Mold Under Solar Panels

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Solar Panels on Shingle Roof

Solar Panels on Shingle Roof

Jack, a long-time customer who is a routine user of our Roof Armor roof stain preventative treatment, recently contacted us to ask a question about a problem he was facing. Jack cleaned his roof years ago with Roof QSE 1500, but Jack only cleaned the north facing portions of the roof because that was the side on which the stains, black streaks caused by mold and algae, were most readily visible. Roof staining is most commonly encountered on the north facing sides of homes because it is the side that receives the least amount of sun. Mold and algae on roofs, much like moss on tree trunks, tends to grow best out of direct sunlight.

To keep the stains from returning, Jack consistently applies Roof Armor, which is powered by MoldStat, yearly, as directed, and he has not experienced a return of ugly roof stains on the north side of his home. Jack also installed solar panels on the south side of his home several years ago, at which time the south roof was still clean, at least as far as Jack could see. Recently, he looked under the solar panels and was shocked and dismayed to discover that significant amounts of algae and mold were growing under the panels on the south side. He contacted us to ask what the best solution would be to this new problem.

We explained to Jack that what had happened was that although he couldn’t see the roof mold and algae back when he cleaned only the north side of the roof, it was certainly still there. The installation of the solar panels created a shaded environment, out of the direct sunlight which can help inhibit the growth of roof mold and algae, which allowed the stains the thrive and grow. The problem now was how to get rid of the stains without removing the solar panels to clean the roof.

The solution we proposed to Jack was to use the Roof Armor on the south side of the roof for both cleaning as well as the prevention of future staining. Roof Armor is a cleaner but it is slower acting than either Roof QSE or Roof OX. However, Jack would never be able to adequately rinse under the solar panels and rinsing is absolutely required for success with Roof QSE and Roof OX. We don’t usually recommend Roof Armor for an initial cleaning but in this case it was the best solution. The Roof Armor could and would kill the mold and algae and over time rain will rinse the dead material away. Roof Armor is able to work as a preventative exactly because it kills the mold and algae you can’t see before it can cause a stain that is visible.