Power Washing and Roof Cleaning Forum

Art O · Approved Exterior Cleaner

Removing Lichen from a Roof

Ed Thompson · Approved Exterior Cleaner

40 days is a little on the low side to inform a customer. People will call you on day 41 if it's not all removed. I tell them don't bother me for 90 days.

It took like 6 months for the customer in the review below.

Zach Maynard · Approved Exterior Cleaner

I personally tell everyone 3-6 months. In writing!

lkendall · Approved Exterior Cleaner

I remove it so I dont have to deal with it.. charge extra and its what they expect. If I got my roof cleaned and they left it looking like snow for 6 months I would be like wtf its not clean.. Especially in this video, that is just being lazy.. Leaving a spot 1ft by 1ft right on the front of the house??

-- Edited by lkendall on Saturday 15th of February 2014 10:08:53 AM

John Aloisio · Approved Exterior Cleaner

We do not remove it, because the lichen is usually attached to firmly to the shingles and will take some off with them. Therefore causing more damage than good. We have done a good rinse with a garden hose for some customers who are putting their houses for sale immediately, but we make them sign a waiver. If the customer has let his roof get to that point of infestation, what is another couple of months to get rid of it. We set the customers expectations and tell them 3-6 months and if its nit off then, then we will come back. No complaints so far.

Matt Lancaster in the video is not lazy, he is a long time roofing contractor and Pro Staff member of Softwash Systems. the dude is anal about roof cleaning and does a great job.

Zach Maynard · Approved Exterior Cleaner

+1 John
We will never remove lichen because there is not need to, it falls of all by itself. Setting expectations is all you have to do...
Matt Lancaster is a consummate professional.

Ed Thompson · Approved Exterior Cleaner

I suppose sometimes you get areas of lichen and moss nestled between dormers or it may lie under the 2nd floor overhang. Sometimes these areas don't get enough rain to finish the job.

Zach Maynard · Approved Exterior Cleaner

Ed in that case I agree, I will leave instructions for the techs in those cases. (I forgot about that scenario)

Jeff Wible · Approved Exterior Cleaner

lkendall wrote:
I remove it so I dont have to deal with it.. charge extra and its what they expect. If I got my roof cleaned and they left it looking like snow for 6 months I would be like wtf its not clean.. Especially in this video, that is just being lazy.. Leaving a spot 1ft by 1ft right on the front of the house??

-- Edited by lkendall on Saturday 15th of February 2014 10:08:53 AM

You're potentially sacrificing the life of a customers shingles to make a sale and leave with growth removed.

This guys method is not lazy,..it is the responsible thing to do.

What happens when you remove the lichen and it pulls the granules off the roof and leaves exposed asphalt? Do you just keep going? You can sometimes get away with removing it,..with lichen though, it's not often, especially on an older roof. The dead lichen WILL go away,..those black spots could also be questioned by the customer,...then what do you tell them? That is now irreparable damage. I've done roofs before that were half covered with lichen, if it would have been removed the same day by picking at it,..I would most likely have had to pay at least a prorated replacement on material.

It's also not what they expect if you explain it as a professional who knows your business.

@Ed,. These spots you refer to are sheltered more from the rain,..but,..that doesn't mean they will be there forever,..anything thats dead will disintegrate in due time. The heat and Sun do just as much to remove this stuff as the rain does,..it will just dry and flake away

The thing EVERYONE needs to remember is it's not OUR fault the roof is in the condition it's in,..especially where moss and lichen are concerned. Although I don't like the word "Fault",..it is at least the customers neglect that it got the stage of heavy growth, and explaining it to them and what's going on has never lost me a job.

I make the customer aware that the stuff didn't get to that stage overnight, and if it was caught earlier it wouldn't take as long to have a finished result.

Jeff

-- Edited by Jeff Wible on Saturday 15th of February 2014 12:07:42 PM

Dave · Approved Exterior Cleaner

With the lichen as heavy as it was it the video, there will be missing granules when all the lichen falls off. The damage has already been done. Lichen that size has an established roof system into the shingle that has dislodged the granules under the lichen growth. Notice the black areas on the roof in the picture. These spots are from lichen. The lichen has already fed on these spots and fallen off.

Patrick G · Approved Exterior Cleaner

There is no doubt that lichen does cause granule loss resulting in "black spots" With that being said, I have sprayed roofs so infested that cleaned up with practicually no visiable loss. It is my experiance these roofs may have been newer and the lichen present under two or three years. There is no doubt that "leaving" lichen to fall off on its own will result in "less" over all granule loss.

Ed Thompson · Approved Exterior Cleaner

My signature lichen pics.

Jeff Wible · Approved Exterior Cleaner

Dave wrote:
With the lichen as heavy as it was it the video, there will be missing granules when all the lichen falls off. The damage has already been done. Lichen that size has an established roof system into the shingle that has dislodged the granules under the lichen growth. Notice the black areas on the roof in the picture. These spots are from lichen. The lichen has already fed on these spots and fallen off.

No,..the damage from physically removing lichen will cause ALOT more granule loss in that "spot" than it will if it's just left to flake away on it own. If it's "picked" off there will be a definite exposed "black" spot, whereas if it's allowed to just flake away it most likely won't be noticeable, and the granules will still be there protecting the asphalt from Sun damage. As I said,..in some cases lichen and moss can be removed by rinsing,...BUT when you have to start picking at it, you should just leave it to fall off on it's own.

The thing to remember too is,..once the lichen is dead,..it begins to shrink up by the next day,...any reasonable customer will be happy to know it's on it's way out the door and are happy to wait,..especially seeing how they've lived with it growing for years.

Just a guess, but I'd say anyone removing lichen and arguing that it's no different than leaving it has most likely never tried the "leaving" it method. AND, I admit,...I HATE leaving anything on a roof,..but,..I'm also not gonna leave permanent black spots and damage on someones roof,...when I know that just letting the growth fall off on it's own will do the customer a better service.

@Ed..Nice Picture.

Jeff

Doug Rucker · Vender

I have actually lost a couple sales over the years because I would not remove it by hand or with a broom or rinsing. I am just not going to do it. I have seen to many times, actually every time, when 6 months later you can't even tell it was there.

Jeff Wible · Approved Exterior Cleaner

You know Doug,..it's amazing how those customers' minds work,...they live with growth all over their roof,..for years maybe,...then all at once they want it all removed "By the end of the day" or forget it.

If they cared that much you'd think they would have been more aware of what what was happening to begin with.

As I said already a few times,..and I'm gonna say it again,...it is the CUSTOMERS neglect that it got this way,..and in a nice way I let them know that. If they expect you to solve this issue on the spot move on,...By picking at it and doing damage, these same customers will be calling complaining you damaged their roof by too aggressive cleaning. Now what?

Jeff

Zach Maynard · Approved Exterior Cleaner

Jeff Wible wrote:
Dave wrote:
With the lichen as heavy as it was it the video, there will be missing granules when all the lichen falls off. The damage has already been done. Lichen that size has an established roof system into the shingle that has dislodged the granules under the lichen growth. Notice the black areas on the roof in the picture. These spots are from lichen. The lichen has already fed on these spots and fallen off.

No,..the damage from physically removing lichen will cause ALOT more granule loss in that "spot" than it will if it's just left to flake away on it own. If it's "picked" off there will be a definite exposed "black" spot, whereas if it's allowed to just flake away it most likely won't be noticeable, and the granules will still be there protecting the asphalt from Sun damage. As I said,..in some cases lichen and moss can be removed by rinsing,...BUT when you have to start picking at it, you should just leave it to fall off on it's own.
The thing to remember too is,..once the lichen is dead,..it begins to shrink up by the next day,...any reasonable customer will be happy to know it's on it's way out the door and are happy to wait,..especially seeing how they've lived with it growing for years.
Just a guess, but I'd say anyone removing lichen and arguing that it's no different than leaving it has most likely never tried the "leaving" it method. AND, I admit,...I HATE leaving anything on a roof,..but,..I'm also not gonna leave permanent black spots and damage on someones roof,...when I know that just letting the growth fall off on it's own will do the customer a better service.
@Ed..Nice Picture.

I agree with you here Jeff.
Jeff

Ed Thompson · Approved Exterior Cleaner

We've worked with other companies who would sub out roof cleaning work to us. Every single time it went to chit because no one failed to inform the homeowner of the process. I always asked to prep the customer but that never seemed to be an option. The customer never knew what to expect.

We no longer do sub work. Everytime we wound up losing our profit by returning to the scene to "rinse" off whatevers there. We make it crystal clear to every customer that there will be no "Ta-Da" moment to this.

Diamond Roof Cleaning · Approved Exterior Cleaner

You really can't rinse it off anyway right after you treat because it hasn't had time to start breaking down and loosen up. I explain to my customers we can come back for the same price and rinse it off in 3 weeks or you can just wait the 3-4 months at no charge for it to fall of naturally. 99% of people have chosen option B.