What to do about moss on roof tiles blocking the gutters?

Some enterprising window cleaners offer 'gutter clearing' as a 'yearly optional extra'. Not too bad if you live in a bungalow, a dormer, or even in a 'regular sized house' - but would be awkward for anybody living in a 'Town House' or on the upper floor of a three floor block of flats.

Good idea to fit 'cages' over your gutters to prevent them from getting large clumps of moss and lots of leaves gathering into the gutters.

My problem is not the moss on the roof (it dries and peels off) but the mess on the patio caused by pigeon droppings, moss and other debris which gather in the gutter and is then tossed down when the pigeons root around the gutters for food.

The pigeons have decided to nest under our solar panels so we had wire mesh placed around the panels by our neighbour’s son who was doing the job on his mother’s panels.

I suspect the pigeons have wire cutters for beaks as within the month they had forced their way in on one side.

I have to sweep the large patio every single day and I’m getting rather desperate.

I have ‘hedgehogs’ in my gutters. They are like long circular brushes. The moss falls over them onto the ground, bypassing the gutters which are full of ‘hedgehogs’.

No need to apologise Direne3. I often do that due to my slow typing. I think I need to follow my own advice and get a phone with big buttons ?

Apologies, Grannynannywanny, I got distracted mid post and our paths crossed.

You've posted on the wrong forum natasha1. However, to save you time I can recommend one called 'doro Secure 580', she'll find it easy to use once it's set up for her.

natasha1 you will probably get more responses if you start your question as a new thread. My elderly dad had a Doro mobile. It had large buttons and was very easy to use. It had a useful emergency button on the back and if pressed it dialled my number without having to scroll through numbers when possibly feeling out of sorts.

Has anybody any suggestions for a really easy to use mobile, just needs to be able be able to. Make calls and answer them. Mum is 77 and has early alzheimers, any help would. Be appreciated as hers is not holding its charge so on its way out. Tia.

The birds seem to do a good job of clearing our moss. I am constantly sweeping lumps of it up in the garden.
My son volunteered to clean my gutters out, last year. He removed quite a lot of detritus, and also a lovely big chunk of Sedum which was growing there. Heaven knows how it got there. Blown by the wind, or transported by birds, no doubt. Anyway it is doing very nicely in my garden.

Lin663

I have just had my roof cleared and chemically treated today…it cost £450…

Blimey that was a good price! I suspect we could have got ours done more cheaply, but having had problems in the past with people going on the roof we decided to play it safe with a company recommended by our local council.

I suspect it also depends on where you are in the country.

We live in a bungalow so dh goes up a ladder with a big plastic ladle/spoon and gets it out of the gutter and then hosepipes it all clean.

I have just had my roof cleared and chemically treated today…it cost £450…

Our roofs face north and south and both have moss on them. We don't remove it as it falls off anyway and the birds peck it off. I quite like the look of the moss, it suits the style of the cottage. But we do clear the gutters of moss and creepers once a year.

Yes, this is the first house we have had with a moss problem. It faces north north west and we have a row of full grown deciduous trees running along a footpath about 50 feet from the house.

I think it is the this mix of north facing, shade, and humidity that is the cause of our moss problem. We are also roofed with old clay tiles, not slate or modern concrete 'clay' tiles, and the clay substrate is more moss friendly than the alternatives.

It is only the one face of the roof with the problem and most of the older properties on the same alignment as us have the same problems. But the substance the roofer sprayed on the roof has worked. The liquid probably drained into the more porous clay tiles, a bit like a drizzle cake, so hasn't benn washed off or washed away.

Hedgehog runners .Long like a big bottle brush that clips in the guttering ,stops it dropping into the guttering.You do end up sweeping it of the patio or drive though but it works a treat.We got ours online 3 years ago, still going strong.

SecondhandRose

We had our 60 year old cleaned and sprayed with moss killer last year. Worth every penny.

Did the 60 year old consent to that? I'm imagining some poor protesting lady being hosed down..

Do you have a local online Next Door group? Someone on there will know someone reliable who does gutter clearance. it's well worth it.

.My roofer put hedgehog brush things in the gutters that stops it.

I have lived in 100, 80, 50year old houses and never had moss on the roof. Brand new purchased in 70s no problem with moss. Last new build bought years ago and moss is a nuisance. Window cleaner sorted out gutters for £30 but clumps of moss still scattered from roof by birds. If I was going to have it cleaned it would be manually with no chemicals applied.

A builder told me years ago, not to let anyone on the roof unless an emergency, water pouring in for example. It can do more damage than good. He said the birds will eat it,and anything trapped in the gutter will gradually reduce. Of course, you can have your gutters cleared if it’s really annoying. Our son did ours a few years ago, but I may ask him again if it doesn’t clear.

The roof ridge on our dormer bungalow is aligned North South and the east facing part of the roof had amassed a thick carpet of moss and also in the shadow of two large chimneys. A couple of years ago my husband sprayed a 5% solution of bleach on to the moss from a 5 litre sprayer (£10 at Aldi) and within a month it had completely cleared along with the ferns which had taken root at the base of the chimney pots. He did it from ground level as he can no longer climb ladders

My window cleaner does mine for me.

We had our 60 year old cleaned and sprayed with moss killer last year. Worth every penny.

Several of our neighbours had a company to clear the rooves and gutters and then a coating was sprayed on the tiles.
One was done about 10 years ago and the company have just come back and re cleaned the roof and put a new coating onto the roof.
Unless you can do it yourself or know someone that can, it would be the best idea, I reckon.
If you belong to any FB community groups, get recommendations from there.

We had our ridging tiles replaced, and at the same time, the roofer scraped off the moss. We didn't have the roof treated though.
Each summer we have a maternity colony of pipistrelle bats in the roof, and I was worried that any chemicals would harm them or deter them from using our roof.