Can You Pressure Wash A Shingle Roof ?

We often are asked “Can you pressure wash a shingle roof” ? The answer is yes, if you don’t care about ruining your shingle roof! Another question we get asked is “If I pressure wash a shingle roof, will it be clean” ? The answer is Yes, and 1/2 of it will be on the ground!

Dirty Shingle Roof in Tampa
Tampa Shingle Roof Cleaned Properly

So, if pressure washing will ruin a shingle roof, why do some roof cleaning companies in Tampa still use this method to wash a roof. The answer is ignorance and/or greed! Let us say a shingle roof cleaning costs 500.00. If we were to use a pressure washer to clean your roof, we could keep every dime of that 500.00 Roof Cleaning Chemicals are not cheap, and like everything lately, their prices have gone up considerably! WE only clean roofs chemically, w/o the use of any pressure at all! Though it costs us more than if we were to use a pressure washer, it is the right way to clean a roof.

Your shingle roof is basically a piece of either asphalt or fiberglass, that has ceramic granules glued to it. Some shingle roofs are what are called algae resistant. They use the 3M Algae Block System that has copper granules mixed in with the ceramic granules to help prevent the dreaded roof algae. The idea is, every time it rains, the water washes the copper sulfate released by these granules. Copper Sulfate is a natural algaecide, and it does help to keep the roof clean. However, here in the Tampa Florida area, the heat and humidity overwhelms even these algae resistant shingles, and as the result, the roofs get dirty despite the 3M Algae Block system! We clean so called “algae resistant” shingle roofs every week, so we know!

Never ever allow any roof cleaning company to use a pressure washer to clean your shingle roof, under any circumstances! Call Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa if you want your shingle roof cleaned the right way, at 813 655 8777