Since there’s no forum for moss treatments in the add ons I’m posting here. For those of you that offer moss treatments, what solution do you prefer. Costco carried a product called Wet and Forget last Spring that I thought worked pretty good, but they haven’t carried it since. The Moss Off liquid solution hasn’t been working that great for me lately. I’m wondering if a bleach based solution would be more effective, both in performance and cost.
MT’s aren’t a big part of my business but I’d like to find something I could apply in liquid form since most of my customers don’t like the look of powder on they’re roof. For those of you who offer this service, what have you found that works best.
I’m getting slammed with roof moss and gutter cleaning. Bleach based products work very well. The stronger the bleach, the better. The thing with bleach is that a roof might go moss free for maybe a year. It washed off quickly during a rain shower. Zinc sulfate on the other hand, has a longer dwell time because powder or granule slowly dissolves. Done right, a roof can go moss free in the range of 2-5 years depending on the surroundings. I’ve been experimenting with a spray on formula.
So with sodium hypochlorite are you mixing bleach with water or using it in some other form? Are actual products like “30 Seconds” a waste of money? Thanks for your help.
Check out Roof Cleaning Institute of America if you want to know about SH and whats involved.
30 seconds works. You’ll have to use a lot to clean a roof. I don’t know what the SH percentage is in 30 second but its a nice moss and lichen killer. You can make a roof look like new again with SH “apple sauce”.
I have been cleaning roof for a few years now. The best BB for info is Roof cleaning forums or PT State. The others are ok.
Anyway, SH mixed with water and a surfactant will do everything you need it to do. Moss and Lichen will die, turn a whitish color and after a few weeks they will dry up enough to loosen their grip on the shingles and fall off
I dont have experience with over the counter products but since they are for use by a DIYer I am going to guess they are on the expensive and weak side side of the spectrum so the company can CYA
I wouldn’t use any BLEACH product on a composite roof, it dries out the shingles, makes them hard and brittle and shed the granules prematurely. I have had great results with zinc-sulfate powder, and it doesn’t take much. zinc strips suck.
Hey Aaron, honestly asking here, have you seen bleach damage and dry out shingles?
I just went over ARMA’s (American Roofing Manufacturer Association) stance on roof cleaning. The following is directly from their bulletin regarding Algae Cleaning, which should apply to moss. But, in short, they recommend using bleach to clean shingle roofs:
"Algae discolorations are difficult to remove from roofing surfaces, but may be lightened by applying a solution
of chlorine bleach, trisodium phosphate, and water. Solutions for these ingredients may vary between shingle
manufacturers and depend on the amount of discoloration. Solutions range from one cup TSP, one gallon bleach and
five gallons of water, to one cup TSP and 2.5 gallons each of bleach and water.
“First, gently disperse this solution on the roofing surface. Use normal precautions for handling bleach. Be sure to apply
it carefully to avoid damage to other parts of the building and its surrounding landscape. Avoid scrubbing the surface,
as this friction may loosen and remove granules. If possible, always work from a ladder and/or walkboards to avoid
direct contact with the roof surface. Observe all possible safety precautions when working on or near the roof. Finally,
rinse the solution from the roof by gently spraying the surface with water. Be warned that this solution application and
rinse process will make the roof surface slippery and potentially hazardous to walk on during treatment.
The effectiveness of such cleaning techniques are only temporary, and discoloration will likely recur. However, several
types of algae resistant roofing products have been developed, and are now commercially available. These asphalt
roofing products are specifically designed to inhibit algae growth for extended periods of time.”
Both product work only with bleach it needs to be rinsed off also you can buy SH in the bulk that’s power form. For sprayer application I am using a Bactericide / Fungicide.
Well I haven’t put bleach on a roof and sat there and watched it turn shingles dry and brittle Garrett, so I haven’t “seen” it. But I’ve been on a roof that the homeowner told me he had been spraying bleach on for years, and it was like trying to walk on marbles, the grit was so loose. Several shingles were missing having broke off in the wind by being bent backwards. But there was no moss or algae on it, Hey how bout that!? I have read from several different roofcare ‘experts’ that the high sodium content in bleach sucks the moisture out of the tar/petroleum body of the shingle, which makes sense in my mind, but that’s just me. Looks to me like the battle between to bleach or not to bleach has been going on for a long time, and looks to continue. People using bleach will swear by it, people not using bleach have their reasons or are selling a non-bleach method. I think the damage occurs over time, nobody is really sitting around keeping track. Is a roofing manufacturer (ARMA) above advising anything that would shorten the life of a roof? Sounds like a GANA organization to me. Just my opinion, which we are free to share, right? Glad I could make you chuckle Thad. Nice to know one of our MODERATORS is a smart-ass.
Aaron - there are a lot of guys using bleach and have been for a long time. Your only proof is something a home owner told you? How do you know what else they did to their roof? Just taking their word and doubting the word of guys who have been doing it successfully for years is kind of simple minded, don’t you think?
[COLOR=#333333]There are many things that dry out shingles, causes them to be hard and brittle and to even shed their granules prematurely - but a proper bleach based solution isn’t one of them.
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Perhaps the home owner in question was applying a bleach mixture and not rinsing. Could this be the reason for roof damage? It seems that most using SH to clean roofs rinse after a short dwell time. Can this argument be more about method than product? I was on a roof a couple of days ago and the old man next door came out on his porch and started to chat. Told me he just throws some Tide w/ bleach on his roof and calls it good. His roof did look a little worse for wear, but then again I have no idea how old it was.
