r/powerwashingporn • u/Fastpotato • Aug 27 '26
Moss removal from a 60 year old roof
This was a strange clean, the roof was so heavily carpeted in moss and was leaking in several places.
They had roofers coming in to repair large sections but they needed to see where the leaks actually were.
So they got me in to low pressure wash and bio the roof before tile replacement.
There were a lot of broken tiles on this roof which we knew there would be. In places there were vines growing under the tiles that had cracked a bunch of them as they grew.
Just a tiny snippet of the roof but satisfying all the same!
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u/Accomplished-Cod-504 Aug 27 '26
GREAT WORK! Now I have a few questions if you can answer: 1) Are the broken tiles and subsequent leaks because of the stuff growing on the tiles?…2)Was it the first time those tiles have ever been cleaned?…3) Any idea how long until it should be cleaned again?
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u/Fastpotato Aug 27 '26
Thank you! Of course.
1: yeah, this roof has old brittle concrete tiles, they do deteriorate over time but with moss growing under them coupled with freeze thawing action they end up cracking and letting water seep through. Also the moss wicks moisture underneath the tiles.
2: absolutely, they haven't been touched in over 60 years and this property is surrounded by trees so I would say this roof has been a carpet for years.
3: after the clean I apply a biocide, that should keep anything from growing on it for upto 5 years (upto is doing some heavy lifting here with how covered this property is by trees) They can always opt for a biocide top up rather than another full clean.
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u/Omatzus Aug 27 '26
Did this cause a lot of water to get inside due to the already damaged shingles?
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u/Fastpotato Aug 27 '26
Surprisingly not. The main jets are angled down and towards us so running away from the tiles.
We were able to go into the loft and inspect and there were only a few areas with slight damp patches on the felt where there were missing tiles already.
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u/MidnightSun77 Aug 27 '26
Whenever I see these videos I wonder if the water is cold or warm?
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u/Fastpotato Aug 27 '26
This one was cold, but I do have a boiler too for steam cleaning. I have a roof to steam in a few weeks and I'll make sure to film and upload here 👌🏻
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u/MidnightSun77 Aug 27 '26
Would the temperature make a difference to the cleaning efficiency or do you have a minuscule amount of detergent added to the pump?
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u/Fastpotato Aug 27 '26
Massively, you're going at about 120°c at the boiler to get around 100° at the hose end. Effectively steam cleaning the roof. It helps with roofs that are covered in thick white lichen.
No detergent, we apply chemical after the clean.
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u/Eat--The--Rich-- Aug 27 '26
I recently got a job repairing manholes. I wonder if this sub would like a video of me washing shit and mildew off the walls lol
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u/Mncdk Aug 28 '26
So you basically go in knowing you're going to cause a little water damage.
Yeah that does sound like it must feel strange while doing it. :D
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u/Fastpotato Aug 28 '26
Exactly, it's horrible! Normally with any roof clean where we are using low pressure unlike to do a full drone survey, and get into the attic if I can to check for bad felt or issues before even considering a pressure clean.
This just felt all kinds of wrong. But the amount of damaged and even missing tiles was completely insane.
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u/ILoveLactateAcid Aug 29 '26
Is this an asbestos roof?
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u/Fastpotato Aug 29 '26
No, standard concrete tiles. Asbestos are slimmer and normally resemble slate types.
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u/BirdlessLongdeal Sep 01 '26
now its gonna take 60 years to regrow it all again.
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u/Fastpotato Sep 01 '26
I'm gonna start offering a service of relaying a new moss roof lawn with all the moss I take of the next clients roof.. This could be the next big thing!
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u/WitnessStock3702 Sep 01 '26
Can this be done with asbestos tiles ?
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u/Fastpotato Sep 01 '26
I don't think so. with the current laws around asbestos I don't think any type of moss removal can safely be done. Ive only ever applied Biocide to black lichen stained asbestos roofs as there's no disturbing of fibres that way.
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u/Playful-Pass9544 Sep 03 '26
Why remove it? It insulates too... nothing wrong with another layer. Plus power washing will expose cracks or worse.
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u/Playful-Pass9544 Sep 03 '26
Why remove it? It insulates too... nothing wrong with another layer. Plus power washing will expose cracks or worse. Unless you want to replace it or restore it ofcourse.
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u/awesomes007 Aug 27 '26
Enjoy your unnecessarily damaged roof.
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u/Fastpotato Aug 27 '26
The roof was in a horrible state as it was, this was purely so the roof could be assessed and repaired once the damage could be seen. The worse side was a full carpet of moss and brambles growing under the tiles.
Regardless of your thoughts on it processes like this can be necessary in some situations
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u/Sudden-Stops Aug 27 '26
Thank you. I always wondered if removing moss from these types of roofs was strictly aesthetic or if the moss could cause damage.
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u/Fastpotato Aug 27 '26
90% of the time it is aesthetic. The rest is ones like this and where the gutters are constantly filling up multiple times each year and in the end it's more cost effective to eliminate the problem entirely by removing the moss.
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u/AndreasPapandreas Aug 27 '26
What for?
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u/Fastpotato Aug 27 '26
You see the words under the video. They might help with context
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u/Xendarq Aug 27 '26
You're asking people to read before commenting. On Reddit that's asking for too much.
(Thanks for posting!)
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u/JohnPlayerSpecialRed Aug 27 '26
Could watch this for hours on end.