Does Vinyl Siding Melt?
Vinyl siding is one of the most common building materials used in America today. It is seen on the exterior of homes, businesses, sheds, storage facilities, and really just about any type of structure you can think of. Vinyl siding is a prized material because it is durable, available in myriad colors and textures, and is relatively inexpensive compared to other exterior finishing options. But when you need to replace vinyl siding, the costs quickly start to add up. Why would you need to replace this durable material, though? Because everything has a breaking point, or in this case a melting point. When vinyl siding reaches a temperature of between 160º and 165º Fahrenheit, it will begin to warp and melt into an unsightly buckled mess that not only ruins the looks of your property but can also mean reduced ability to insulate against heat or cold and less reliable waterproofing, increasing the chance of floods or mold. Melted vinyl siding is a serious headache for homeowners and business owners, but you can find melted vinyl solutions that can stop vinyl siding melting before it even happens. But before we talk about that, you need to understand what makes vinyl siding melt in the first place.
What is causing the vinyl siding to melt and warp?
Vinyl siding is prized for its durability in all weather conditions, from the cold of winter to the heat of summer to driving rains and blowing winds. So how can this tough, reliable material be melted and ruined? Vinyl siding melts when exposed to an excess of heat, and while this can be caused by things like a grill or heater set too close to the walls, in most cases melted vinyl siding is caused by sun reflections bouncing off nearby windows. When solar glare hits certain types of windows it is reflected in an extra hot beam (or beams) of light that are much more dangerous and destructive than light reflected off regular windows. These types of windows are called low-e (or low emissivity) windows and they are designed to be maximally energy efficient. Low-e windows reduce the amount of solar heat that gets into a home or business, therefore making the interior cooler and more pleasant and less costly to maintain. These windows also block up to 99% of the UV light that otherwise can cause interior fading and discoloring to flooring, upholstery, artwork, and more. And all of that is great, of course, but all of that rejected light has to go somewhere. When the light bounced off low-e windows, which have highly reflective coatings and often even have curved exteriors that act like a lens concentrating the reflected light, it can create heat sufficient enough to damage myriad surfaces on which it falls. If light bounced off energy efficient windows hits vinyl siding it can cause the siding to warp and melt, ruining the exterior of one home or building in the name of helping out the interior of another.
How to stop your siding from melting?
Far and away the best solution to stop vinyl siding from melting is Siding Guard window film, a low cost and quick and easy way to completely change the way sun reflected off your windows impacts the surroundings near by. Siding Guard window tint stops melted vinyl siding issues immediately and permanently because it takes the teeth out of those hot sun reflections by scattering the heat far and wide. If you are worried about melted vinyl siding the best solution is Siding Guard because this anti glare window film will not reduce the efficacy of windows at rejecting hot infrared or damaging UV light, it simply changes the way that rejected light is bounced away.Picture it like this: if one person were holding one large mirror and aiming it toward your face on a bright and sunny day, you would feel a glut of heat, maybe even enough heat to cause you pain and to make you turn or even run away. That’s the effect untreated low-e windows have, only vinyl siding can’t turn or run, it can only sit there until things get got enough and it starts to melt in the heat.
Now instead picture hundreds of people standing nearby, each holding a little mirror in their palms and with all the surfaces of the mirrors pointing in slightly different directions. Now the sun shine hitting all those many surfaces is going to go in all sorts of different directions. Even if a few beams did find their way to you, they would be harmless and not to be worried over at all. This is the effect Siding Guard window film has when protecting nearby vinyl siding against melting in sun glare. The specialty window film features thousands of little perforations all over its surface; while imperceptible to the human eye, solar particles hitting this film have their reflection vectors changed dramatically by the texture, so the sunshine goes bouncing all over the place instead of concentrating itself onto that hapless vinyl siding nearby.
Can you fix melted vinyl siding?
Vinyl siding melted by sunshine reflecting off energy efficient windows cannot be fixed; it must be removed and replaced at often very high cost to the property owner. And if the patches if vinyl siding that are damaged by sun reflections off low-e windows are a few years old, then sometimes entire walls need to be removed and replaced even if not all of the vinyl siding was damaged. This is because vinyl siding will weather and change color over the years; when this happens uniformly, it still looks good with time. But when a fw pieces of vinyl siding melted by sun reflections must be replaced, the new material may not match the older stuff, so only complete removal and replacement might see a truly restored exterior.
Far and away the better approach to dealing with vinyl siding melting issues is to stop them before they start and get Siding Guard window film that can stop melted vinyl siding before the damage occurs.
Quick inexpensive way to stop vinyl siding from melting
If you think your property’s vinyl siding is at risk of melting caused by sun glare reflecting off windows, then the best thing to do is get Siding Guard window film installed ASAP. This affordable melted vinyl siding solution can stop sun glare ruining vinyl siding (and stop turf grass melting caused by sun reflections off windows) before it starts. And Siding Guard can potentially also protect you from some seriously awkward situations with your neighbors.
If you have energy efficient windows and your neighbors have vinyl siding, then it may be just a matter of time before sun glare off your windows that face their home melt the walls and burn up any good will between you. Likewise if your neighbors got low-e windows installed while your property has vinyl walls on the exterior, you soon may be the one suffering the property damage caused entirely by someone else’s property.
Getting Siding Guard window film to stop window reflections melting neighbor’s vinyl siding is the honorable thing to do, and it will cost you a lot less to get a few windows treated with Siding Guard film than it will to help cover the costs of vinyl siding melted by sun reflections. On the other hand, if it’s your home that’s at risk for melted vinyl siding caused by a neighbor’s energy efficient windows reflecting too much light, it’s a much less awkward conversation to discuss the issue you fear may happen than it is to come complaining about damage that has already been inflicted on your property.
There are plenty of was to go about discussing preventing melted vinyl siding caused by window glare thanks to using Siding Guard. You can even offer to split the costs of the install with your neighbor, as after all you will both benefit from the new window treatment. Or if you both have vinyl siding and energy efficient windows, getting Siding Guard installed on both properties can be a neighborly bonding experience.
Is Siding Guard a permanent solution to window reflections melting vinyl siding?
Yes and now – Siding Guard really can be thought of as both a temporary and a permanent solution to window glare melting siding, and that’s one of the reasons it’s the best solution for melted vinyl siding. Siding Guard is tough and durable and will last for years and years without losing its efficacy at reducing window glare heat. But if you ever want to remove the Siding Guard window film – say if you are replacing the windows, you want a new color of Siding Guard film, or if the neighbors just upgraded to a melt-proof cement board exterior – you can have the Siding Guard peeled away to reveal a pristine window beneath.
That said, there will rarely if ever be a good reason to have Siding Guard window film removed. Siding Guard window coatings do not interfere with the functions of your windows. They will not block the amount of welcome visible light that enters the home or business and Siding Guard anti reflection window film does not block your view out through the windows of the property. Depending on which color variety of Siding Guard window film you choose – from a stylish black film to a crisp white finish – it will however add a unique and handsome new look to the property. Of course you can also choose a clear Siding Guard window film that won’t change the looks of the property at all but that will in fact have the home or business assured of not ruining the looks of other properties with vinyl siding walls nearby.
Are there other vinyl siding melting solutions?
Yes, of course there are other ways to stop windows melting vinyl siding through reflections off energy efficient panes, but there is no anti glare vinyl siding melting protection option to effective and so minimally invasive as Siding Guard Window Film. You can always install and close the shutters over your windows, but that completely blocks the view out of your home or business and into the neighborhood or town. You can have awnings installed over the windows, but that can dramatically change the looks of your property (and usually not for the better) and besides, the sun may very well still at times be a threat to the vinyl siding nearby. In fact often in the cooler months, such as late fall, winter, and early spring, the sharp angle of the sun relative to the ground can create the “ideal” settings for vinyl siding melted by sun glare, and low-e windows can indeed create enough heat to melt vinyl siding even when the ambient air temperature feels cool. (Of course a hot summer day does much to speed the vinyl siding melting process along if window glare finds the right angle when it’s hot out.)
And then of course you could always rip out your energy efficient windows and put back in antiquated single pane windows, but that means the loss of all the energy efficiency and in fact may be against legal building code in many places. (Also what an expense!)
So while there are other solutions to vinyl siding melted the best solution to stop vinyl walls melting in window reflections is to use Siding Guard window film and ensure the sunshine bouncing off your energy efficient windows isn’t weaponized into a beam so hot it can melt vinyl, shrivel artificial turf grass, damage plastic patio furniture, and even cause a danger to people and animals nearby in the area as well.
Getting Siding Guard window film installed today is a wise insurance policy against damage that will therefore never happen in the weeks, months, and years to come. It’s the single best and single least invasive way to make sure your property and/or your neighbor’s property stays looking great with no chance for ill will caused by vinyl siding melted by window glare off energy efficient windows.
