This is my second spring in this bungalow. Last winter we noted
interstitial condensation in the (boarded) attic and it was suggested
putting in roof vents would help so we did.

This year there are items in the attic, an office chair in particular,
which has mould on it.

The gable ends of the bungalow are approx North & South, so one roof
is facing East and has some but not a lot of moss, and the other roof
faces West with quite a lot of moss. I'm in the process of cleaning
it off - concrete tiles and I estimate 1000 of them.

We're fairly high up, 120m above sea level but the housing development
is in a bit of a dip, about 15m and we're against the North face of
that dip.

So two issues -
Mould - why? How to cure?
Moss - why? How to clean/stop?

Are the two related?

--
AnthonyL

On Wednesday, 24 May 2017 10:28:34 UTC+1, AnthonyL wrote:
This is my second spring in this bungalow. Last winter we noted
interstitial condensation in the (boarded) attic and it was suggested
putting in roof vents would help so we did.

This year there are items in the attic, an office chair in particular,
which has mould on it.

So two issues -
Mould - why? How to cure?

water is getting in. Fix it.

Moss - why? How to clean/stop?

Remove with paintbrush. Copper wire might stop it.


NT

On Wed, 24 May 2017 11:08:03 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:

On Wed, 24 May 2017 09:28:30 GMT, lid (AnthonyL)
wrote:

This is my second spring in this bungalow. Last winter we noted
interstitial condensation in the (boarded) attic and it was suggested
putting in roof vents would help so we did.

This year there are items in the attic, an office chair in particular,
which has mould on it.

The gable ends of the bungalow are approx North & South, so one roof
is facing East and has some but not a lot of moss, and the other roof
faces West with quite a lot of moss. I'm in the process of cleaning
it off - concrete tiles and I estimate 1000 of them.

We're fairly high up, 120m above sea level but the housing development
is in a bit of a dip, about 15m and we're against the North face of
that dip.

So two issues -
Mould - why? How to cure?
Moss - why? How to clean/stop?

Are the two related?

A copper strip along each side of the ridge is said to prevent moss.
As it rains, a very tiny amount of copper dissolves in the rainwater
and washes over the roof, poisoning the moss. Quite what you use as
the copper I don't know (old stripped cable, or 'Atomic Strip'*
draught excluder come to mind) and how you keep it there are other
matters.


Interesting - I'll have a walk around to see if anyone in this area
has adopted that idea.

But I doubt that's related to the mould in your attic. Is there still
condensation up there?

Not that I noticed

How effective are your roof vents? Do you get a
lot of mists and fogs in your area,

We get condensation on the inside of our double glazed windows facing
north.

and is the outside humidity
naturally high, IOW are you near the sea?

About as far from the sea as you can get in England, and apart from
the dip we are in the about the highest point in the county.

Mould also grows on items that have been handled, due to the
hand-grease and dirt that accumulates on them. If the ventilation is
good, but outside humidity is high, I'd wipe down anything I was going
to put up there to clean it, and then enclose it in a big poly bag.


Well I'm setting up to try and make the loft, fully boarded, a
workspace, hence the office chair next to the desk. But good point
about being handled.

* http://tinyurl.com/khxsha3

I think I'd be stripping some cable - got loads of Cat5 - wonder if
that'd work! Just a few nails into the mortar around the ridge tiles
should hold it. I'd need about 40m.

--
AnthonyL

On Wed, 24 May 2017 04:16:23 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

On Wednesday, 24 May 2017 10:28:34 UTC+1, AnthonyL wrote:
This is my second spring in this bungalow. Last winter we noted
interstitial condensation in the (boarded) attic and it was suggested
putting in roof vents would help so we did.

This year there are items in the attic, an office chair in particular,
which has mould on it.

So two issues -
Mould - why? How to cure?

water is getting in. Fix it.

Moss - why? How to clean/stop?

Remove with paintbrush.

It's taking some shifting with a metal trowel!

--
AnthonyL

AnthonyL wrote:

On Wed, 24 May 2017 11:08:03 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:


A copper strip along each side of the ridge is said to prevent moss.
As it rains, a very tiny amount of copper dissolves in the rainwater
and washes over the roof, poisoning the moss. Quite what you use as
the copper I don't know (old stripped cable, or 'Atomic Strip'*
draught excluder come to mind) and how you keep it there are other
matters.

Interesting - I'll have a walk around to see if anyone in this area
has adopted that idea.

It is an intriguing suggestion, which isn't new, but I have never
actually noticed it having been done.

Has anyone actually done it, and if so, with what materials and
effectiveness?

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK


Plant amazing Acers.

Chris J Dixon wrote:

Has anyone actually done it, and if so, with what materials and
effectiveness?

From photos where flashing exists on roofs, or copper has been added,
the copper seems effective (and other metals but less so).

I had to chop-up my second ladder (it was wooden and starting to get
weak) so now don't have anything to attach my roof-hook to, otherwise
I'd get up there and string a few runs of copper wire back and forth
along the ridge, I should have done it when I replaced the aerial.

Moss seems to have got worse in the past five years or so, I've heard
some people put that down to better air quality letting it grow, but the
anti-diesel mob might disagree with that ...

AnthonyL wrote:
On Wed, 24 May 2017 04:16:23 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

On Wednesday, 24 May 2017 10:28:34 UTC+1, AnthonyL wrote:
This is my second spring in this bungalow. Last winter we noted
interstitial condensation in the (boarded) attic and it was
suggested putting in roof vents would help so we did.

This year there are items in the attic, an office chair in
particular, which has mould on it.

So two issues -
Mould - why? How to cure?

water is getting in. Fix it.

Moss - why? How to clean/stop?

Remove with paintbrush.

It's taking some shifting with a metal trowel!

Been there and done it :-(
Use a paint scraper to get the moss off. And a tough brush head to sweep the
moss into the gutter. Have fun with cleaning the gutter out.
The pillock next door use a wire brush and has removed the coating from his
tiles. Looks a right mess.
I did burn off a load of wire and put the copper wire from apex to apex. So
far no moss.

AnthonyL was thinking very hard :
I think I'd be stripping some cable - got loads of Cat5 - wonder if
that'd work! Just a few nails into the mortar around the ridge tiles
should hold it. I'd need about 40m.

It would not have enough surface area. A large surface area is
important, to form enough copper sulphate to wash down the roof.

On 24/05/2017 10:28, AnthonyL wrote:

Are the two related?


The moss would probably block most natural ventilation through the
gaps/joins in the tiles and act as a sponge making the roof wet most of
the time.

Before cleaning off the moss try spraying it with a water/copper
sulphate mix to kill it. My neighbour had some success cleaning moss
using a stiff bristle hand brush.

Ebay for copper sulphate, google for water copper sulphate mix.

http://www.wilko.com/brooms+dusters/...h/invt/0230886


--
mailto: news {at} admac {dot] myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On Wednesday, 24 May 2017 19:44:56 UTC+1, AnthonyL wrote:
On Wed, 24 May 2017 11:08:03 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Wed, 24 May 2017 09:28:30 GMT, lid (AnthonyL)

We get condensation on the inside of our double glazed windows facing
north.

Then you've got unhealthily high RH in the house.


Mould also grows on items that have been handled, due to the
hand-grease and dirt that accumulates on them. If the ventilation is
good, but outside humidity is high, I'd wipe down anything I was going
to put up there to clean it, and then enclose it in a big poly bag.

plastic bagging doesn't prevent damp ingress, but does prevent air movement.


I think I'd be stripping some cable - got loads of Cat5 - wonder if
that'd work! Just a few nails into the mortar around the ridge tiles
should hold it. I'd need about 40m.

Doesn't sound robust. T&E would be more so.


NT

On Wednesday, 24 May 2017 19:45:38 UTC+1, AnthonyL wrote:
On Wed, 24 May 2017 04:16:23 -0700 (PDT), tabbypurr wrote:
On Wednesday, 24 May 2017 10:28:34 UTC+1, AnthonyL wrote:
This is my second spring in this bungalow. Last winter we noted
interstitial condensation in the (boarded) attic and it was suggested
putting in roof vents would help so we did.

This year there are items in the attic, an office chair in particular,
which has mould on it.

So two issues -
Mould - why? How to cure?

water is getting in. Fix it.

Moss - why? How to clean/stop?

Remove with paintbrush.

It's taking some shifting with a metal trowel!

Wrong tool. Try a paintbrush, preferably one that's set rock hard with paint.


NT

wrote:

AnthonyL wrote:

It's taking some shifting with a metal trowel!

Wrong tool. Try a paintbrush, preferably one that's set rock hard with paint.

I can understand not wanting to destroy the surface of the tiles, enough
of the sand/oxide comes off just by being rained on, but surely you'll
get streaks of old paint rubbing off?

On Thu, 25 May 2017 03:34:57 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

On Wednesday, 24 May 2017 19:45:38 UTC+1, AnthonyL wrote:
On Wed, 24 May 2017 04:16:23 -0700 (PDT), tabbypurr wrote:
On Wednesday, 24 May 2017 10:28:34 UTC+1, AnthonyL wrote:
This is my second spring in this bungalow. Last winter we noted
interstitial condensation in the (boarded) attic and it was suggested
putting in roof vents would help so we did.

This year there are items in the attic, an office chair in particular,
which has mould on it.

So two issues -
Mould - why? How to cure?

water is getting in. Fix it.

Moss - why? How to clean/stop?

Remove with paintbrush.

It's taking some shifting with a metal trowel!

Wrong tool. Try a paintbrush, preferably one that's set rock hard with paint.


Maybe I should have been a bit more specific and also mention fungi
such as

https://willowhousechronicles.wordpr...g/rock-shield/

which seem to have quite a strong grip. These are interspersed with
the moss but the moss also is under the overlaps in the concrete
Marley tiles and the trowel works well to slightly lift and scrape.

The old stiff paintbrush works on the looser stuff, just easier to
keep the trowel in my hand.

--
AnthonyL

On Thursday, 25 May 2017 11:46:16 UTC+1, Andy Burns wrote:
tabbypurr wrote:
AnthonyL wrote:

It's taking some shifting with a metal trowel!

Wrong tool. Try a paintbrush, preferably one that's set rock hard with paint.

I can understand not wanting to destroy the surface of the tiles, enough
of the sand/oxide comes off just by being rained on, but surely you'll
get streaks of old paint rubbing off?

no, what comes off is little pieces which brush up easily. It can actually get a rock solid paintbrush perfectly clean again.


NT

Chris Hogg wrote:

Dunno why you're being so fastidious.

I don't mind the lichen, it tends to stay put, the moss OTOH either
falls off, or gets picked off by the crows, then fills the gutters.