Algae Growing On Roof Shingles

If you have noticed black spots or streaks on your roof you ve got algae on your roof.

Algae growing on roof shingles.

The best way to get rid of algae once it s taken hold on your roof is to have a professional roof cleaning team come with a low pressure washer and cleaner that will kill the algae and mold but not hurt the plants and grasses around your home. The black mold like stains and streaks that appear on roofs particularly light colored asphalt shingles is actually a blue green algae gloeocapsa magma. Algae is not a plant but an organism spread by spores. Although mold can grow in your roofing materials if water gets trapped somewhere if you see any of the following on top of your roof algae are more likely your problem.

Algae growth won t cause any structural problems to your roof but it looks ugly and it can damage the shingles over time. Living in a humid area of the country like florida you ve probably seen your asphalt shingle roofs with unsightly dark streaks on them. Algae growth is common on roof surfaces of several materials including asphalt shingles concrete and clay roof tiles and even slate. It appears on the shingles in streaks that head down the roof pitch vertically.

A blue green algae known as gloeocapsa magma could be the reason you have the algae which is spread by airborne spores. It can be brown gray blue or green. Often algae that is identified as green when studied microscopically also looks black or quite dark on a roof surface.