§ THE TOOLS · EXPANSION · 16 · SALT-SPRAY INTERVAL
The Salt-Spray Interval.
Distance from coast, wind exposure, elevation, frame substrate, glass coating, storm-season status, property tier. The math tells you the cleaning interval — and whether the aluminum frame or the glass is the failure surface that sets it.
Methodology: chloride-aerosol gradient decay from the shoreline, frame-substrate vulnerability, hurricane-season cadence. Calibrated against Gulf Coast and Atlantic-coast residential and commercial route data. The math is in the methodology guide.
◆ HEAVY — CLOSE-INTERVAL CYCLE
Every 2 weeks.
high chloride loading — close-interval cycle to preserve frame and glass
CLEANING INTERVAL
2 wks
between cleanings
LOADING FACTOR
2.99×
vs 1-mile reference
FRAME RISK
high
mill-finish aluminum
The math says the chloride loading on this property is heavy — a multiplier of 2.99× the 1-mile reference loading. The cleaning interval falls in the 2–3 week range, which is the working first-row waterfront standard. The wet-rinse-first protocol is mandatory; the frame substrate is the critical-failure surface and the cleaning interval should be set by frame preservation, not just glass clarity. Consider a powder-coat retrofit if the frame is mill-finish.
⚠ ALUMINUM FRAME CORROSION ADVISORY
Mill-finish aluminum at this exposure level (loading factor 2.99×) will show pitting and white-bloom corrosion within 2–3 years on the current cleaning interval if the wet-rinse-first protocol is not applied on every cycle. The frame failure typically precedes the glass failure; the cost of frame restoration is substantially higher than the cost of either a shortened cleaning cycle or a powder-coat retrofit.
→ PROTOCOL ADJUSTMENTS
Run the storm-season cadence from June through November.
The seasonal increase in onshore squalls between named events lifts the steady-state chloride loading by roughly 30% during storm season. Property managers and homeowners should be on a shorter cleaning cycle through these months, with the cycle returning to the out-of-season interval in December.
§ THE INPUTS
0.5 mi
COASTAL NEIGHBORHOOD
⊙ FIELD NOTE
The single most consequential decision a coastal property owner makes about window cleaning is the cleaning interval. A six- month inland-style schedule on a waterfront property produces visible glass and frame degradation within two to three years — and the frame typically fails before the glass. A six-week schedule does not. The chemistry choices matter at the margins. The frequency choice runs the calendar.