Why this one thing matters so much
We see more window damage from irrigation than from anything else in Utah. Not weather. Not dirt. Sprinklers.
The reason is simple: rain is naturally soft, but the water coming out of your sprinkler heads is the same hard water coming out of your tap — 10 to 18 grains per gallon on the Weber Basin supply. Sprayed on hot glass, in the sun, three times a week, for a whole season.
How to find the problem heads
Run each zone and actually watch. It takes ten minutes and most people have never done it.
Look for:
- Heads that spray directly onto the house
- Heads set too high, throwing mist that drifts onto windows in the wind
- Rotors that are slightly off-angle and catch the corner of the house at the end of their arc
- Wind drift — a head that's fine at 5 a.m. may be soaking the house at 7 p.m.
Basement window wells are especially common and especially easy to miss.
The fixes, cheapest first
1. Adjust the arc or radius. Most spray heads have an adjustment screw that reduces throw distance. Most rotors have adjustable arcs. Free, and usually enough.
2. Swap the nozzle. A nozzle with a narrower pattern or shorter radius costs a couple of dollars.
3. Move the head. More work, but the right answer if a head is simply in the wrong place.
4. Water earlier. Less wind at 5 a.m. means less drift. This is a partial fix, not a complete one.
If the damage is already there
Deposits that are still fresh come off with a normal cleaning. Deposits that have been baking on for a season or more need a restoration process, which we quote separately. And deposits that have been there for years may not come off at all.
The order of operations matters here: fix the sprinkler first, then clean the glass. Otherwise you're paying to remove deposits that will be right back by August.
A note on hoses and pressure washing
Same principle. Spraying the house down with a hose leaves the same minerals behind if you don't dry it. If you rinse windows, squeegee or dry them afterward rather than letting them air dry in the sun.
Want us to look at what your sprinklers have done? Get a free quote — we'll tell you honestly what comes off and what doesn't.