Roof soft washing in North Beach

How it normally gets spotted

• Black streaks running down the shingles, usually worst below a chimney or a vent
• Dark patches on the north slope while the south slope still looks new
• Moss or lichen sitting in the shingle courses on a shaded roof

Why this comes up in North Beach

Here is what makes North Beach particular: the island is thin here and most lots front either the ocean or the bay directly, so exposure is unusually direct in both directions. There is little in front of an oceanfront house to break the spray, and little behind a bayfront one to break the damp.

North Beach is a quiet, very narrow section of Long Beach Township between Loveladies and Harvey Cedars, with almost no commercial frontage, and that shapes what turns up on these walls.

Practicalities in North Beach

Few side streets and long driveways off the Boulevard. Staging is generally straightforward, but the working faces of these houses are the water elevations, which are the hardest to reach on any of them.

Any permit for this runs through Long Beach Township. State registration has to be current before one is issued.

What the work involves

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.