Using copper to kill off moss on roof

Optimistic Gardener · « **on:** February 06, 2013, 11:46 »

Hi, this relates to my house roof and not my shed / greenhouse so if the Mods want to move it then that's fine.

My old stone built cottage faces due north. The previous owner allowed a massive (and I mean massive) virginia creeper to grow all over the roof and cover at least 2/3rds of it. It was removed before we bought the house 5 years ago. However, the roof is covered with moss which comes down in great lumps in wind / rain and is now blocking the guttering causing the roof supports above to get wet and rot.

I've got a builder on the case already and he recommends fitting copper wire at intervals across the roof in order to prevent more moss growing.

Has anyone tried this? Does it work?

Thanks very much

savbo · « **Reply #1 on:** February 06, 2013, 14:15 »

My response is not from a practical point of view, more of an environmental one...

Putting copper on the roof will result in continued small amount of copper salts being washed off your roof and into your water butt or drainage system and potentially then into watercourses. Copper is toxic to a wide range of organisms and so this is far from ideal.

In reality, the amount from some copper wires will be very small compared to the metal salts coming every day from all kinds of galvanised or copper-coated roofs...and the film of other chemicals that ends up on our roofs.

The way around this problem is to capture this pollution as it comes off the roof (the 'first flush'), before it goes into the drainage system... rain gardens are a practical way of doing this. So if you go with the copper wires, you might like to consider this as an option...

can you tell this is one of my hobbyhorses?

sav

Optimistic Gardener · « **Reply #2 on:** February 06, 2013, 14:27 »

Hi Savbo thanks for your reply. As I understand it, the point of putting the copper wire on the roof is precisely so that it does release "minerals" onto the roof when it rains and that this water then helps to keep the roof clean and free from moss in the future.

I'm not sure what a rain garden is nor how I would set one up. Also what would I do with the "polution" when I've captured it? We're on mains drainage so it would all go into the usual run off and drains. I do have water butts but they're on the greenhouse not the main house so they won't be affected.

Thanks
OG

bravemurphy · « **Reply #3 on:** February 06, 2013, 17:44 »

So does that mean everytime i drink water from my house and water my plants from the tap i am being poisned?

savbo · « **Reply #4 on:** February 07, 2013, 10:30 »

Quote from: Optimistic Gardener on February 06, 2013, 14:27

I'm not sure what a rain garden is nor how I would set one up. Also what would I do with the "polution" when I've captured it? We're on mains drainage so it would all go into the usual run off and drains. I do have water butts but they're on the greenhouse not the main house so they won't be affected.

Thanks
OG

Hi OG - some info on rain gardens here,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rain_garden

basically they are just shallow depressions where most rainwater can soak away, with the pollutants being absorbed by plants and soil. At very high rainfalls, the excess water just flows back into to drain system, but after some filtering has taken place. We are going to be installing some rain garden planters hopefully, same thing but with the downpipes going into a planter...

Not trying to be soapboxy, just offering it as an idea
sav

savbo · « **Reply #5 on:** February 07, 2013, 10:32 »

Quote from: bravemurphy on February 06, 2013, 17:44

So does that mean everytime i drink water from my house and water my plants from the tap i am being poisned?

Sorry , I mustn't have been clear, these pollutants end up in the drainage system and then sometimes watercourses, not the drinking water supply (unless that is from rivers, in which case lots of energy has to go into cleaning it up).

sav

Optimistic Gardener · « **Reply #6 on:** February 07, 2013, 10:39 »

Thanks for your reply Savbo. I don't think a rain garden is possible in our case but I take your points on board and I've learnt what a rain garden is now. Thanks again.

OG

bravemurphy · « **Reply #7 on:** February 07, 2013, 17:41 »

Quote from: savbo on February 07, 2013, 10:32

Quote from: bravemurphy on February 06, 2013, 17:44
So does that mean everytime i drink water from my house and water my plants from the tap i am being poisned?

Sorry , I mustn't have been clear, these pollutants end up in the drainage system and then sometimes watercourses, not the drinking water supply (unless that is from rivers, in which case lots of energy has to go into cleaning it up).

sav

I dont mean water from the rivers I mean the water thats running through my copper pipes that feed my house taps.
Does that do the same ?

JayG · « **Reply #8 on:** February 07, 2013, 18:04 »

Quote from: bravemurphy on February 06, 2013, 17:44

So does that mean everytime i drink water from my house and water my plants from the tap i am being poisned?

Only very slowly!

Copper with a large surface area exposed to the elements corrodes relatively quickly because rain is "soft" and usually slightly acidic.

The water inside copper pipes is usually considerably harder, less acidic, and of course is usually on the move so doesn't have the chance to dissolve much copper (and most of it is not used for drinking anyway.) The amount of copper you will take in from tap water is probably less than what you can get from eating many foodstuffs (and copper is actually an important trace element in our diets.)

bravemurphy · « **Reply #9 on:** February 07, 2013, 19:15 »

phew thx

Was gona fit all plastic.

I will when i build me own house

savbo · « **Reply #10 on:** February 08, 2013, 12:35 »

Quote from: bravemurphy on February 07, 2013, 17:41

I dont mean water from the rivers I mean the water thats running through my copper pipes that feed my house taps.
Does that do the same ?

doh - daft me. sorry.

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Using copper to kill off moss on roof

Optimistic Gardener

Using copper to kill off moss on roof

savbo

Re: Using copper to kill off moss on roof

Optimistic Gardener

Re: Using copper to kill off moss on roof

bravemurphy

Re: Using copper to kill off moss on roof

savbo

Re: Using copper to kill off moss on roof

savbo

Re: Using copper to kill off moss on roof

Optimistic Gardener

Re: Using copper to kill off moss on roof

bravemurphy

Re: Using copper to kill off moss on roof

JayG

Re: Using copper to kill off moss on roof

bravemurphy

Re: Using copper to kill off moss on roof

savbo

Re: Using copper to kill off moss on roof

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