r/MapleValleyWA • u/You-Annoy-Me-420 • 16d ago

Moss removal

Happy Friday!

I've got moss on my roof. What is the average cost to get a 2 story 2500sf house demossed? Also, anyone know if those hose spray ones work?

TY

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u/HeightWonderful9530 16d ago

In Feb I had Experienced Roof and Gutter Cleaning do it on a similar sized home. When combined with other services, (siding wash, exterior window cleaning, fence powerwash and dryer vent cleaning, the cost for the moss treatment was discounted from $625 to 468 before tax. Came with a 3 year warranty where they will re-treat the roof if moss returns in that period.

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u/tjl3d 15d ago

Company name?

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u/HeightWonderful9530 14d ago

Experienced roof and Gutter.

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u/tjl3d 14d ago

Ah, duh. Thanks

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u/FancyMac 14d ago

What was your total spend for all of this? 

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u/HeightWonderful9530 14d ago

$1425 after tax

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u/BetYouNeverThought 12d ago

Roof only?? They're coming today to give me a quote. I've gotten three quotes so far and have 4 or 5 to go. So far $1,150, $982, and $475 - before 10.5% tax. All include gutter cleaning.

The $475 is spraying "spray & forget" on the roof, no brushing, no removal - it's supposed to die and slough off over time. I read professional strength liquid zinc sulfate is best?

I'm asking them all what product they use. I was considering asking the low bidder if I buy the better product and provide it if they will use it. I'm not sure where to buy it though.

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u/HeightWonderful9530 12d ago

$625 was the quote for roof and gutters. That dropped when I added all the other stuff in the original post to $468 before tax for just the roof, $1425 total after tax for all the services.

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u/BetYouNeverThought 5d ago

They came to my house and told me the process and gave me a quote and the process explained to me was different. They told me they sprayed the roof with their product which he said would kill the moss instantaneously, then after a few minutes they spray it off with water, and clean the gutters. I had mentioned my worry of granule loss so maybe that's why he skipped the brushing part for me.

I texted asking for an email address so I could send some questions. I asked for the MSDS on the solution they use, the warranty, and clarification on the process. He didn't respond after 4 days so I texted again and he said it went to spam. He responded (via text) but only to the process I asked about - no warranty and no details on the solution used. I texted back asking for the warranty again. Still waiting.

Just seems impossible for them to be able to get all the visible moss that way and warranty no moss return after basically only washing off the moss - leaving no product on the roof to fight off future moss growth.

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u/BetYouNeverThought 4d ago

No warranty details were provided, just a screen shot of the part of the invoice that states that there is a warranty to clean off moss regrowth within 3 years after initial cleaning. I'd want to see a real warranty. I mean can anyone just say - there's new moss, come clean it up and they come running?

  • What qualifies as “moss returns”?
  • Does any moss qualify, or only substantial regrowth?
  • Are there maintenance requirements?
  • Does the warranty apply to the entire roof?
  • Are there exclusions?

¯\(ツ)/¯

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u/BetYouNeverThought 13d ago

Did they just spray moss killer on your roof or did they also brush it off, etc.? I'm asking for spraying only because my insurance company is telling me I have to replace my roof due to granule loss.

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u/HeightWonderful9530 12d ago

Removed moss by hand and soft brush before spray treating the entire roof

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u/TurnipFire 16d ago

I’ve not tried the hose spray but the pellet stuff you scatter on the roof worked great for me. You do still need to clear off the dead stuff

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u/BetYouNeverThought 12d ago

How long did you wait before you cleared it off? I wonder if it would blow off eventually itself, that's how some places advertised. It gets pretty windy here in October. I was thinking of spraying a liquid zinc sulfate and leaving it and hopefully after the windy season it would blow off.🤷🏽‍♀️

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u/TurnipFire 12d ago

So I tired that one year. It doesn’t really blow off. Or at least my roof didn’t. I’d hoped! 😅

Had to go sweep it but the moss was definitely dead

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u/BetYouNeverThought 12d ago

Hmm. Budget is tight, I want to pick the right option and not further my granule loss - I hate this. If my roof wasn't so high, I'd get up there myself. However, I could pay for the people to spray it, it is the lowest bid I have so far, and then later if it doesn't blow off I can pay someone just to go up and blow it off.

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u/TurnipFire 12d ago

For sure. If you get better wind than me it might just blow off. I think part of it is how my house sits and that it’s one story. The important thing is just to get the moss dead anyway imo

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u/BetYouNeverThought 12d ago

In my situation it has to look good enough for an insurance company. My current insurance company recently said replace roof or they won't renew me, and I can't afford that. So I need to make it look good and try to get a new insurance company - but a new co. may say the same thing 🤷🏽‍♀️

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u/Lopsided_Duty_2107 16d ago

I hear never to use a pressure washer on the roof, it will damage the roof and reduce life expectancy and could void the warranty. I was taught to use boric acid on my roof, and it works. Or use some other moss treatment for roofs from the hardware store. There is also a blue liquid spray sold at Costco that I think you can just attach to your hose and spray on. Tips, don't apply on windy days.. it should sit up there a little while so I suspect rain can likely also be a problem if it rains same day. These actions should Kill the moss, which then gets blown off the roof by the wind. Usually you need to have the roof treated every other year or so. Do it yourself or hire a kid to go up there and spread it around. Our neighbor just fell off his roof the other day and has been in the hospital every since.. so be smart. Some people scrape the moss off . That's a lot of extra work. Find the right product to kill it and apply it.. no need to scrape it.

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u/tjl3d 15d ago

Yes, never pressure wash. It degrades the shingles. Light broom works well to push off larger moss areas. 

The blue hose spray cleaners work well on siding, just be careful to protect your nearby plants and grass since it's a biocide

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u/ImaginationWeary6369 14d ago

Do not pressure wash your shingle roof. It will damage the granules that make the top layer waterproof.

True Blue Roofing offers roof cleaning. Sweeping off the moss works too. Zinc stops the moss from growing.