Power Hosing A Roof

Rockman

Hi

I am planning to paint the outside of my house shortly. I have quite a lot of moss on my roof and and as it is very unsightly I would like to remove it before I start the painting. I was thinking about power hosing the roof but seem to remember reading somewhere that this can cause quite a bit of damage to the tiles and joints.


Can anyone advise if power hosing will cause much damage to the tiles? If the moss is not removed will it eventually cause damage to the tiles and joints? Are there other alternatives/products which can be used to get rid of the moss which will not damage the tiles?

Thanks for any help you can give.

phead

Don't jetwash, it will break things and get under the tiles.

Moss won't cause any damage, if you can live with it then leave it alone. Otherwise spray with a copper sulphate solution, and scrape off. You will need to keep spraying to stop it reappearing again though.

the_matrix

I went up and scrapped the moss off with a broomstick.

Jetting will cause damage. Best not to.

Mojisola

The birds scrape a lot of moss off our roof when they start nesting.

nickj_2

if your roof suffers from a lot of moss the you can use a hedgehog gutter brusk to stop the moss clogging the gutters up

Furts

nickj wrote: »

if your roof suffers from a lot of moss the you can use a hedgehog gutter brusk to stop the moss clogging the gutters up

I am sorry if this comment causes controversy...but I maintain these products are a bad idea. A gutter should be kept clean and free flowing, it flows under gravity on very shallow falls, with no design for increased weight in the gutter caused by a hedgehog.

Before anyone shoots me down on this...consider a drain. This is also designed to be kept clean and free flowing. The difference between a drain and a gutter is a drain is an enclosed gutter, or a gutter with a roof on it.

Would you put a hedgehog up your drains and still expect them to flow properly? Of course, the answer is no.

Hoof_Hearted

Well I wanted to get the moss off my roof a few years back, mainly because it was blocking gutters and downpipes. I didn'y use a jetwash but a strong hose jet. Did a lovely job and it works as long as your roof is in good condition and you hose downwards BUT what a mess! It took me longer to clean the carp around the house than it did to wash the roof. Much better to use a scraper.

elver_man

Many of my customers enquire about clearing moss, lichen or Algae from their roof and I will allways recommend hand brushing the moss off then treating with a algaecide / fungicide.

Personaly i dont use anything to cover gutters such as hedgehog or grills, much rather clear the gutters regularly twice a year

nickj_2

Furts wrote: »

I am sorry if this comment causes controversy...but I maintain these products are a bad idea. A gutter should be kept clean and free flowing, it flows under gravity on very shallow falls, with no design for increased weight in the gutter caused by a hedgehog.

Before anyone shoots me down on this...consider a drain. This is also designed to be kept clean and free flowing. The difference between a drain and a gutter is a drain is an enclosed gutter, or a gutter with a roof on it.

Would you put a hedgehog up your drains and still expect them to flow properly? Of course, the answer is no.

the weight of a hedgehog is nothing compared to the weight of some of the gutters i've cleaned out which are full of crud , which in turn stops the water from flowing

Furts

nickj wrote: »

the weight of a hedgehog is nothing compared to the weight of some of the gutters i've cleaned out which are full of crud , which in turn stops the water from flowing

I agree, but the answer is not a hedgehog that collects the moss, and allows sand and grit to build up. This is simply moving the moss from the gutter into the hedgehog. Ultimately the hedgehog will block, just like the gutter, and the water will run over the hedgehog and down the walls...just like a blocked gutter!

The hedgehogs are marketed as a solution, when all they do, at best, delay the inevitable overflowing...whilst the home owner has paid the cost of purchase and installation. The product is modern day snake oil.

I am suggesting the costs of the hedgehogs be saved. Instead the money is spent on the real issue, which is maintaining the gutters.

jonnyb1978

elver_man wrote: »

Many of my customers enquire about clearing moss, lichen or Algae from their roof and I will allways recommend hand brushing the moss off then treating with a algaecide / fungicide.

Personaly i dont use anything to cover gutters such as hedgehog or grills, much rather clear the gutters regularly twice a year

As above. Stay away from the gimmicky cowboys of jetwashing.

Good old elbow grease!