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 and don't want to end up with a massive bill to sort out the roof.


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? How much will the alternatives cost?

Thanks for any help you can give.

saverbuyer

Rockman wrote: »

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 and don't want to end up with a massive bill to sort out the roof.


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? How much will the alternatives cost?

Thanks for any help you can give.

I remember reading (on here a few weeks back, worth a search) you should never ever power hose your roof. Tiles also need to be resealed with a special sealant after cleaning.

OneStepBeyond

If you are going to get your roof cleaned make sure you get someone who knows what they are doing there are definitely some cowboys about.

I recently used a company called Eco Seal NI (their details can be found at ecosealni.com) to clean my roof and was very happy with their work. They removed all the moss and muck from the roof, cleaned out the gutters, carried out any necessary roof repairs before resealing the tiles. They also did a great job of cleaning up afterwards (they made sure my property and my neighbours' properties were muck free after all the crap had come off my roof!!)

warmhands.coldheart

Never power hose a roof.!!!! At best hard brush or scrape any moss/dirt off but never Powerhose

WestonDave

I wouldn't bother - its not doing any harm and unless its treated with some form of moss killer it will be back by next winter. The biggest pain ours causes is the birds throwing it off the roof after they've hunted for insects under it!

Ticked

Could spray with weak bleach or dilute copper sulphate. Anyone else got thoughts on this method?

SandLake

OneStepBeyond wrote: »

If you are going to get your roof cleaned make sure you get someone who knows what they are doing there are definitely some cowboys about.

I recently used a company called Eco Seal NI (their details can be found at ecosealni.com) to clean my roof and was very happy with their work. They removed all the moss and muck from the roof, cleaned out the gutters, carried out any necessary roof repairs before resealing the tiles. They also did a great job of cleaning up afterwards (they made sure my property and my neighbours' properties were muck free after all the crap had come off my roof!!)

Tell us more details, and how much did they charge?

mezza101

mugs game power hosing a roof, wouldnt worry about some moss but would make sure your gutters are cleaned out

Harmony-

Depending on the type of tile for example the preferred method for a concrete tile is a low-pressure power wash with a fungicidal detergent. It's the only way to completely remove the moss from your roof. It is perfectly normal to power wash a roof, some people have a perception that it will damage the tiles on your roof, this is nonsense. A roof tile has a life span of 100 years and will weather through time, no more damage from a low pressure power washer than from the weather over time. More damage can be done by walking on your roof. However if you want the moss removed completely have it done by a roofing specialist and a reputable company who can carry out repairs to your roof also. The pointing on your roof will start to break and crack over time caused by moss growth and severe weather, this can be detrimental on its own. I would also strongly recommend you have it sealed with an ISO roof sealant product to inhibit moss and algae growth after treatment. There are companies out there who have scientifically tested these products for over 40 years.

robin3425

You only get moss if the tiles become porous, usually on concrete tiles but. Sometimes on clay tiles when they are either old or they were not fired enough and are a bit soft. I would not jet wash concrete tiles, one reason is that any repairs that have been done will stick out like a sore thumb also there is probably none of the original colour left on the face of the tiles and that really does look bad. Moss on a clay tiled roof is a bit of an issue as this is wet most of the time in the winter so frost then destroys the tiles, this does not happen quite so much with concrete. Horrible job but if you want it cleaned it needs to be scraped and brushed, expensive because it takes an age and nobody wants to do it, I know I won't do anymore

robin3425

Could use a sealant but probably won't last long.