[TheForge] Update [OT - Asphalt shingle rot? (Lichen)]

[Mark A. Pesetsky]

You could string them together and make a 1/16 hole in a few shingles to
tie them off...Looks like I just saved myself $55!! Ha ha...Thanks Bruce

Mark 

-----Original Message-----
From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Bruce Freeman
Sent: Wednesday, July 07, 2010 2:27 PM
To: Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA
Subject: [TheForge] Update [OT - Asphalt shingle rot? (Lichen)]

Well, this is amusing so I thought you might like an update.

Before dropping $60+ on copper flashing, I did some more Web-research.
 Turns out that those of you who spoke up are apparently right -- copper
OR zinc cations will kill lichens.

So, what's the cheapest source of copper AND zinc metals?  You guessed
it -- "copper" pennies.  So now, if you look real close, you'll see
pennies scattered on the north-facing side of my roof, mostly near the
peak.  I had only about $5 worth of pennies around when I did this, so
might go buy another $10 worth for the effort.  I figure with rain and
winds, these will tend to wash down the roof, but I'll cross that bridge
when I come to it.

Meanwhile, I haven't given up on the notion of spraying the roof with
copper sulfate, but I've been trying to figure how and how much.
Seems to me that if a strip of copper foil across the roof will protect
the roof for 30 years or more (so claims that manufacturer), then the
concentration of copper needed could NOT be very high.  I haven't
actually worked out a number, but it must be vanishingly small.

So I envision doing something like putting a half-teaspoon (if that
much) copper sulfate, dissolved in water, in a sprayer and spraying the
roof with it.  The problem with this is that I do NOT want to inhale the
stuff.  So I could use goggles and mask and wait till the wind is right,
or I could come up with an alternative way.  I could possibly roll it on
like paint, and if I did that I wouldn't even need to cover the whole
roof, as it will wash down from the peak to the rest of the roof.

Still thinking on it.

--
Bruce
NJ
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