Powerhosing a roof - water leaks

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shnaek

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Howdy - just a quick question for anyone who has any experience with powerhosing a roof. I just got a call from my Dad there who had the roof of his house powerhosed to remove all the moss on it. The guys did a great job, only thing is water leaked into the kitchen, hall and one of the bedrooms. They said this was normal and it was no big deal. They said it wouldn't happen with rain, and that it was a result of the power of the hosing.
Is this normal?
 
It's quite possible that water under pressure could drive under slates or tiles, but unless your father's roof is very old I would have expected that the sarking felt would have ensured that any water that managed to find it's way under the tiles would have drained safely away to the gutter. In an older house it's quite likely that there may be no sarking felt (this is the "second line of defence" against rain penetration), in such a roof it is common to find the inside face of the roof surfaces "rendered" in a lime mortar, often referred to as "parging". Your father should examine the roof space and see if sarking felt is present before getting too concerned about this.
 
Prevention is better than cure IMO

Those guys should have powerhosed from top to bottom, most of these cleaner guys stay on the ground and fire the powerhose upwards - WRONG ! The good guys will get up on the roof and powerhose down the tiles, ever heard the expression - "hose it down" !:)
 
shnaek said:
The guys did a great job, only thing is water leaked into the kitchen, hall and one of the bedrooms. ?
Click to expand...

...does nor look like such a great job afterall.... is there also a danger that excessing powerhosing could strip coating off some tiles/slates & make them look a bit washed out?
 
Havealaugh said:
Prevention is better than cure IMO

Those guys should have powerhosed from top to bottom, most of these cleaner guys stay on the ground and fire the powerhose upwards - WRONG ! The good guys will get up on the roof and powerhose down the tiles, ever heard the expression - "hose it down" !:)
Click to expand...

Have to agree, did my roof a couple of years ago. Top to bottom is the only way that makes sense .....
 
Thanks, guys. Dad had a guy in to look at the roof and he says it's okay. They were up on the roof with the hose, but he couldn't tell what way they were hosing. The house is old though - probably about 40 years.
 
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