Shingle Granules in Your Gutters
Granules collecting in your gutters and downspouts can mean nothing at all, or it can mean someone has taken years off your roof. The amount and the timing tell you which.
What the granules do
The ceramic granules on an asphalt shingle are not decoration. They are the shingle's UV shield, protecting the asphalt underneath from breaking down in sunlight, and they carry much of its fire rating.
Once granules are gone, the exposed asphalt oxidizes fast. In Florida sun, a bare patch will become brittle and start cracking within a couple of seasons.
A shingle that has lost significant granule coverage cannot be repaired. That section of roof is on a shortened clock.
Normal shedding versus real loss
Normal: a light scatter of granules for the first few months after a new roof, as loose manufacturing excess washes off. This tapers away and is nothing to worry about.
Normal: a slow, gradual accumulation over many years as the roof ages naturally.
Not normal: a sudden heavy deposit — enough to see piles in the downspout outlets — especially right after a storm, a roof cleaning, or any work done up there.
Not normal: visible bare or shiny patches on the shingle itself, or dark spots where the asphalt is showing through the granule layer.
The most common cause we see
By a wide margin, sudden granule loss on Central Florida roofs is caused by somebody pressure washing the roof.
High pressure blasts granules off the shingle wholesale. It looks like a dramatic result on the day — the roof is bright and the algae is gone — and it has quietly removed years of roof life.
It also voids most shingle manufacturer warranties. Nearly every major manufacturer specifies low-pressure cleaning only, and a pressure-washed roof gives them a straightforward reason to decline a claim.
If a contractor proposes pressure washing your roof, that is the moment to stop the job.
What we do instead
We only soft wash roofs. Low pressure, no more force than a garden hose, with the cleaning solution doing the work. Granules stay where the manufacturer put them.
If we find existing granule loss while we are up there, we will tell you and show you photos. We are not roofers and will not try to sell you a roof — but you should know what condition yours is in.
Where a roof is already too far gone to clean safely, we will say so rather than take the job. Washing a failing roof does not help you and can make the failure worse.
Questions we get about this
Is it normal to find some granules in the gutters?
Does soft washing cause granule loss?
My roof was pressure washed — what now?
Will you clean a roof that is already losing granules?
Related: Soft washing explained · Black streaks on your roof · all FAQs