Is Your Vinyl Siding Melting? Find Out The Cause And The Solution

Is Your Vinyl Siding Melting? Find Out The Cause And The Solution

Why is my vinyl siding warping?

It’s happening to homes across North America and homeowners are scrambling to fix their siding only to see it warp again.

It’s a relatively new phenomenon and while the vinyl siding might seem to warp out of the blue, it’s actually being caused by the sun reflecting off of windows that are coated with Low-E film. 

Low-E film is a reflective coating that’s applied to windows so they can reflect heat and make homes more energy efficient. 

However, under the right conditions, the sun can bounce off the Low-E window and concentrate into a powerful beam that can reach temperatures well over 200° F.

So, most of the time when vinyl siding melts or warps it’s because that’s where a beam from a Low-E window has landed.

The reason why the siding warps is not because it’s a defective product. It was just never intended to be exposed to temperatures that high, as most vinyl siding will melt at just 165° F. 

Just one Low-E glass window can easily cause thousands of dollars in damage.

Most people don’t even realize what’s happening or why, they just see that large patches of siding have been warped or artificial turf has been scorched.

This is a relatively new problem and it’s rapidly growing every year because most new homes are being built with Low-E windows.

Melted siding has now become so widespread that the major vinyl siding manufacturers have updated their warranties to exclude damage from heat caused by window reflections.

Making things even more complicated is that a lot of the time it’s a neighbor’s Low-E window that is causing the damage.

So if this is happening to you or your neighbor, do not replace any damaged siding or artificial grass yet.

The window is the source of the heat beam, so that needs to be addressed first.

If you replace your siding or your turf without first fixing the window, you’ll just end up having to replace the same things again and again.

What’s the best way to stop my siding from melting?

The window is the problem, specifically the way the sun is reflecting off the Low-E coating.

Replacing the window may seem like the most obvious solution, but it’s not necessary. 

Getting a window replaced is costly, and most Low-E glass windows are relatively new, energy-efficient, and are otherwise in good working order. 

As long as you can block the sunlight from hitting the window in the first place, you can stop the heat beam from forming.

Do not install a product between the vinyl siding and the window as a means of protecting the house.

Anything that is in the path of the heat beam will get damaged, so installing something like a fence or umbrella would just mean constantly replacing something else instead of siding.

The key is to keep direct sunlight off the Low-E window.

Common ways to prevent your vinyl siding from melting are:

  • Installing an awning over the Low-E window that’s causing the issue.
  • Planting some shade trees in from of the low-e window.
  • Investing in heat resistant siding.
  • Installing shade screen over the Low-E window.

Some people recommend installing awnings over their Low-E windows as a way to block the sun from hitting them.

This solution can work because it blocks the sun from directly hitting the glass, but it does have some drawbacks.

It’s one of the more expensive options, and awnings require a lot of maintenance.

They can easily get damaged by wind if they are left extended, so they can really only be used so long as you are home.

Retracting your awning every time you leave the house may mean that the sun can still hit your Low-E window and form hot spots.

So even with an awning, you could still run into the same melted siding problems.

Planting some strategic trees as a means of shade would work, but again it’s not a practical solution.

Shade trees are expensive and not everyone has the available space to be able to plant a large shade tree.

Replacing melted siding with a heat-resistant type of siding is an option, but it’s by far the most costly as it would mean having to replace the siding for the entire house.

Some people have taken the step to replace their siding with heat-resistant vinyl siding.

This is by far the most expensive option as it can easily run into the thousands of dollars to replace the existing siding on a house with heat-resistant siding.

The easiest and cheapest solution is to cover the window that’s causing the damage.

Painting over the outside of the window is cheap and easy and provides an immediate fix to the problem.

However, the entire point of having a window in the first place is to get natural light into your space.

Installing EZ Snap window shade over the Low-E window is the best way to fix a window while still keeping natural light.

EZ Snap works by blocking 90 percent of the sun’s heat and light from ever reaching the glass.

What does reflect off the glass gets filtered a second time on its way back out, ensuring that no hot spots can form from any Low-E glass reflections. 

To see how well the shading mesh works in action, here’s a review a customer sent in who had a Low-E window that was melting their siding. The video shows both the before and after of how EZ Snap stopped the hot spots from forming.

EZ Snap can be installed on almost any size and type of window. 

Because EZ Snap uses an optical grade mesh, you still get to keep your view as well.

It’s also easy enough to install that you don’t need any previous experience. 

Follow more information on how our line of shade products can prevent your melted siding and artificial grass from melting

Don’t Replace Your Old Windows with Low-E Glass – Use Shade Screens

Don’t Replace Your Old Windows with Low-E Glass – Use Shade Screens

Window Shades
Skylight Shades
RV Skirting
RV Shades
Boat Shades

Imagine losing $1000 from your income every single year.

For most American households, that’s roughly how much it will cost to heat and cool their home for the year.

That adds up, especially when every dollar counts.

It’s no surprise that people are looking for ways to save on energy costs.

Typically, windows are the worst energy culprits on any given house.

Heat gain and heat loss through windows account for between 25%-30% of a home’s energy use for heating and cooling.

If a window has failing seals, it will perform even worse.

Even the type of the window frame can affect energy performance.

If the window frame is made from a material that is a poor insulator, such as aluminum, it can create what’s known as a thermal bridge and conduct heat from inside the house to outside. 

One inefficient window can lose as much heat as 10 to 20 times what an insulated wall would lose.

Even if your window is new and well sealed, it could still be the cause for a lot of energy use in your home.

Solar energy is still able to pass through glass, so even an insulated window can heat up a room quickly if it gets a lot of sun.

In the dead heat of summer, having even just one window or skylight that gets a lot of sun exposure can mean the AC is running all day just to cool the room off.

So What Can Be Done?

The most common recommendation to make old windows more energy efficient is to replace them entirely with new, low-e windows.

Low-e windows are windows that have been treated with a film that reflects solar heat while still letting natural light pass through.

With less solar heat entering the home, the AC no longer has to work as hard to keep the house cool.

The less energy the AC uses, the more savings there are for the homeowner.

Is replacing old windows with new ones worth the cost?

There will be energy savings from replacing old windows with new, low-e glass windows but it comes with a substantial upfront cost.

The National Association of Realtors estimates the cost of replacing every window in a 2,450 square foot house to be around $19,000.

For a household trying to save money in energy bills, that’s a very large investment with a slow return.

What are some more cost effective alternatives to replacing an old window?

The most important thing to do with old windows is stop any exchange of air between the inside and outside of your house.

For drafty windows, using a product like rope caulk to seal up any holes can make a major improvement.

Plastic film insulation is another popular and effective solution for sealing up older windows.

Both options are inexpensive and simple enough for anyone to apply.

For windows that get a lot of sun exposure, a quick and easy way to make them more energy efficient is to mount exterior shade mesh on them (also called shade screen or solar screen/mesh/fabric).

There are a lot of different kinds of shade mesh available, but they all work by the same principle.

It’s a mesh fabric, and like low-e glass, it works by blocking solar heat and light, while still letting natural light through.

Unlike low-e glass, which is a film that’s been applied to the glass, solar mesh is installed on the exterior of the window.

Applying the shade screen to the outside of a window is key for it’s ability to keep a room cool.

If it’s applied to the inside of a window it will still work but not nearly as well.

If it’s mounted on the inside the screen will still provide shade from the sun, but the energy savings will be significantly less because the heat will be trapped inside the house.

If you are considering shade screens for your home and don’t know which one to choose, the easiest and best option is EZ Snap.

They sell do-it-yourself kits that let you mount and cut your mesh to your window, no matter it’s size or shape.

EZ Snap is also a fraction of the cost of what you would pay to buy and install new windows.

You save on the price of the product, and because you are able to install it yourself, you save on labor as well.

EZ Snap shade screen is also better at blocking solar heat than low-e glass.

The effectiveness of heat blocking applications for windows is measured by the Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC).

The SHGC is the amount of solar radiation (heat) that transmits through a window.

It’s measured between 0 and 1, and the less solar heat that transmits through a window, the lower a window’s SHGC number is going to be.

There are a lot of low-e glass makes and models, but the range of SHGC for most of them from varies between 0.60 – 0.25. 

Shade mesh from EZ Snap has a SHGC of .18.

Something else to consider is that low-e windows are known to damage turf and siding.

In the right conditions, the solar heat that they reflect can focus into a hot spot creating a magnifying glass effect that melts anything in its path.

The problem is becoming so rampant with the rising popularity of low-e windows that one scientist is calling them, “the next asbestos.”

If you or your neighbor has a low-e window that is damaging property, EZ Snap is also the ideal solution.

Rather than replace the entire window, installing EZ Snap window shade over the problem window provides a fast and effective fix.

The solar heat is reflected off of the mesh before it ever reaches the window, preventing any chance of a hot spot forming.

The result is 100 percent effective and can be installed in as little as an afternoon.

An added benefit to an exterior shade product like EZ Snap is that it’s also removable. So, when the winter months come you can take it off and benefit from the natural heating you get with the sun.

It’s like getting free heat in the winter.

No matter which window option you choose to make your home more energy efficient, it’s important to do your research before making a final decision. 

You want to make sure that you are going to be getting the maximum return for your investment.

Replacing your windows might be worth the cost, or it might make more sense to invest in solutions that are able to make your existing windows more energy efficient.

 

Is Your Artificial Grass Melting? The Cause And The Solution

Is Your Artificial Grass Melting? The Cause And The Solution

Artificial Turf Melting: The Cause & The Solution

It’s becoming an increasingly common problem for many homeowners.

If you are finding streaks of your turf melted and discolored, the culprit is most likely a nearby window that has something called low-e glass in it.

Illustration of how low-e glass windows work.

Low-e glass is glass that has been treated with a type of energy-efficient coating. The glass is coated with a microscopic, transparent metallic layer that reflects heat, but still allows light to pass through.

These windows are good at cutting down the amount of heat entering a house, which is why more and more homes are being built with them installed. However, they can also act like a giant magnifying glass.

Low-e windows are all double-paned, and when there is a difference in pressure between the outside air and the interior of the glass panes, the windows may slightly warp and bend. This can create a concave effect in the glass.

This concave effect, coupled with the reflective Low-E coating, can focus sunlight into a concentrated hot spot, just like you see with a magnifying glass.

The temperature of these hot spots can get so high that they destroy anything they touch.

It’s increasingly common for these Low-E windows to melt synthetic turf, vinyl siding and even cause natural grass to catch fire.

Fake grass will begin to melt at around 175 degrees Fahrenheit. We recently had a customer write to us to say that his turf was melting due to a Low-E window. He took a reading of the hot spot that was destroying his lawn and it was over 190 degrees.

If a large enough patch of turf has been melted, it will need to be replaced. Since artificial turf can cost anywhere from 5 – 25 dollars a square foot (not including labor), replacing damaged turf is a costly and time-consuming process.

Low E Window Reflection Melting Astro Turf

EZ Snap customer with a hot spot on his lawn that was over 190°F.

As more and more homes are getting Low-E windows installed, so are the number of people finding their turf being damaged. Even if you don’t have Low-E windows your lawn may still get scorched.

If you are seeing signs of damage to your turf and don’t have Low-E windows on your house, the cause may be one of your neighbor’s windows.

What can be done about Melting Turf?

First, know that if you take the time and money to replace your lawn but don’t address the cause, it’s just going to happen again.

A simple solution would be to put something up, such as a patio umbrella, to protect your turf. This would only be a temporary fix though because anything you put in the way of the hot spot will only get destroyed.

What needs to happen is for the sun’s rays to be blocked before they can hit the window and reflect back out. If the solar heat is cut down before it ever touches the glass, then there is nothing to reflect out and your lawn is safe.

Fortunately, EZ Snap Shade Screens are the ideal solution. They can be installed right over the problematic Low-E glass window quickly and easily and for a lot less than it would cost to replace the entire window.

Inside View Black EZ Snap Shade Screens

View from a window with EZ Snap Shade Screen.

EZ Snap Shade Screens are proven to stop up to 90% of the sun’s rays from reaching the glass. You get all of the cooling power of a Low-E window, but without the risk of creating hot spots.

They are easy to order and can be installed by someone with no previous experience.

One of the reasons why Low-E glass is so popular is that it blocks the heat while still allowing light to shine through. What’s great about EZ Snap is that it uses an optical grade mesh, meaning EZ Snap blocks the heat but not the view. The screens are also guaranteed to fit all window sizes and shapes.

To learn more about EZ Snap and its benefits, click here.