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Moss Damage

Moss is fine in the forest, but if you have the fuzzy plant growing on your roof, it is far more than just unsightly. In addition to giving your roof an unattractive, blotchy appearance, a moss infestation on your roof can leave your home with water damage and a large bill from the roofer.

Damage

Moss causes damage to roofing materials in a few ways. First, it holds water against your roof's surface, which can cause rotting. Water trapped by moss can also crack and pull apart your roof's shingles as it freezes and thaws. The moss can even damage your roof directly-- it prefers to grow near the edges of shingles, which puts it in the perfect position to pry the shingles apart as it grows and expands. Moss also has root-like structures called rhizoids that burrow into and under your shingles and cause pitting. Roofing experts recommend that you take steps to control moss as soon as you see discoloration on your roof.

Solution

A roof inspector can tell you what is causing any discoloration you see on your roof. In general, algae forms a slippery green or black coating on surfaces, moss is velvety and green, and lichen is scaly and comes in a variety of colors. Low pressure cleaning in combination with our specialty formulated solutions is much safer for removing moss rather than bleach or chlorine cleaning because bleach will kill the surface moss, but bleach runoff will also kill the plants around your house and can accelerate corrosion in your roof, gutters and downspouts.