If your home or business has experienced melted vinyl siding, the culprits may well be the sunshine and your neighbor. But don't worry, your neighbor isn't out to get you; in fact, they are probably doing their best to go green. Once you notice melted vinyl siding on your home, ask your well-intentioned next door neighbor's if they just got new windows. If the answer is yes, then you have your explanation.
Melted Vinyl Siding
Experts call the problem of melting vinyl siding solar distortion, and it happens when a home's vinyl siding melts from the heat of sunlight reflected off nearby energy-efficient windows. Energy efficient windows can melt vinyl siding, artificial turf grass, and other materials by creating a concentrated and super heated beam of reflected sunlight. Think of burning paper with a magnifying glass like you would as a child; the type of solar heat here is much the same. There is any easy solution to the issue of sun reflections melting vinyl siding, but first let's take a minute to understand how it even happens in the first place.
Melted Siding from Low-E Windows
Low-E windows, or low-emissivity windows, have a microscopically small coating applied during the manufacturing process that reduces the amount of ultraviolet and infrared light that can pass through the glass. That means more light reflected back away from the property, potentially striking nearby vinyl walls. More sunshine means more energy, which in this case is also known as more heat. And because Low-E windows are double paned to add more insulation, there is often a slight concavity created by the internal vacuum. This concave shape can act like a lens, further concentrating and intensifying the heat channeled against nearby vinyl walls.
How to Stop Vinyl Siding from Melting
The best way to stop sun glare meting vinyl siding is to apply Turf Guard Window Film to the glass. This specialized window film does not reduce the efficacy of the windows at all; they will still reject UV and IR light and will still allow in natural light. But Turf Guard Window Film will send bounced sunlight scattering in countless directions instead of focusing a potentially damaging beam on nearby vinyl siding. So if you have already experienced vinyl siding melted by the sun or you think your property might be at risk of it, talk to your neighbor about Turf Guard Window Film before you have to talk about the costs of replacing vinyl siding or turf grass ruined by sun reflections off energy efficient windows. Use left/right arrows to navigate the slideshow or swipe left/right if using a mobile device