FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What would you like to know?

WHY DON'T YOU USE PRESSURE WASHERS OR STEAMERS?

This removes the protective grit coating from the surface of the tile. Moss and biological growth will return quicker.
"The use of high powered jet washers is not recommended as it can damage the surface of the slate or tile, thus reducing its expected life considerably." - Marley Roof Tiles

WILL YOU WALK ON MY ROOF WHILE CLEANING IT?

We will never walk on your roof. The pressure would greatly increase the risk of damaging tiles which would lead to leaks.
British Standard BS 8000: Part 6: 1990 'Workmanship on building sites' states that any roof or vertical work in slating or tiling should be 'treated as fragile'. The standard recommends that an adequate number of crawling boards and ladders should be used when accessing completed areas of a roof, using packing between boards and tiles to avoid damage.
We work from a scaffolding tower when needed instead of risking any pressure to your roof.

WILL SCRAPING THE TILES DAMAGE THEM?

No, scraping is the only method approved by tile manufacturers. We use laser cut, industry specific scrapers that fit the profile of your tiles. For more delicate tiles we use nylon scrapers.

OTHERS OFFER A CHEAPER SERVICE BY BLEACHING THE ROOF, WHY DON'T YOU OFFER THIS?

Bleach is extremely harmful to the environment and does not kill the root of the biologicals (mosses, lichens).
Bleach products such as Sodium Hypochlorite (SH, Hypo) leave behind sodium. This is exactly what moss and lichens feed on so they'll grow back faster than ever.
We only use licensed, fit for purpose chemicals, with all run off collected to further protect the environment.

WHAT IMMEDIATE RESULTS CAN I EXPECT?

The moss removal alone often makes the most drastic and immediate improvement to the appearance of a roof. Once the biocide treatment is carried out the tile colour restoration will begin, and the cleaning process continues for some time. Here's what you can expect:

Within 2 days all algae usually disappear, significantly brightening the look of the tiles.

Fungi can take up to 15 weeks to completely disappear.

Some variations of the lichen species (mainly white and yellow varieties) can take up to 52 weeks before starting to completely fade away. During this time the lichen gradually dries out and is washed away by rainfall.

HOW LONG WILL THE RESULTS LAST?

The great thing about the biocide treatment is it prevents mould and lichen regrowth for up to 5 years, depending on the conditions specific to your location. We recommend having a biocide re-spray treatment after 3 years to keep your roof continually clear and thus avoiding paying for the scraping process to be carried out again. Bleaching, on the other hand, will look amazing for a very short while but then actually encourage regrowth as explained above.