How do we prevent reflected sunlight from deforming our vinyl siding?
August 19, 2010 by
Filed under vinyl siding
The energy efficient windows reflect heat from the house onto the vinyl siding. Is there a fix? Thanks.
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If the siding is being deformed by sunlight (direct or indirect) it was not properly installed. The nails that hold the siding on should have a space between the head and the siding so it can expand and contract.
I’ve seen swimming pools reflect sunlight, and I’ve seen light and heat reflected by glass walls from other buildings, and how it affected the neighboring building….but I’ve never seen a problem with siding being affected by energy efficient windows in the same wall. The direct sunlight hitting that wall is the more likely culprit, than anything reflected off the window in the same wall.
Regardless of where the heat/sunlight is coming from – the siding should have been installed loose enough, and short enough, to allow for expansion when it heats up.
The fasteners holding the siding in place, whether they be roofing nails, or staples, should be centered in the slots, and raised just enough, to allow the siding to slip side to side. If they are nailed tight – they are wrong, and the siding cannot expand/contract properly. Vinyl siding will change length by as much as 3/4″.
I’ve also seen siding installed that was just too long – and it would buckle out where the two pieces come into contact, because there’s no room for the expansion.
Another cause for wavy siding is loose sheathing underneath. I’ve had to secure a lot of loose/bowed OSB over the years, as well as bowed wall studs. These types of problems will show up as larger deformities in the smoothness of the vinyl siding. Sometimes its as simple as running a screw into the OSB (Oriented Strand Board, sometimes called ‘wafer board’). Other times, you have to repair a bowed stud.
Of course, if the wall was wavy when the siding was installed, and not shimmed out, that would affect it too.
So – quick review – some problems that cause wavy/buckling siding –
Fasteners in too tight.
Fasteners not centered in the slots.
Vinyl siding cut too long.
Underlying problem with the wall itself, such as loose sheathing, bowed joist, etc.
The first three mentioned, are by far, the most common problems with vinyl siding.
If you can link, or email a photo, we can probably tell from the picture, what is happening with your wall/siding.
The fix, for the expansion/contraction problem is to go though and re-fasten the siding. Move the nails that are not centered, and just pry out (a tiny bit), those that are too tight.
Any siding that is too long can be shortened with a pair of snips. (I’d start out at cutting about 1/4″ off in length, on a hot day, and see if that does the trick – cut it too short, and it will be gapping during the winter months).
This is easy to do – all you need is a hammer, prybar, and snips (and ladder for the upper reaches, hehe). It is time consuming, but not difficult. I’ve had a lot of practice fixing these types of siding problems.
Have Fun
Additional –
Looking at the photo in the link you emailed to me, I’d have to say, yes, this is damage being caused by light/heat being reflected (and perhaps concentrated) by low-E reflective glass in a nearby structure. This type of damage is very similar to damage to EIFS skins on large commercial buildings in a city environment, where one building’s glass facade reflects the heat/sunlight onto a nearby building’s EIFS surface. In the photo emailed to me, the vinyl siding is actually melted, and it can be seen right where the majority of the reflection hits. It is very telling to note that the melting occurred on only one wall of the inside corner – I’d be willing to bet that if you set up a time lapse camera, you’d see the reflection track right along that wall.
The vinyl will have to be replaced of course. Trying to replace just a few pieces will result in problems with the colors not matching, so it will probably be necessary to replace at least that one wall, if not both walls that make up the adjoining inside corner. (Color variation is harder to spot, when comparing surfaces that make up outside corners).
I’d definitely be looking into the vinyl siding which has been reformulated to withstand the higher temperature. I’d also be looking for some way to screen, block, or otherwise diffuse, the reflection from that neighbor’s low-E window.
The aritcle on the link says both homes are built by the same manufacturer – I’d be contacting him about his warranty, and insurance provider.
Good Luck