A HOUSE has melted thanks to a special feature on a neighboring home - which reflected the sun’s harsh rays.
Evette Evans panicked after seeing her house warping in South Carolina “like it had been set alight.”
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She told local ABC affiliate WSOC-TV that at first she was embarrassed - and mystified - about her home melting in Rock Hill.
The buckled siding was awful, she said, adding that it looked like it had been warped by a fire, yet there had been no blaze near the property.
The station's consumer reporter, Jason Stoogenke, investigated the problem, and said it appeared to have been affected by low-energy windows installed next door.
These specially-designed windows cool homes by reflecting the sun's heat, but sometimes those rays can damage a neighbor's siding, warping it.
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So, Stoogenke then contacted Tricon Residential, a rental housing firm which owns the neighboring property.
He requested that it repair Evans' siding, and cover its rental property's panes with a protective film to prevent it from reflecting the sun's rays on to her home.
Evans later confirmed that Tricon had completed these tasks.
She said: “The house is beautiful. The siding is lovely. I’m relieved (and) thankful.
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"I just want to encourage other people to reach out... if they need help because, as a consumer, we don’t always know what to do and where to go.”
GOOD NEIGHBORS
Tricon said: "We care about the communities in which our residents live and are committed to being good neighbors.
"We are grateful that Ms. Evans reached out and we are pleased to share that we have resolved this issue by working with a local contractor to replace the siding on her home.
"Tricon takes pride in its people-first approach in delivering quality outcomes for residents and for the communities where they live, which is why we invest tens of thousands of dollars in remodeling and upgrades, and when something is broken, we promptly make repairs.”
HARM PLANTS
ABC News has previously reported that energy efficient windows are made to reflect the solar radiation back out of homes, with thin, transparent coatings.
But the risk of damaging neighboring plants - or homes, depends on several factors.
Robert Hart, a mechanical engineer and windows researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab in California, said these included window curvature, the time of day and distance between the pane and nearby objects.
Hart said he had measured temperatures of up to 170 degrees Fahrenheit, which is enough to warp plastics and harm plants.
RIPPLED VINYL SIDING
Modernize Home Services also reported on this potential drawback, saying: "Across the US, homeowners have been reporting a strange phenomenon: rippled, melting vinyl siding on just one side of their homes.
"The possible culprit? Windows with low-emissivity (energy radiated from a material's surface) glass installed on a nearby neighbor’s home.
"It all has to do with the way energy efficient windows are made; they’re designed with a special coating that reflects light and heat back into a home’s interiors.
"Slight variations in the window can cause big problems for homes with low-E glass, particularly if they sit next to a home clad in vinyl siding."
The website explained that sometimes shifts in barometric pressure can cause these windows to bow.
This in turn makes them slightly concave, which then focuses the light reflecting through the window, "effectively turning them into a magnifying glass.
"And if those windows are positioned close by to a neighbor with vinyl siding, the end result can spell trouble for next-door cladding.
"The focused light and heat melts the siding next door — potentially ruining the siding next door, and relationships between neighbors!"
CALL INSPECTOR
Modernize recommended that before storming over to your neighbor you should get a building inspector to check the source of warping.
This is because there are other potential sources, such as incorrect installation of vinyl siding, or the wall's proximity to a nearby heat source such as an outside grill or fire pit.
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"If there’s more than 20 feet between you and your neighbor, the problem is likely contributable to one of the other factors.
"Before you go pointing fingers, have an inspector out to give you their professional opinion," it added.
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