condensation??

[tetleY]

Is it possible that WFP cleaning double glazed windows with old/worn seals could result in a build up of condensation between the two panes of glass ??

 

[Clisty1989]

Is it possible that WFP cleaning double glazed windows with old/worn seals could result in a build up of condensation between the two panes of glass ??

No, its caused by air getting in there, not water

 

[Green Pro Clean Ltd]

No, no and ermmmm...... no.

I have also had this where a french door pane has blown just after I started cleaning the house. Tried to blame it on me. I said no problem I would call the insurance company and have an assessor sent out. They suddenly realized I wasnt going to 'cash settle' and decided to believe it wasnt me after all. /emoticons/smile.png)

 

[spruce]

It is caused for the breakdown of the seal between the 2 pieces of glass. We haven't caused the problem but we don't help it either. Double glazing is two pieces of glass stuck together with a spacer in between. In the same way we breathe, a slight leak in the seal will cause the window to breath in damp air from outside when the temperature drops and breathe out air when the temperature increases. When a window breathes in damp air it will turn to water droplets. As the window breathes out some of that damp will remain behind.

You will find that most faulty panes are on south facing windows. If wfp were to blame then they would lots more north facing windows effected as well. South facing windows get the sun so are under more stress than north facing windows with temperature changes.

As the sun is on those windows it warms the air gap in between the glass. Warm air can absorb more water so the condition seems to get better in warmer weather. We come along and cool the air in the gap, so the window appears to get worse after we have been.

Here's some useful info

Glass and Glazing, Double Glazing, safety, misted, Wood, uPVC, Aluminium

If wfp were to blame then so is rain water.

 

[Marko067]

It's caused by moist air getting between the panes of glass. As spruce says, this occurs when the seal between them breaks down. This can be due to a faulty or an old degraded seal. Some last a long time and some don't. The poorer the quality to start with the shorter the length of time before they break down. Also weathering breaks them down. The more extreme the weathering the quicker they break down as well. All seals will break down in the end.

When double glazing started to become popular many years ago it was often sold as low maintenance and lasts longer than wooden framed glazing. Many seemed to think that meant no maintenance and you will never have to replace them.

The reality is very different though. Like all things they break down over time no matter how you clean them, whether trad or wfp. And some break down a lot quicker than others depending on the quality of the materials used.

I've had both trad and wfp blamed for condensation appearing between the panes on double glazing due to the belief it's supposed to last a lot longer than it actually does. Some understand when you explain it to them and others just think you're making excuses because they've been told by a double glazing firm that it's 'due to the window cleaner.'

It'll always be a problem for window cleaners

 

[tetleY]

Is it possible that WFP cleaning double glazed windows with old/worn seals could result in a build up of condensation between the two panes of glass ??

TUFFERS......hate to put you on the spot, but noticed you posted a similar thread in Feb 2016 !.........what is your view on this subject now and how do you explain to a customer that questions that wfp may be to blame for a build up of condensation after we have cleaned their windows[emoji848] ?? Any advice much appreciated.

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[Chris33]

@Tuffers ^^

 

[steve garwood]

To be even more technical, the proper name for a double glazed piece of glass is a 'unit'.

A unit is filled with argon gas and then hermetically sealed.

When the seal is breaks down, the argon gas escapes and the rest is explained in the post above.

Apologies for sounding nerdy, but I used to fit window's /emoticons/smile.png

 

[Tuffers]

TUFFERS......hate to put you on the spot, but noticed you posted a similar thread in Feb 2016 !.........what is your view on this subject now and how do you explain to a customer that questions that wfp may be to blame for a build up of condensation after we have cleaned their windows[emoji848] ?? Any advice much appreciated.

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At a particular time I did notice that windows were starting to 'blow' with regularity on my round. I questioned myself as to whether it could be from using WFP. Spruce or was it Smurf replied to my post. I had one house in particular that I'd just taken on from a tradder. The glass was clear when I started to clean, but over a period of time more and more panes started to 'blow'. The house owner texted me saying "I know it's not your pole and water that's causing the windows to steam up inside but..... I lost that job.

I had another job where the owner questioned the pressure coming out of the jets as he thought that water was forcing its way into the units. I assured him that there isn't any real pressure coming out of the jets and he was fine with it. He replaced the 'blown' units. The glass is very old uPVC and I still get problems with water running out of the seals now.

I'm not too bothered if units break down or not these days.

Like @spruce said about rain on the glass, we probably get more rain on the glass over a month than when we rinse a window a month.

 

[steve garwood]

TUFFERS......hate to put you on the spot, but noticed you posted a similar thread in Feb 2016 !.........what is your view on this subject now and how do you explain to a customer that questions that wfp may be to blame for a build up of condensation after we have cleaned their windows[emoji848] ?? Any advice much appreciated.

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Tell the customer their talking cobblers :thumbsup:

 

[spruce]

To be even more technical, the proper name for a double glazed piece of glass is a 'unit'.A unit is filled with argon gas and then hermetically sealed.

When the seal is breaks down, the argon gas escapes and the rest is explained in the post above.

Apologies for sounding nerdy, but I used to fit window's /emoticons/smile.png

I watched a couple of lads 'glue' a double glazed window together once. They were working for a double glazing company in York. They were working under a roof extension outside the factory that had no sides. It was chucking it down with rain and the wind was blowing a gale.

They ran a bleed of adhesive all the way around the perimeter of the first piece of glass stuck the spacer on, did the same with the second piece of glass, put some silica beads inside to dry the air out and lowered the second piece of glass on top. It didn't take them more than 10 minutes from cutting the glass to the finished product.

I often wondered how long that unit lasted.

I clean windows for the owner of Polar Windows in Middlesbrough. When he built his house he fitted units with argon gas. He says that there is no science to this process. 2 holes in the seal at the top, 1 to pump argon in and the other to bleed the air out. As Argon is heavier than air, the argon sinks to the bottom. They time the fill for each size of glass, pull the injector out and seal both holes.

.

 

[spruce]

At a particular time I did notice that windows were starting to 'blow' with regularity on my round. I questioned myself as to whether it could be from using WFP. Spruce or was it Smurf replied to my post. I had one house in particular that I'd just taken on from a tradder. The glass was clear when I started to clean, but over a period of time more and more panes started to 'blow'. The house owner texted me saying "I know it's not your pole and water that's causing the windows to steam up inside but..... I lost that job.
I had another job where the owner questioned the pressure coming out of the jets as he thought that water was forcing its way into the units. I assured him that there isn't any real pressure coming out of the jets and he was fine with it. He replaced the 'blown' units. The glass is very old uPVC and I still get problems with water running out of the seals now.

I'm not too bothered if units break down or not these days.

Like @spruce said about rain on the glass, we probably get more rain on the glass over a month than when we rinse a window a month.

Had a customer in 2009 refuse to pay me for the last clean because my jet wash had damaged a double glazed unit in her front bedroom window. It was (still is) and old Victoria terraced house with wooden window frames. The window in question was the top opener.

She demanded I replace it.

This is when I did a though investigation into this window issue. I knew it couldn't have been wfp because of our own house. The previous owner had fitted new windows a couple of years previously and had already blown. Her window cleaner had never done the top window as its a dormer and he refused to walk up the roof. He was trad only at that time. So it wasn't soap, it wasn't pure water, so had to be something/things else.

Obviously I didn't replace the window when I read what this site had to say on the subject.

Anyway, this customer, an old lady saw me quoting a clean for her next door neighbour a few years later and asked me to start cleaning her windows again. I refused.

.

 

[tetleY]

At a particular time I did notice that windows were starting to 'blow' with regularity on my round. I questioned myself as to whether it could be from using WFP. Spruce or was it Smurf replied to my post. I had one house in particular that I'd just taken on from a tradder. The glass was clear when I started to clean, but over a period of time more and more panes started to 'blow'. The house owner texted me saying "I know it's not your pole and water that's causing the windows to steam up inside but..... I lost that job.
I had another job where the owner questioned the pressure coming out of the jets as he thought that water was forcing its way into the units. I assured him that there isn't any real pressure coming out of the jets and he was fine with it. He replaced the 'blown' units. The glass is very old uPVC and I still get problems with water running out of the seals now.

I'm not too bothered if units break down or not these days.

Like @spruce said about rain on the glass, we probably get more rain on the glass over a month than when we rinse a window a month.

Thanks Tuffers [emoji106]

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