Roof algae are a country-wide issue. In case you didn’t notice, algae were not an issue on asphalt shingles 30 years ago. At a certain point along the road the shingle manufacturers decided that adding Limestone as a filler in their shingles was the best choice. What they did not foresee however was that there is a type of algae that loves to eat the stuff! Not only that, but once coupled with warm weather and a little humidity it is off to the races. The chart below shows areas that can be especially bad for roof mold and algae growth however don’t assume your safe if you live in a state considered mild growth, it only means the problem is less severe, not gone altogether.
Now that the roofing companies have witnessed the error of their ways, they have taken action! Most quality shingles that are being produced these days are algae resistant (AR). The key word you need to take notice of here is “resistant”. They are not algae proof and they may never be, if they could do it then they would. The common length of algae resistance is said (by the manufacturer) to be 10 years although the shingle that they are selling is supposed to be a 30 year shingle. The math is easy to do, and the customer is the one that is left with at least 20 years of algae issues! I have even witnessed many roofs that are only a few years old (algae resistant shingles) and are already showing those dark streaks. Mother Nature is putting up quite the fight, and there is only one thing that you can do about it. That one thing is to either clean your own roof or hire a roof cleaning professional. Roof cleaning is very important and if it is not done and done right, you will literally shave years off your roof’s life span, and pay for a new roof needlessly.
Roof Algae and the roof cleaning it necessitates is going to be existent for a long time to come. As long as it is, we will be here to provide you with the most up-to-date methods and techniques for battling algae!
