Okay gang...here's one for the books.

The back of my house is sided in vinyl. The remainder of the house is
brick.

The chimney sticks out about 3 feet from the back of the house. There
is a window just to the left of the chimney.

Well, the vinyl on the chimney that is level with the window is
melting.

My first thought was heat leakage from the fireplace.

Well, that's not the case because the area in question is bone cold
with the fireplace running at full bore.

This past weekend I was outside at high noon, EST. It was a bright
and sunny day.

What I saw was the sun reflecting off the window putting a line of
high heat sunlight about 1 inch wide and about 3 feet long...the
length of the melted siding. I could put a fingure on the siding and
hold it there for less than 5 seconds...it was that hot. The window
is somehow acting as a magnifying glass. The other oddity is this
only happens in the winter. I'm guessing due to the seasonal changes
in the position of Sun.

You would have to see it to believe it. Everyone I've talked with has
never heard of this before.

I need to replace the vinyl but I don't know what to do with the
window to prevent damage to the new vinyl.

Any insight is welcome.

Yea, it is possible. I have a sort of new home For years I have had a
section of lawn in the back yard that would turn brown every summer. About
three feet by three inches. I figured it was a piece of wood left there by
the builder. The area also had a lot of underground wiring there so I left
it alone.

Last summer I was mowing the grass and realized that there was a
reflection on that spot. What do you know, one of my windows was reflecting
and focusing the light and as the sun moved it followed the dead grass line.

Easy fix for me. I took the sash out and traded it for one from another
window. The new flatter glass does not cause a problem.

--
Joseph E. Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math


"Mark Haupt" wrote in message
om...
Okay gang...here's one for the books.

The back of my house is sided in vinyl. The remainder of the house is
brick.

The chimney sticks out about 3 feet from the back of the house. There
is a window just to the left of the chimney.

Well, the vinyl on the chimney that is level with the window is
melting.

My first thought was heat leakage from the fireplace.

Well, that's not the case because the area in question is bone cold
with the fireplace running at full bore.

This past weekend I was outside at high noon, EST. It was a bright
and sunny day.

What I saw was the sun reflecting off the window putting a line of
high heat sunlight about 1 inch wide and about 3 feet long...the
length of the melted siding. I could put a fingure on the siding and
hold it there for less than 5 seconds...it was that hot. The window
is somehow acting as a magnifying glass. The other oddity is this
only happens in the winter. I'm guessing due to the seasonal changes
in the position of Sun.

You would have to see it to believe it. Everyone I've talked with has
never heard of this before.

I need to replace the vinyl but I don't know what to do with the
window to prevent damage to the new vinyl.

Any insight is welcome.

My dining room window does something similar in the winter. The glass is
slightly dished and reflects a perfect "X" onto the separate garage about 40
feet away. Looks like a skull and crossbones at first glance.

DT

If it gets that hot it may ignite.

Get a screen for the window .. diffuse the light ?? ?? ??

Mark Haupt wrote:

Okay gang...here's one for the books.

The back of my house is sided in vinyl. The remainder of the house is
brick.

The chimney sticks out about 3 feet from the back of the house. There
is a window just to the left of the chimney.

Well, the vinyl on the chimney that is level with the window is
melting.

My first thought was heat leakage from the fireplace.

Well, that's not the case because the area in question is bone cold
with the fireplace running at full bore.

This past weekend I was outside at high noon, EST. It was a bright
and sunny day.

What I saw was the sun reflecting off the window putting a line of
high heat sunlight about 1 inch wide and about 3 feet long...the
length of the melted siding. I could put a fingure on the siding and
hold it there for less than 5 seconds...it was that hot. The window
is somehow acting as a magnifying glass. The other oddity is this
only happens in the winter. I'm guessing due to the seasonal changes
in the position of Sun.

You would have to see it to believe it. Everyone I've talked with has
never heard of this before.

I need to replace the vinyl but I don't know what to do with the
window to prevent damage to the new vinyl.

Any insight is welcome.

--
I AM NOT PARANOID .. .. .. but EVERYONE thinks I am !! !! !!

__ Bob __

I'd get rid of the vinyl and keep the window..

Seriously, vinyl siding is crap.. So are vinyl windows.. Neither last long
enough to be worthy of the salesmen's claims..

I was at a friends house on the patio and we were doing a BBG.. The unit was
clear out to the extreme edge of the covered patio and the heat (no flames)
was rising, following the patio cover to the highest point, next to the
house.. A distance of 16 ft from the BBG..

You guessed it.. The siding began melting up along the point where the patio
cover joined the house..

We tried to duplicate the situation for the insurance adjuster and the
siding was melting at about 180 degrees. The temp of your hot water system
(unless you have small children).


--
My opinion and experience. FWIW

Steve

Moving to a southern climate would help...

"Mark Haupt" wrote in message
om...
Okay gang...here's one for the books.

The back of my house is sided in vinyl. The remainder of the house is
brick.

The chimney sticks out about 3 feet from the back of the house. There
is a window just to the left of the chimney.

Well, the vinyl on the chimney that is level with the window is
melting.

My first thought was heat leakage from the fireplace.

Well, that's not the case because the area in question is bone cold
with the fireplace running at full bore.

This past weekend I was outside at high noon, EST. It was a bright
and sunny day.

What I saw was the sun reflecting off the window putting a line of
high heat sunlight about 1 inch wide and about 3 feet long...the
length of the melted siding. I could put a fingure on the siding and
hold it there for less than 5 seconds...it was that hot. The window
is somehow acting as a magnifying glass. The other oddity is this
only happens in the winter. I'm guessing due to the seasonal changes
in the position of Sun.

You would have to see it to believe it. Everyone I've talked with has
never heard of this before.

I need to replace the vinyl but I don't know what to do with the
window to prevent damage to the new vinyl.

Any insight is welcome.

"Steve" wrote in message
...
I'd get rid of the vinyl and keep the window..

Seriously, vinyl siding is crap.. So are vinyl windows.. Neither last long
enough to be worthy of the salesmen's claims..

I was at a friends house on the patio and we were doing a BBG.. The unit
was
clear out to the extreme edge of the covered patio and the heat (no
flames)
was rising, following the patio cover to the highest point, next to the
house.. A distance of 16 ft from the BBG..

You guessed it.. The siding began melting up along the point where the
patio
cover joined the house..

We tried to duplicate the situation for the insurance adjuster and the
siding was melting at about 180 degrees. The temp of your hot water system
(unless you have small children).



You are welcome to your opinions, but millions of people have and like
vinyl siding. It is very low maintenance and generally looks good. Like
all products some is better than others and poor installation can mess up
the best product. It is one of many good choices.

As for 180º water, that is a bad idea. For domestic hot water it is a
danger at that setting, and also tends to reduce the life of the water
heater. The only excuse for using it is an undersized water heater or a
dishwasher/detergent combination that can't operate at standard water
temperatures.

Yes vinyl has some down sides, as does every form of siding. Everyone
who owns it or is considering it should be made aware of its sensitivity to
heat. However I find it difficult to believe that 16 foot from a barbeque
would damage the siding. That sounds like a little stretching of the truth.

--
Joseph E. Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

who owns it or is considering it should be made aware of its sensitivity to
heat. However I find it difficult to believe that 16 foot from a barbeque
would damage the siding. That sounds like a little stretching of the truth.

You missed the significance of the many-feet up, under the overhang.
The problem wasn't the radiated heat from the barbeque, it was
exhaust gasses getting trapped under the eave.

"Steve" wrote in message
I'd get rid of the vinyl and keep the window..

Seriously, vinyl siding is crap.. So are vinyl windows.. Neither last long
enough to be worthy of the salesmen's claims..

I was at a friends house on the patio and we were doing a BBG.. The unit
was
clear out to the extreme edge of the covered patio and the heat (no
flames)
was rising, following the patio cover to the highest point, next to the
house.. A distance of 16 ft from the BBG..

You guessed it.. The siding began melting up along the point where the
patio
cover joined the house..

We tried to duplicate the situation for the insurance adjuster and the
siding was melting at about 180 degrees. The temp of your hot water system
(unless you have small children).


--
My opinion and experience. FWIW

Steve


Must've been one hell of a BBQ for the heat to travel 16ft and retain that
temperature especially if open aired patio. I take it this was not only a
covered patio but also an enclosed area? BTW, vinyl will distort at 160-165
degrees.

"___ Bob ___" wrote in message
Get a screen for the window .. diffuse the light ?? ?? ??

Excellent solution