Ah, there’s nothing like enjoying a morning as a homeowner! Step outside, a cup of coffee in hand, pick up the paper, and walk out to get the mail. Look around you at a beautiful neighborhood, sun shining in the sky, water sprinklers going off, and a spring in your step. As you walk back to your house though, you notice something out of the corner of your eye. Your siding has turned a strange shape, looking like a small child’s playdough disaster as it’s warped and sagging! What could cause such a mess? And will it spread? Fear not, there are a few common issues that might lead to this warping on your siding, and there are steps you can take to correct it. 

Sunlight

The first suspect culprit for warped vinyl siding is sunlight. The heat of the midwestern sun is something most siding is designed to stand up to, but there are some factors that might make it more vulnerable than usual. The most common cause is if your siding is older. As siding ages, the compounds that make up the siding slowly break down and become less heat resistant, meaning that siding that should stand up to a hot summer sun now wilts in the face of harsh UV rays. Defective siding may also be the culprit, errors in manufacturing may leave some soft spots in the siding that are susceptible. Age or defect aren't the only things that may cause your siding to be vulnerable to sunlight though. Check around the warped spot for reflective surfaces, like a window on an opposing wall, or even small pools of water like a fountain pool or yard koi pond. Reflective surfaces can create issues because over time they expose one section of your wall to twice the sunlight it’s designed for which can lead to warping issues. 

Improper venting

Another heat related cause of warping is if you have improper venting around the home. Vents are set up to allow excess hot air to be expelled, such as from your dryer. If these vents aren’t correctly placed, that hot air can be trapped or directed back onto your siding and can create warping issues. Even if the vents are correctly placed, damage to the vent or surrounding area of the home could also redirect that hot air back to your siding, or leak the hot air underneath that siding, which can also cause warping damage.

Water Damage

A final possible cause of warped siding isn’t connected to heat damage at all, but water damage. If you have improper drainage for your home, particularly damaged or blocked gutters, this can cause water to seep into the walls of your home. This can cause a wide variety of damage, from providing a start to mold growth to reducing the structural integrity of the wood, but in some cases this can also cause warped siding. As the wall under your siding warps or distorts from the water damage, warping of the siding can follow and serve as an outer warning sign of more severe issues underneath.

Regardless of the cause of your warped siding, make sure that when you replace your siding, you get experts to clean it. The Kings of Clean crew has the experience and expertise to keep your walls of any material, brick, vinyl, wood, or more to look their best. Contact us today for a cleaning estimate