Pressure washing a roof - why?

vic_sf49

Is pressure washing a roof the latest trend (scam)? I keep seeing adverts from local companies offering this, and just don't get it.

Around here in 'Bungalow land' as I call it, are hundreds of, err, well yes you've guessed it, bungalows, all built in the late 60s early 70s. After a quick t'interweb search, the roof tiles look to be the concrete interlocking type. Would the pressure washing not harm the tiles, more than it'd help. And it's a roof. It has moss and looks suitably aged. Bizarre!

Does this now replace the 'get your roof painted to protect it' guff, where the painter walks endlessly across said roof while applying the stuff (I watched them do a neighbouring property)?

Section62

vic_sf49 said:

Is pressure washing a roof the latest trend (scam)? I keep seeing adverts from local companies offering this, and just don't get it.

Around here in 'Bungalow land' as I call it, are hundreds of, err, well yes you've guessed it, bungalows, all built in the late 60s early 70s. After a quick t'interweb search, the roof tiles look to be the concrete interlocking type. Would the pressure washing not harm the tiles, more than it'd help. And it's a roof. It has moss and looks suitably aged. Bizarre!

Does this now replace the 'get your roof painted to protect it' guff, where the painter walks endlessly across said roof while applying the stuff (I watched them do a neighbouring property)?

Yes. (although it has been around for a while)

Ebe_Scrooge

Yep, I agree, to my mind it's a total scam.  Well, perhaps not a scam as such, but totally unnecessary.  Firstly, moss does no harm whatsoever to a roof.  Yes, it's a slight inconvenience when it falls into the gutters, but that's easily cleaned out.  And secondly, I can't believe that pressure-washing a roof doesn't damage it. 

There's a company round here that keeps knocking on the door.  A couple of years ago, my elderly in-laws were persuaded to have a "survey and quote" done.  I made sure I was with them when the guy came around.  He had a look, spouted off loads of dire warnings about how the roof was "heavily infested" with moss, and it had to be cleaned.  Then came the killer - £6000.  For a 2-bed bungalow.  I showed him the door sharpish, I can tell you.  Preying on the elderly like that, my blood was boiling.  I did say to the in-laws, if they really wanted the moss scraping off, I could do it for them myself in a day with a ladder and a paint-scraper.

OK, their price did include painting it with some magic fairy-dust that would stop any more moss coming back, guaranteed for 25 years.  A likely story

TELLIT01

My new(ish) neighbour has a mate who apparently does this.  He's asked me if I'm interested in having mine done when he has his done.  I'm not!

davemorton

Ebe_Scrooge said:

Yep, I agree, to my mind it's a total scam.  Well, perhaps not a scam as such, but totally unnecessary.  Firstly, moss does no harm whatsoever to a roof.  Yes, it's a slight inconvenience when it falls into the gutters, but that's easily cleaned out.  And secondly, I can't believe that pressure-washing a roof doesn't damage it. 

There's a company round here that keeps knocking on the door.  A couple of years ago, my elderly in-laws were persuaded to have a "survey and quote" done.  I made sure I was with them when the guy came around.  He had a look, spouted off loads of dire warnings about how the roof was "heavily infested" with moss, and it had to be cleaned.  Then came the killer - £6000.  For a 2-bed bungalow.  I showed him the door sharpish, I can tell you.  Preying on the elderly like that, my blood was boiling.  I did say to the in-laws, if they really wanted the moss scraping off, I could do it for them myself in a day with a ladder and a paint-scraper.

OK, their price did include painting it with some magic fairy-dust that would stop any more moss coming back, guaranteed for 25 years.  A likely story

£6K!!!  You could get a new roof for that much.

Ebe_Scrooge

davemorton said:

Ebe_Scrooge said:

Yep, I agree, to my mind it's a total scam.  Well, perhaps not a scam as such, but totally unnecessary.  Firstly, moss does no harm whatsoever to a roof.  Yes, it's a slight inconvenience when it falls into the gutters, but that's easily cleaned out.  And secondly, I can't believe that pressure-washing a roof doesn't damage it. 

There's a company round here that keeps knocking on the door.  A couple of years ago, my elderly in-laws were persuaded to have a "survey and quote" done.  I made sure I was with them when the guy came around.  He had a look, spouted off loads of dire warnings about how the roof was "heavily infested" with moss, and it had to be cleaned.  Then came the killer - £6000.  For a 2-bed bungalow.  I showed him the door sharpish, I can tell you.  Preying on the elderly like that, my blood was boiling.  I did say to the in-laws, if they really wanted the moss scraping off, I could do it for them myself in a day with a ladder and a paint-scraper.

OK, their price did include painting it with some magic fairy-dust that would stop any more moss coming back, guaranteed for 25 years.  A likely story

£6K!!!  You could get a new roof for that much.

That was my reaction!  They did give it the real hard-sell tactics, I'm just glad I made sure I was there with the in-laws - I'm sure they could have well fallen for it.  Strangely, there are a few people in the village who've had it done, seems like a total waste to me.

Oh yes, the other thing that bothered me - the guy said that if he could put up a big advertising sign outside the house when they'd finished, they'd knock about a thousand quid off the price.  That kind of thing always makes me suspicious - as if I wasn't sceptical enough to begin with.

vic_sf49

£6k. Wow, the mind boggles. And yes, I'd want a new roof for that.

No-one has been around selling the jet washing door-to-door yet, as far as I know, but give it time.

The ones with the painted roof, or whatever it is, stick out like like a badly fitting toupee, that doesn't match the rest of the hair colour.

At least the roof painting people have disappeared for now, along with the 'we'll paint the brick walls of your bungalow, with more magic stuff to waterproof them'. Sheesh.

Norman_Castle

About 15 years ago a large Victorian house opposite mine had its roof jet washed. Fortunately their trainers had good grip as it would have been a long way to fall. If they had its unlikely their low vis tracksuits would have helped. As well as being roofing experts they also happened to be tree surgeons who cut all the branches of a mature Copper Beech about halfway along their length, obviously carefully judged, not just based on thats what they could reach. The tree was left an eyesore and has died over the last 10 years, its remains were removed last year.

Disgraceful people conning the unwary.

Norman_Castle

Ebe_Scrooge said:

davemorton said:

Ebe_Scrooge said:

Yep, I agree, to my mind it's a total scam.  Well, perhaps not a scam as such, but totally unnecessary.  Firstly, moss does no harm whatsoever to a roof.  Yes, it's a slight inconvenience when it falls into the gutters, but that's easily cleaned out.  And secondly, I can't believe that pressure-washing a roof doesn't damage it. 

There's a company round here that keeps knocking on the door.  A couple of years ago, my elderly in-laws were persuaded to have a "survey and quote" done.  I made sure I was with them when the guy came around.  He had a look, spouted off loads of dire warnings about how the roof was "heavily infested" with moss, and it had to be cleaned.  Then came the killer - £6000.  For a 2-bed bungalow.  I showed him the door sharpish, I can tell you.  Preying on the elderly like that, my blood was boiling.  I did say to the in-laws, if they really wanted the moss scraping off, I could do it for them myself in a day with a ladder and a paint-scraper.

OK, their price did include painting it with some magic fairy-dust that would stop any more moss coming back, guaranteed for 25 years.  A likely story

£6K!!!  You could get a new roof for that much.

Oh yes, the other thing that bothered me - the guy said that if he could put up a big advertising sign outside the house when they'd finished, they'd knock about a thousand quid off the price.  That kind of thing always makes me suspicious - as if I wasn't sceptical enough to begin with.

Years ago my dad had his widows replaced by a large window company. The work was left unfinished and they kept failing to return so he put a large sign at the front of the property naming them and listing the problems. They weren't amused but did return to finish the work they'd been paid to do.

Personally if I lived in "bungalowland" I'd be warning everyone about these scammers.

twopenny

A few years ago there was a nice young man who did it manually. Hard graft but he did a good job. It also meant he didn't cause damage. But I did wonder what the point was because it would grow back.

The pressure washer would possibily damage concrete filler, pegs etc - don't remember the terminology.

I've moved to a mini bungalow estate and watched a certain 'builder' take a whole day to wash and polish (yep) the guttering and facias. Minium effort, maximum profit.

He also insisted that he had to hire a pressure washer to clean out a leaking joint. That went on for nearly an hour and 3/4 days work.

They pick on the elderly ladies and make them anxious then grateful and it gets my hackles up.

 And I can't say anything!

plumb1_2

Scum scammers imo