Moss on roof leads to leaks

[Fourbarewalls]

We have a property that we have just completed renovating, the property faces south which means the rear roof sees little sun,

this means that we have moss growing on the rear roof that seems to have lead to some leaking.

Has anyone used any fluid, chemicals etc to get rid of the moss, or any other methods to get rid of it.

Hopefully this will stop the leak

[Pierre ZFP]

Spraying with Jeyes Fluid will get rid of the moss but it sounds as if there is something more fundermental amiss.

[Dave&Olive]

hi ok

               It`s on promo at this time of year  Anti- Mousse .

                    Dave

[woolybanana]

Maybe tiles have slipped too, and flashing knackered?

[andyh4]

At least removing the moss will reveal the true problem.

 

Moss was traditionally used to help stop roof leaks 200 years ago

[JohnRoss]

We had the same problem and the moss was acting like a little dam and causing the water to back up and go between the tiles. Removed the worst of it by mechanical means. I have it in mind to put some pieces lead or copper up there as I have noticed the moss does not grown on the tiles below the lead flashing on the lower edge of the Velux type windows.................JR

See http://www.inspectapedia.com/roof/ShingleMoss.htm

[sid]

The anti-mousse (already referred to) works well. It helps if you can scrape off the worst deposits first. The effect lasts about 3 years normally.

I suppose that the weight of the water-laden moss could make the tiles slip and thus open gaps for the rain to trickle in? As suggested previously, the first step is to remove the moss and see what's underneath.

 

[mint]

Also check that the ridge tiles are securely fixed as water often gets in from poorly bedded ridge tiles.

[Ron-sur-Marne]

We had a lot of moss on a north facing roof - it holds water like a sponge and the frost then destroys the tiles - there were holes right through the tiles in places!

You need to mechanically remove it to asses the problem. (A trowel and scraper is sufficient). The anti-moss liquid works for a few years, but is a preventative, rather than a cure that will get rid of lots of existing moss in my view.

On the worst part we had to have new roof tiles (and insulated the roof properly at the same time) which cost a fortune, but on other rooves I only needed to replace the affected tiles.

Good luck, and work safely on roofs!!

[Fourbarewalls]

probably whats happened to ours, quite a lot of moss, has probably cracked a tile and caused the damage. Builder will take a look at it in

2 weeks time and rectify the problem, bit of scrapping, replacing old tiles then some of that old moss spray for the rest of the roof.

Hopefully no more unsightly leak stains

[ericd]

In order to keep the moss at bay for years to come, fix copper cables (bare copper wires) at different heights along the slope. The copper will oxidise, the copper oxide will stop the moss growing et voila. Careful if you have zinc gutters as copper oxide will damage them.

[Simon]

[quote user="Pierre ZFP"]Spraying with Jeyes Fluid will get rid of the moss but it sounds as if there is something more fundermental amiss.
[/quote]

 

How much would you dilute the Jeyes Fluid?

Thanks

[Pierre ZFP]

I don't have any close to hand (note to self - buy some more)  but the instructions are on the tin

If I remember its about a capful to 5 litres water so it goes a long way.

The downside is that everything smells like a public loo for a few days [+o(]

[Gardengirl]

Interesting thread. Our UK house gets a lot of moss on the north side of the roof, with plenty to sweep away whenever we return. I've noticed that areas on our roof and on neighbours' below TV aerials fixed on chimneys are free from moss. We haven't suffered from leaks though; maybe because so much moss is constantly coming down. I've wondered if it's due to all the magpies etc.