In the Pacific Northwest we get a ton of moss on roofs easily. I've been cleaning roofs now for 6 months in my area and have had exceptional results when customers are patient. We have a "no scrape" policy which is contrary to anyone else who does roof cleaning in my area. My rule of thumb is that if the moss is larger than 1 cubic inch it needs to be brushed first. We use WFP's attached with heavy duty broom heads to gentle knock large pieces off. If it takes force it should be left intact until the root system dies. I currently tell customers that within 6 weeks it should be gone and it has only failed me in one case. I tout the long term protective aspect
To sum up my question has anyone dealt with heavy moss by softwashing alone?
If so what is a reasonable amount of time for the moss to die and fall off the roof naturally?
Is it a multi-part cleaning/treatment?
How often?
Anything is appreciated.
John Aloisio said
Apr 24, 2015
Here in the northeast we get moss, but not typically as heavy as you guys. We have done some roofs that are completely covered with a thick bed of moss, with no brushing or scraping. It takes a pretty strong mix and double the Green Wash, and most of all customer patience. i have do roofs that have taken 6-8 months to be completely clean, especially in the Fall going into the winter months. I set the customers expectations, and make a note in the paperwork if it doesn't come off, we will come back and retreat it. I have not had an issue yet. People are usually pretty good and we educate them on the proper and safe way to clean their roofs. I also tell them..that they have lived with it for a number of YEARS , what's a few more months.
Michael Derose said
Apr 24, 2015
We also have done roofs that are completely covered in thick moss. We treat it heavy. 2 good heavy sprays and we make sure to get all sides of the moss so that there is no green just white when we leave. It takes about 6-9 months for it to all fall off but they should expect some to start within 3-5 weeks. Like John said make sure you are setting the customers expectations up front and you should have nothing to worry about.
We offer to come back in 8 months to rinse off anything that is left and in 9 years I have never had to go back.
Bob Riddick said
Apr 24, 2015
Hi Spencer, and welcome. You guys in the northwest have totally different issues with moss than the rest of the country.
I have seen some pictures by Brandon Vaughn, who is in Oregon, and there are roofs that you can't see because of the moss coverage.
The rules are to kill it and let it weather away. Your guidelines seem reasonable to me considering your circumstances.
I am in the mid Atlantic and see more lichens than moss. Either way, we kill it, make sure it is totally white in color, then walk away.
That your customer understands you're doing what's best for them and their roof makes walking away easy.
Love to see some pictures of your work.
Brandon Vaughn said
Apr 24, 2015
Hey Spencer, great to see a fellow NW'er on here. We have many roofs in the area that have heavy moss on it. In fact, when a roof comes along that is has only G.M. on it - I'm ecstatic.
6-8 months is pretty standard for heavy moss. Your spot on for needing to brush off the larger pieces.
Wow, Brandon! You guys live in a different world for sure! I love your pictures!
Michael Hickey said
Apr 25, 2015
Hi Brandon, do you just spray the tile roofs after brushing and not rinse?
Vic Irish said
Apr 25, 2015
Brandon Vaughn wrote:
Hey Spencer, great to see a fellow NW'er on here. We have many roofs in the area that have heavy moss on it. In fact, when a roof comes along that is has only G.M. on it - I'm ecstatic.
6-8 months is pretty standard for heavy moss. Your spot on for needing to brush off the larger pieces.
Wow Brandon, you saving one of those for your Revolution? <grin>
See you there...
vic
Steve Mazzuca said
Apr 25, 2015
Great photos Brandon! Definitely 'Stage 4' infestation!
Surprised to see concrete tile (photo 2) up there. Do you have flat concrete tile roofs in your area too? Do they get as nasty as photo 2 ?
Spencer Zeman said
May 4, 2015
Thanks for the comments gents. I've had some great success with softwashing in general. In fact it has become my go to for commercial projects after we tackled the local movie theater. I had one of my employees pressure washing the surface and it just wasn't working on the textured cement. In four hours he managed to get one small section of the panels completed and there were five panels in total. I took the truck back to the shop filled it with a 50 gallon batch of 2.5% and Terra Clean and came back. Within five minutes of dwell time it was ready for rinsing. It worked so fast and effectively I nearly threw my pressure washer away. In fact we had to softwash the portions he had previously done because the rest of the building was brighter. The lesson I learned was that there is a time for pressure washing but this was not it.
As for the softwashing in general I'll upload some pictures and let them speak for me.
I have not had a single client who was disappointed with a roof cleaning yet. It can be hard to compete with the "instant satisfaction" guys who pressure wash roofs or use abrasive brushes to scrap debris off.
One last question. Is there a time efficient way to remove loose debris from a roof (leaves, branches, needles, etc) without getting on the roof and blowing it off?
Oh and that corner of the home that is bright green. The elapsed time is about three minutes from initial application.
@Michael Hickey I have only done a few tile roofs and I did not rinse. I came back a week later and they looked quiet good but with the heavy moss they were not completely clean. I'll make an effort to go by again in a few months and check up on it to see it's progress.
Jim Prom said
Jun 11, 2015
Holy cow Brandon, those are some great pictures!
Vic Irish said
Jun 12, 2015
My daughter lives in Olympia.
Would like to visit when I'm over there, Spencer.
Could be very interesting! You going to Brandon's Revolution?
All,
In the Pacific Northwest we get a ton of moss on roofs easily. I've been cleaning roofs now for 6 months in my area and have had exceptional results when customers are patient. We have a "no scrape" policy which is contrary to anyone else who does roof cleaning in my area. My rule of thumb is that if the moss is larger than 1 cubic inch it needs to be brushed first. We use WFP's attached with heavy duty broom heads to gentle knock large pieces off. If it takes force it should be left intact until the root system dies. I currently tell customers that within 6 weeks it should be gone and it has only failed me in one case. I tout the long term protective aspect
To sum up my question has anyone dealt with heavy moss by softwashing alone?
If so what is a reasonable amount of time for the moss to die and fall off the roof naturally?
Is it a multi-part cleaning/treatment?
How often?
Anything is appreciated.
Here in the northeast we get moss, but not typically as heavy as you guys. We have done some roofs that are completely covered with a thick bed of moss, with no brushing or scraping. It takes a pretty strong mix and double the Green Wash, and most of all customer patience. i have do roofs that have taken 6-8 months to be completely clean, especially in the Fall going into the winter months. I set the customers expectations, and make a note in the paperwork if it doesn't come off, we will come back and retreat it. I have not had an issue yet. People are usually pretty good and we educate them on the proper and safe way to clean their roofs. I also tell them..that they have lived with it for a number of YEARS , what's a few more months.
We offer to come back in 8 months to rinse off anything that is left and in 9 years I have never had to go back.
Hi Spencer, and welcome. You guys in the northwest have totally different issues with moss than the rest of the country.
I have seen some pictures by Brandon Vaughn, who is in Oregon, and there are roofs that you can't see because of the moss coverage.
The rules are to kill it and let it weather away. Your guidelines seem reasonable to me considering your circumstances.
I am in the mid Atlantic and see more lichens than moss. Either way, we kill it, make sure it is totally white in color, then walk away.
That your customer understands you're doing what's best for them and their roof makes walking away easy.
Love to see some pictures of your work.
Hey Spencer, great to see a fellow NW'er on here. We have many roofs in the area that have heavy moss on it. In fact, when a roof comes along that is has only G.M. on it - I'm ecstatic.
6-8 months is pretty standard for heavy moss. Your spot on for needing to brush off the larger pieces.
Wow, Brandon! You guys live in a different world for sure! I love your pictures!
Wow Brandon, you saving one of those for your Revolution? <grin>
See you there...
vic
Surprised to see concrete tile (photo 2) up there. Do you have flat concrete tile roofs in your area too? Do they get as nasty as photo 2 ?
Thanks for the comments gents. I've had some great success with softwashing in general. In fact it has become my go to for commercial projects after we tackled the local movie theater. I had one of my employees pressure washing the surface and it just wasn't working on the textured cement. In four hours he managed to get one small section of the panels completed and there were five panels in total. I took the truck back to the shop filled it with a 50 gallon batch of 2.5% and Terra Clean and came back. Within five minutes of dwell time it was ready for rinsing. It worked so fast and effectively I nearly threw my pressure washer away. In fact we had to softwash the portions he had previously done because the rest of the building was brighter. The lesson I learned was that there is a time for pressure washing but this was not it.
As for the softwashing in general I'll upload some pictures and let them speak for me.
I have not had a single client who was disappointed with a roof cleaning yet. It can be hard to compete with the "instant satisfaction" guys who pressure wash roofs or use abrasive brushes to scrap debris off.
One last question. Is there a time efficient way to remove loose debris from a roof (leaves, branches, needles, etc) without getting on the roof and blowing it off?
@Michael Hickey I have only done a few tile roofs and I did not rinse. I came back a week later and they looked quiet good but with the heavy moss they were not completely clean. I'll make an effort to go by again in a few months and check up on it to see it's progress.
My daughter lives in Olympia.
Would like to visit when I'm over there, Spencer.
Could be very interesting! You going to Brandon's Revolution?
vic