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jcstomper · Mar 20, 2012

dead moss/Lichens.

garyw · Mar 20, 2012

Brushing any roof is a NO_NO. The only safe (for the roof) way is to let nature take care of it after the roots have died and released their grip on the roof. Explain to the HO there will be NO damage that way.

Gary

Liberty SoftWash · Mar 20, 2012

I leave it for mother nature,sun and rain.

Liberty SoftWash · Mar 20, 2012

I also include a disclosure of this in all my contracts to make sure that they are aware and do not hold payment until the roof is completly free of moss or lichen. The disclosure states that the moss and lichen will be killed but, not be immediately removed the day of cleaning and that sun and rain will aid in the removal of the dead debris over a period of time.

donniedawg · Guest

JC, when they dry out.... with sun and time.... they shrivel up and become brittle... then just get blown away or washed away with the rain. Just today, I had to explain this to a customer. It's good if you can show a picture ( on my iPhone) of how they can actually remove the little granuals if you manually brush them away without letting mom nature do it. :)

Roof Cleaning New Jersey · Mar 21, 2012

Sometimes they are just to large. What happens often is they may sit on the North side of a roof under a tree where there is often a lot of moisture. The moisture could create weight in the moss that may cause it to linger. If there is oversized moss I will tell the customer that even though its its dead it may linger up there. If after 2-3 months the moss is still there we may have to blow it off or remove it with some other type of manual removal. I'll charge a minimal service fee for coming out at my convenience. Moss that is 5" in diameter or more on a roof with minimal pitch may not always come off on its own. Customers are told that whats most important is thst its dead and not causing any further damage.

jcstomper · Mar 21, 2012

garyw wrote:
Brushing any roof is a NO_NO. The only safe (for the roof) way is to let nature take care of it after the roots have died and released their grip on the roof. Explain to the HO there will be NO damage that way.
Gary

thats what ive been doing.. just annoys me for before and after pictures lol

MJ · Mar 21, 2012

We did a roof that could have been mowed, one sand dollar bud is still there from last November, right under a tree, still bright white. Hit it with 50/50 pre-treat, and 2 weeks later. Rain is most likely not going to get it. I'm setting expectations and options accordingly to what to expect. Clients want it gone now, pressure and friction are your only options sometimes. I have had a client tell me that it had been pressure wash prior to my no pressure clean, and told me to use the wand on it, only wants two-three more years out of the shingle and wants the white crap off of it now for summer back yard cookouts. Does 400 psi really hurt a previous high pressured shingle with 24-36 months to live? Don't ask the builder.

http://www.askthebuilder.com/how-to-pressure-wash-your-roof-video/

jcstomper · Mar 21, 2012

Roof Cleaning New Jersey wrote:
Sometimes they are just to large. What happens often is they may sit on the North side of a roof under a tree where there is often a lot of moisture. The moisture could create weight in the moss that may cause it to linger. If there is oversized moss I will tell the customer that even though its its dead it may linger up there. If after 2-3 months the moss is still there we may have to blow it off or remove it with some other type of manual removal. I'll charge a minimal service fee for coming out at my convenience. Moss that is 5" in diameter or more on a roof with minimal pitch may not always come off on its own. Customers are told that whats most important is thst its dead and not causing any further damage.

good info. thanks.. ive been telling customers the same thing.. i guess ill just continue with that lol

Apex Roof Cleaning · Guest

JC I had the same problem. I was leaving jobs thinking the roof looked worse than when I arrive. Here it the key. Run it hot and trust the love. If you can trust the love you can sleep at night.

Dan

Liberty SoftWash · Mar 21, 2012

Apex Roof Cleaning wrote:
JC I had the same problem. I was leaving jobs thinking the roof looked worse than when I arrive. Here it the key. Run it hot and trust the love. If you can trust the love you can sleep at night.

Dan

Spoke from a true professional!

TomD · Premium Member Roof Cleaning Institute of America

Mother Nature may surprise you. Last year I convinced a customer with a lichen covered roof to let me spray and wait it out. I kept tabs on an every other week basis and noticed steady improvement.
Several months in, when making my regular visit, I pulled into her driveway and was shocked to see the walls of her house and ground covered in some kind of plant debris. At first I couldn't figure it out...but then in a flash remembered the night before we had experienced a sustained pounding rainstorm. I looked up at my roof and there it was...a thing of beauty, totally spotless.
Any thoughts on the pressure Mother Nature must have used in that rainstorm. LOL

paroofguy · Premium Member Roof Cleaning Institute of America

We did a house today, and were shocked to see how much lichen was actually on the roof. It is a heavy architectural shingle and it hid a lot of moss and lichen. Sure was pretty watching that stuff die.

Manual Removal will definitely damage the granules.

Roof Cleaning Pro's of NJ · Guest

Warn them of the problem up front and then there is nothing to talk about at collection time.
Dark and black roofs will look bad for awhile.

The Roof Cleaning Institute Of America Training & Certification Forum "Find A Certified Roof Cleaner Directory"

The Roof Cleaning Institute Of America Training & Certification Forum
"Find A Certified Roof Cleaner Directory"