130618.html

 

[Richiebro73]

Here in the southeast, most of the stains are on the north slope. This side gets the least sun all year( under eves on dormers are really bad in some cases) trees and shade play a factor also. If the sun can't dry out the moisture it will most likely return no matter what.

 

[shazapple]

Strips of copper or zinc can be installed near the ridge to help prevent algae. Rain water washes over the strip and down the roof.

 

[buildpinnacle]

ABC Supply sells the zinc strips. Great product in some markets. It is a type of algae and the reason it seems to have spread throughout the country and not just in moist environments is due to its tendency to feed on limestone which has become the main filler used in modern day shingles.

 

[CompleteW&D]

ABC Supply sells the zinc strips. Great product in some markets. It is a type of algae and the reason it seems to have spread throughout the country and not just in moist environments is due to its tendency to feed on limestone which has become the main filler used in modern day shingles.

Limestone is not a "filler" in modern day shingles. Shingle manufacturing facilities are extremely hot and usually very humid. Manufacturers use talc mixed with the granules to keep the granules and hoppers dry, to prevent them from getting clogged. The best performing talc the manufacturers have found is made from limestone.

You are correct in one aspect though.... limestone is like caviar to algae and fungi. :thumbsup:

 

[RandyB1986]

Any of you seen many of the roof cleaner guys? We seem to have several around here now.....and I must admit, they make some old, nasty roofs look new again.

 

[jlsconstruction]

Any of you seen many of the roof cleaner guys? We seem to have several around here now.....and I must admit, they make some old, nasty roofs look new again.

Yeah, by taking 10 years of life away from the roof :laughing:

 

[Timo]

Yeah, by taking 10 years of life away from the roof :laughing:

As a former building contractor and a dumpster company owner, I simply can not count the number of twelve to twenty year old, twelve to twenty thousand dollar premature roof replacements I hauled to the dump.

I am a self proclaimed loud mouth know it all who has served on code review committees, ordinance establishing committees, county process review committees, electrical boards, Home Builders Association President four consecutive terms and been reading JLC and Fine Home Building for what seems like decades.

I say that to say this, I do not know everything there is to know but God gave me an insatiable desire to ask why. Why? I have no idea.

Then I discovered professional pressure washing and after that was introduced to detergent application roof stain removal. It simply blew me away. Me, Mr. What's Under the Rug, always looking to learn, had no idea what was causing the shingle discoloration and how easy it was to rejuvenate.

I keep in touch with my former roofing sub who used to give me tons of dumpster business for re-roofs even after I lost my construction company. We're still friends, and I still flip him referrals, but the only dumpster business I get from him are the jobs I sell for him.

It is understood that adding ten years to the life of a shingle..... Let me say that another way. I take a roof that is ugly and doomed for premature replacement and keep it in service for at least five more years. A subsequent cleaning will add another five years after that....

I understand that cleaning goes counter to replacing. I spent my entire adult life building and have total love and respect for tradesmen. I get it that I'm taking work from them but here is what else I am doing. I am saving their moms, dads, friends, and relatives tens of thousands of dollars. And giving them back their curb appeal and pride of ownership.

And every chance I get, I try to help educate those who, like me for so many years, had no clue.

 

[RandyB1986]

Yeah, by taking 10 years of life away from the roof :laughing:

It takes no pressure to clean a roof and make it look new, it takes foam chemical and a water hose, no harder on the roof then a hard rain.

 

[We Fix Houses]

Here's how its done. Pool shock chlorine which is high content bleach

http://www.askmediy.com/how-to-make-the-roof-cleaner-used-in-the-video/

 

[DFW Roofing]

Here's how its done. Pool shock chlorine which is high content bleach

http://www.askmediy.com/how-to-make-the-roof-cleaner-used-in-the-video/

Hope there is no landscaping below.


The staining is generally regarded as cosmetic, so it will look better but not last longer.

 

[MattAngelly]

Stains

The stains coming from the asphalt roofs are caused by an airborne algae that grows within the spaces of the shingles.

You can read about how to prevent/remove the algae here... http://www.solomoncontractingstl.com/FAQRetrieve.aspx?ID=50270&Q=

http://www.solomoncontractingstl.com