Jet washing rosemary clay roof tile; worth it?

Zak111

Hi all,

I have read that jet washing concrete tiles not advisable. Just wanted to get a view if it’s ok to power wash the rosemary clay roof tile which are really dirty. I know that clay roof tiles meant to last donkeys year and have been advised that these are very costly to replace but cleaning them would make the like new. As these are made from clay burnt in the kiln and are quite strong meant to last for very long period compared to concrete tile and also nonporous and might be ideal for jet washing. Any advice to go for or not . If not what other alternatives are there. Replacing roof or leaving as is not the option so must get clean. Roof size 100sq meter so very large roof

DaftyDuck

No.........,........

Davesnave

Jet washing roofs is a bonkers activity, apparently popular in certain parts of the realm with a certain type of person. Making the tiles 'look new' seems to be the objective, but that doesn't confer any practical advantage I'm aware of.

I lightly hand-cleaned some concrete tiles on my bungalow when I re-battened it, because they had lumps of moss adhering, but to be honest, it didn't make me feel better, just helped them to sit correctly in a different location.

And I don't know where you got the idea that clay tiles last longer than concrete, because where I lived before, it was the people with clay tiles who were replacing roofs, while those of us with concrete on similarly aged houses, weren't.

Grenage

God, no; don't do it. Roofs get first - don't try and clean it. Why on earth would leaving the roof alone not be an option?

Doozergirl

Leaving it alone is 100% a fabulous idea. Nobody intentionally subjects their roof to a hurricane (or worse) which is what you'd be doing.

A tiled roof isn't impervious - many roofs rely to a degree on the membrane underneath for waterproofing and you're planning on sending a jet of pressurised water the wrong way up the gaps? Different tiles are designed to work to different pitches. Clay tiles need a steeper pitch because they don't fit together that tightly. If you've got brittle membrane under there, or none even, you're going to give the loft/timbers a good soaking.

You've also got a good chance of loosening the nails and lifting any looser tiles with the pressure, ruining the roof.

Hair-brained idea. Nobody needs to clean their roof tiles - literally, no one. In 20 years of renovating, it's never occurred to me or anyone I work with. Have you ever seen anyone jet washing a roof? Age adds character.