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How To Clean Concrete Roof Tiles

Dirt, moss and algae usually sees concrete roof tiles as the perfect place to reside. They can damage the structural bonds of your roof, they can lead to overheating of the attic and roof space as well as blocked gutters. In order to protect the structural integrity of your roof and ensure your home and properties are well protected against the elements, it’s therefore crucial to clean your roof regularly. There are plethora of ways to go about this but which method will best suit your concrete roof tile?

When it comes to working at heights, skill and confidence is paramount even if the actually cleaning and maintenance happens to be an easy task. As a result, if you lack the two attributes mentioned, we’d strongly recommend that you call in a professional roof cleaning contractor who can guarantee the best results for help. In this article, we aim to give you a good insight into the concrete roof tiles cleaning process. Let’s have a look!

✓ Use a trowel or stiff brush

This is a manual method which involves scraping off the algae, moss and dirt by hand using an effective tool like a trowel. However, before you do this make sure its a very dry day. Also, you can make use of a stiff brush to scrape off the dirt. Both cleaning tools are very easy and effective means to clean concrete roof tiles.

✓ Use chemicals

You can apply fungicide, moss killers and anti moss treatments with the help of a spray to kill any plant life on your concrete roof tiles. However, you should only do this after you’ve successfully scraped the surface with a trowel or a stiff brush.

Why Do Roof Tiles Slip?

Despite being our first line of defence against the elements and covering the most valuable assets we possess, it’s shocking the reason why most roofs go unnoticed for years. However, when a damp patch suddenly appears on the ceiling or water starts to leak into our home, the condition of our roofing suddenly becomes of huge importance to homeowners.

In the UK, we get a fair share of harsh wind and heavy rainfall across the year which over time can lead to a plethora of roofing issues. One of the most obvious to identify is when roof tiles slip. If you’re also facing the same challenge, then you’ll most likely be interested in knowing the reason behind this occurrence. In this article, we’re going to take a look at some of the reasons why roof tiles slip.

Roof tiles can slip as a result of a corrosion of the nails that’s in place to secure your tiles to your roof. This happens especially during strong storms, whereby several roof tiles can be dislodged by rain and winds. If the affected tiles are just a few, then it may actually be a little issue to resolve. However, there are also times that the tiles slippage can be caused by a more serious issue. What’s more? You can also discover slipped roof tiles if the wood of your roof is corroded or weak. However, this applies a lot more to older homes than new or recent constructions. Any of the above reasons may be the main cause of your roof tiles slippage, but if you really want to know the exact cause for sure, you’ll have to call in a professional roof company to inspect your home.

Strong winds can cause extensive damage to unprotected rooftops and in fact tiles act as very suitable protection. The extra weight they provide is great at countering high wind loads and if anything is damaged during severe weather, replacing tiles is straight forward for professional roofers.When you compare this to lightweight materials there’s a significant difference. If you wish to have extra protection, experts recommended having sarking fitted.

An eave is the edge of a roof, which is why they are now and then called roof eaves. On a household's outside, eaves can stick out outside the side of the building, serving both ornamental and applied purposes. The eave of a house has come to mean the lower area of the roof that projects after the external covering, as opposite to a cornice, which is part of the entablature in Classical architecture.

Think of how a roof outspreads outside the covering, and then think about how a hard rain may roll down the roof and, on the ground, away from the structure. Centuries ago, the eavesdrop was that indentation line made around a structure when the rain fell off the edge of the roof onto the ground.

Types of Eaves

A roof can come to a conclusion in essentially three ways. A closed eave is the one which has very little or no overhang at all. An open eave has a visible overhang, projecting beyond the roof brackets. A boxed eave is surrounded with a soffit.

The Use of Eaves?

An eave can defend the siding and substance of a structure. A roof eave bulging beyond the sides permits snow and rain to fall from the roof away from the covering, to the ground. The more the "weather" gets thrown away from the household, the chances of you having a dry basement increases.

In cases of regions with a warmer climate, a large eave can help provide shade to the interior of the house. In rainy environments, the prolonged eaves of Asian architecture deliver shelter from the climate, as well as direction. In the 21st century, an eave may be an inconspicuous site for security cameras and light.

A Velux window is a brand of roof window, but the brand is so popular that people often use the name to describe the entire type of window. They are windows that are installed at the same orientation and ‘in plane’ with the surrounding roof, and they’re usually installed at a minimum of a 15-degree pitch. You can buy roof windows that offer completely frameless internal views for a really clean look in your loft conversion, while some come with built-in shutters.

Velux windows aren’t to be confused with rooflights which usually refers to a glazed unit that’s installed on a flat roof. It might also mean a window that’s been installed on a pitched roof out of plane with the level of the tiling.

People also confuse roof windows with skylights, which normally can’t be opened or closed and are usually smaller than Velux windows. Skylights, therefore, only let daylight into the room whereas roof windows also help with ventilation.

If you’re using your loft as a room in your home rather than simply for storage, you must have a roof window installed. Skylights won’t be enough as they don’t allow for ventilation. It doesn’t have to be a Velux window – it can be any type of roof window. Luckily, they tend to come in standard sizes and they must be CE marked if they’re sold as a roof window, so they should be easy to find.

Gutters are a crucial component of any roofing system. They’re designed in such a way to protect your home or property from serious water damage, but keeping them clean and in good condition is something that’s almost always forgotten or ignored. Do not be deceived even when rain water is still running from them or they don’t appear to be clogged. Failure to clean maintain your gutters can lead to a wide range of outcomes and they aren’t so pretty. According to experts, gutter cleaning should be done twice a year - once in the spring and once in the fall. In order to help you realize the importance of cleaning your gutters, we’ll look at some of the possible outcomes of a neglected gutter.

• Leaky roof. If your gutters get clogged and cannot move water away from your home, it begins to build up on the roof and eventually lead to damages like rot and mold. As the damages spread, the end result could be a severe damage to the attic and supports.
• Damaged foundation. If the gutters are not functioning as they should, water saturation becomes a great threat to the foundation of your home or property. The concrete will crack or wood rots and you can also end up with mold.
• Creepy crawler infestation. Wherever you have stagnant water, there are also bugs. This is because they love the wet and moisture-filled gutters. You get unwanted visitors like carpenter ants, roaches and mosquitoes, just to mention a few.
• Driveway and path damage. When the downspouts aren’t directing the water to the appropriate spot, the excess that comes in contact with these surfaces can lead to cracks or sagging.

Keeping water away from your house is of great importance and hence, the installation of a roof guttering system to serve this purpose. However, in order to perform this task effectively and seamlessly, there’s a need to clear out the clogging dirt and debris from the gutter and ensure it’s free from water-blocking obstacles at all times. Although there are a number of ways to achieve this, but the major cause of concern for several home and property owners is having to work at heights or on top of a ladder to get the job done. This is a very dangerous endeavour especially if you do not have the confidence required to pull it off. As a result, we’d strongly recommend you hire the services of a reliable professional who possess the skills when it comes to working at heights and delivering a highly effective clean. Fortunately, there are a couple of ways you can get to clean your gutters without having to climb any ladders. Let’s take a look!

• Clean the gutter with a leaf blower. Several leaf blowers feature a nozzle attachment which is made to release a narrow stream of air which is suitable for cleaning of gutters. You don’t need a ladder to do the clean as a specialized attachment is available in order to increase the blower’s reach to your roof effortlessly. The final step would be to remove any lingering leaves or twigs using a hose.
• Clean the gutter with a wet or dry vacuum. For heavier debris, you can try out a wet or dry vacuum. To reach the obstructed gutters while standing on the ground, simply get curved attachments and hoses at a local home improvement store. You may, however, need to moisten some stubborn dirt before it can be properly vacuumed or removed.after completing the vacuuming process, simply flush the gutters with garden hose waters.

How To Clean Roof Lights

If you have existing roof lights or perhaps you’re about to have them installed, it’s important to know just how to have them cleaned, even if you wouldn’t be doing it yourself. Generally, glass roof lights fitted in flat roof applications are more likely to be a major victim of staining and discolouration by several elements like rainwater, bird droppings, vehicle exhaust pollutants as well as tree sap. Therefore, just like any other parts of your home, periodic inspection of the units as well as regular cleaning is highly advised to help maintain their top performance for a lengthy period of time.

Firstly, when installing the roof lights, it’ll be helpful if its fitted at the right pitch so as to help keep the exterior clean as it enables the elements such as rainwater to run off the surface naturally. Cleaning roof lights involves working at height which can be very dangerous. Therefore, if you lack the skill and confidence to pull this off, it’s advisable to hire the services of a professional who can guarantee the best results for help. In this article, we aim to give you a good insight into how the roof light cleaning process works. Let’s have a look!

Rooflight Interior Cleaning

✓ Spread plastic under the roof light to catch dirt and spills

✓ Dust to wipe clear all loose dirt and cobwebs.

✓ Use a squeegee with a warm soapy water or any other glass cleaning product to clean the glass ( steer clear of any harsh chemicals or abrasive cleaners)

✓ Dry the roof light with a soft and lint-free cloth.

Rooflight Exterior Cleaning

✓ Access the roof safely with a specialist ladder

✓ Put mild detergent into a bucket and carry up to the roof before filling with warm water from a hosepipe

✓ Use the soapy water and a non-abrasive cloth or squeegee to clean the roof light, its surroundings as well as fixings.