Replies

1. 
   k1c | Sep 25, 2011 07:00pm | #1

   I just did some research and bought a roll from zincshield.com.   Someone said that copper is better, but no small rolls turned up in the search.  There is another such seller, zincstop, but a reviewer from Amazon said it did not work well for them.

   These rolls are expensive so I was thinking of using galvanized gutter parts, but what I found was made of aluminum.

2. 
   florida | Sep 26, 2011 07:15am | #2

   I can't speak about the northeast but I can tell you for sure you might as well sprinkle poxie dust on your roof as install zinc strips. I used to believe the hype and so installed them on many roofs. If they had worked even a little it would have been okay but they were worthless. I wish they worked, I've still got rolls of it in my shop and my own roof is stained but it isn't worth the trouble.

1. 
   seeyou | Sep 26, 2011 08:03am | #3

   They'll keep the moss off and reduce the chance of staining before it happens, but it's not too likely the zinc (or copper) will remove existing stains very effectively.

1. 
   florida | Sep 26, 2011 12:30pm | #4

   Not in south Florida they won't. Lead boots on roofs make a clean triangle about 18 inches long below the boot, the zinc strips leave nothing at all.

2. 
   DanH | Sep 26, 2011 08:54pm | #5

   Zinc works in our neck of the woods.  You look at a light colored roof with cheap shingles (more expensive shingles have zinc or copper incorporated), and it will have dark stains everywhere except in the dripline below any zinc-plated fixtures.  Not sure how much zinc exposure is needed to be effective, but I can say with reasonable certainty that it's not "hype".

1. 
   florida | Sep 27, 2011 08:47am | #6

   I doubt it. I don't see why mildew on your roof woul dbe any different then on mine except that mine builds up faster. Zinc coated fixtures or lead boots are not the same thing as zinc strips and certainly don't work the same. I have lots of personal experience with zinc strips, how about you?

1. 
   DanH | Sep 27, 2011 08:26pm | #7

   I've generally bought the better quality shingles that don't need the zinc strips.

1. 
   florida | Sep 29, 2011 05:54pm | #8

   Exactly! You're talking through your hat again1

2. 
   seeyou | Sep 30, 2011 06:56am | #9

   more expensive shingles have zinc or copper incorporated

   I'm not familiar with any shingle product that uses zinc for algae resistance. Everything I'm familiar with uses copper. They may exist, but I've never seen 'em.

1. 
   DanH | Sep 30, 2011 08:15am | #10

   Yeah, all I've read about is copper, but I'd imagine zinc would work as well, and I wouldn't swear that it's never used in shingles.  It's all up to the chemists to figure out what is effective, lasts a long time, doesn't impact the characteristics of the shingle, and has the right color.  I suspect that it's difficult to put copper into a light-colored roof,

1. 
   seeyou | Sep 30, 2011 08:50am | #11

   I suspect that it's difficult to put copper into a light-colored roof,

   The flecks are so small, one can barely find them. Not an issue. Since zinc is normally cheaper than copper, I've wondered why they don't use zinc. So copper must be the superior algae inhibitor.

2. 
   DanH | Sep 30, 2011 05:48pm | #12

   I've always assumed that the copper is incorporated into the pigment somehow.  But never gotten out a microscope to check, or read up on the manufacturing process.

   I have noticed that, oddly, the treatment tends to be mostly available in darker colored shingles, so that led to my assumption that the copper was in the pigment.

3. 
   seeyou | Oct 01, 2011 05:34am | #13

   Locally, when the AR option became available, it was only on lighter colored products. Now all available products here are AR.

4. 
   DanH | Oct 01, 2011 08:25am | #14

   Yeah, shingles are fairly highly regionalized, I gather.  And apparently they only sell the really crappy stuff in Florida. ;)

5. 
   DanH | Oct 01, 2011 08:30am | #15

   (Of course, none of this addresses the OP's original question.  But my take is that zinc is zinc.  It's either solid or plated, and the manufacturer should specify the thickness of material and, if plated, the thickness of the plating.  So it's a matter of picking something of reasonable weight that's wide enough for a good exposure (2-3 inches I'd guess) and configured to be reasonably easy to install.)

   (Once the stuff is installed the roof should be initially cleared of algae using a bleach solution (use fresh bleach!), taking care to keep it off of painted surfaces and collect any runoff so that it doesn't damage plantings.)

3. 
   DoRight | Oct 03, 2011 12:28pm | #16

   How and where?

   How and where doyou apply the strips?  I thought I came up with this idea after noticing that no moss grew directly below my can vents on the roof.  LOL.  My idea was to throw a strip of galvanized metal under the ridge vent sticking dow about 3 inches.

   So how is it really done?