[russ_clark]

We have a big problem with one of our customers who has a blue coloured composite front door.
It was cleaned in August in the extreme heat wave and was not dried off afterwards by us.
The result is awful as the door looks like is has had acid thrown on it!!!
It has dried all streaky and has discoloured badly.
We have tried a sample patch of wd40 and also Polytrol (which was recommended by a window fitter) but to no avail.
The customer rents the property and does not want to alert the owner so we cannot go back to the manufacturer at all.
We are now in the position of seeing wether the door can be painted/sprayed or will have to be replaced !!!
We have not had a single problem in 18 years trading until this one came along .
Anybody had previous experience or any suggestions please ??

[dazmond]

is your pure water really to blame?

i cant see how just water can stain a door......

you wasnt using any chemicals that day was you?

[deeege]

Agree with Daz, it’s more likely to be a manufacturing fault than anything to do with you.

[windowswashed]

I've cleaned plenty of them and just one red door discoloured really badly everywhere but others same colour haven't.

[russ_clark]

100% no chemicals so pretty puzzling  really

[Smudger]

I can quite easily see the water bleaching the door with the extreme heat we have had

I think firstly you need to get the overall colour the same - maybe t cut it then search for some dye ( this is a vague memory but I’m sure there is a product that restrains composit ) or maybe a colour coded t - cut

Failing that if it’s a door insert could you not remove the panel or perhaps have a vinyl wrap put on ?

Darran

[Jonny 87]

Even in the blistering heat, we had some showery spells.

Would a rain shower followed by harsh sunlight not cause the same issue?

I think it’s a fault with the door.

[bobplum]

We have a big problem with one of our customers who has a blue coloured composite front door.
It was cleaned in August in the extreme heat wave and was not dried off afterwards by us.
The result is awful as the door looks like is has had acid thrown on it!!!
It has dried all streaky and has discoloured badly.
We have tried a sample patch of wd40 and also Polytrol (which was recommended by a window fitter) but to no avail.
The customer rents the property and does not want to alert the owner so we cannot go back to the manufacturer at all.
We are now in the position of seeing wether the door can be painted/sprayed or will have to be replaced !!!
We have not had a single problem in 18 years trading until this one came along .
Anybody had previous experience or any suggestions please ??

I would contact the likes of Rockdoor for some advice and send pics to them

[p1w1]

I think Perfect Windows (Vin) had a similar issue once with a door.

[Splash & dash]

Water isn’t going to stain or bleach a door it will dry in a couple of muinits in extream heat the only exception would be if it had a chemical on it either before or after cleaning and it wasn’t all washed off I would be getting on to the company who fitted it as a warrante issue

[Steven Biggs]

We had a composite door fitted about 2 years back . We noticed a difference in colour . Only about a square foot . Phoned the installers and they sent s guy out with loads of felt pens . He coloured it in . Absolutely perfect , you can’t see any difference even now . Maybe enquire with one of the large installers. I also clean this door every week with brush and pure alone , even in the heatwave . No discolouration at all .

[Soupy]

I had this exact problem a few years ago. I posted on here about it too but I can't find it.

Anyway, the manufacturer replaced the door. It's an external door, if it can't stand getting wet, it's faulty.

[Perfect Windows]

I think Perfect Windows (Vin) had a similar issue once with a door.

Certainly did.

 http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=188407.0

End result was that the door supplier had gone bust so I put in an insurance claim.

Vin

[dazmond]

I can quite easily see the water bleaching the door with the extreme heat we have had

I think firstly you need to get the overall colour the same - maybe t cut it then search for some dye ( this is a vague memory but I’m sure there is a product that restrains composit ) or maybe a colour coded t - cut

Failing that if it’s a door insert could you not remove the panel or perhaps have a vinyl wrap put on ?

Darran

why?

in the heat the pure water will evaporate in mins.how on earth can it "bleach" a door?

it doesnt make sense to me.......

[M & C Window Cleaning]

I have come accros several cases of this and not one customer has tried to blame me yet. In fact the most recent one was told by the fitter to only use a wfp cleaner and to only use water with no chems added which is all I have done.

Has to be a manufacturing fault as far as I'm concerned. It's not reasonable for the likes of us to accept blame for this unless we have put chems on it. It's like manufacturing a window that can't be cleaned with water or a carpet that can't be vacuumed in case it pulls the threads out.

[JackieW]

I have a customer with a composite door and he requested that I don't wash it with pure water system on the advice of his supplier/installer.

 I oblige by just wiping it down with a dry scrim.

 I couldn't understand what water fed pole cleaning would do to it but that's what he was advised.

[Perfect Windows]

in the heat the pure water will evaporate in mins.how on earth can it "bleach" a door?

it doesnt make sense to me.......

I think it's something akin to milky frames. I suspect the dye (or whatever) in the composite oxidises in sunlight and can be washed away.  Not based upon any direct knowledge, just on how I walked up to a door looking OK and walked away to one with colour washed out of it. The door was partially recessed and it was clearly the parts the sun hit.

Vin

[dazmond]

in the heat the pure water will evaporate in mins.how on earth can it "bleach" a door?

it doesnt make sense to me.......

I think it's something akin to milky frames. I suspect the dye (or whatever) in the composite oxidises in sunlight and can be washed away.  Not based upon any direct knowledge, just on how I walked up to a door looking OK and walked away to one with colour washed out of it. The door was partially recessed and it was clearly the parts the sun hit.

Vin

thanks vin.......sounds plausible......

[rosskesava]

I have a customer with a composite door and he requested that I don't wash it with pure water system on the advice of his supplier/installer.

 I oblige by just wiping it down with a dry scrim.

 I couldn't understand what water fed pole cleaning would do to it but that's what he was advised.

I had exactly the same except I just don't touch the door. It was a deep blue jobbie and the installers said water could cause 'fade marks'. I didn't like to say about what happens when it rains. I simply said to the lady it's best if I don't clean it.

[dazmond]

loads of my customers have these composite front doors these days.i have noticed quite a lot fade after a while and the letterbox surface flake off(chrome effect)even if i just use a damp scrim to clean them.....