• Re: Roof cleaning

    From alan_m@21:1/5 to Marland on Wed Feb 19 11:14:35 2025
    On 19/02/2025 10:19, Marland wrote:

    Seem to be quite a few small business setting up to do this, now I am all
    for young people setting themselves up in their own business when other
    paths of income are no longer available but in all honestly why , Solar panels may benefit from a wash every so often to remove encrusted bird muck but an ordinary roof? We’ve had roofs for thousands of years without needing to have them cleaned,
    OK sometimes moss grows but it usually dries and falls off in Summer.

    The problem with moss and some roofing materials is that the moss
    doesn't necessarily die off in the summer, it depends on location,
    location, location :) The moss gets in all the small cracks and acts
    like a sponge. In winter the water held by the moss expands and starts
    spalling of parts of the tile.


    Is it just to impress the neighbours , I don’t know anyone who travels around looking and judging people by their roofs or feels their house is dirty because of the state of theirs Maybe I’m out of touch.

    While some of the cleaning may be to impress I've seen a few youtube
    videos where the amount of moss removed from a small(ish) roof has been massive.

    I did see one video where someone new to the game of cleaning roofs
    managed to get a lot of water in the loft space :( It's not just using
    turning on a pressure washer full pelt but also the technique and
    understanding what is being cleaned :)

    On the back of my house I have sections of the roof which doesn't get
    very much direct sunlight and is in shade all winter and most of the day
    in summer. I do get a problem with quite a lot of moss growing on my
    concrete tiles in this area. My solution is a garden sprayer, diluted
    BAC50 and soaking the roof every two to three years. This kills off the
    moss and a few heavy rain storms in the following months will wash the
    dead moss from te roof. The diluted BAC50 seems to keep the growth of
    moss at bay for 2/3 years.



    --
    mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

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  • From Marland@21:1/5 to All on Wed Feb 19 10:19:04 2025
    Seem to be quite a few small business setting up to do this, now I am all
    for young people setting themselves up in their own business when other
    paths of income are no longer available but in all honestly why , Solar
    panels may benefit from a wash every so often to remove encrusted bird muck
    but an ordinary roof? We’ve had roofs for thousands of years without needing to have them cleaned,
    OK sometimes moss grows but it usually dries and falls off in Summer.

    Is it just to impress the neighbours , I don’t know anyone who travels
    around looking and judging people by their roofs or feels their house is
    dirty because of the state of theirs Maybe I’m out of touch.

    GH

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  • From Andy Burns@21:1/5 to Marland on Wed Feb 19 11:01:10 2025
    Marland wrote:

    OK sometimes moss grows but it usually dries and falls off in Summer.

    Over last decade or so, level of moss has got much higher (could be lack
    of sulphur from coal burning, or other factors?) and emptying gutters of
    moss has become practically an annual job, to avoid overflow during
    downpours.

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  • From Spike@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Wed Feb 19 11:53:09 2025
    alan_m <[email protected]> wrote:

    I do get a problem with quite a lot of moss growing on my
    concrete tiles in this area. My solution is a garden sprayer, diluted
    BAC50 and soaking the roof every two to three years. This kills off the
    moss and a few heavy rain storms in the following months will wash the
    dead moss from te roof. The diluted BAC50 seems to keep the growth of
    moss at bay for 2/3 years.

    What dilution do you use for the BAC?

    I have an area prone to moss, and I’d like it killed off…

    --
    Spike

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  • From Tim Streater@21:1/5 to Marland on Wed Feb 19 14:43:30 2025
    On 19 Feb 2025 at 10:19:04 GMT, "Marland" <[email protected]> wrote:

    Seem to be quite a few small business setting up to do this, now I am all
    for young people setting themselves up in their own business when other
    paths of income are no longer available but in all honestly why , Solar panels may benefit from a wash every so often to remove encrusted bird muck but an ordinary roof? We’ve had roofs for thousands of years without needing to have them cleaned,
    OK sometimes moss grows but it usually dries and falls off in Summer.

    Is it just to impress the neighbours , I don’t know anyone who travels around looking and judging people by their roofs or feels their house is dirty because of the state of theirs Maybe I’m out of touch.

    We had ours done a few years ago. The people who did it had prevously done a good job of replacing the timbers and lead in a leaking gulley in the roof
    here (the original work didn't include provision for the lead expanding in summer, so after 20 years, the lead cracked and started leaking).

    The roof was cleaned with a high-pressure spray, a number of ridge tiles were re-cemented into place, and all the roof timbers checked for rot. In addition, two coats of some moss repellent were applied all over.

    Roof looks much nicer now, too.

    --
    "Freedom is sloppy. But since tyranny's the only guaranteed byproduct of those who insist on a perfect world, freedom will have to do." -- Bigby Wolf

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  • From nib@21:1/5 to Tim Streater on Wed Feb 19 15:06:04 2025
    On 2025-02-19 14:43, Tim Streater wrote:
    On 19 Feb 2025 at 10:19:04 GMT, "Marland" <[email protected]> wrote:

    Seem to be quite a few small business setting up to do this, now I am all
    for young people setting themselves up in their own business when other
    paths of income are no longer available but in all honestly why , Solar
    panels may benefit from a wash every so often to remove encrusted bird muck >> but an ordinary roof? We’ve had roofs for thousands of years without
    needing to have them cleaned,
    OK sometimes moss grows but it usually dries and falls off in Summer.

    Is it just to impress the neighbours , I don’t know anyone who travels
    around looking and judging people by their roofs or feels their house is
    dirty because of the state of theirs Maybe I’m out of touch.

    We had ours done a few years ago. The people who did it had prevously done a good job of replacing the timbers and lead in a leaking gulley in the roof here (the original work didn't include provision for the lead expanding in summer, so after 20 years, the lead cracked and started leaking).

    The roof was cleaned with a high-pressure spray, a number of ridge tiles were re-cemented into place, and all the roof timbers checked for rot. In addition,
    two coats of some moss repellent were applied all over.

    Roof looks much nicer now, too.


    The other half of our semi had their roof cleaned 4.5 years ago while
    ours was untouched. Until late last year they looked obviously different
    but now they are indistinguishable. Is that about the right interval?

    nib

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  • From alan_m@21:1/5 to Spike on Wed Feb 19 15:20:07 2025
    On 19/02/2025 11:53, Spike wrote:
    alan_m <[email protected]> wrote:

    I do get a problem with quite a lot of moss growing on my
    concrete tiles in this area. My solution is a garden sprayer, diluted
    BAC50 and soaking the roof every two to three years. This kills off the
    moss and a few heavy rain storms in the following months will wash the
    dead moss from te roof. The diluted BAC50 seems to keep the growth of
    moss at bay for 2/3 years.

    What dilution do you use for the BAC?

    I have an area prone to moss, and I’d like it killed off…


    I use approx 10:1, Water:BAC50. Spray and let it dry. Don't tread in it
    and walk it to other areas until its dry. I tend to wait for a dry sunny
    day with no wind to spray.

    The moss will die and turn brown within a day and then turn into a
    powdery like substance over a few weeks but may take a month or two of
    natural weathering before you get a clean surface

    --
    mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

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  • From Andy Burns@21:1/5 to Marland on Wed Feb 19 17:30:02 2025
    Marland wrote:

    wasn’t there a contributor to this group around 20 years ago who
    ran a business supplying ridge tile shaped sheets of copper that
    were intended to produce a run off when it rained that inhibited
    moss growth

    I thought it only needed a bare copper wire, not a whole sheet?

    I wish I'd done it 10 or 20 years ago when I was happy enough to
    scrabble about on the roof, now I'd probably do a Rod Hull.

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  • From Marland@21:1/5 to Andy Burns on Wed Feb 19 17:23:16 2025
    Andy Burns <[email protected]> wrote:
    Marland wrote:

    OK sometimes moss grows but it usually dries and falls off in Summer.

    Over last decade or so, level of moss has got much higher (could be lack
    of sulphur from coal burning, or other factors?) and emptying gutters of
    moss has become practically an annual job, to avoid overflow during downpours.


    Thinking about it wasn’t there a contributor to this group around 20 years ago who ran a business supplying ridge tile shaped sheets of copper that
    were intended to produce a run off when it rained that inhibited moss
    growth . I think she was based in Scotland.

    GH

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  • From Sam Plusnet@21:1/5 to Andy Burns on Wed Feb 19 18:42:14 2025
    On 19/02/2025 11:01, Andy Burns wrote:
    Marland wrote:

    OK sometimes moss grows but it usually dries and falls off in Summer.

    Over last decade or so, level of moss has got much higher (could be lack
    of sulphur from coal burning, or other factors?) and emptying gutters of
    moss has become practically an annual job, to avoid overflow during downpours.

    It's a d@mn sight more often that "annual" here.
    Every time we have a major downpour, a fresh lot of moss is dislodged
    and ends up in the guttering.

    --
    Sam Plusnet

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  • From Andrew@21:1/5 to All on Wed Feb 19 18:50:21 2025
    On 19/02/2025 15:20, alan_m wrote:
    On 19/02/2025 11:53, Spike wrote:
    alan_m <[email protected]> wrote:

    I do get a problem with quite a lot of moss growing on my
    concrete tiles in this area. My solution is a garden sprayer, diluted
    BAC50 and soaking the roof every two to three years.  This kills off the >>> moss and a few heavy rain storms in the following months will wash the
    dead moss from te roof. The diluted BAC50 seems to keep the growth of
    moss at bay for 2/3 years.

    What dilution do you use for the BAC?

    I have an area prone to moss, and I’d like it killed off…


    I use approx 10:1, Water:BAC50. Spray and let it dry. Don't tread in it
    and walk it to other areas until its dry. I tend to wait for a dry sunny
    day with no wind to spray.

    The moss will die and turn brown within a day and then turn into a
    powdery like substance over a few weeks but may take a month or two of natural weathering before you get a clean surface


    Yuk. Benzalkonium Chloride, used as a preservative in a variety
    of ocular-use medications like COSOPT and Latanoprost.

    You don't want to get that stuff in your eyes in case you
    sensitize yourself to it and ever need to use ocular eye drops
    in future.

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  • From Andrew@21:1/5 to nib on Wed Feb 19 19:02:57 2025
    On 19/02/2025 15:06, nib wrote:
    On 2025-02-19 14:43, Tim Streater wrote:
    On 19 Feb 2025 at 10:19:04 GMT, "Marland" <[email protected]>
    wrote:

    Seem to be quite a few small business setting up to do this, now I am
    all
    for young people setting themselves up in their own business when other
    paths of income are no longer available but in all honestly why , Solar
    panels may benefit from a wash every so often to remove encrusted
    bird muck
    but an ordinary roof?   We’ve had roofs  for thousands of years without
    needing to have them cleaned,
    OK sometimes moss grows but it usually dries and falls off in Summer.

    Is it just to impress the neighbours , I don’t know anyone who travels >>> around looking and judging people by their roofs or feels their house is >>> dirty because of the state of theirs Maybe I’m out of touch.

    We had ours done a few years ago. The people who did it had prevously
    done a
    good job of replacing the timbers and lead in a leaking gulley in the
    roof
    here (the original work didn't include provision for the lead
    expanding in
    summer, so after 20 years, the lead cracked and started leaking).

    The roof was cleaned with a high-pressure spray, a number of ridge
    tiles were
    re-cemented into place, and all the roof timbers checked for rot. In
    addition,
    two coats of some moss repellent were applied all over.

    Roof looks much nicer now, too.


    The other half of our semi had their roof cleaned 4.5 years ago while
    ours was untouched. Until late last year they looked obviously different
    but now they are indistinguishable. Is that about the right interval?

    nib

    Two houses opposite me had this done about 8 years ago and they still
    look clean compared to neighbours. Maybe it helps that both houses
    have east-west roofs so plenty of sunlight on both sides.

    Mine is North-South, great for solar PV but the North flank gets very
    little sun and inside the loft it suffers from condensation when the
    weather turns from mild/muggy to below zero as we go from late autumn
    to winter.

    My problem is the gang of Rooks who peck away at the moss looking for
    insects every morning. Then the wind blows the dislodged lumps of
    moss off.

    It is noticeable how much grit is now being lost from these Marley
    Modern flat files (1976), after every gale and a couple of houses
    have been re-roofed

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  • From Tim Streater@21:1/5 to Sam Plusnet on Wed Feb 19 19:19:11 2025
    On 19 Feb 2025 at 18:42:14 GMT, "Sam Plusnet" <[email protected]> wrote:

    On 19/02/2025 11:01, Andy Burns wrote:
    Marland wrote:

    OK sometimes moss grows but it usually dries and falls off in Summer.

    Over last decade or so, level of moss has got much higher (could be lack
    of sulphur from coal burning, or other factors?) and emptying gutters of
    moss has become practically an annual job, to avoid overflow during
    downpours.

    It's a d@mn sight more often that "annual" here.
    Every time we have a major downpour, a fresh lot of moss is dislodged
    and ends up in the guttering.

    Another reason why I had it done.

    --
    The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.

    HL Mencken

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  • From Andy Burns@21:1/5 to Sam Plusnet on Wed Feb 19 20:58:19 2025
    Sam Plusnet wrote:

    Andy Burns wrote:
    emptying
    gutters of moss has become practically an annual job, to avoid
    overflow during downpours.

    It's a d@mn sight more often that "annual" here.
    Every time we have a major downpour, a fresh lot of moss is dislodged
    and ends up in the guttering.

    I've fitted a "hatch" similar to this in my downpipe and should be able
    to get some drain rods (or at least electricians fishing rods) up to
    poke moss out of the gooseneck it usually blocks in.

    <https://www.lintelsnorthwest.co.uk/65mm-square-downpipe/65mm-rainwater-squarestyle-downpipe-access-pipe>

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  • From Marland@21:1/5 to Andy Burns on Wed Feb 19 23:29:20 2025
    Andy Burns <[email protected]> wrote:

    Marland wrote:

    wasn’t there a contributor to this group around 20 years ago who
    ran a business supplying ridge tile shaped sheets of copper that
    were intended to produce a run off when it rained that inhibited
    moss growth

    I thought it only needed a bare copper wire, not a whole sheet?

    I wish I'd done it 10 or 20 years ago when I was happy enough to
    scrabble about on the roof, now I'd probably do a Rod Hull.


    Maybe a wire doesn’t produce enough of the Copper Sulphate run off which is what kills the moss.
    I don’t have enough knowledge on the subject to say. There seem to be a number of suppliers of Copper roof components to combat the problem .

    GH

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