Protecting roof from moss

[Mike Faithfull]

I have a significant and unwanted presence of moss on a north-facing roof. Some clumps of the stuff have inevitably fallen and infested the surface of the drive too. I've read that moss doesn't like zinc, and that in the USA it's fairly common to use a zinc strip along the ridge to discourage its growth - you can even buy self-adhesive rolls of the stuff to apply to the roof ("to avoid nail holes in the shingles"(!) ). I haven't seen such products in the local sheds or builders merchants - is it available, do we know? Does it work on British moss? (well, it might be a different variety to the stuff the merkins grow!!)

[Dave Liquorice]

yes probably know as flash band(ing) I don't think I've ever been in a shed that doesn't have it. How ever the metal face might not be zinc...

Donno, I thought the traditional roof moss repellent was copper. A wire fixed below the ridge tiles.

[Andrew Gabriel]

Copper certainly does. A thin copper wire stretched across a roof will prevent any moss growing down the slope from it. It might take a year or more to start becoming effective if you already have a large moss growth there.

[BigWallop]

There is a moss inhibitor paint that Thatcher's use around the stonework to thatch join, but I don't recall a name or maker for it. Maybe a web search will bring something up.

[Mike Faithfull]

The only stuff I've seen in the sheds has had a very thin lead face ... (the flash band I mean, not the staff - although ......)

[Rick Hughes]

Don't know about zinc ... but it is true. for copper ....

[Ian Middleton]

In my last house the non-sunny side of the roof suffer major moss problems, leading to blocked gutters and even other plants moving in eg grass. I place a "run" of 2.5mm copper core from some old electrical flex across the uppermost tiles after reading somewhere about moss and lichen not liking copper. Possibly made a slight difference on the tiles the wire ran across but within a year or two moss was back across the whole of the roof.

I ended up just sweeping the piles of moss off every couple of years.

[Jim Arnold]

we have a large conservatory roof (3mx6m) triple glazed plastic fairly shallow slope which after a year had a green tinge and then grew algae I used to have to wash it off every 3 months during the summer then I had a bright idea In the garage I had the remains of a container of mould inhibitor it was the type you put on walls before masonary painting them it was Sandtex - so I sloshed some diluted stuff on and let it run down the roof - no green growth for two years !

the Homebase brand one seems as effective

I suspect it will kill roof moss as well

[Mike Faithfull]

Thanks Jim - good thought, fine for your conservatory but not very practical for the roof of the house - especially given my distaste for heights and wobbly ladders!

[Jim Arnold]

Yes it was a bit of an aside as I could just throw a couple of buckets of stuff from an upstairs window but given still day and a long lance spraygun or an ordinary one and and some timber it depends on how bad your fear of heights is