In this article I am going to talk to more about how much pressure is adequate to properly clean a roof and why high powered roof pressure washing is never a good idea. There’s more than one way to skin a cat, but in this case we don’t want to skin the cat, we just want to give it a good shampoo! Make sure that if you decide to hire a professional roof cleaner that he is using very low pressure!
1. Pressure Washers and Power Washers produce far too much pressure for any type of roofing system. Some of these units produce 3000 PSI or more! This is enough pressure to not only remove granules from your shingles but also to cut your shingles in half. The average garden hose puts about 40-80 PSI which is all that you need to properly and effectively clean your roof. 3000 PSI is overkill and an unacceptable cleaning method for your roofing system whether it is an asphalt roof, tile roof, cedar roof or even a metal roof. You may say to yourself “I think that the wooden and metal roofs can take the pressure”. The fact is that you may hire the most talented pressure washer in the world and he may make your roof look amazing with his high pressure methods. Although, a Pressure Washer will not kill the algae, it will only blow it all over the place, such as on your siding, car and your neighbor’s home. It will even push the algae deeper in the pores of your roofing system, which for obvious reasons is a “no go”!
2. Pressure Washing accessories still produce far too much pressure! Another tool out there is a “Pitch Witch” and is a “No Go”. It is a device that is on wheels and travels up and down your roof. It has three nozzles so instead of 3000 PSI it puts out about 1000 PSI, which is still way too much pressure. On top of that it is not killing any of the algae, so you can be sure that your algae will grow back very quickly. This is sometimes called a “gitter” along with many other names, so you must be sure to ask for a Soft Wash Roof Cleaning method! The picture below is of the infamous “Pitch Witch”
What this all boils down to is remembering one thing, to only allow the pressure of a garden hose on your roof!
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