How to Maintain PVC fencing: 4 Easy Steps

How to Maintain PVC fencing: 4 Easy Steps

PVC fencing is essentially maintenance-free, and that is one of the reasons why it is so popular. However, there are still simple steps you can take to ensure your PVC fence maintains its appearance and efficiency for many years:

#1 Clean the fence regularly. Mix a bit of non-abrasive household detergent with water, gently sponge away any grime and spray the fence down with a hose. Most greasy or oily stains can be easily wiped away with mineral spirits and a soft cloth.

cleaning

  1. Begin by hosing down the entire fence with a garden hose.
  2. Use the sprayer attachment to get some force behind the water.
  3. Clean from the bottom of the fence to the top, working in small sections.
  4. The hose will remove most of the dirt and grime, but there may be a few areas that are stubborn and require some scrubbing.
  5. To tackle these, fill a bucket with warm water and add some dish soap to it.
  6. Agitate the water to mix it well.
  7. Moisten the old cloth or towel with the water and begin wiping the fence. A non-abrasive scrubber can be used for stubborn areas.
  8. Once clean, rinse again with the hose.

For tough grass stain try the following steps:

  1. Begin by cleaning the fence using the general cleaning method described above.
  2. Protect your hands with rubber gloves.
  3. Moisten a soft cloth with either mineral spirits or tar remover.
  4. Gently rub the stained area. Do not apply too much pressure or it will leave a polished mark.
  5. Once the stain is removed, rinse thoroughly with water. This can be done with a bucket or the garden hose.

#2 Check the fence’s stability. No matter how securely your vinyl fence has been installed, sometimes freeze, thaw cycles and other natural forces can loosen its posts. It’s a good idea to periodically walk the fence line and make sure everything is still firm and straight. If the fence is unstable in any areas, use a shovel to adjust the earth around the posts and backfill as necessary.

#3 Inspect the post caps. Due to expansion and contraction caused by shifting weather conditions, it’s not uncommon for snap-in fence post caps to become loose. Use a specially formulated PVC fence glue to secure the caps back in place. If your post caps need repairing, check out our tip #4 below!
 Inspecting
#4 Repair any broken pieces. Although vinyl fencing is flexible and durable, it can still be damaged if struck by a heavy object, such as a fallen tree limb. If this happens, it’s important to order replacement pieces that most closely match the original broken components. The actual repair procedures vary by circumstance—sometimes the fix is simple, while other times it requires moving another section of fencing and working backward.Before purchasing a vinyl fence, make sure you examine it to ensure you’re getting the best possible product. Simply holding a test piece will tell you how resistant the fence will be to pressure and impact, whether it stretches and bends too easily, and other important characteristics.
Repair
  • Fixing Loose Posts Due to Frost

Frost buildup during the winter can lead the posts of a vinyl fence to become loose. In such a case you will be required to dig out the posts and dig deeper holes. After digging the holes deeper make sure to make the holes wider at their bases. It may be necessary for you to use cement that will make the posts more solid in the ground. When digging the holes, try as much as possible to dig them deeper past the frost depth because if you leave the holes on the frost depth after repairing them, they will end up having the same problem later on. After you have dug the holes deep enough and at the base they are wider, put in the posts and add cement to the hole. The cement will dry and make the posts firm so that future frost won’t make them unstable.

  • Repairing Cracking of the Parts

There are some cases when accidents can occur in your home which will lead to cracking of the posts or some of its parts. In such a case, for you to repair the fence you will have no option other than to order new parts. If you bought your vinyl fence from a certain store, order the spares from the same store where you will be treated as a regular customer potentially receive some discounts. You will need to do an approximation of the broken parts so that you will order enough parts that will make your repair effective.

  • Repairing Loose Gates

Sometime the gates on the fence may become loose. In such a case you will need to assess the cause of the loosening of the gates so that you can adjust appropriately. Mostly, the problems with gates are caused by loose hinges. If discover the hinges are making the gate loose then you will be required to tighten them for the gates to stay firm. Even if after tightening the hinges you discover the gates are loose, then you will need more reinforcement on your gates. This will require you to add wheels on the gates so that when they are opened the wheels will take excess pressure from the hinges, so you can avoid the problem of the gates becoming loose again.

  • Fixing Falling Caps

Vinyl fence has decorative caps on the posts. There are cases where you will notice the caps falling. For you to avoid cases where your beautiful vinyl fence will lose its beauty due to fallen caps you need to fix them. This is a simple repair that only really requires glue. For the caps to remain in position while firmly fixed you need to buy a suitable PVC glue which you will use in fixing the caps. Depending on the number of fallen caps you should buy enough glue so that you can fix all of them on the posts well. In order to avoid problems when trying to fix the caps, like missing some caps, you should carry out inspection regularly and take note of any loose caps before they fall and get lost.