Shop Roof needs help

[ebarr]

My shop is 14 x 20 with an asphalt shingle roof. The back side doesn't get much sun (most covered with pine trees and pine needles), so I am fighting the battle of moss on the roof. I have fought this battle for going on 4 years (since I bought the house). I have tried everything short of putting a new roof on. Tonight I spent about an hour on the roof using a rubber scrub broom, something you might use cleaning your pool. This weekend I will spray the roof down with Round-up and it will be ok for a few weeks. I know that a new roof would resist this kind of thing for a while, but I don't have that kind of money right now.

An uncle of mine told me to strap a cooper wire near the top of the roof. This would react with ran water and prevent mildew and moss from growing on the roof. Anyone else ever heard of this, or have any other ideas?

[hk538]

The thing your uncle is talking about is made from zinc and you might be able to find it at one of the home improvement places. I think it's placed at a downward angle so as to let the rain run off, but still cover the surface area you need to get the zinc coverage. You could also try mixing 1/2 Cup of Clorax Bleach to a gallon of water and use it on the roof. I don't think it would cause any damage being diluted down like that. Should work in killing the spores. For a little while anyway.

http://www.z-stop.com/

[DaveO]

Here's a bit-o-information -

http://bryophytes.science.oregonstate.edu/page24.htm


http://bryophytes.science.oregonstate.edu/page18.htm


It's from Oregon, and they know a bit or two about Moss

Dave

[Ray Martin]

I'd be careful of any scrubbing of the shingles... it's easy to rub all the mineral off them which will significantly degrade them.

The zinc is good for mildew but not very effective with the "green" from pine trees. Try to keep the pine debris off the roof... maybe a leaf blower would help. I think the most effective measure for fighting the damage from pine trees, is a steep pitch to the roof... so everything rolls or washes off.

Ray

[Dusty Sawyer]

www.guttersdirect.com has a product that when sprayed as a concentrate will remove the moss. Moss itself will quickly damage a roof, removal is a necessity, but putting up the zinc guards will do a great job of keeping it away... typically a strip of zinc at the peak will be good for about 12 feet of roof,, after that you may want to consider another strip of zinc for the rest of the roof. Also a heavily shaded roof will provide great cover for the moss to grow. I was quite surprised to learn that the moss and also the black grunge that "stain" a roof are actually feeding on the dust and dirt that collect there. The less steep the pitch,, amount of shade,, and lack of rainfall on the roof can have quite an effect.

[ebarr]

I think I am going to go the zinc route. After a spray a round-up solution to see if I can kill most of it.

Thanks again for all the advise.

[DaveO]

Please let me know how well the Round-up works on the moss. I have read conflicting accounts of it's success and failure in moss control.
Thanks,
Dave

[jeff...]

I like tin roofs myself, had a shingle roof when I lived up north and didn't know better. But now my house and shop has a tin roof I like it so much better...

[ebarr]

DaveO,

Roundup on moss doesn't work. I soaked the back side of my shop roof about a week and a half ago and it has had no effect at all. I didn't hit the front side to bad because I have bushes were the run off would be.

Time to resort to the zinc.

[scott hamm]

use bleach.
it kills alge and moss.
bet if you use after removing the moss.
my brother-in-law has a dairy farm and we used bleach to keep the alge and mold away in the milking parlor.
the zinc strips were shown on ask this old house a while back and is on their website.
it will keep it from forming lyken a type of alge.