Pressure Cleaning Precautions

When pressure cleaning, customer face several challenges. The greatest challenge is that pressure cleaning companies do not guarantee against broken tiles and many take poor precautions to prevent breaking tiles. Tile repairs can be costly and usually requires a roofing contractor to perform the repairs correctly. The second problem home owners face with pressure cleaning is that the shooting water at high pressures directly at the tile roofs can also cause the underlayment to get damaged. This is especially true for shingle and flat roofs where there is not a tile covering protecting the roofing membrane. Even on tile roofs, pressure cleaning can damage critical areas such as flashings, stucco, and valleys. These areas are extremely succeptible to leaks especially if there is already some wear and tear evident. Shooting water at high pressure in these areas can seriously compromise the roof. There are several solutions to address these issues. First, homeowners must cut back any tree branches or vegetation that is growing over the roof. This will greatly prevent mold and other dark areas from forming on the roof surfaces. Secondly, if the roof becomes dirty, there is an alternative to pressure cleaning. Nowadays, any roofing supplier can provide the homeowner with a chemical based product that is applied over the roof and broom swept clean. To conclude, roofs that are older than 10 years old should not be pressure cleaned. Instead, vegetation and branches should be cut back in order to prevent darkening of the roof and if the roof needs to be cleaned, broom sweeping a chemical product available at any roofing supplier is definitely the option.