Remember the first time you looked up at your roof and noticed those black stains appearing on your shingles? Do you remember how you felt when you saw it slowly spreading across the roof? Your home was fairly new and your shingles barely a few years old. How could this be happening and what was causing it? Well, you weren’t alone in your frustration. It appears that this is quite a common occurrence in Florida. Even on a roof with fungus resistant shingles, the fungus protection applied by the manufacturers of the shingles can begin to fail as soon as 2-3 years after installation. As the protection fails, staining can appear within six months. In Florida’s hot & humid climate, it seems that inevitably a fungus actually begins to grow on your roof shingles; leaving behind these stains that continue to spread across your roof if left untreated. These fungi live abundantly in the soil. Like all fungi, they multiply by microscopic spores, which float through the air and after landing on a hospitable surface, germinate. Fungi feed on organic matter such as wood, paper and asphalt, just to mention a few, and in the process, decompose and eventually destroy the material on which they grow.

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Besides making your home look old and unsightly, researchers looking into this problem have discovered that this fungus could actually be costing you money. If your roof has fungus growth, temperatures under your roof become higher, increasing your monthly air conditioning costs and possibly even shortening the lifespan of your air conditioning unit. Some of these studies have revealed reduction of under-roof temperatures by anywhere from 10-20 degrees once the fungus has been eliminated. Some owners have seen utility savings of up to $20-$25 per month. In fact, there is a noticeable difference in your electric bill if the change in your attic temperature reduces the temperature in your living space by just 3-4 degrees.

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Compounding the problem, the same studies seem to indicate that the lifespan or your roof is shortened by the increased granule loss from thermal expansions and contractions commonly experienced with this problem. This expansion and contraction can cause a weakening around the fastenings of the shingles on your roof. Also, unhealthy fungus spores and mold could conceivably be tracked into your home. For those owners suffering from allergies, this breeding ground on your roof could really cause some suffering.

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As with most of these types of problems in Florida, everyone you speak with seems to have a different opinion. Some owners believe that cleaning the roof with a high-pressure water hose is the best treatment. While it is our understanding that this might temporarily eliminate most of the fungus, enough of the fungus is left behind, actually embedded in the ceramic granules on the shingles, to quickly cause future problems. In addition, high-pressure water treatments do seem to damage your shingles over time, causing granule loss and shortening the life of your shingles. Keep in mind; the granules on your shingles are the source of not only the color of your roof, but also your heat-reflective protection. Granule loss should be avoided.

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