chemical to kill moss on a roof??

duckeggblue

wE HAVE BOUGHT A 1950 HOUSE AND SURVEYOR NOTED A LOT OF MOSS ON THE ROOF oops caps ,thick lumps of it.

have been told that it wouldnt be a good thing to get someone to walk on it,and pressuring washing is not a good idea,its a high roof.What can we do? is there a cemical?

if we leave it the dampness could affect the roof

iamcornholio

duckeggblue wrote: »

if we leave it the dampness could affect the roof

I don't think so ... after all a roof is designed to keep damp out.

A copper based fungicide will work for about five minutes, but lichen will return and keep returning.

A long term solution to to stretch copper (or zinc IIRC) wires or strips across the whole roof

maninthestreet

Moss on a roof is only a cosmetic problem - its presence does not affect the lifespan of a tiled roof.

CharlieBilly

You can fit copper strips. Also oxygen bleach will kill moss and is safe to use although probably no good on this occasion I use it on our flat north facing roof once a year, I agree its really only cosmetic

duckeggblue

from my homebuyers report"-there are heavy moss and lichen accumulations which will need to be removed from time to time as they can damage the tile surfaces and block the gutters.There is a particularly heavy build up off moss along the line of the rear valley gutter."

googler

If there's clumps of it, it should be fairly easy for someone with a ladder and a long stick or brush to dislodge them.

Alternatively, a low-pressure wash with Jeyes Fluid or similar may do the trick, applied by a long-arm pipe & brush.

maninthestreet

Never heard of moss damaging tiles.

Horlock

We're suffering from the same - but our roof isn't so high. I've climbed up a ladder myself and scrapped off the 8 tiles or so worth, but I got scarred (I don't like heights) so didn't go any higher (may do it again if I get a proper roof ladder). I used the pipes I use for chimney sweeping. Note I wouldn't recommend walking on the tiles themselves but if you get a roof ladder you shouldn't have any problems.

duckeggblue

thanks-ididn't even know there was such a thing as a roof ladder.
We have a friend who does pressure washing for a living and he said pressure washing the roof could damage the felt.He also said that we shouldnt get people walking on the tiles-though there are some companies who will do this.
so i am now thinking about maybe roof ladder,long brush or pole (got a window cleaner coming tommorrow) and spraying a chemical with something lower pressure than a pressure washer,also there are asbestos gutters at the mo,and as i dont know how firmly fixed they are,i am trying to avoid leaning a ladder against them.

phill99

I wouldn't worry about it. This is just surveyors covering their backs.

iamcornholio

Pressure washing a roof will take the surface off the tiles leading to lichen to grow back sooner and more extensive (due to more pores available in the tile surface) and will shorten the tile's life.

In addition it will make one almighty mess as the stuff is blasted everywhere.

It really is not worth the time, trouble and expense - and definitely not worth the risk of balancing off a ladder for. Once you start cleaning it, subsequent cleaning becomes more frequent too