Many roofs across the United States have watermark stains resulting from algae growth. This is because the weather conditions in parts of the United States are often perfect for forming algae. Algae will not actually damage your roof, but it does cause anyone interested in doing business with your company to potentially pass it up instead. 

Algae Vs. Mold

Algae is often mistaken for roof mold, but it is actually a plant. Widespread discoloration on your roof could be caused by mold but it is much more likely to be caused by algae. Algae is often more common than mold and is not dangerous to your health like mold is. However, it is bad for the appearance of your roof.

The Impact of Algae on Your Roof

You are the most likely to encounter algae if you live in a warm and wet climate. The blue-green algae can be removed from your roof, but you might damage your building unless you hire a professional roofing contractor to do it for you.

Even though the algae has a bluish-green color, it covers itself with a shell that will cause your roof to appear stained. This change in color will either be uniform or it will appear as streaks on your roof. These streaks can reduce the effectiveness of a cool roof. Fortunately, there are several methods used by shingle manufacturers to prevent algae from forming.

How to Prevent Algae from Forming

The most traditional method used to stop streaks from forming is to add copper to the granules of the roof. The granules leach copper and this ends up preventing the algae from growing. However, the granules stop leaching copper after a while and the shingles no longer offer protection.

Fortunately, roofing contractors increasingly use shingles that come with special time-release capsules. As a result, your roof can be protected from algae for a much longer period of time than if you were to simply rely on copper.

The time-release capsules still use copper to fight algae. However, they are able to be effective for a much more extended period of time.

Other Prevention Techniques

Once the algae have been removed from your roof and you have taken the steps necessary to apply a protective coating, you will want to make sure that you perform regular maintenance on your roof such as cleaning the drain so that water doesn't form on your flat roof. All of these factors can contribute to the formation of algae on the roof. 

Contact a local commercial roofing company for more info.