My name is Stephen. I have been reading this forum for over 4 years but this is my first post.
I have been polishing water stains off residential windows and sealing them with Mr Hard Water sealer or Invisible Shield. I have noticed that very quickly the windows can get covered in white spots. These are more distracting than if the glass was unsealed and the mineral deposits were slowly building up a layer over time.
Because of the wind we get, no matter how some sprinklers are adjusted, windows will get coated with water. It seems some of my clients would need their glass cleaned every couple of weeks.
I do not think I should stop sealing glass. Anyone use other sealers? Any tips what to tell a potential client, when I know the glass will need to be cleaned more often if I seal it?
The first thing you should tell any customer when you’re going to give them a price to remove there HWS is we can do this , but if you don’t fix the cause they will come back. Put that on your estimate
That’s all you can do , check please
If the problem presents itself several times a week, sealer is just adding to your labor and time. (There is a charge for that).
Otherwise they are just throwing money at a fire.
Sprinklers for bushes and shrubs should target the roots and not hit glass; for grass sprinklers should be more wide spread and not hit glass.
Have them instruct their landscaper to adjust the sprinklers and live a happy life.
Ok, thanks guys. I think this is what I would say to potential customers.
“Yes, I would be happy to polish the water stains off your front window. I will be sealing the window afterward with a water repellant. If I don’t, any future water stains may be impossible to get off without resurfacing the glass. However, any water from the sprinkler getting on the window after it is sealed will bead up and may evaporate before it can run off the glass. This can leave white spots on the glass in a short amount of time so you may need a frequent gentle cleaning of the window. Your sprinklers are correctly pointed away from the window, but the prevailing winds are driving the water back against the window. See if your landscaper has them pointed as low to the ground as they can go, or see if they can use nozzles that spray a heavier droplet.”
I polished some of my own windows without sealing them and the stains came back a lot more stubborn.
I think customers are under the impression that if you seal the window they will NEVER have any more hard water spots , just set the right expectations .
