tired of that chalky residue on your
vinyl or aluminum siding?
Vinyl and Coated Aluminum siding are both common forms of siding used in residential and commercial construction. They provide a great, low maintenance option for home and business owners. Regular cleaning and maintenance mainly consist of regular low-pressure washing every 1-3 years for keeping it clean of mold and mildew. But just like other siding products, vinyl and coated aluminum are both susceptible to a process known as oxidation.
what is oxidation?
In simple scientific terms, Oxidation occurs when an atom, molecule, or ion loses one or more electrons during a chemical reaction. Oxygen and UV rays from the Sun are the two largest contributing factors to accelerating this process.
Typically, here in Houston, oxidation is first noticed on the Western and Eastern facing sides of the structure, as these are the sides that are often the most exposed to the Sun’s rays. By simply running a finger on a dry section of vinyl siding can reveal if your vinyl siding has started to oxidize. If you notice any chalky residue on your finger, then, unfortunately, your siding has started the oxidation process. Additionally, a film or haze may appear. Often times the mold and mildew on the siding conceals this hazing, and as a result, this film or chalkiness doesn't become noticeable until you have the organ growth removed by our Soft Washing technique. It may also be more apparent at certain times of the day such as the morning when the morning dew clings to the siding surfaces in different areas.
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We have seen this process in it's beginning stages with vinyl and aluminum siding that is only a few years old. Blue and Grey color siding tends to show sooner than other lighter colors. Because this isn’t always obvious when the structure is still dirty with organic growth, we make sure to identify this as a potential problem before any pressure is used on your property. Sometimes customers may think that it’s residual soap leftover from the cleaning process, but soap residue doesn’t appear the same blotchy way oxidized vinyl siding does, and the finger swipe usually indicates that it’s in fact oxidation. Other methods of identification include removing the shutter or other objects that have shielded the siding from the sun to reveal the difference in conditions.
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a costly mistake
There have been countless times A-Grade Pressure Washing has arrived to quote a project and found severe damage to the structure as a result of inexperienced homeowners thinking that it'll be a fun DIY, or worse, damage caused by inexperienced, unqualified, and underinsured power washing companies.
Take a look at the photo above. While it looks like a child took a can of the wrong color touch-up paint to this aluminum siding with a spray can, it was actually the result of an employer deciding to keep their maintenance in-house. They provided a 3,800 PSI pressure washing machine to an employee of theirs, and asked them to clean this building. As you can see, this structure had severe oxidation, and when hit with high pressure in un-even spray patters, this resulted in the horror show that you see above.
While A-Grade Pressure Washing did actually repair these damages, and the siding looks brand new again without having to replace it, the cost that these business owners had to pay was 90.5% higher than it would have been had they simply hired an experienced power washing company to clean it correctly the first time. Since restorative work is very labor intensive, the cost to repair siding is vastly higher than that of simple Soft Washing.
Take a look at the photo above. While it looks like a child took a can of the wrong color touch-up paint to this aluminum siding with a spray can, it was actually the result of an employer deciding to keep their maintenance in-house. They provided a 3,800 PSI pressure washing machine to an employee of theirs, and asked them to clean this building. As you can see, this structure had severe oxidation, and when hit with high pressure in un-even spray patters, this resulted in the horror show that you see above.
While A-Grade Pressure Washing did actually repair these damages, and the siding looks brand new again without having to replace it, the cost that these business owners had to pay was 90.5% higher than it would have been had they simply hired an experienced power washing company to clean it correctly the first time. Since restorative work is very labor intensive, the cost to repair siding is vastly higher than that of simple Soft Washing.
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