Stains or etching on outside of five year old window?

[RaiderSix]

These “stains” are on the outside surface of my bedroom window. There is a sticker on the frame that indicates they were made in 2009, so they are not that old. (It’s a double pane type of glass.) I washed the window from the outside with a brush on a pole and was surprised to see them still there. I then tried some bronze wool on a spot, but didn’t see any difference. I’m out of ideas. Thanks in advance.

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[Matthew]

@RaiderSix

These “stains” are on the outside surface of my bedroom window. There is a sticker on the frame that indicates they were made in 2009, so they are not that old. (It’s a double pane type of glass.) I washed the window from the outside with a brush on a pole and was surprised to see them still there. I then tried some bronze wool on a spot, but didn’t see any difference. I’m out of ideas. Thanks in advance.
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… Buy a few different items from WCR and experiment a little. Experimenting with chemicals I find really useful.

[ChrisG]

@RaiderSix

These “stains” are on the outside surface of my bedroom window. There is a sticker on the frame that indicates they were made in 2009, so they are not that old. (It’s a double pane type of glass.) I washed the window from the outside with a brush on a pole and was surprised to see them still there. I then tried some bronze wool on a spot, but didn’t see any difference. I’m out of ideas. Thanks in advance.

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Eww… i saw some recently like that but it was brick work sealant which had been applied to the bricks and the over sprayed onto the windows.

It looks more like over spray than a hard water (mineral spotting) issue.

Is it just the 1 window?

[Volusiano]

If you can’t afford a professional cleaning solution like the JFlint Mr Hard Water Pro kit, you can try Driven Extreme Duty Glass Cleaner for $20 on Amazon. Lots of people have had success with it, myself included. The reviews on Amazon are mostly very positive. I use it to clean my stained shower glass doors.

[c_wininger]

before any of this^

take a 1" razor blade and try to scrape just a little bit of it off. see what happens.

[RaiderSix]

Okay, I talked to a local glass installer and he says that it is a problem with the “low e” (it’s not just the big string on a guitar anymore) coating on the pane. He described the condition to a tee. So, I’ve got to get the window replaced…or remove that coating altogether if possible. I’ve got some TSP and some oxalic acid coming via Amazon that I will try on the offending pane since I have nothing to lose. Here is the wikipedia on “low emissivity” or “low e” coatings: (okay, nevermind…I guess I’m not old enough to post a link yet. Look up low emissivity glass on wikipedia.)

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[c_wininger]

@RaiderSix

Okay, I talked to a local glass installer and he says that it is a problem with the “low e” (it’s not just the big string on a guitar anymore) coating on the pane. He described the condition to a tee. So, I’ve got to get the window replaced…or remove that coating altogether if possible. I’ve got some TSP and some oxalic acid coming via Amazon that I will try on the offending pane since I have nothing to lose. Here is the wikipedia on “low emissivity” or “low e” coatings: (okay, nevermind…I guess I’m not old enough to post a link yet. Look up low emissivity glass on wikipedia.)

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Yeah he’s probably right. It looks like low e exposed to environment. It’s supposed to be in between the panes.

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