Roof soft washing in Barnegat Light

The signs that bring this up

• Moss or lichen sitting in the shingle courses on a shaded roof
• A neighbour's roof cleaned last year that still looks clean, next to yours that does not
• Black streaks running down the shingles, usually worst below a chimney or a vent

Why this comes up in Barnegat Light

Nothing on the island takes more raw salt than this end of it. The inlet keeps wind moving across the borough almost constantly, and the spray it carries reaches inland streets that on the rest of the island would be sheltered. Glass here goes hazy within days and the northern and eastern elevations of a house carry a visible chloride film for most of the year. That is the context any crew working in Barnegat Light is dealing with.

Barnegat Light is the borough at the very northern tip of the island, wrapped around Barnegat Inlet and a working fishing harbour, and that shapes what turns up on these walls.

Getting the work done in Barnegat Light

Streets are short and run inlet to bay, so a rig can usually be set up close to the work. Parking near the Viking Village docks is the exception, and in scallop season the commercial traffic on Bayview Avenue decides what time of day a crew can be there at all.

Barnegat Light handles permitting for work at this address.

How this is done properly

The black streaking is a cyanobacteria, Gloeocapsa magma, that feeds on limestone filler in asphalt shingles. The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association's guidance is low pressure and a cleaning solution; pressure washing strips granules and is excluded under most shingle warranties. Ask what pressure the crew works at and what they do to protect the gutters, plantings and the run-off path before they start.