[Bonzer]

I had a call from a customer yesterday who has noticed these marks on her newish windows. She swears they weren't there when first installed and basically blamed it on WFP. After a worrying couple of hours of working elsewhere, I went round as soon as I could and looked at them.

I was soon convinced it wasn't WFP that caused them. They are all on the bottom of the windows and on both sides. They appear on several windows about the house and are in the same position each time. It seems impossible that my brush could cause such regular marks. I let her feel the brush and showed her how the windows are cleaned and it did pretty much convince her that it couldn't have been caused by the brush or pole.

The question is, what would cause it, especially as she reckons they weren't there before (according to her) and I'm the only one who's touched her windows since they were installed? 

[Bonzer]

One other picture, different window.....

[Chris Cottrell]

I'm wondering if the stock of your brush has caused this were you are maybe hitting the frame as you brush the windows

[pjulk]

The second picture looks like it has been filled with filler maybe to cover up screw hole's

I also thinking it could be the side of the brush when you hit the frame.

Paul

[simbag]

I can't be sure, but looking at the scale of the pic, where those marks are, can be no more than 1cm wide, therefore unless the bristles are extremely short, there's no way the stock or side of the brush could do that.

If they have just been installed they look a bloody mess anyway!!

Are they wooden or upvc?

[Bonzer]

I wondered that but, as I showed the customer, even if I press the vikan brush really hard so the bristles splay outward (not the normal pressure I use) the head stays well clear of the frame. Besides, I would notice the knocking of the brush as well.

The other thing that to me proves it's not me, is that as I said, it's in the same position each time. Now, there's a window down the side of the house that's awkward to get to and I 'attack' that window from a really wierd angle - yet the marks are exactly the same position as the others. I would have thought that if it was me, the marks would be in more random positions.

If they have just been installed they look a bloody mess anyway!!

Are they wooden or upvc?

They don't look too bad in real life. I think it's the close up that doesn't help. They are UPVC.

[jeff1]

The very bottom picture shows an area of filler, that has been varnished, and if the varnish is the incorrect type, or the job hasn't been done properly in the first place, then the varnish will fade very quickly, its nothing to do with the window cleaner, the whole job to me looks like a bodge up, just look at the filler and the black mastic, it all looks like its been done by an Amateur, sorry Bonzer in my mind that is nothing to do with you.

[Ian Lancaster]

Looks like a DIY job to me!!!

She didn't actually pay someone for that did she?

You could offer to slap some varnish over them to cover the mess up, make sure you charge well for it though :

[darren_smart]

Wouldn't worry...... ..just looks like someone made a mess of fitting the windows !!!

[paul wright]

no way are they new windows, and i used to fit them so i now their are not   and the biggest cowboy job ive seen

[Bonzer]

I have done this customer for 4 years and can confirm they were installed last year.

I know it looks like a bodge in the closeup but they do look ok in the flesh. Besides, my customer is ...mmm.......particular (read 'fussy'!) about things and I don't think would have accepted something if it was a bit of a bodge up.

Do you think it might have been a tool or something that would have caused these marks on installation?

[stuart howes]

this is wood grain upvc this mark looks to me when the frame is put in the corner cleaner this takes the corner weld out at the factory BEFORE they are fitted the stuff that looks like paint is a woodgrain coloured pen ,this is to paint in the corners of the frames as when they are welded it tends to look white so the makers pen it in so it all looks the same colour if you have looked at your brush and know it is not that then it can only be the corner cleaner at the factory
i know all this as i used to make the stuff for 8 years   you can buy some upvc filler and the pens from any good window firm so you can repair it if she is still not happy............hope this helps
stu

[Bonzer]

Is there some kind of clamp that grips the upvc at this particular point when it goes into the machine then Stuart?

[stuart howes]

yes this clamp grabs the 2 sides of the the frame, it then pulls the corner in to a miller   this is the bit in the pic that looks like it has paint on   it mills it then spits it out   this is the part when you get the probs  if the clamp does not let go it tends to snag on the upvc    the woodgrain finish is just a stick on film  and you get what you pay for so if they are cheaper windows then this film can be crap
as i said you can get a filler    or you can get a brown crayon melt it and push it in to the mark  : this may do it
stu

[JohnL]

If thats a upvc window what the devil are they doing using  fillers in the corners?

If those windows are around a year old I would get a claim on their insurance because those are the worst upvc windows I have ever seen.

Looking at the problem, I could suggest you may have uncovered a manufacturing fault somehow. Try checking very closely other windows on the property which do not show the faults to see of their is any hint of an underlying problem just waiting to surface.

[Jeff Brimble]

Just a comment, are the marks on the upstairs and downstairs and do you wfp both up and down.

[Bonzer]

Yes, they are upstairs and down and I do WFP both. The other thing that is making me prime suspect in the customer's eyes is that the front door hasn't got marks on and I clean that by hand.

Interestingly, the top of the frames don't have any marks and I put more pressure and scrub the tops harder than the bottom.

She phoned me tonight to say that the window company had been round today and they basically said it couldn't be anything at all in the manufacturing process but they are going to come round next week to repair the marks.

I told her that I would have to think hard about whether to continue the cleaning, not because I think I may have caused it but because there's a possiblity the cleaning process may expose the damage again. It's already been a bit of a close call and I don't want to risk it for the sake of £7 a month!

[Pat Purcell]

bonzer, its been my experience that you will never get a window co. to admit that theres anything wrong with their manufacturing process, but I think it says a lot when they are willing to fix the problem

[Ladders]

Bonzer.

I used to make u.p.v.c windows for a living before going into window cleaning, the first pic is a cracked weld that has had filler put in it and a marker pen put over it.

This may of happened after it left the factory, it only needs a fitter to off load it onto the corner heavily to crack the weld.

I don't think that you have caused this problem, except pure water may have removed the marker pen prematurely.

Jeff