Roof Moss Removal and Cleaning Across Devon
Moss cleared carefully by hand, gutters left clear, and treatment applied to slow it coming back. Done without the damage a pressure washer causes.
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- Moss Removal
Moss Removal Done Without Damaging the Roof
Moss is not an emergency, and anyone telling you your roof is about to fail because of it is selling something. But it is not purely cosmetic either. Moss holds water against the tiles instead of letting it run off, and in winter that water freezes, expands and works away at the tile surface. Clumps break away and wash into the gutters, which block, overflow and start marking the walls. On older roofs, thick growth can lift the edges of tiles just enough for wind to get underneath.
The bigger risk, though, is how it gets removed. High pressure washing takes moss off a roof very quickly and takes the surface of the tiles with it. Concrete tiles have a protective coating that a jet wash strips away, leaving them porous and ageing them by years in an afternoon. It also drives water up under the tiles and into the roof space, and it can shift the tiles themselves. We will jet wash a roof if you ask us to, but we will tell you first why we usually would not, and on concrete tiles we will normally recommend against it.
Our approach is slower and gentler. We scrape the growth off by hand, clear the gutters and downpipes of everything that has come down, and then apply a biocide treatment that carries on working for months afterwards to slow the regrowth. We are a family run team, fully insured, and every job is backed by our workmanship guarantee.
Our Roof Cleaning Services
From a single mossy elevation to a full clean and treatment before the house goes on the market, here is what we take on across Devon.
Roof Moss Removal
Growth scraped off carefully by hand, working with the lie of the tiles rather than against them. Slower than a pressure washer and considerably kinder to the roof, particularly on concrete tiles.
Moss Prevention & Biocide Treatment
A biocide applied once the roof is clear, which carries on working for months afterwards and slows how quickly the growth returns. It is what turns a clean into something that lasts rather than a job you repeat every couple of years.
Algae & Lichen Removal
The green film and the crusty pale patches are different organisms to moss and need treating differently. Lichen in particular grips the tile surface and will not simply scrape off, so it is treated rather than forced.
Roof Tile Cleaning & Restoration
Bringing tired looking tiles back to something like their original colour. What is achievable depends on the tile and how far it has weathered, and we will tell you honestly what to expect before starting rather than afterwards.
Gutter Clearing & Moss Debris Removal
Clearing a roof puts a lot of debris into the gutters, so we clear them and the downpipes as part of the job. It is not an optional extra and it is not charged as one.
Roof Cleaning for House Sales & Surveys
A mossy roof makes a house look neglected in photographs and gives surveyors something to write about. A clean roof costs a fraction of what a survey comment can knock off an offer.
Other Services
Roof Emergency?
Appointment
Let's Take a Look at Your Roof
Tell us about the property and we will arrange a convenient time to come and assess it. No pressure, no obligation, just an honest recommendation and a clear written quote.
- Hand Removal, Not High Pressure
We scrape by hand and treat afterwards. If you want the roof jet washed we will do it, but we will explain what it does to the tiles first.
- Gutters Cleared as Standard
Everything that comes off the roof ends up in the gutters, so clearing them is part of the job rather than an extra line on the invoice.
- Honest About What Is Achievable
Some tiles come back looking almost new and some are simply weathered. We will tell you which yours are before we start, not after.
Make an Appointment
Fill in your details and we will get back to you quickly to arrange a visit. If it is urgent, please call us instead on 07449 211732.
F. A. Q's
Moss and Roof Cleaning Questions, Answered
There is a lot of scaremongering around roof moss, and a fair amount of bad practice. Below are the questions we are asked most often, answered straight. If yours is not covered here, call us and ask.
Somewhere between the two, and it depends how much there is. A light covering is mostly cosmetic. Heavy growth genuinely does cause problems, because it holds water against the tiles rather than letting it run off, and that water freezes and expands in winter. Clumps also break away and block gutters and downpipes, which is how a roof problem turns into a damp wall. Anyone telling you your roof is about to collapse because of moss is overselling it.
Usually not, and particularly not on concrete tiles. Concrete tiles have a protective surface coating, and high pressure water strips it off, leaving the tile porous and ageing it by years. Pressure washing also forces water up underneath the tiles and into the roof space, and can shift the tiles themselves. We will jet wash a roof if you have heard all that and still want it done, but we will always tell you the risk first, and on most roofs we will recommend hand removal instead.
Without treatment, often within two or three years, faster on a north facing roof or anywhere shaded by trees. With a biocide applied after the clean it takes considerably longer, because the treatment keeps working for months after we have left. Nothing stops it permanently. Moss is a fact of life on a British roof and any company promising otherwise is not being straight with you.
Yes, always, and it is included rather than charged separately. Clearing a roof of moss sends a lot of debris into the gutters, so leaving them full would create a worse problem than the one we came to solve. We clear the downpipes too and check the water is running away properly before we finish.
It is one of the cheapest things you can do before going on the market. A mossy roof photographs badly and reads as neglect, which makes buyers wonder what else has not been looked after. It also gives a surveyor something to comment on, and a line about the roof in a survey costs far more in negotiation than the clean would have.