Moss growing on your roof gives your home a certain hint of cottagecore, but it can also severely damage your shingles and incur you in quite a number of roof repair costs. Removal of moss must be done the moment it starts growing on the roof.
When to Know You Have Moss on Your Roof
Chances are you won’t spot it through an unaided ground inspection of your roof, but you can inspect your roof closer by using binoculars, or, if you’re feeling fancy, by drone camera. However, you inspect the roof, look over the whole roof, especially areas that spend most of their time in the shade.
Is Moss Bad for Your Roof?
Yes, moss is bad for your roof.
Moss absorbs moisture, like a sponge, and traps moisture under the shingles, thereby creating an ideal moist habitat conducive to the growth of organisms whose metabolic byproducts can degrade the shingles.
The moisture may also pass under the shingles, causing the wooden roof structures to rot. This will eventually lead to cracks, structural issues, and some costly repairs. It also leaves behind black streaks on your roof and causes mold growth over time.
What Does Roof Moss Look Like?
It’s pretty clear if moss is thriving on your roof. You will find green, fuzzy growth between shingles or on metal roofing surfaces. Sometimes, algae will also grow on roofs in conjunction with moss growths, and this usually shows up as black spots on the surface of your roof.
Safety Precautions
Roof work is extremely hazardous, so don’t forget to use your protective gear – including work boots, thick pants and a hard hat or helmet – but also ensure that your harness is sound and secure. It is always helpful for a second person to provide a hand in steadying your ladder or to call for help in case of an accident.
Preparing to Remove Moss From Your Roof
Instructions
1. Remove All Loose Moss
Use a garden hose with a basic spray nozzle to squirt water down the slope of your roof to loosen the moss. You should not try to stream against the grain of the roof, as this can dislodge shingles and drive the moss beneath them. Knock as much moss off the roof as you can using just the hose. Put all moss that you rinse off into a trash bag to be taken away.
CAUTION: Never use a pressure washer, as this will damage the shingles.
2. Scrub remaining moss lightly
Like hosing, scrubbing can also damage your shingles. Unless you are infallibly careful, you may end up doing more damage than you fix-including developing roof leaks.Work section by section, and don’t worry about perfection.
3. Apply a Moss Removing Solution
While there are so many DIY solutions, the commercial solution for moss removal will protect and preserve your roof and plants below. Even though they can damage delicate plants, homemade solutions are much more harsh on plants. Choose a commercial treatment with components that are less likely to harm the plants, such as potassium salt of fatty acid or zinc sulfate, which can also be used to remove moss.
Spray it on the roof from top to bottom, again working carefully so that you don’t lift any shingles. If the moss solution should be hosed off after spraying, hose it off, but follow the package directions.
4. Install Metal Strips on Your Roof
Two-to-four-inch wide copper or zinc strips can be installed over the roof, just beneath the top ridge on each side of the roof, using roofing nails. These metals prevent the growth of moss; so if they are permanently attached to the roof, the simple process of water flowing across them as they oxidize will help keep moss and algae killed off.
DIY Moss Removal vs Hiring a Professional
Unless you’re quite careful and take your time, though, the process could damage your roof. More often than not, it is cheaper to just hire a roofing contractor when the granules on your asphalt shingles get washed away by improper cleaning techniques instead of paying for your roof repair.
Moss From Growing on Your Roof
To avoid having moss growing on your roof, it should be constantly exposed to the sun. This often means pruning trees overhanging your home in such a way that it is also useful in preventing storm damage. Keep your gutters clean, which can aid improving water flow from your roof. Plus, you could also affix metal strips both sides of the peak of your roof, and these would eventually deter moss overgrowth.
