wpk@mgweed.UUCP (Perry Kirk) (03/21/85)
wanted general information with remarkes either pro or con as to the usage of aluminum siding on houses.my home is a 14 year old ranch with press-board type siding whuich requires constant maintencainntenanceintenance either as a general painting every 3 or 4 years"reatherather expensive" or usualyly yearly scraping and a touch-up.
abeles@mhuxm.UUCP (J. Abeles (Bellcore, Murray Hill, NJ)) (03/22/85)
> wanted general information with remarkes either pro or con > as to the usage of aluminum siding on houses.my home is a 14 > year old ranch with press-board type siding whuich requires > constant maintencainntenanceintenance either as a general painting every 3 or 4 > years"reatherather expensive" or usualyly yearly scraping and a touch-up. At a recent chemical safety seminar, we at Bellcore were told the following interesting information: If you want to re-paint your aluminum siding, it must first be treated to eliminate "chalk-like" residues. There is a product for this available on the market in hardware stores, and it contains 11% HF. In case you don't know, HF (hydrofluoric acid) is the most dangerous corrosive acid that exists. It penetrates the skin without initial pain, later causing gangrene by destroying all capillaries. In an accident at IBM in East Fishkill, it is rumored, two outside maintenance contractor employees came in to clean out a large HF vat. The vat was to have been flushed with water. The wrong vat was flushed. The men sloshed around in HF contaminated water, left at 2 PM, and developed excruciating pains in their legs at midnight. I'm sorry to tell you the end of the story, which is horrible--both men lost both feet. It is incredible that HF can now be purchased by the weekend worker, if the report is in fact true. Please be careful!