Roof Washing in Greenville
The black streaks running down an asphalt shingle roof are not dirt. They are gloeocapsa magma, a cyanobacteria that feeds on the limestone filler used in modern shingles. Left alone it spreads across the roof, holds moisture against the shingle and shortens the roof service life. On metal, tile and low-slope commercial roofs the same organic growth shows up as streaking and granule loss.
The upstate climate works on exterior surfaces year round, with long humid summers, heavy pine pollen in spring and frequent afternoon storms, and Greenville brick and textile-era masonry holds moisture once it is wet. Roof washing is a soft wash performed from the ground and from ladders. We do not walk the roof surface and we do not apply pressure to the shingles. A low-pressure, roof-safe solution is applied to kill the organism at the root, then rinsed with plain water. Removing the growth this way protects the shingle rather than abrading it, and it does not void the manufacturer warranty the way pressure washing does.
Roof surfaces and components we treat:
- Asphalt shingle roofs
- Metal and standing-seam roofs
- Tile and slate, method-dependent
- Mansard and low-slope sections
- Vents, boots and flashing
- Gutters, downspouts and drip edges
- Downtown Greenville retail and mixed-use buildings
- Manufacturing and distribution property along the I-85 corridor
For property managers a clean roof is also a documentation issue. Algae streaking is one of the first things an inspector, a lender or an architectural review committee photographs, and a roof that reads as neglected invites questions about everything under it.
Commercial Roof Cleaning
Greenville, SC
Commercial roofs are usually out of sight, which is exactly why they get deferred. But streaking and organic growth on a roof are visible from the parking lot, from the building across the street and from every drone photo a broker or lender takes. We clean commercial roofs with a roof-safe low-pressure method that removes the growth without disturbing the membrane or the flashing. In Greenville that means downtown retail and mixed-use buildings along Main Street and the professional and industrial property out toward the I-85 corridor.
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Multi-Family and Apartment Roof Washing
Greenville, SC
On an apartment community the roofs are the single largest visible surface, and algae streaking on the buildings facing the entrance sets the tone for the whole property. We treat each building with a roof-safe solution that kills the growth at the root, so the roof does not need re-cleaning every year, and we work building by building so no resident loses parking for long. Greenville multi-family communities deal with pine pollen every spring and humidity the rest of the year, so exterior cleaning is a recurring cost rather than a one-time project.
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