When moss begins growing on an asphalt roof, it imbeds its roots into the shingles, and so proper removal is essential in order to avoid any unnecessary damage.

Here’s a few things to keep in mind when removing moss on an “Asphalt Roof”:

• • Never allow anyone to use a pressure washer to remove moss from your roof. A pressure washer  damage your shingles by removing more of the shingle grit. Using a pressure washer on the shingles can also void your shingles warranty. 
  • Never allow anyone to scrape down the moss with a wire brush. A wire brush will remove much life from the roof, removing the shingle grit and voiding your roof warranty. 
  • Make sure whoever is treating your roof knows how to protect your landscaping. Overspray or too strong of mix can destroy plants, shrubs, and lawns. When a roof is treated its important to dilute and detour the run off from the gutters, making sure it doesn’t run onto your garden or lawn in one spot. Be careful of overspray onto vehicles, or the siding of your home. 

It depends what type of roof you have! Moss is particularly very harmful for Asphalt and Cedar Shake roofs . The reason is that the moss feeds on the limestone in the asphalt shingles and actually eats away and begins to erode your shingles. If left, the moss can actually cut the life of your roof shingles by as much as 10 years. Moss also collects moisture and traps it against your shingles and if allowed to continue to grow can begin to curl your shingles, and cause mold, rot, and bacteria growth. Moss is not as harmful to a concrete tile roof, as these roofs are a lot stronger and harder to erode. Many of our customers have still chosen to get the moss removed from their concrete tile roof for aesthetic reasons and to prevent unnecessary moisture buildup.

A popular approach to preventing moss is by applying strips of zinc to your roof. These strips are usually 2-3 inches in diameter and stretch across the peak of the roof on each side. When the rain water combines with the zinc strips the zinc oxide is rinsed down the roof and will kill the moss, lichen or algae below the strips. Zinc oxide is toxic to moss, lichen, and algae. Zinc strips definitely help but aren’t a perfect solution. For one, the zinc strips can be an eyesore as many homeowners don’t like the look of them on the roof. Another reason is that zinc strips don’t protect the entire roof. Over the years,  being on multiple roofs with zinc strips, we have found that they only prevent moss a few feet below the strip. To ensure proper protection on the entire roof you would have to install a zinc strip every 3-4 feet down the roof line. 

Fortunately moss growth is quite slow. It usually takes a few years for moss to develop on your roof to the point in which you would see it. In order to protect and prevent moss damage to your shingles, we recommend having it treated every 3-5 years. Our Next Level roof cleaning offers a 5 year limited warranty. For the first two years, if moss returns we will re-treat the entire roof for free. On years 3-5 the roof cleaning is 50% the cost for a retreatment, so if you do see some moss returning by then you are able to have the roof re-treated for half the cost, to prevent it from ever coming back. In damp, or high moss areas, we recommend having the roof treated every 3 years as this will prevent moss from every regrowing to a stage that harms the shingles.

We follow the only process that the Asphalt Roof Manufacturers recommend, which is to softwash the roof or “treat” it with a liquid solution that will completely kill the moss. Proper precautions are taken to prevent damage and control overspray.

1. We start with our plant protection process in which we go around the home and pre-wet all plants and areas that could be exposed to overspray. We look at where the gutter downspouts flow and bag them if necessary.
2. We softly broom down some of the thicker and heavier moss. (less is more as we don’t want to get too abrasive with the roof, but we do want to remove some of it if possible as this will make treatment easier)
3. We use a blower to blow off the roof and as much of the moss as we can.
4. A full cleanup is done and usually gutters are cleaned (we always recommend having your gutters cleaned if the moss is thick and clumpy as some of it will broom down and we don’t want it to clog the downspouts)
5. The roof is then treated with our liquid solution. One technician usually operates the spray while one follows below on the ground keeping plants and property wet and diluted to any overspray. 
6. We water all plants before, during, and after.
7. The remaining moss on the roof is now dead and over the next few weeks will begin to decompose and weather down with the rain. In approximately 6-8 months, the remaining moss will be gone.

Pets and children should be inside the home while the treatment process is underway to avoid any overspray. The treatment we use is similar to a chlorine treatment you would put into a swimming pool. In concentrated form it can be dangerous, but when handled properly in the right application it’s completely safe. Although the treatment is quite diluted and we want to avoid getting it on your skin or breathing the fumes in an enclosed space. The overspray can also stain clothing. Our technicians will wear a respirator, skin protection, and safety glasses for this reason. After the treatment is applied to the roof, all areas below the roof line are completely diluted with water ensuring that the solution is neutralized and safe. Pets and children are then free to go outside as the product is neutralized, diluted and is 100% biodegradable.