[8weekly]

I've been going about 5 years and over that time have had the odd complaint, but in the last couple of months I have had 7 or 8 complaints. On Saturday I cleaned my own windows and the result was very poor. Spotting and a couple of streaks.

My thoughts on the causes centre around a few things. I have tested the TDS and it is 3 in the tank in the van.

"Inspired" by some that say windows can be cleaned really quickly I have been moving towards faster times so that is one possibility. I have been skimping on the rinsing.

But I think the problem is with a sill brush and fan jets. The angle of the jets seems to point upwards on the brush and therefore at times the water is spraying upwards slightly. Also, the jets are constantly getting blocked and water is spraying in an uncontrolled way. I accept it may be my technique with fans and sill brushes.

I always clean the top frame & am usually pretty brave with vents too.

I wondered what people's thoughts were or if anyone had any other ideas?

[dannymack]

Never used fan jets, maybe the sort could be hitting the brickwork ? Go back to pencil jets you know exactly where the jet is going !!!!

I use sill brush with 2mm hexagon pencil jets works well for me !!!! 👍😳😝😬

[Richard ham]

Perhaps skimping with the rinsing is your problem.

[8weekly]

Go back to pencil jets you know exactly where the jet is going !!!!

That's what I have done tonight - plus a standard superlite. I noticed the other day also that the sill brush is quite a lot smaller than a normal brush.

[8weekly]

Perhaps skimping with the rinsing is your problem.

Except that I rinse more than some have been showing in their videos. I reckon it's the jets hitting the brickwork.

[lee_dewing]

8 weekly.

I maybe wrong but I don't think fans and sill brush are a Good combination.
If you have the same sill brush as me white bristles all the same length.

I got a new brush from gardiners flocked double trim and this has fan jets and works a treat.

I think maybe where your rinsing you are holding the brush too far away because you are use to doing that with pencil jets but are soaking all surrounding brickwork maybe.
Also when you rinse maybe rinse with the brush starting at the bottom of the pain and work to the top
This way you will see as your inching to thd top of the glass.
Lee

[oldman]

I've never used fan Jets, but out of interest, how do people have the spray coming out.....horizontal or vertical?

[Clever Forum Name]

You must be a real pro then after 5 years!

4 years on I still can't use fan jets. They are terrible for spotting.

[Lee GLS]

People seem to get the angle of the sill brush wrong, they think the lower bristles should come in contact with the glass, but  they don't, the bottom 3 rows of bristles are for cleaning the sills, the brush should angled so that the top bristles are at 90 deg to the glass and then the jets will be directed horizontally straight at the glass, not spraying upwards.

[8weekly]

People seem to get the angle of the sill brush wrong, they thing the lower bristles should come in contact with the glass, but  they don't, the bottom 3 rows of bristles are for cleaning the sills, the brush should angled so that the top bristles are at 90 deg to god glass and then the jets will be directed horizontally straight at the glass, not spraying upwards.

That makes sense.

[Dave Willis]

Could just be the weather. I had loads of trouble (but no complaints) after the winter storms - brush not cutting through the dirt, corners not cleaning properly and spotting. Seemed to have worked through all the bad ones now only to be presented with Sahara sand  

[8weekly]

Could just be the weather. I had loads of trouble (but no complaints) after the winter storms - brush not cutting through the dirt, corners not cleaning properly and spotting. Seemed to have worked through all the bad ones now only to be presented with Sahara sand  

I did wonder about that. Trying to speed up at the time of the worst weather probably wasn't my brightest idea.

[Don Kee]

I use a sill brush with fans, also clean the top of frames/vents....dont get problems....

if your going to rinse less, really you should have your flow a little higher, or at least rinse on the glass. For me the rinse is more important than scrubbing the window 12,000 times, so when people have said they can spend less time on a window, i took that to mean they scrub it less, but still give it a rinse?

As lee Gls had said, my bottom few rows of the brush dont touch the glass only the sill, so i dont get a problem with the jets pushing the water up as they're at a decent angle...

Also found on the downstairs windows that sometimes rinsing from the side (so the jets are spraying vertically) is better than rinsing infront of the window (jets spraying horizontally)

They were a ballache to get used to though, but now i wouldnt be without them (i use pencils on 45footer for accuracy though)

[G Griffin]

Could just be the weather. I had loads of trouble (but no complaints) after the winter storms - brush not cutting through the dirt, corners not cleaning properly and spotting. Seemed to have worked through all the bad ones now only to be presented with Sahara sand  

Good point.
I think too much emphasis is placed on rinsing. You can only rinse away what's on the window when it's been broken down. I'm no wfp expert but it's the same with trad. You can squeegee a window off but if the dirt isn't broken down; it leaves a mess.
The scrubbing as is as important as the rinsing if not more so.
Why bother with the brush otherwise?

[8weekly]

I use a sill brush with fans, also clean the top of frames/vents....dont get problems....

if your going to rinse less, really you should have your flow a little higher, or at least rinse on the glass. For me the rinse is more important than scrubbing the window 12,000 times, so when people have said they can spend less time on a window, i took that to mean they scrub it less, but still give it a rinse?

As lee Gls had said, my bottom few rows of the brush dont touch the glass only the sill, so i dont get a problem with the jets pushing the water up as they're at a decent angle...

Also found on the downstairs windows that sometimes rinsing from the side (so the jets are spraying vertically) is better than rinsing infront of the window (jets spraying horizontally)

They were a ballache to get used to though, but now i wouldnt be without them (i use pencils on 45footer for accuracy though)

I have the flow on around 85 on the controller. I wonder though whether the higher flow rate just makes things worse with all the splashing.

[Don Kee]

Crickey, i didnt mean that high!!!

Mines usually on around 50 at the moment , will move it to 40 ish if short on water

[robbo333]

I use a sill brush all the time but with pencil jets. Lee is right you need to angle it correctly so only the top of the brush cleans the glass (on leaded I change the angle so the middle of the brush runs over the lead more smoothly). I've used fan jets, but personally i'm not a fan (sorry for the pun). They are good but not for me. If your water pressure is too high then the water bounces back off the glass AND NOT DOWN THE GLASS, LIKE A CURTAIN. I've tried all types of combinations of jets and pencils, sill brushes and not. I think it's just down to how you clean and what you like. They all clean windows but it depends on your technique and what you prefer.

[Window Lickers]

Gardiners super lite brush. Not sill though. Fan jets. Pump on full bore.


Tap on pole. Which controls when it's appropriate to start the water flowing. 

[heath verrall]

I use a brodex r 18" with three fan jets , I added a fan jet in the middle of the brush, it's faster and rinses well.

[bobplum]

i swapped to fan jets a few years back after say 12 months i switched back to pencil...there is definitely less complaints and problems with pencil jets on a highish flow
regardless of the brush.IMO