Algae on my roof is caused by……

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Algae on my roof?

We hear it all of the time:

‘I don’t remember seeing those roof stains all over the places back in the eighties’.

‘We never had that on our roof until the last few years.’ 

Frankly, we’ve noticed the same thing.   LOTS of research has revealed some interesting facts that begin to tie together.  It starts off with the composition of the shingles themselves.   Years ago, the major shingle manufacturers used cotton and canvas scrap for the filler material in their asphalt shingles.  These bits of scrap, a bi-product of American’s textile industry, were cheap to obtain.  And once they were coated in an asphalt substance, they made a great filler material for shingles, adding weight, substance and strength to the shingle itself.

With the onset of synthetic textile materials from abroad, and American’s textile industry being largely off-shored,  the once largely available and inexpensive canvas and cotton scrap market dried up.   The shingle manufacturers obviously need another solution for shingle filler material.  They turned to limestone.  After all it was readily available, inexpensive, safe and easy to work with.  Yet there’s one aspect that may not have been considered when that filler material was selected;

Limestone is largely calcium carbonate, and calcium carbonate is a food source of cyanobacteria; also known as algae! 

That’s what had prevented roof stains from algae from getting a foothold on shingles all along, there was no constant source of energy for it.  The limestone filler material quickly changed that, especially on heavily shaded roofs, and roofs with a northern exposure.  In both of these cases, the suns UV rays are less abundant, and moisture from rain, snow and dew tends to dwell for longer periods of time – the perfect habitat for growing algae on a roof top.

That’s where we come in.  American-ProTech is the region’s leading roof cleaning company.  We’ve shot to the forefront in a few short years by providing an incredible service at a very affordable price.  Look over the pictures on our website – all actual clients from the area, then give us a call for a no obligation consultation.  We’ll make your roof look great again, and restore your home’s curb appeal.  Call 571 250 9650571 250 9650 for Virginia, or 240 398 3800240 398 3800 for Maryland.

• Professional Staff
• Professional Equipment
• Professional Results – EVERY time.