Our house roof appearance is being spoilt by lichen, is there anything
on the market to remove it, and any good techniques for spraying it
without venturing onto the roof itself.

Richard wrote:
Our house roof appearance is being spoilt by lichen, is there anything
on the market to remove it, and any good techniques for spraying it
without venturing onto the roof itself.

What's wrong with lichen? Looks nice IMO.

On 6 Oct 2006 03:31:20 -0700, "normanwisdom"
wrote:


Richard wrote:
Our house roof appearance is being spoilt by lichen, is there anything
on the market to remove it, and any good techniques for spraying it
without venturing onto the roof itself.

What's wrong with lichen? Looks nice IMO.

Does it have a value for its insulation qualities?
--
Get away from it all
http://www.travelfreebies.co.uk/thomson-holidays.htm
Late deals, mega cheap flights and bargains

"Richard" asked:
Our house roof appearance is being spoilt by lichen, is there anything
on the market to remove it, and any good techniques for spraying it
without venturing onto the roof itself.

No. Moss killer will kill it but roof access would be required to apply the
chemical and remove the dead vegetation.

"normanwisdom" wrote in message
ups.com...

Richard wrote:
Our house roof appearance is being spoilt by lichen, is there anything
on the market to remove it, and any good techniques for spraying it
without venturing onto the roof itself.

What's wrong with lichen? Looks nice IMO.

I hoped someone else would say that!

Mary

The message .com
from "Richard" contains these words:

Our house roof appearance is being spoilt by lichen,

Personally I like it. Shows the place is relatively unpolluted and
generally gives the house a settle appearance. Bare squeaky roofs aren't
as nice.

--
Skipweasel
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

"Richard" wrote in message
oups.com...
Our house roof appearance is being spoilt by lichen, is there
anything
on the market to remove it, and any good techniques for spraying it
without venturing onto the roof itself.


Short answer: No. anyway it can look attractive to my eyes

However if you can get someone to install a thin taut bare copper wire
either side of the ridge, rain (which is slightly acidic) will form
copper salts which washing down the roof will kill the lichen.

Some new builds in the countryside get roofs sprayed with cow dung
solution to promote lichen growth and blend in better with older
buildings

AWEM

Andrew Mawson wrote:
"Richard" wrote in message
oups.com...
Our house roof appearance is being spoilt by lichen, is there
anything
on the market to remove it, and any good techniques for spraying it
without venturing onto the roof itself.


Short answer: No. anyway it can look attractive to my eyes

However if you can get someone to install a thin taut bare copper wire
either side of the ridge, rain (which is slightly acidic) will form
copper salts which washing down the roof will kill the lichen.

Some new builds in the countryside get roofs sprayed with cow dung
solution to promote lichen growth and blend in better with older
buildings

AWEM


I also have growth on my roof. The problem as far as I am concerned is
that it grows in golf ball size lumps, these are removed by birds and
weather, (leaving lots behind) then of course this blocks the gutters
and is dangerous on the paths. I removed all the ones I could reach
with a pole to which I had fixed an old hoe, however that only worked to
about 1/2 way up the roof, but at least the number coming down is
greatly reduced.

"Broadback" wrote in message
...


I also have growth on my roof. The problem as far as I am concerned is
that it grows in golf ball size lumps,

That sounds more like mosses than lichen.

Mary

"Guy King" wrote in message
...
The message .com
from "Richard" contains these words:

Our house roof appearance is being spoilt by lichen,

Personally I like it. Shows the place is relatively unpolluted and
generally gives the house a settle appearance. Bare squeaky roofs aren't
as nice.

--
I agree completely, lichen is nice.

H

Richard wrote:
Our house roof appearance is being spoilt by lichen, is there anything
on the market to remove it, and any good techniques for spraying it
without venturing onto the roof itself.

It will require cleaning off every six months if you hope to keep it away.
You cannot clean it off without getting on the roof neither, so add on the
cost of replacing broken tiles, gutters, legs etc and ask yourself is it
really worth bothering with?

"Phil L" wrote in message
.uk...
Richard wrote:
Our house roof appearance is being spoilt by lichen, is there anything
on the market to remove it, and any good techniques for spraying it
without venturing onto the roof itself.

It will require cleaning off every six months if you hope to keep it away.
You cannot clean it off without getting on the roof neither, so add on the
cost of replacing broken tiles, gutters, legs etc and ask yourself is it
really worth bothering with?

We had ours done about 18 months ago. See post at the time....

http://tinyurl.com/p7h68

No sign of it returning yet. It was great big balls of moss.
As Broadback says - filled up the gutters and birds would
also throw it all over the patio. Much better now that it's
been done.

We had a local roofing company do the work. Scraped off
all the moss first, then applied some chemical and then a
final brushing off. Quite labour intensive.

Roy

RzB wrote:
"Phil L" wrote in message
.uk...
Richard wrote:
Our house roof appearance is being spoilt by lichen, is there
anything on the market to remove it, and any good techniques for
spraying it without venturing onto the roof itself.

It will require cleaning off every six months if you hope to keep it
away. You cannot clean it off without getting on the roof neither,
so add on the cost of replacing broken tiles, gutters, legs etc and
ask yourself is it really worth bothering with?

We had ours done about 18 months ago. See post at the time....

http://tinyurl.com/p7h68

No sign of it returning yet. It was great big balls of moss.
As Broadback says - filled up the gutters and birds would
also throw it all over the patio. Much better now that it's
been done.

We had a local roofing company do the work. Scraped off
all the moss first, then applied some chemical and then a
final brushing off. Quite labour intensive.

Roy

That's moss, not lichen...moss grows in balls, rolls down the roof into the
gutter etc etc.
Lichen is like a flat green blob (looks a bit like the droppings of a wood
pigeon) like this;
http://www.pixero.com/bilder/downloa...and_lichen.jpg

Guy King wrote:
The message .com
from "Richard" contains these words:

Our house roof appearance is being spoilt by lichen,

Personally I like it. Shows the place is relatively unpolluted and generally
gives the house a settle appearance. Bare squeaky roofs aren't as nice.

Actually it shows the classic signs of pollution, i.e natural
vegetation. What else will grow in such an hostile environmet. It only
requires minimal coal and wood smoke and some bird ****.

But the thankless and thoughtless don't deserve it. Quick someone tell
him to climb up and throw diesel all over it.

"Phil L" wrote in message
.uk...

That's moss, not lichen...moss grows in balls, rolls down the roof into
the gutter etc etc.
Lichen is like a flat green blob (looks a bit like the droppings of a wood
pigeon) like this;
http://www.pixero.com/bilder/downloa...and_lichen.jpg

There are many kinds of lichen, from whitish scaly stuff through yellow,
green, brown, red ... and various shades of all of them. They are very slow
growing, unlike mosses, and are very difficult to scrape off. They grow a
lot on stones, I've tried scraping them off to use as dyes but gave up.

Mary

Mary Fisher wrote:
"Phil L" wrote in message
.uk...

That's moss, not lichen...moss grows in balls, rolls down the roof into
the gutter etc etc.
Lichen is like a flat green blob (looks a bit like the droppings of a wood
pigeon) like this;
http://www.pixero.com/bilder/downloa...and_lichen.jpg

There are many kinds of lichen, from whitish scaly stuff through yellow,
green, brown, red ... and various shades of all of them. They are very slow
growing, unlike mosses, and are very difficult to scrape off. They grow a
lot on stones, I've tried scraping them off to use as dyes but gave up.

We have a family of swans on this busy council estate and their pooh
-black/green and slimy, gives the pavements a generous coating of
nutrimet, enabling lichens to grow strong enough to persist
indefinitely on well trod routes.

Not bad for vegetarians. I wonder if the neighbours were slightly more
pikey than they already are, would we have quatermasses of lichen
taking over.

The message
from "Andrew Mawson" contains
these words:

Some new builds in the countryside get roofs sprayed with cow dung
solution to promote lichen growth and blend in better with older
buildings

And some get spray with cow dung because they're the Nat West Bank.

--
Skipweasel
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

The message k
from "Phil L" contains these words:

Lichen is like a flat green blob (looks a bit like the droppings of a wood
pigeon) like this;
http://www.pixero.com/bilder/downloa...and_lichen.jpg

Or yellow.
http://www.skipweasel.pwp.blueyonder...ges/lichen.jpg

Looks like a Dr Who cornflake.

--
Skipweasel
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

Andrew Mawson wrote:
"Richard" wrote in message
oups.com...
Our house roof appearance is being spoilt by lichen, is there
anything
on the market to remove it, and any good techniques for spraying it
without venturing onto the roof itself.


Short answer: No. anyway it can look attractive to my eyes

However if you can get someone to install a thin taut bare copper wire
either side of the ridge, rain (which is slightly acidic) will form
copper salts which washing down the roof will kill the lichen.

Some new builds in the countryside get roofs sprayed with cow dung
solution to promote lichen growth and blend in better with older
buildings

I didn't do that and the bloody lichen was growing before we finished
the tiling..heck it grows on the cars after a couple of years.


AWEM

Broadback wrote:
Andrew Mawson wrote:
"Richard" wrote in message
oups.com...
Our house roof appearance is being spoilt by lichen, is there
anything
on the market to remove it, and any good techniques for spraying it
without venturing onto the roof itself.


Short answer: No. anyway it can look attractive to my eyes

However if you can get someone to install a thin taut bare copper wire
either side of the ridge, rain (which is slightly acidic) will form
copper salts which washing down the roof will kill the lichen.

Some new builds in the countryside get roofs sprayed with cow dung
solution to promote lichen growth and blend in better with older
buildings

AWEM


I also have growth on my roof. The problem as far as I am concerned is
that it grows in golf ball size lumps, these are removed by birds and
weather, (leaving lots behind) then of course this blocks the gutters
and is dangerous on the paths.

Thats not lichen, that's moss.

I removed all the ones I could reach
with a pole to which I had fixed an old hoe, however that only worked to
about 1/2 way up the roof, but at least the number coming down is
greatly reduced.

Stopping moss is a question of using ordinary moss killer.

It needs a LITTLE soil, so beware of getting dirt on te roof.

Phil L wrote:
Richard wrote:
Our house roof appearance is being spoilt by lichen, is there anything
on the market to remove it, and any good techniques for spraying it
without venturing onto the roof itself.

It will require cleaning off every six months if you hope to keep it away.
You cannot clean it off without getting on the roof neither, so add on the
cost of replacing broken tiles, gutters, legs etc and ask yourself is it
really worth bothering with?


Can with a pressure washer.

Mary Fisher wrote:
"Phil L" wrote in message
.uk...
That's moss, not lichen...moss grows in balls, rolls down the roof into
the gutter etc etc.
Lichen is like a flat green blob (looks a bit like the droppings of a wood
pigeon) like this;
http://www.pixero.com/bilder/downloa...and_lichen.jpg

There are many kinds of lichen, from whitish scaly stuff through yellow,
green, brown, red ... and various shades of all of them. They are very slow
growing, unlike mosses, and are very difficult to scrape off. They grow a
lot on stones, I've tried scraping them off to use as dyes but gave up.

Pressure washing does the trick.

Ive got some on a stone patio that looks like I slaughtered someone and
let the blood dry. Its bright crimson. Got it all off, and bugger me it
rained and there it was again..


Mary

Our house roof appearance is being spoilt by lichen, is there anything
on the market to remove it, and any good techniques for spraying it
without venturing onto the roof itself.

Do you actually mean lichen? I suspect you are troubled by the ball shaped
growth of moss which is quite a different thing.

Peter Crosland

The Natural Philosopher wrote:
Phil L wrote:
Richard wrote:
Our house roof appearance is being spoilt by lichen, is there
anything on the market to remove it, and any good techniques for
spraying it without venturing onto the roof itself.

It will require cleaning off every six months if you hope to keep it
away. You cannot clean it off without getting on the roof neither,
so add on the cost of replacing broken tiles, gutters, legs etc and
ask yourself is it really worth bothering with?


Can with a pressure washer.

from close range, but not from a ladder at gutter height.

On Fri, 6 Oct 2006 13:42:35 +0100, "Andrew Mawson"
wrote:

However if you can get someone to install a thin taut bare copper wire
either side of the ridge, rain (which is slightly acidic) will form
copper salts which washing down the roof will kill the lichen

This is a myth.

"marvelus" wrote in message
news
On Fri, 6 Oct 2006 13:42:35 +0100, "Andrew Mawson"
wrote:

However if you can get someone to install a thin taut bare copper
wire
either side of the ridge, rain (which is slightly acidic) will form
copper salts which washing down the roof will kill the lichen

This is a myth.

Oh no it isn't !!!!!!!!

AWEM

Richard Wrote:
Our house roof appearance is being spoilt by lichen, is there anything
on the market to remove it, and any good techniques for spraying it
without venturing onto the roof itself.

Why would you want to "clean" your roof and make it look like it went
up 5 minutes ago ? I had a flyer through the door the other day
offering to clean and seal my roof before all manner of terrible things
happened, all caused by the s**t and crud thats been up there quite
happily for the last 50 years. It really is a load of bo**ocks, a
totally "invented" problem which preys on the fears of the less well
informed, I personally know of one older chap who paid three and a half
grand to have his roof "cleaned and triple sealed" whatever the hell
that is supposed to mean, all because he was led to believe that his
roof was being destroyed by the moss and dirt on it. This is a totally
invented problem so dont get suckered in.




--
Nick H

In article ,
marvelus writes:
On Fri, 6 Oct 2006 13:42:35 +0100, "Andrew Mawson"
wrote:

However if you can get someone to install a thin taut bare copper wire
either side of the ridge, rain (which is slightly acidic) will form
copper salts which washing down the roof will kill the lichen

This is a myth.

Nope. There was a brilliant example next door to my grand parents.
Their bare phone wires passed over the roof of next door bungalow.
There was a very straight line across the roof some ~5' under the
phone wires were any drips would land. From that line all the way
down the the gutter, the roof was completely clear of moss and lichen.
Above that line, it was covered in both. That was the first time I
noticed the effect, long before I ever read or heard about it
anywhere else.

--
Andrew Gabriel

On Fri, 6 Oct 2006 13:42:35 +0100, "Andrew Mawson"
wrote:

Some new builds in the countryside get roofs sprayed with cow dung
solution to promote lichen growth and blend in better with older
buildings

As do the walls of the council offices when you **** off the local
farmer.


--

In article ,
Matt writes:
On Fri, 6 Oct 2006 13:42:35 +0100, "Andrew Mawson"
wrote:

Some new builds in the countryside get roofs sprayed with cow dung
solution to promote lichen growth and blend in better with older
buildings

As do the walls of the council offices when you **** off the local
farmer.

I recall a whole village being done, when the farmer had
forgotten to switch off the muck spreader as he drove it
back through the village to the farm buildings.

--
Andrew Gabriel

"Nick H" wrote in message
. ..

Richard Wrote:
Our house roof appearance is being spoilt by lichen, is there anything
on the market to remove it, and any good techniques for spraying it
without venturing onto the roof itself.

Why would you want to "clean" your roof and make it look like it went
up 5 minutes ago ? I had a flyer through the door the other day
offering to clean and seal my roof before all manner of terrible things
happened, all caused by the s**t and crud thats been up there quite
happily for the last 50 years. It really is a load of bo**ocks, a
totally "invented" problem which preys on the fears of the less well
informed, I personally know of one older chap who paid three and a half
grand to have his roof "cleaned and triple sealed" whatever the hell
that is supposed to mean, all because he was led to believe that his
roof was being destroyed by the moss and dirt on it. This is a totally
invented problem so dont get suckered in.

A build-up of mosses and deposited dirt can be a problem on a flat roof
where it can't get washed down by rain. We had such a one on the school
which I (with others!) governed, it cost us a lot of money.

I agree with everything else you said, if it's on a sloping roof.

Mary




--
Nick H

In article ,
"Mary Fisher" writes:

A build-up of mosses and deposited dirt can be a problem on a flat roof
where it can't get washed down by rain. We had such a one on the school
which I (with others!) governed, it cost us a lot of money.

What harm did it do?
My parents have a wonderful moss growth on a flat roof, underneath a
tall TV aerial where it gets fed with copious quantities of pigeon poo.

--
Andrew Gabriel

"Andrew Gabriel" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Mary Fisher" writes:

A build-up of mosses and deposited dirt can be a problem on a flat roof
where it can't get washed down by rain. We had such a one on the school
which I (with others!) governed, it cost us a lot of money.

What harm did it do?

The roof, while nominally flat, became uneven. Water puddled and because of
the moss didn't dry quickly, in colder months not at all.

Moss invaded the seams (I think overlapped rather than butted) and there was
gradual water ingress to the layers beneath. Round the 'bubble' rooflights
it was much worse..

That's it put very simply, The surveyors' reports ran to very many pages.
The complications meant re-roofing - with a slope for peace of mind :-)

It was probably badly built in the first place, it was only about fifteen
years old when the ceilings showed damp. The old, Victorian, brick built and
slated roofed school had none of those problems but it wasn't large enough
when it (a Junior) school had to take in children up to 13. The new building
was forced on us, we didn't want it.

The theory that flat roofs don't hold water is good. The actuality is often
different. Moss will grow, it can roll off sloping roofs and block gutters
but that's the worst harm, I suspect. There's nowhere for it to roll on a
flat roof, it simply builds up, layer on layer.

Mary

In article ,
"Mary Fisher" writes:

"Andrew Gabriel" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Mary Fisher" writes:

A build-up of mosses and deposited dirt can be a problem on a flat roof
where it can't get washed down by rain. We had such a one on the school
which I (with others!) governed, it cost us a lot of money.

What harm did it do?

The roof, while nominally flat, became uneven. Water puddled and because of
the moss didn't dry quickly, in colder months not at all.

This sounds like the support underneath collapsed, which I doubt
you can blame on the moss. Strawboard was commonly used from
the 1960's through to the 1980's. A cold night causes condensation
to form on the back of the felt, which then rots the strawboard
causing dips and puddles to form. Initially the roof stays waterproof,
but eventually the felt fails due to stretching.

--
Andrew Gabriel

"Andrew Gabriel" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Mary Fisher" writes:

"Andrew Gabriel" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Mary Fisher" writes:

A build-up of mosses and deposited dirt can be a problem on a flat roof
where it can't get washed down by rain. We had such a one on the school
which I (with others!) governed, it cost us a lot of money.

What harm did it do?

The roof, while nominally flat, became uneven. Water puddled and because
of
the moss didn't dry quickly, in colder months not at all.

This sounds like the support underneath collapsed, which I doubt
you can blame on the moss. Strawboard was commonly used from
the 1960's through to the 1980's. A cold night causes condensation
to form on the back of the felt, which then rots the strawboard
causing dips and puddles to form. Initially the roof stays waterproof,
but eventually the felt fails due to stretching.

It wasn't the support.

But there's no point in holding a post mortem so far away in time and space.
It was done at the time and the problem rectified. The school is still fine,
an 11 yo grandchild was the latest in the family to enjoy its facilities.

Mary

--
Andrew Gabriel

On 07 Oct 2006 23:37:19 GMT, (Andrew
Gabriel) wrote:

In article ,
marvelus writes:
On Fri, 6 Oct 2006 13:42:35 +0100, "Andrew Mawson"
wrote:

However if you can get someone to install a thin taut bare copper wire
either side of the ridge, rain (which is slightly acidic) will form
copper salts which washing down the roof will kill the lichen

This is a myth.

Nope. There was a brilliant example next door to my grand parents.
Their bare phone wires passed over the roof of next door bungalow.
There was a very straight line across the roof some ~5' under the
phone wires were any drips would land. From that line all the way
down the the gutter, the roof was completely clear of moss and lichen.
Above that line, it was covered in both. That was the first time I
noticed the effect, long before I ever read or heard about it
anywhere else.


There is no evidence to support this nonsence. If you have any other
than some unsuported anecdote please share it. Otherwise there is no
way some insignificant dilutions of copper salts, which would be
washed away by the same rain thats supposed to be spreading them,
could act as a weed killer. The same sort of people who believe in
this probably also believe in homeopathy. Maybe your auntys neigbours
friends mother has a rabits foot tied to the tv ariel to kill the
moss.

marvelus wrote:
On 07 Oct 2006 23:37:19 GMT, (Andrew
Gabriel) wrote:

In article ,
marvelus writes:
On Fri, 6 Oct 2006 13:42:35 +0100, "Andrew Mawson"
wrote:

However if you can get someone to install a thin taut bare copper wire
either side of the ridge, rain (which is slightly acidic) will form
copper salts which washing down the roof will kill the lichen
This is a myth.
Nope. There was a brilliant example next door to my grand parents.
Their bare phone wires passed over the roof of next door bungalow.
There was a very straight line across the roof some ~5' under the
phone wires were any drips would land. From that line all the way
down the the gutter, the roof was completely clear of moss and lichen.
Above that line, it was covered in both. That was the first time I
noticed the effect, long before I ever read or heard about it
anywhere else.


There is no evidence to support this nonsence. If you have any other
than some unsuported anecdote please share it. Otherwise there is no
way some insignificant dilutions of copper salts, which would be
washed away by the same rain thats supposed to be spreading them,
could act as a weed killer. The same sort of people who believe in
this probably also believe in homeopathy. Maybe your auntys neigbours
friends mother has a rabits foot tied to the tv ariel to kill the
moss.

You can see copper staining near to any copper metal thats exposed to
sun air and rain.

You can see copper plated rooves that never seem to have lichen on them.

Copper has long been known to inhibit shellfish and seaweed encrustations.

Not conclusive proof of this, but it does indeed show that copper salts
do NOT wash away. And that copper itself, and salts thereof probably are
efficient anti-(some kinds of life at least) agents.

I wouldn't be too quiock to condemn.

Actually, since I have a lichen problem I';ll throw some copper on it
and see what happens.

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
marvelus wrote:
On 07 Oct 2006 23:37:19 GMT, (Andrew
Gabriel) wrote:

In article ,
marvelus writes:
On Fri, 6 Oct 2006 13:42:35 +0100, "Andrew Mawson"
wrote:

However if you can get someone to install a thin taut bare
copper wire
either side of the ridge, rain (which is slightly acidic) will
form
copper salts which washing down the roof will kill the lichen
This is a myth.
Nope. There was a brilliant example next door to my grand
parents.
Their bare phone wires passed over the roof of next door
bungalow.
There was a very straight line across the roof some ~5' under the
phone wires were any drips would land. From that line all the way
down the the gutter, the roof was completely clear of moss and
lichen.
Above that line, it was covered in both. That was the first time
I
noticed the effect, long before I ever read or heard about it
anywhere else.


There is no evidence to support this nonsence. If you have any
other
than some unsuported anecdote please share it. Otherwise there is
no
way some insignificant dilutions of copper salts, which would be
washed away by the same rain thats supposed to be spreading them,
could act as a weed killer. The same sort of people who believe in
this probably also believe in homeopathy. Maybe your auntys
neigbours
friends mother has a rabits foot tied to the tv ariel to kill the
moss.

You can see copper staining near to any copper metal thats exposed
to
sun air and rain.

You can see copper plated rooves that never seem to have lichen on
them.

Copper has long been known to inhibit shellfish and seaweed
encrustations.

Not conclusive proof of this, but it does indeed show that copper
salts
do NOT wash away. And that copper itself, and salts thereof probably
are
efficient anti-(some kinds of life at least) agents.

I wouldn't be too quiock to condemn.

Actually, since I have a lichen problem I';ll throw some copper on
it
and see what happens.






Some antifouling for boats is copper based to inhibit growths - see:

http://www.coppercoat.com/howitworks.htm

AWEM

Andrew Mawson wrote:
"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message

Copper has long been known to inhibit shellfish and seaweed
encrustations.
Actually, since I have a lichen problem I';ll throw some copper on
it

Some antifouling for boats is copper based to inhibit growths - see:

Normal for wooden ships in C18
the origin of the phrase "a copper bottomed investment"

On Fri, 13 Oct 2006 14:19:47 +0100, Andrew Mawson wrote:

Some antifouling for boats is copper based to inhibit growths

Not for long if EU directives on biocides are implemented.