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Removing Lichen from Roof Tiles

Need lichen removed from your roof tiles?

You may have seen green, black, or brown splotches across a metal or asphalt shingle roof before. In many cases, these splotches are the result of mold or moss. However, you may not know that this kind of roof damage is often caused by something called lichen.

What are lichens? A United States-based newspaper, the Columbus Dispatch, reports that lichen which can cause roof damage are the result of a particular type of algae, Gloeocapsa Magma, which is easily borne on the wind and “tends to collect and grow upon roofing structures.” Given that lichen is the product of a type of algae, buildings by the seaside or near large bodies of water are especially prone to lichen damage. Mornington Peninsula’s proximity to Port Phillip Bay means that lichen damage to roofs in the area is quite likely.

Lichen is likely to build up on a number of different types of roof, including tin and asphalt shingle roofs. If your roof is an asphalt shingle roof, spraying to remove lichen is not the best approach to removing it – power spraying or pressure cleaning can damage asphalt shingles. However, if you’re struggling with lichen damage and your roof is made of a material such as tin, spraying might be the best way to deal with the problem.

Taking care of roof problems such as roof lichens by yourself can be tempting. However, ladder work is more dangerous than many think – even a fall from not very high can lead to serious injury, and a fall is much more likely if spraying is involved. If you’ve got a problem with lichen on your tin roof and you’re in the Mornington area, why not contact Murray’s Window & Pressure Cleaning? Established in 1995, we’re experienced, reliable, and affordable, and can help you figure out the best way to get rid of roof lichens once and for all.

One of the things that a professional cleaning can do for you is ensure that roof lichen goes away permanently. Many methods for taking care of roof lichen, especially methods people can implement using household materials, are only temporary fixes at best. Since the algae that turns into lichen is in the seaside air nearly all of the time, taking care of the symptom doesn’t necessarily protect your roof from accumulating further damage. However, a highly thorough pressure cleaning can be a highly effective preventative measure, especially combined with other kinds of roof treatment.

It’s important that the pressure washing be performed carefully, as too much pressure can cause water to leak into other areas of the roof or drip down onto the exterior walls beneath the roof and cause hidden damages. However, we at Murray’s Window & Pressure Cleaning will ensure that proper pressure levels are being used throughout the cleaning process. In addition, we will work with you to ensure that your roof receives whatever other kinds of protection it needs to keep lichen away, from treatment with proper chemicals to installing zinc strips in the roof to change its chemical balance and keep lichens away.

In short, if you aren’t sure what to do about ugly and structurally-damaging lichens on your tin roof, don’t wait for it to get worse – contact Murray’s Window & Pressure Cleaning today!

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