Do People Need to Clean a Flat Roof on a Regular Timeframe?

Parker roofing contractor

The program of periodic repairs and maintenance of a flat roof is fundamental to maintain its long-term performance and enjoy its protection no matter what. This way, potential problems can be detected in their early stages and bigger damage can be completely prevented. This preventative attitude will save you significant sums of money.

The program of maintenance and roof repairs is fundamental and, according to a respected Parker roofing contractor, must be performed on a regular time frame in order to maintain the long-term performance of your roof, detect vulnerabilities in their early stages and fix them promptly.

Cleaning the roof should be a part of this regular maintenance program.

The roof must be inspected twice a year, typically in spring and fall (after the leaves fall from the trees), but also after severe weather phenomena that may also bring debris on the roof (there is a lot of flying debris during a storm, especially if there are trees and other vegetation around the roof).

Debris tends to accumulate in the gutters, preventing water from draining safely. As for dirt, it accumulates on a flat roof as it does on any flat surface exposed to the elements; it has the potential to cause damage, because it maintains moisture and allows vegetation growth (moss, algae). Some roofing materials are more prone to these problems than others, but this does not change the fact that all flat roofs should be cleaned now and then.

Mold, spores and bacteria can also spread on the walls of the building and reach the indoor space. Besides, roofs are made of materials that allow not only protection but also thermal insulation of the building. If they are covered in dirt, they will lose some of their efficiency.

Flat roof cleaning operations

There are different operations for cleaning a flat roof. Regular sweeping is the most common and also easy to perform. There is no need for a professional roofer for this operation. Just make sure the person who does it walks on the roof carefully, to prevent damaging the cover materials, and uses a soft broom.

Although sweeping the roof will remove visible debris and most of the dust/ dirt, it is not enough for a deep cleaning.  That`s why a flat roof must also be washed, now and then, using a power washer. Roofing specialists use warm water, because it is more effective in removing not only the mud, smog, dust and soot on the roof, but also most of the moss and algae formation.

To remove unpleasant vegetation, there is also a wide range of chemicals available on the market; they have a fast action and are effective in the long run. However, this does not mean that they can be used randomly, as this practice may have undesirable effects on the roof and on the surrounding vegetation. Chemical roof cleaning must be left in the hands of specialists. They know best how to use substances like chlorine, sodium hydroxide or Trisodium Phosphate to remove vegetation and stubbornly adhered particles.