newer vinyl siding does vent much better than the older stuff. I have seen
damage caused by water build up on older systems. I have a hard time getting
the newer siding off to see what's happening, but it does seem to me that
the whole dynamics of vapor transmission has been changed in recent history.
I've seen barn roofs (cedar shakes) over 50 years and still sound. Try a
shake roof on plywood and your lucky to get 10 years. There is quite a
controversy now about house wraps which are supposedly designed to release
vapor, but seem to be causing problems. Some things I know: There is allot
more vapor generated in todays house, houses are allot tighter, water vapor
can get through about anything but plastic. ctb
-----Original Message-----
From: Met History <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
<[log in to unmask]>
Date: Tuesday, January 04, 2000 2:28 PM
Subject: Re: Vinyl siding


>Regarding the original query
>"Vinyl siding damages the underlying house."
>
>Is this one of those things we just "know" (like "man cannot fly") or is
>there real testing or sustained observational data which supports it?
>
>Heidi replies (along with others):
>>  There is observational data which supports it, mainly dealing with
moisture
>>  control, replacement costs, durability issues....
>>  The National Park Service Preservation Brief #8 .....
>>   <A HREF="http://www.historichomeworks.com/HHW/pbriefs/pb08.htm">Brief
08:
>>  Aluminum and Vinyl Siding</A>
>>  -ONEcat, on a cedar shake roof
>
>Heidi, in the Brief cited, I see no hard observational data or case study
>references for the famous claim that "trapped moisture rots the underlying
>wood".  I agree that hacking off details for a crummy siding job is not so
>good, and that siding is no fun to look at, but after decades of vinyl
siding
>installation, where is the hard evidence?  I don't doubt it exists, but I'd
>like to see it.
>
>Christopher Gray
>Office for Metropolitan History
>246 West 80th Street, #8, NYC  10024
>212-799-0520  fax -0542
>e: [log in to unmask]
>