One of my neighbours had their roof either steam or high pressure cleaned. This was a couple of years ago, and now it looks the same as all the others. Recently, however, it has led to a bit of a 'thing', with a few having it done. At a cost of £700 a time, for a few hours work, the company doing it are on a roll, as I have noticed quite a few in the neighbourhood having it done. Would you pay £700 for a clean roof?
House Roof Cleaning
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11-04-26 15:53Sounds like a nice earner, but I wouldn't be surprised if it quickly is usurped by people who can do it cheaper but less legitimately
My brother works in a trade – that also involves working at height – (tree surgery) where there are a significant number who ignore the health and safety and other regs. This lets them charge far cheaper prices that people who follow the regs couldn't match without making a loss.
Sadly the customer only sees the price, and in fairness, a lot of the snidey ones don't skimp on doing a good job, they just put themselves at risk. -
11-04-26 22:15@Rolebama What's the reason for having the roof cleaned? -
12-04-26 14:21Roofs in the UK do tend to get a lot of moss growing on them in parts where the moss can anchor itself, less with slate roofs than tiled.
If the house has an external TV aerial birds tend to perch on them and poo on the roof.
This provides nutrients for plants, and is usually white, so does not look good to the fastidious.
Wind driven rain will clear a lot of this growth, much of it dries out in hot weather and dies to be blown away at the first wind.
However, well established growth can get their roots under tiles lifting them to let wind driven rain under the tile but the underfelt (if properly laid) should prevent any water getting into the house.
A neighbour cleaned his roof with a pressure washer, the problem was he did it from the bottom up, against the lay of the tiles!
The pressure washer had driven muck and moss under the tiles.
A few rainy days later, his wife asked me to have a look at the bedroom ceiling (I thought, "what an odd chat up line!"😨) anyway there were several dark wet stains on the ceilings.
The roofing felt was not properly fitted so birds had been able to get in at gutter level to nest.
The birds nests had weighted the felt down allowing the rain blown up under the (lifted) tiles to run into the loft.
In the end he had to pay for the roof to be stripped, re felted, tiles cleaned and relaid, and new plaster board in the areas affected.
There is a moral in that somewhere!Last edited by olduser; 12-04-26 at 14:32.
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13-04-26 14:08@NMNeil That's what I don't get. I have near as makes no difference, travelled all over mainland UK and have visited most European countries, and never seen or heard of it before. Now, suddenly, it seems the thing to do.
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20-04-26 12:19I suppose it comes under, 'keeping up with the Jones's', much of what we do is just following fashion!
However, there may be an argument for washing modern Solar cells - they generate an output in daylight rather than needing bright sunlight - they need to be washed with something that will not leave a residue if possible, just a hosepipe would be a fair compromise. Rain may help but that depends where you live, town or country.
Rain in town tends to carry soot and oil, depending on the time of year, country rain will tend to carry fine soil dust.Last edited by olduser; 20-04-26 at 12:35.
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20-04-26 23:55@olduser I track the output of all my solar panels and there is almost no difference between the power output before and after cleaning.
Certainly not enough to risk life and limb climbing up on the roof with a squeegee and bucket of water anyway.
But I don't need to as my panels are covered in a layer of dust but the battery banks were still fully charged by about 10:30 this morning. 😎
