Cleaning your tile roof is extremely important to preserve the life of your roof.  Regularly cleaning your tile roof will prevent dirt, moss, algae, pine needles and other foreign materials to ruin your tile roof..... If you don't regularly clean your tile roof then it can start to crack, get clogged with debris or fail.

 

 

When your tile roof fails then your wooden roofing substrate can get moldy and rot.   A rotting roof wood substrate can cause roof leaks and dangerous mold to start growing in your home.

Typically moss is the most damaging substance for a roof that can prematurely cause your roof to fail and leak.  Moss is extremely damaging to shingle, shake, composite and asphalt roofs. Moss can actually grow in these roofing materials and cause the actual roofing material to get eaten away by the moss and the rhizomes in the moss root system.  Moss can not grow directly in the roofing material of tile roofs but moss can cause a host of other problems in a tile roof if it not cleaned regularly.  While moss can not grow directly in the tile roofing materials it can grow on top of the tiles and also under the tile edges and between the tiles where the tiles overlap. 

Moss is not the only problem that can arise from not regularly cleaning your tile roof.  Dirt, pine needles, algae and other debris can build up on your tile roof.  The moss and other foreign material that build up on a tile roof can cause the tile roof to not drain properly.  Water can start to drain sideways under your tiles which can cause your roof to never properly dry out.  Additionally the dirt, moss, pine needles and other debris that builds up on your roof and under the tiles will absorb water and make your roofing substrate to never dry out properly.  If your roofing substrate stays constantly wet it will start to rot, grow mold and mildew and deteriorate over time.

Tile roofs come in two basic types; flat tile roofs and barrel tile roofs.  Cleaning flat tile roofs is just as important as cleaning barrel tile roofs.   Tile roofing material is typically made of a form of dense clay that is baked and extremely high temperatures.   Cleaning these dense clay tiles requires professional pressure washing techniques combined with specialized tile roof cleaning products.

 

 

Newer roofing codes in most states require a tile roof to have a sub roofing system underneath the main tile roof.  Older tile roofs are constructed with just bare wooden boards on top of the wooden substrate of your roof.  It is important that your roof properly drains to not allow damage to the sub roofing material especially if this is just a wooden substrate that will rot when constantly exposed to water and not allowed to ever dry out.

Cleaning a tile roof can present many hazardous situations for the person cleaning the tile roof and also for the tile roof itself  Some of the potential problems that can arise when cleaning a tile roof are:

• Tile roofs are slippery and even more so when they are wet.  Slipping and falling down while cleaning a tile roof is a serious concern that should not be taken lightly.  Professional tile roof cleaners will always tether themselves off so that they will not fall off the roof and injure themselves while cleaning the tile roof.  It is extremely important that you make sure that any potential tile roof cleaning contractors are properly licensed and insured to protect you and your home in the event that someone does become damaged while cleaning your tile roof.

• Cleaning a tile roof involves the use of a pressure washer or other high pressure cleaning tools to clean your tile roof.  Inexperienced or unlicensed tile roof cleaning professionals can damage your tiles by not using the pressure cleaning system properly.  Experienced tile roof cleaning professionals will rarely damage your tile roofs because they have the experience and training to operate the cleaning tools properly.

• Tile roofs can be damaged by simply walking on the tiles.  It is important to use wooden boards or other protective materials on your tile roof when walking on it.  It is important that any weight that is put on a tile roof is distributed evenly and a persons weight is not concentrated on any single tile. 

• Tile roof cleaning requires the use of professional cleaning products.  It is important that the professional tile roof cleaners uses the necessary protections to protect your home and plants.  

Tile roofs take a lot of abuse and they will expand and contract due to the changing temperatures and exposure to rain water.  This constant expanding and contracting will allow dirt, moss and debris to become embedded in the overlapping sections of the tile where the adjacent tiles meet.  Regularly cleaning your tile roof will prevent this dirt and debris from building up between your tiles.  Allowing dirt, moss and debris to build up can cause the tiles to crack and eventually the tiles will start to break apart.  Cracked and broken tiles will leave your roofing substrate susceptible to damage, rot and mold.  Having a professional tile roof cleaning company come out and regularly clean your tile roof is the only way to prolong the life of your roof.

Sealing a tile roof is not typically recommended for most tile roofs.   Some solvent based sealers can actually damage your roofing sub surface material.  Water based sealers will not last and will wash away in a very short period of time.  You should talk with any potential tile roof cleaning personell about the advantages and disadvantages of applying a sealant to your tile roof.  Typically regular cleaning is the best preventative maintenance method to protecting and extending the life of your tile roof.

Cleaning a tile roof has many potential hazards to your health and home.  You should always hire only professionally licensed contractors for this dangerous job.  

You can read some valuable information and tips on how to hire a tile roof cleaning and restoration contractor at our contractor information page here.  Roof Tile Cleaning.