"Copper strips are definitely worth looking into as a preventative measure—they're surprisingly effective, and once installed, they do most of the work for you."
Good tip about the copper strips—I hadn't heard of that before. Just moved into my first place last year, and our tile roof already had some moss buildup. We tried a gentle moss remover spray instead of power washing (heard too many horror stories about cracked tiles...). Worked pretty well so far, but I might look into those copper strips next spring. Thanks for mentioning it!
Copper strips are a solid suggestion—I installed some about five years ago after dealing with moss buildup every single spring. Honestly, I was skeptical at first, but they've made a noticeable difference. Just a heads-up though, placement matters; you want them near the roof ridge so rainwater carries the copper ions down evenly. Learned that one the hard way when I had to reposition mine after the first year...typical homeowner trial and error, haha.
Tile roofs being maintenance-free? Ha, that's a bit of a stretch. They're definitely lower maintenance compared to shingles, but "maintenance-free" is pushing it. I've got tile and still had moss issues—though copper strips did help me too (after I botched the first install, of course). Plus, tiles can crack or slip after storms or heavy winds. Nothing like climbing up there after a windy weekend to play roof detective...good times.
I hear you on the moss and cracked tiles—been there myself. But honestly, compared to my old asphalt shingles, tile roofs feel like a vacation. With shingles, I was up there every year patching something or dealing with granules clogging gutters. Since switching to tile, it's more like every few years I have to climb up and check things out. Sure, I've had a couple tiles slip after a nasty storm, but nothing too major. And the moss...yeah, copper strips were a lifesaver for me too (after a YouTube tutorial or two, of course). Still, I'd say "maintenance-free" is definitely overselling it, but "low-maintenance" feels pretty fair. At least now when I'm up there, it's more of a quick check rather than a full weekend project.
"At least now when I'm up there, it's more of a quick check rather than a full weekend project."
Haha, exactly—tile roofs are like the lazy Sunday afternoon of roofing. Still gotta do stuff occasionally, but way less stressful. Plus, copper strips FTW...YouTube tutorials save lives (and weekends).
