Most people who search for roof pressure washing want the dark streaks gone. We get that. On asphalt shingles the streaks are usually a cyanobacterium called Gloeocapsa magma, which feeds on the limestone filler in the shingle and spreads on the wind, as the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association explains. Tile, flat, and metal roofs grow algae and mildew of their own.
High pressure takes the protective surface off and can push water under the roof. We use a soft wash instead: low pressure, and a roof-safe cleaner that does the actual work.
High-pressure blasting compared with low-pressure soft wash on a roof| On your roof | High-pressure blasting | Our low-pressure soft wash |
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| Shingles | Knocks off protective granules. | Granules stay in place. |
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| Algae and mildew | Roots stay and streaks return sooner. | Cleaner kills growth at its base. |
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| Water intrusion | Can force water under the roof surface. | Gentle flow that follows the way rain runs. |
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| Tile, flat, and metal | Can chip tile and scar coatings and membranes. | Safe on tile, flat roofs, metal, and shingle. |
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Hialeah's roofs reflect the city's age and density: concrete barrel tile on many older, Spanish-influenced homes, flat roofs on duplexes and smaller multifamily buildings, and shingle on houses built across several decades. Hurricane Irma in 2017 exposed how many older roofs in the city hadn't been upgraded to current wind codes, which is worth knowing if your roof hasn't been touched in a long time. Tile gets a low-pressure wash, well under the roughly 1,200 psi ceiling tile manufacturers recommend, with a concrete-safe cleaner and careful footing limited to where the tiles overlap each other. Flat sections get a membrane-safe cleaner instead, and we open up the drains so the water has somewhere to go.
Hialeah is inside Miami-Dade County's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, and roofing products installed here need a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance. We clean roofs. Repairs and re-roofing, especially on an older non-compliant roof, belong to a licensed roofer. Roofs near the older core tend to need more frequent attention than newer construction toward Hialeah Gardens, simply from having more years of Florida sun and storms behind them.
Most roofs do well with a wash every two to three years. Shaded slopes and roofs under trees grow algae faster and may need it sooner. A damp, algae-covered roof also sheds more grit into the gutters below, which is one more reason we handle both in a single visit.
See how our roof washing works in Hialeah