Spraying my roof with fungicide - help!

[gerrymoore]

Having spent 10 weeks of my life scraping off thick, clinging moss and then pressure washing my roof I now want to spray a powerful fungicide to try and keep the moss at bay.

Heights are not my favourite place to work but it's a bungalow so I'm not too bad and I have a good roof ladder my problem is how to do the spraying.

I have a 5 litre hand pump sprayer as in the photo and it can reach quite a way but runs out of 'puff' fairly quickly and I'm not sure how my arm will hold out sitting on the roof ladder pressurising it every minute or so. I have a compressor and wondered if I could fit a schrader into the pump body (which has a built in safety valve) and use that to keep the pressure up?

Or is there a better tool/ or alternative way? All suggestions welcome

 

[GKQ]

Yes, much easier method, throw lawn sand on roof 2-3 times a year works a treat and dirt cheap.
I did it at my last house, in Sussex for 17 years no moss nothing.
Or you can use benzalkonium chloride just mix with water and spray on lasts about a year, biodegradable as well.

Graham

 

[rtbcomp]

http://www.sigroofing.co.uk/copper-wire-solution-moss-free-roof/

 

[Screwdriver]

I sprinkle my roof with bicarbonate of soda. Kills moss.

 

[gerrymoore]

RTB...I spent over £300 on copper ridge tiles...they won't kill existing moss but are 'supposed' to keep it at bay but I already have some 'new' moss growing since I fitted them...throwing sand all over the roof doesn't sound any more fun than spraying it though!

I will try fitting a valve to pressurise the sprayer.....can only blow myself up ... at least no more moss worries then!!

Thanks for the help so far guys....

 

[Hitch]

If you've got a compressor, why not pick up a cheap spray gun?

 

[Screwdriver]

Well if you have a compressor, get up on the roof next time you do some vapour blasting with bicarb. Win win.

 

[Luke]

I've fitted a schraeder valve to a similar sprayer, to pump oil in to landrover gearboxes. Works well.

 

[gerrymoore]

Thanks Luke.. I'll give it a go

 

[slim_boy_fat]

I know of a local chap years ago who did exactly what you're doing, only he used a pressure washer to blast the moss off. It appears either the moss or his blasting of the tiles had made them porous and he was plagued by leaks afterwards, where none had existed previously.

It got so bad he had to have the whole roof retiled. I don't know if his insurance covered the expense, as it was before the days of the numerous clever sealants/treatments available now which might have worked.

 

[malcolm]

Moss isn't a fungus so a fungicide might not be best. I bunged a copper wire across my ridge when the roof was done 3 years ago. I have no idea if it will work but worth a shot to discourage it. They reckon copper something (chlorate?) is the thing to spray on moss.

 

[brightspark]

I just power washed an asbestos roof off sprayed it with brick acid watered down a bit and no moss has comeback after years

 

[gerrymoore]

Slim Boy........the pressure washer (140 bar) wouldn't budge the moss on my roof ...it's taken me 10 weeks of very hard slog to get it off and the pressure washer was just to clean the tiles..they are small, very hard, rough concrete and would not be damaged by a nuclear warhead...they are certainly not porous!!

Malcolm if you read near the top you will see I have already spent £300 on copper ridge covers...they didn't work!

The stuff I've bought was from a recommended roofer ... it's called BAC50 and very strong (diluted 20 to 1 with water). I have bought a new face mask, goggles and gloves.

The main reason we suffer with so much moss is that we have huge oak trees overhanging the roof...they are council owned and we are currently trying to get them cut down those over our boundary after a 5 year fight cos they "don't have any money". They turned up for a day a few weeks ago but it needs a week or more to do the job properly.

This is the first and last time I'm doing the roof....if only for it to look nice when we sell up and move

 

[roofman]

Gerry change your roof tiles to a smooth Finnish and put it to bed for life...if i am not mistaken you have the old ludlow sand finished which have a love affair with moss and no matter what you do it will come back, your problem is also the age of the roof and the tiles are becoming semi porous which encourages a damp foothold for the moss..

 

[awemawson]

The classic solution was to string a bare copper wire along the ridge. Very slightly acid rain washed copper sulphate down the roof killing the moss

 

[roofman]

The classic solution was to string a bare copper wire along the ridge. Very slightly acid rain washed copper sulphate down the roof killing the moss

Yep i once fitted a thick copper strap for an elderly couple a few years ago and received a phone call a few weeks later to say it had been stolen...the worst part was the ball sacks who took it broke a rook of tiles walking up the roof i advised against fitting another in this location.

 

[gerrymoore]

Hi Brian...I think you're right about the tiles but there's no way I'm going to change them! To be honest, the 'tree problem' we have is getting worse each year as they grow ever taller and further over our house....causing more and more work for us as we grow older.

If I can't get the council to do something soon there will be a for sale sign outside

 

[steveo3002]

Moss isn't a fungus so a fungicide might not be best. I bunged a copper wire across my ridge when the roof was done 3 years ago. I have no idea if it will work but worth a shot to discourage it. They reckon copper something (chlorate?) is the thing to spray on moss.

sodium hypochorate /swimming pool bleach kills it a treat

watering can with a rose on ? works if watered down a bit too , great on path and patio etc , will ruin any clothes you get it on though

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sodium-H...wimming-Pool-Chlorine-20-Litres-/302879601662

 

[Shox Dr]

Got to ask why bother. It will be back.

We never had moss, until Drax power station fitted the de- sulphurisation plant. Now everything gets coated in moss etc, in no time. Cleaning it off just brings more.

Reminds me of the poem by Ivor Cutler; Dust