A siding year for Winchester houses
The City of Winchester says its water system is the third-oldest in the United States, after Philadelphia and Allentown, Pennsylvania. Whatever is on your walls, old clapboard or new panels, it lasts longer with a short look every few months and quick fixes for small openings.
A note on the numbers: NOAA has no engineering weather station in Winchester. The figures in this calendar come from its station at Martinsburg, West Virginia (elevation 558 feet), about 17 miles north. They describe the region, not your own yard.
Late winter thaw: February and March
Martinsburg averages about 69 freeze-thaw cycles a year, and many of them come as winter breaks up. This is when hidden water shows itself.
- Pick a dry, bright day and photograph each wall from the same spots you used last year.
- Run your eye along the bottom course. Swelling, flaking paint or soft spots near the ground mean water has been sitting there.
- Press on trim at corners and sills. Wood that gives under a thumb needs attention before spring rain.
- Look for panels that cracked when something struck them in the cold.
- Check that downspouts discharge away from the foundation and haven't come loose.
Spring work: April and May
- Schedule repairs early. Contractors' calendars fill fast once the weather turns.
- Replace cracked or missing pieces and re-set any that slipped out of their lock.
- Renew caulk at window and door trim, around vents and where pipes and wires pass through.
- Clean gutters of winter debris so the next downpour lands in them, not on the wall.
- Set up sprinklers with care. Winchester draws its water from the North Fork of the Shenandoah River and treats it at the Percy D. Miller Water Treatment Plant, which can supply up to 10 million gallons a day. Wherever it comes from, water that sprays the house every morning keeps the siding wet. Aim each head away from walls and windows.
The muggy months: June to August
The Martinsburg station logs about 394 hours a year with the wet-bulb temperature above 73°F and about 1,460 hours above 67°F, and its 1% summer design temperature is 91°F with a mean coincident wet-bulb of 74°F. Damp, warm air slows drying on shaded walls.
- Wash siding with a garden hose and a soft brush, working from the bottom up and rinsing from the top down. Skip the pressure washer; it drives water behind laps.
- Look for mildew on north-facing walls and behind shrubs, and clean it before it stains.
- Trim plants back so air can move between leaves and siding.
- Paint or stain wood and fiber cement only within the temperature and humidity range printed on the label.
The city's annual drinking water quality report says Winchester's treatment uses chemical addition, coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation and filtration to remove turbidity, then chlorination to disinfect and fluoridation. Whatever you wash with, rinse each section well and let the wall dry in the sun rather than scrubbing hard; leftover cleaner can streak.
Storm prep: September to November
NOAA lists a 50-year basic wind speed of 90 mph (3-second gust at 33 feet) and a 100-year rainfall rate of 2.8 inches per hour for Martinsburg.
- Fasten anything loose: trim boards, corner posts, shutters and panels that rattle.
- Finish outdoor painting and caulking while nights stay warm enough for them to cure.
- Seal gaps at cable, pipe and vent openings before cold air and mice find them.
- Clean gutters again once the leaves are down.
- Shut off and drain outdoor faucets and store hoses.
Deep winter: December and January
The 99% winter design temperature at Martinsburg is 13°F.
- Be gentle with cold vinyl. Keep shovels, ladders and snow blower chutes off it.
- Keep snow from banking against the siding for long stretches.
- Watch the eaves for ice that can push meltwater under the roof edge and down inside the wall.
- Check inside near windows and outside corners for damp patches, frost or peeling paint.
- After a windstorm, walk around and look for lifted or missing pieces.
When the list gets long
If a seasonal walk shows more than a handful of damaged pieces, ask two or more companies for written bids covering the same items. Look each business up on the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation's (DPOR) license lookup, ask what license it holds, and ask for proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation. Ask, too, which city permits the work needs and who will pull them.
Keep a folder
Store your seasonal photos, the siding brand, style and color, paint names, repair invoices and warranty papers in one place. When a panel needs matching or a warranty claim comes up, that folder saves time.