It is not unusual to hear someone reference something that sounds a bit ‘techy’ but really is industry slang for something somewhat ‘related’, but maybe not necessarily having to do with the actual definition of what may be being discussed.
I’m sure every industry has their examples.
In the home improvement industry there CERTAINLY are numerous instances of this.
One such item is the term ‘Lexonite’ which refers to a black, pasty roof cement that traditionally has been used for patching weak/cracked/lightly damaged areas of roofs.
Although the Lexonite being used may or may not be actual ‘Lexonite’, the intent is to use black, pasty roof cement when someone is asking to patch something with it.
‘Siloxane’ is another term that would fall into this category.
If one were to look up the term ‘Siloxane’ itself, they would discover that ‘Siloxane’ refers to specific compounds which are super diverse in terms of what they can be used for – everything from cosmetics, to windshield coatings, to what our company generally uses it for – protecting chimneys.
For purposes of our conversation here, when we use the term ‘chimney’, we are meaning a chimney made out of masonry products (block, brick, etc.) that are exposed to the elements (NOT chimneys made out of wood or an alternate material).
Similar to how it comes in a number of different formulations, for purchasing it for the purposes of protecting a chimney, the different labels that Siloxane may fall under may be seemingly just as many.
When someone is referring to the action of ‘Siloxaning’ a chimney, it is in the same vein as ‘Lexoniting’ a roof.
In these cases, you would be using a noun as a verb as ‘Lexoniting’ a roof refers to a product that may not even be actual ‘Lexonite’ but that is used to do what Lexonite is meant to do – which is patch the roof area in question with a black, pasty roof cement substance.
Siloxane would be a similar scenario.
If I ask our mason to ‘Siloxane’ a chimney, I am referring not necessarily to the actual product itself, but to the action – after proper prep – of applying a Siloxane-influenced coating as a protectant to the exterior of the chimney.
Siloxanes are cool products as they provide a protective coating which does not allow moisture to penetrate the masonry on the chimney but does so in a way that when the product is dry, you would not be able to tell that the product is on the chimney simply by looking at it.
If you were to pour water on the chimney after the Siloxane has been applied, it would be quite obvious that the chimney was protected and that any moisture hitting the chimney is not able to soak into the masonry itself.
Applying Siloxane is relatively easy to do.
Once the chimney is cleaned and the varying portions of the chimney masonry areas were tightened up (loose mortar addressed, etc.), Siloxane can be sprayed on in-line with the guidance of the particular manufacturer whose product you had purchased it from (usually found online or on the label).
How often should this be done?
It all depends on the weather exposure of your specific chimney.
Although a case can certainly be made that a general maintenance cycle of every 3 years would be terrific, I can tell you from firsthand experience that less than 1% of homeowners actively monitor the maintenance requirements of their chimney.
I do not blame them, after all, who generally thinks of their chimney unless they happen to glance as it and notice something is wrong with it (or a chunk of it smashes on the roof of the car in the driveway beneath it!)??
Although not something that you might think of every day, ‘Siloxaning’ your chimney every once in a while, and staying on top of its maintenance needs in general, will undoubtedly save you on costly repairs down the line, as well as perhaps preventing something REALLY annoying from potentially happening (i.e. – surprise chunk of chimney found on roof of car!)
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