Moss, unlike many other forms of vegetation moss does not need direct sunlight to proliferate – hence moss can grow on the shaded sides of roofs.
In fact, moss has an ability to draw vital growth sustaining nutrients from the organic compounds that make up most roofing, materials used to construct a modern roof, moreover, bitumen based tiles (tar) are made from a natural ossified organic compound that can actually supply most forms of moss and mildew with all the necessary source of life-sustaining nutrition.
As the moss feeds and draws nutrients from the surface of the slates and shingles the surface is etched and subsequently deteriorates, once tiny cracks and recesses are made on the otherwise smooth surface water can seep through the tiles, deterioration is accelerated during the winter months when the ambient temperature falls below zero and moisture freezes, turning to ice. With the natural expansion of ice small cracks are widened and the shingle starts to flack and fall apart, in the roofing akron profession this deterioration is sometimes called “weathering” or “blown shingle”.
Clearly then, it makes good sense to keep roof moss, and other roof fungi levels under control if you want to avoid costly tile replacement or extensive roof refurbishment.
There are several ways to clean moss from roof shingle but the most common and economical way is gently pressure wash the tiles with a low pressure cleaning system then once all the moss, algae, and fungi has been removed the roof should be allowed to dry then once dried it should be sprayed with an effective and preferably a bio degradable fungicide to kill of any remaining spores that may have remained after pressure washing. The ideal and cheapest fungicide wash is a solution of ferrous oxide dissolved in water on a 1-5 ratio (1 ounce of ferrous oxide to 1 pint of water).
Getting rid of all the roof moss from the roof of your property should not be viewed as “just a cosmetic make over “, cleaning moss of a heavily effected roof is far more than just a cosmetic make-over, it’s much more than that. By removing roof moss and any other growths then ensuring that any remaining moss spores are killed by treating the roof with a fungicide wash to stop any further growth, you will be taking a worthwhile step that can only serve to further the life of your existing roof construction.
Roof moss cleaning can be a very dangerous project for an inexperienced homeowner and is not a job that should not be carried out by anyone but an experienced roof cleaning company, who not only have the knowledge to do such work but also have access to all the respective equipment needed for such a project such as: ladders, ropes, and safety harnesses etc.