Pure Water vs Traditional on a 2-Story House Decision Tree

Why this matters

A 2-story residential exterior is the inflection point where method choice stops being preference and starts driving margin, safety exposure, and callbacks. Going up a 28 ft extension ladder for 14 windows takes 2.5 to 3.5 hours of setup, climb, and reposition cycles, and every reposition is an OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1053 ladder-tie or footing decision. A water-fed pole (WFP) crew finishes the same exterior in 45 to 70 minutes from the ground with zero ladder time. But WFP fails on heavily oxidized frames, stained glass, and any pane that has been hand-detailed for 10 years - the customer sees streaks the first time. This tree gives you a defensible field rule for which job goes ladder and which goes pole.

The decision flow at a glance:

  2-story - pole or ladder?
  |
  +-- 1. Crew not OSHA ladder-trained? --> WFP ONLY
  |
  +-- 2. 3+ windows obstructed? ---------> WFP FOR THOSE
  |
  +-- 3. Etched / stained / fogged? -----> LADDER +
  |                                        RESTORATION
  |
  +-- 4. Chalking / peeling frames? -----> LADDER FIRST
  |                                        VISIT
  |
  +-- 5. Recurring clean baseline? ------> WFP WINS
  |                                        (LABOR)
  |
  +-- 6. Wind over 15-22 mph? -----------> RESCHEDULE
  |
  +-- 7. Set expectations? --------------> WRITE THE 3
  |                                        DISCLOSURES

Symptom presentation at the door

The customer rarely cares about method. They care about: (a) "Will it look as clean as last time?", (b) "Will you scratch the trim or break the sill?", and (c) "Will you walk on my roof?" Score the house on three quick reads from the driveway before you unload anything.

• Glass condition: clear, lightly soiled, or mineral-stained / aged sealed-unit haze. WFP cannot fix etch, hard water deposits over Stage 2, or haze inside the seal.
• Frame condition: vinyl in good shape (WFP friendly), painted wood in good shape (WFP friendly), heavily chalking aluminum or peeling paint (WFP will streak as the dirty rinse carries chalk down the glass).
• Ladder access: clear set-back, level grade, no flowerbeds, no AC condensers under the windows, no overhead service drop within 10 ft (OSHA 29 CFR 1910.333). If three of those four fail, ladder is off the table regardless of preference.

Quick checks before you commit

Spend 5 minutes walking the perimeter before quoting. Carry a TDS meter and check the customer's hose bib: if the inlet TDS is above 250 ppm, your DI tank will exhaust in roughly half the panes per fill, which changes job time and may push the math back toward traditional. Verify pole reach: a 35 ft carbon WFP reaches a typical 2nd-story header at 22 to 24 ft of working height with the operator standing 8 to 12 ft back. If the home has dormers above the second floor or windows set into a 3rd-story gable, you need a 45 ft pole, and that pole class becomes wind-limited above 15 mph sustained.

Photograph any window that looks etched or fogged before you start. WFP will not remove etch, and customers regularly attribute pre-existing damage to whoever cleaned last.

Isolation tree

Work the decision in this order. Stop at the first definitive answer.

1. Is anyone on the crew not OSHA-trained on ladders above 24 ft? Yes → WFP only. No → continue.
2. Are 3 or more windows obstructed by AC units, flowerbeds, decks, or grade slope steeper than 1:4? Yes → WFP only for obstructed windows; ladder optional for the rest. No → continue.
3. Is the glass etched, Stage 2-3 hard water stained, or haze-fogged (failed seal)? Yes → WFP will not deliver. Quote ladder with restoration adder, or decline the restoration work as a separate visit (see hard-water decision tree). No → continue.
4. Is the frame chalking, peeling, or shedding oxidation when you rub it? Yes → ladder for first visit (traditional squeegee), then WFP-eligible on recurring after frame is detailed. No → continue.
5. Is the customer a recurring monthly or quarterly account with a clean baseline? Yes → WFP wins every time on labor math. No (one-time annual) → ladder if the customer has anchored expectations from a previous hand-squeegee provider, else WFP.
6. Is wind sustained above 15 mph or gusting above 22 mph? Yes → WFP only on lower second-floor windows (8 to 16 ft of pole extended); above that, reschedule. Ladder is also off the table above 20 mph sustained per IWCA I-14 guidance. No → either method.

Confirming the diagnosis with the customer

Once the tree gives you an answer, set expectations in writing on the work order before you start. Three lines cover 90% of complaints:

• "Pure-water cleaning leaves glass to air-dry; you may see beading for 1 to 2 hours after we leave; this is normal and will dry spot-free."
• "Pre-existing etching, failed seals (fog between panes), and paint or trim oxidation are not removed by either method; restoration is quoted separately."
• "Screens are dry-vacuumed unless the customer requests rinse; wet screens delay reinstall and may transfer dust to the frame."

If the customer pushes back on WFP because "the last guy used a squeegee" - and the windows are not etched and the frames are clean - run a single test window with the pole, squeegee-detail it after, and let them compare. WFP rinses match a hand-squeegee finish 90% of the time on glass in fair-or-better condition.

Remediation - method-specific execution

WFP execution standards:

• OUTPUT TDS at the brush is the number that decides whether the glass dries clean. Pure water means output at or near 0 ppm; once it creeps above about 10 ppm the resin is spent and the rinse will spot. Check it at the brush, not at the tank, and check it again mid-job on a big house. INLET TDS at the hose bib is a different number for a different question: it tells you how fast you will burn through resin, not whether the water leaving the brush is clean.
• Scrub each pane top-down for 20 to 30 seconds, then rinse top-down on the centerline, then both sides, then the perimeter (sash and gasket). Walk the rinse off slowly - rushing the rinse is the #1 cause of perimeter spotting.
• After the last rinse, do not touch the glass. Any contact (squeegee, hand, microfiber) transfers contamination back onto a clean surface that is still drying.
• Carbon poles flex above 30 ft; use a brace plate against your hip or a torso harness to control oscillation. Drop the pole if the brush head hits a sash hard enough to bounce.

Ladder (traditional) execution standards:

• Set ladder at 4:1 (75.5 deg) per OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1053. Extend 3 ft above the landing if accessing a roof; for window work, the top of the ladder rests on a wall pad or stabilizer 12 to 18 in below the window header.
• Tie the ladder at the top whenever working above 20 ft or in wind above 12 mph. A stabilizer alone is not a tie-off.
• Three-point contact on every reach. If you can't reach the far corner without leaning past the rail, reposition - leaning is the lead cause of ladder falls per the IWCA I-14 fatality data.
• Bucket on the ladder hook, not on the top cap. The top cap is not a step and not a shelf.

When to walk away from both methods

Some second-story jobs are not a method problem. They are a "not this job, not this crew, not today" problem. Decline or reschedule when:

• The only ladder set is unsafe and the pole cannot reach. No level footing, a deck rail or a roof pitch as the only landing, grade falling away below the window, or an overhead service drop crossing the approach. If the pole cannot make the reach and the ladder cannot be set legally, that elevation needs a lift, a rope descent setup with certified anchors, or a different contractor.
• Weather is outside limits and the customer wants it done anyway. Wind above the thresholds in the tree, ice on the ground, lightning within earshot, or freezing temperatures that will glaze the glass and the walkway. Reschedule; a discount does not change the physics.
• The glass is failed rather than dirty. Fogged IG units, Stage 3 etching, or scratched lites. Neither method delivers, and cleaning them anyway buys you a callback you cannot win. Quote inspection or replacement referral instead.
• The customer refuses the disclosure. If they will not accept in writing that etching, seal failure, and oxidation are not cleanable, walk. That job ends in a refund demand regardless of how well you clean it.
• The structure will not take the load. Rotted trim, spongy fascia, a deteriorating deck, or siding that flexes under a ladder standoff. Note it, photograph it, tell the homeowner, and do not lean on it.
• A dog is loose in the yard, or the site is not controllable. Ladder work with an unrestrained animal or unsupervised kids underfoot is not a judgment call.

Say no in one sentence and give the alternative: what would have to change (weather, access, a lift, a restoration visit) for you to do the work. A documented decline costs one visit. An accident or a refunded job costs far more than the ticket.

References

• OSHA 29 CFR 1910.66, Powered Platforms for Building Maintenance (rope descent and suspended scaffold scope).
• OSHA 29 CFR 1910.27, Scaffolds and Rope Descent Systems (general industry RDS rules including anchor certification).
• OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1053, Ladders (4:1 angle, extension above landing, footing).
• OSHA 29 CFR 1910.333(c)(3), Working Around Energized Lines (10 ft minimum clearance).
• IWCA I-14.1, Window Cleaning Safety Standard (industry consensus on wind limits, fall protection, equipment).