In an effort to get the most out of the water repellant sealant on your log home, Permachink recommends a gentle washing of the home at least once a year. Washing will give you a few positive results including a cleaner appearance, removal of flying insects & mold spoors and is an excellent time to give the home a once over inspection. In New Hampshire I try to do this in late spring just after the pollen has stopped drifting from the trees.
The tools I like to use are just a five gallon bucket with a little log wash and water. After hosing down the house I’ll wash it using the same soft brush designed for washing the car. Then rinse the soap off and that part is done.
During the wash around the house keep your eyes open and a pair of clippers on hand. Years ago I was inspecting a log home in Florida. As I got in really close to a gap between the logs and a window I realized I was eye to eye with a pigmy rattlesnake. Now, I was a lot smaller then than I am today but still a lot bigger than that snake but which of the two of us do you think jumped. The clippers are to trim back any plant life that’s within about 18 inches of the home. Eighteen inches of airspace will be enough to get good airflow and not trap moisture on the logs.
Make no bones about it; water is the enemy of the log home. Any water that can get trapped inside of a log can become a headache. Any upward facing checks that can collect water should be caulked. My favorite caulking is Log Builder and can be found for a reasonable price at (http://www.discountloghomesupplies.com/pg_clk.html). If the check is larger than 3/8 of an inch you should use backer rod. Small amounts of backer rod are usually available at a local hardware store. If you need a lot be sure to check out this (http://www.kenseal.com/content/store/backer-rod.cfm) site. Make sure the gutters are clean and not leaking. I recently inspected a home where a gutter was depositing water at the top of a butt&pass corner. That’s pretty much a worst case scenario. At least there were no snakes in the gutter. ***
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