Services
Roof Cleaning, Moss and Algae RemovalBased in Dallas, TX
The black streaks on North Texas roofs are algae, and pressure washing a shingle roof destroys it.
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What this job involves, and what moves the price.
Those dark streaks running down North Texas roofs are a cyanobacterium called Gloeocapsa magma. It feeds on the limestone filler in composition shingles, it spreads by airborne spores, and it always runs downward from the ridge because that is the direction water carries it. It is a cosmetic problem for years before it is anything else, but it does hold moisture against the shingle and it does slightly raise the surface temperature by darkening it.
The important part is how it is removed. A pressure washer will take the streaks off and it will take the granules with them, which strips years off the roof in an afternoon. Every major shingle manufacturer says so, and a pressure-washed roof will usually void the material warranty. Damage from it is not always obvious immediately, which is how the practice survives.
Included Soft wash cleaning, never pressure washing on shingle · Algae and moss treated rather than scraped · Moss removed from tile and slate joints · Zinc or copper ridge strips to suppress regrowth · Shaded and north-facing slopes checked for retained moisture
How It Works
Call or send the form
Say what you are seeing: a stain, a storm, missing shingles, or a roof you just want an opinion on.
Someone gets on the roof
And into the attic, because the underside of the decking tells you things the surface will not. The inspection is free.
Photographs and a scope
You cannot see your own roof, so you get pictures of what was found and a written scope before any number is agreed.
The work, then the sweep
A tear-off scatters nails across a property. The last job of the day is running a magnet over the drive, the lawn and the beds.
Before You Call
Roof Cleaning, answered.
What are the black streaks on my roof?
Algae, Gloeocapsa magma. It feeds on limestone filler in composition shingles and streaks downward from the ridge. Common across North Texas and largely cosmetic in its early years.
Can I pressure wash my roof?
Not a shingle roof. Pressure washing removes granules along with the algae and shortens the roof's life considerably, and it typically voids the shingle manufacturer's warranty. Soft washing is the correct method.
Does algae damage shingles?
Slowly. It holds moisture against the surface and darkens it, which raises temperature. The immediate cost is appearance and, at sale, buyer perception, which is why most people deal with it.
How do I stop it coming back?
Zinc or copper strips installed near the ridge. Rain running over them carries metal ions down the slope and suppresses regrowth for years. Many modern shingles also include copper-treated granules for the same reason.
Why Homeowners Pick Us
The black streaks are algae, and a pressure washer takes the roof off with them.
Gloeocapsa magma feeds on the limestone filler in a shingle. It is treated chemically at low pressure, because the granules are the roof's sunscreen and they do not grow back.
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The Difference
The part that decides whether it lasts.
The correct method is a soft wash: a cleaning solution applied at garden-hose pressure, left to work, and rinsed. It kills the organism rather than scraping it off, and the roof keeps looking clean for longer because what is left behind is dead rather than merely displaced.
Moss is the more serious version and it prefers shade and north-facing slopes. Where algae sits on the surface, moss grows a root structure that lifts the edges of shingles and holds standing water underneath them. On a tile or slate roof it does the same in the joints. Zinc or copper strips at the ridge suppress regrowth on both, because rainwater running over the metal carries enough ions down the slope to make the surface inhospitable.
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Roof Cleaning
Roof Cleaning, handled from the first inspection to the final nail.
Let's Work Together
Find out what the roof actually needs.
Someone gets on the roof and into the attic, photographs what is there, and tells you what it needs. That costs nothing, including when the answer is nothing yet.
Chavez Family Roofing 3816 W Clarendon Dr, Dallas, TX 75211 (469) 780-8781