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March 24, 2008
Moss on facade
Our building is developing quite the case of "mossiness" on the brick (north facing) facade. Is this any cause for concern? Does it damage the brick if we let it go? It seems to have gotten worse in the last few years, and I'm not sure what to do about it. I personally am not a big fan of the way it looks but I'm more concerned about the integrity of the bricks and mortar. Anyone have any experience with this? Thanks.
Comments
I don't think it would harm the brick or mortar but it seems it's an indication there's too much dampness in your bricks. Have you checked if you have any water and runoff issues? Are your roof gutters directing water down into the sewer, not running down the sides of your building? Are people's window AC's dripping and running down the side of the building?
Posted by: guest at March 24, 2008 12:46 PM
I don't think we have any of those issues. All drainage is to the back of the building and runoff is a non-issue on the front. There are a couple of ACs but the moss pattern is not specific to those locations. In fact, it seems to be mostly random patches of it all over the front. Obviously the front doesn't get much direct sun which would mean after a good rain the facade doesn't dry quickly, and I'm sure this doesn't help the situation. So aside from being a cosmetic annoyance, you don't think this damages the bricks?
Posted by: Park_loper at March 24, 2008 1:10 PM
Well if you do not have any issues the above posters mentioned it seems like it could be because (like you metioned) your facade is not drying and is remaining moist for an extended amount of time.
Going forward I am not sure what you can to to prevent this from coming back but in the mean time put regular household bleach in a handheld sprayer and spray the moss and any areas that are discolored.
You will see the moss turn white very soon after spraying it. Then wash it away with a water hose. I own two brick homes in BK and had a small problem with moss. It has not come back since.
Posted by: guest at March 24, 2008 1:24 PM
Moss doesn't have a root system of any consequence(try ripping some off any surface). Don't worry about it if the appearance doesn't bother you.
Posted by: guest at March 24, 2008 7:44 PM
Thanks for the replies. I guess the consensus is that it's merely a cosmetic issue, which is some relief. I still think it makes the building look scrungy but at least it's not damaging anything.
Posted by: Park_loper at March 25, 2008 10:13 AM
definitely spray with the bleach and get it off. It may not have a root system to speak of but it will eat away at your mortar and brick. It is wrong to think it is "harmless." Good luck!
Posted by: amybnyc at March 25, 2008 8:40 PM
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