Have you ever eyed your home’s shingle roof and wondered, “Can you pressure wash a shingle roof?” We are here to help.
Yes, But …
In some instances, pressure washing a shingle roof can work. If you can reach the downward-sloping roof from a safe position on a low-slope or flat roof, you may be able to pressure wash the shingles.
Shingles are not waterproof and your Akron-area home’s roof is water resistant. If you apply a pressure washer upwards, against the bottom tab of a shingle, you could cause uplift. Uplift is bad, so wash to allow the spray to go downward, from the top of the shingle to the bottom.
Use minimal washer pressure. Shingles are not meant to be forcefully cleaned. The granules adhere to the asphalt and provide water resistance and runoff. High pressure from a washer can dislodge the granules, prematurely aging your home’s roof.
No!
Unless you are more than a weekend warrior with the wand of a pressure washer in your hand, you are unlikely to have the training and experience to know the precise pressure which cleans without causing damage.
Consider also why you are wanting to wash your roof. Do you see algae? Moss? The weird, spidery tendrils from mildew, called hyphae? All of those issues call for professional intervention, not Papa with a Pressure Washer.
A local, reliable roofer can inspect and clean your Akron-area home’s roof using the right tools. Moss often comes off with just a gentle but firm sweeping. Algae can be killed with appropriate sprays. Pressure washing is seldom in a roofer’s toolbox of solutions.
No!
The best reason to avoid pressure washing a shingle roof has nothing to do with the shingles and everything to do with the 206 bones typically in an adult’s body. A fall from a roof could be life-altering. A fall from a two-story roof could be life-ending.
Professional roofers operate safely using experience, training, and safety equipment. Steep-slope roofs, typical of Cleveland-area residential roofs, require extreme precautions. Most homeowners are just not trained or equipped to deal with a residential roof’s many safety hazards. For more great advice on caring for your home’s roof, contact us at Exteriors Plus. We would be happy to examine your roof and provide a plan to repair, clean, and maintain it.
