Roofing in Wilmington, DE: All about Moss Growth on Your Roof

If you are living in a community that gets a lot of rainfall, and you don’t clean out or inspect your Wilmington, DE roofing system at regular intervals, then you shouldn’t be surprised to find one day that your asphalt shingles have already been besieged by moss. Moss growth can be very harmful to the structural integrity of your roof, as fungus could significantly hasten rotting on the surface.

Moss Development

There are three conditions that need to amass for moss to develop colonies on your roof: shade, temperature, and moisture. The temperature has to settle at about 32 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and the moisture should be constant as it is during frequent rainstorms, and shade in the form of trees or man-made structures would overshadow your roof.

Roof Damage

The primary damage that moss can do to your roof starts when it roots itself along the roof surface, thus dislodging the granules that serve as protective covering on the shingles. Moreover, should moss grow in the spaces between your shingles, it will cause the tiles to split or lift, cracking the material open for water to penetrate and moisture to cling along the roof surface and walls.

Removal

You can always haul yourself up on the roof, and try to scrape away loose moss using a long-handled brush, then wash away. Or, as suggested by Redbeacon.com, you could use a commercial remover,

Zinc sulfate is effective for removing moss from outdoor surfaces. By spraying moss-removal chemicals onto the moss on your roof, the moss will dry up and die. The dead moss will remain on your roof, however, so after the moss dries up, you must scrape or wash it off.

Prevention

Keep your roof free of leaves, twigs, and other organic materials, as their moisture can cause moss to develop. It’s also important to have a large part of your roofing exposed to as much sunlight as possible, which would mean removing overshadowing trees that tend to deposit organic littler on roofing surfaces.

If your roof has already been damaged by moss, contact a dependable Wilmington, DE or West Chester, PA roofing contractor to perform the necessary repairs as soon as possible. Many roofers, like Homecraft® Inc., have trained workmen and trusted professionals, as well as the tools and equipment to do roofing work quickly and efficiently.

From Why do I have Moss, Redbeacon