If your vinyl siding is looking a little worse for wear, it might be time to start planning for siding replacement. You might think that you can postpone replacement until the damage is more extensive, but that's not the case. The fact is that you should actually replace your vinyl siding before the damage is extensive. In fact, waiting too long to replace your vinyl siding could lead to serious problems for you and for your home. Here are just four of the reasons why you should replace your vinyl siding before the damage gets too bad.
Prevent Structural Damage
If your vinyl siding has visible damage, such as cracks or gaps, there's a good chance that moisture can get through to the frame. Moisture won't do any damage to your vinyl siding, but it can wreak havoc on the wood beneath. In fact, if water leaks behind the siding long enough, you could end up with wood rot, which can undermine the structural integrity of your home. Before it gets to that stage, replace your vinyl siding.
Eliminate Access Points
If you've noticed an increase in the number of pests you're finding inside your home and you've attempted to seal off all the access points, it's time to take a closer look at your vinyl siding. Those same gaps and cracks that are increasing the risk for wood rot, can also be providing easy access for pests. Unfortunately, that means you could have pests living inside the walls of your home. To get the pest problems under control, talk to a contractor about replacing your vinyl siding.
Reduce Mold Growth
If you've been ignoring the damage to your vinyl siding, and you've been noticing a musty odor inside your home, chances are good that the same moisture that's increasing your risk for wood rot is also causing a mold problem. Unfortunately, mold can lead to a totally different kind of problem in your home. Mold can lead to unhealthy air quality in your home and can exacerbate your allergy and asthma symptoms. Luckily, replacing the damaged vinyl siding will alleviate the moisture, and eliminate the mold growth.
Avoid Energy Loss
Finally, if your energy costs are going up each month, and you haven't replaced your damaged vinyl siding, it's time to take action. The damage to your siding could be reducing the effectiveness of the insulation in your walls. This can lead to significant energy loss and increased energy bills. To get your energy efficiency back to where you want it to be, have your vinyl siding replaced as soon as possible.