How to clean stain of asphalt shingles
Hey fellow BT’ers,
I have stains on my asphalt shingles. Is there a good way to get rid of the stain w/o damaging the shingles.?
I tried to do a search first, honest I did. I don’t think the search function is working properly.
Thanks in advance.
Chills
Replies
What kind of stain?
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It's like the whole world's walking pretty and you can't find no room to move.
I think it might be an algae. Kinda dark streaks.
Dark streaks sounds like algae alright. Confirmation would be the observation that areas right below bits of galvanized hardware (flashing around plumbing vents, etc) are clear of the staining.
A solution of chlorine bleach (be sure to buy FRESH bleach -- don't use the bottle that's been sitting under the sink for god-knows-how-long) will almost instantly kill and "vanish" standard algae stains. Do be careful, though to not splash the bleach (or allow it to drip) on any painted surfaces or any valuable plantings.
A more permanent solution to the problem is to install strips of zinc or copper along the ridge of the roof (generally stuck partly under the edge of the "cap" shingles). These metals slowly leach out of the strips and prevent algae growth.
Those stains are from an airborne algae, and are harmeless to shingles over the normal life span. It's a common complaint on light-colored shingles. A clorox/water solution will get rid of it, but won't keep it off. The other posters are right - if any of the solution gets on you clothes, the plantingaround the house, the deck, etc. you'll know it. If you don't want to live with the stains, it'll be quite a bit of trouble to CAREFULLY get rid of them without bleaching most of the surroundings.
Yes you can use zinc strips to stop subsequent staining, but they may or may not get rid of the existing algae.
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