Just wanted to let everyone know to be on the lookout for newer Harvey vinyl windows that have exposed (hardcoat) low-e coatings. Was this close to taking a razor to one for some sticker residue, when I thought to myself, “Self, why does this glass have so much drag to it? Where have I felt this before? Ahh, yes! It’s gotta be low-e…”
And FWIW, razor marks will usually buff out with a magic eraser and barkeeper’s friend, but it’s a pain in the neck.
They may buff out , I have noticed when this is done there can be a shiny spot or a dull spot depending on the brand. All you need is a 50/50 hydrochloric acid/water mix just put in a pour bottle and pour a little on the rag, they just wipe straight off.
All Low -E here is exposed as we don’t have IG units.
I think I’d quit interior window cleaning altogether if I had to deal with exposed low-e every day. 3 windows, and my wrist was about shot from the added drag.
In Australia there is a mixture of IG units in the colder climate but here in QLD it’s either single glazing with exposed low e or you can get in in laminated glass with it either exposed on one side or the low e can be laminated against the interlayer, the glass is pointless in our climate here and builders/architects specify it to meet green regulations
Well luckily for me where I live I only have 1 house that has it, granted it is a 3 story monster which also has about 200 louvers that are also low E. its mainly commercial constructions.
Back at my old job in another state many new constructions were low E, the drag SUCKS but its not glass so you don’t really need to be that good of a window cleaner to get it clean you can messy straight pull and buff it out and it looks fine in the sun, not like glass.
I worked in Adelaide for 12 years as a window cleaner, came across a few buildings that double glazing, these normally opened up to where you had the 4 sides to clean, 1 from the outside, but never a sealed IG unit.
