How To Wash A Slate Roof

Regular cleaning is an important part of keeping a slate roof in working order.

How to wash a slate roof.

Our customer used a basic solution of simple green dish soap water. There s good reason why people desire them despite the hefty price tag. Regular roof cleaning is critical for your roof as slate is easy to cleave and water absorbent. To clean a tile roof use a pressure washer to spray the roof with plain water to dislodge any loose dirt or debris.

Set up a ladder so you can access the roof. In fact slate shingling has such a reputation for resilience that it has been nicknamed the hundred year roof but if you want your slate roof to last the advertised century it is important to use to right tools for installation and repair and to understand how to keep it at its best. If your household water pressure isn t enough to generate the proper nozzle pressure at the jets the manufacturer recommends boosting it. For one having the.

A roof is one of the first things a visitor might notice about your house specially if you have a tile roof because they re more rare than your typical asphalt roof due to the cost of the natural tiles which can be either clay sand synthetic stucco or concrete plus the cost of installation. Most slate roofs tend to be older so it is safe to assume that any slate roof is fragile and prone to damage. This gives your roof an ugly look and it is bad for the state of the roof as well. The photo above shows a slate roof during a cleaning.

The slates are 9 years old and had a build up of moss algae compounded by tree sap. Any form of weight can crack or break a slate tile so no homeowner or roof cleaning professional should ever walk on the roof. He chose an eco product purposefully because of all the run off from the roof onto. Clean slate roofs in hot weather so they dry fast or at least on a clear day with plenty of sunlight.

When cleaning a slate roof don t use chemicals like ammonia or chlorine bleach. While you might be tempted to reach for a strong chemical or a pressure washer it s better to leave them behind and give your slate roof a little tender loving care. Such harsh chemicals are incompatible with the copper. Once your roof dries fill the pressure washer with an anti moss or fungicide solution and spray the.

Run a hose fitted with a spray nozzle up to the roof. Debris and moss buildup hold moisture in the slates that can split them during winter freezes. When spraying start at the top of your roof and work down toward the gutters so the debris is headed in the right direction. Both artificial slates and natural slates have to deal with moss and pollution in the long run.