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Organic polymers, including vinyl, do not suffer electrochemical corrosion (like rusting),
as metals do. Instead, plastics that are not treated with UV protection undergo a
certain degree of degradation caused by simple outdoor weathering--temperature variations, moisture, sunlight or ultra-violet rays, oxidation, biological attack, and other environmental elements.
Among those, the most common type of degradation is caused by ultra-violet rays. Of the total radiation that reaches the Earth’s surface, about 5-6% of light is in the UV region of the spectrum. When a polymer such as vinyl is subjected to UV light, the wavelength energy of the ultra-violet light corresponds to a particular bond energy in the polymer chain and causes a breakdown of the chemical bonds. This causes degradation. The surface color fades and yellows and becomes dry and brittle and has a chalky finish.
If you are going to invest in any kind of polymer (llike vinyl) that will be exposed to sunlight, ensure that it has been treated with or contains some sort of UV inhibitor.
We use only 100 percent UV resistant polyvinyl chloride which contains titanium. Titanium protects vinyl from the sun's damaging rays. In fact, our poly vinyl chloride products are protected so well, that we offer a twenty-five year guarantee against the effects of UV damage.
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