Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: firefly123 on June 11, 2015, 07:06:39 pm

Title: does vision really change hydrophobic glass to hydrophillic glass
Post by: firefly123 on June 11, 2015, 07:06:39 pm
your views if it does  i will get some
Title: Re: does vision really change hydrophobic glass to hydrophillic glass
Post by: SeanK on June 11, 2015, 07:11:03 pm
The answer is no, but if you really want to know the answer then research the cause of hydrophobic glass or what it is, the truth is
in the science.
Title: Re: does vision really change hydrophobic glass to hydrophillic glass
Post by: paulben on June 12, 2015, 05:48:03 am
Doubt if you will change the glass you might put a coating on it , not sure but think if glass is facing the sun then on a hot day you will get a different effect to a window in the shade
Title: Re: does vision really change hydrophobic glass to hydrophillic glass
Post by: Spruce on June 12, 2015, 07:12:17 am
The answer is no, but if you really want to know the answer then research the cause of hydrophobic glass or what it is, the truth is
in the science.

Exactly SeanK.

If you break the surface tension of water droplets with an additive, then the water is going to flow more freely off the glass, no matter what type of glass you are cleaning.

Whether you will be able to see a difference is also questionable.

There is a video clip on Youtube somewhere which shows a cleaner rubbing extremely hydrophobic glass with a bronze wool pad and turning it into hydrophillic glass. However, this doesn't last forever and the glass will return to its previous hydrophobic state in time.

Whilst hydrophobic glass isn't as quick and easy to wash and rinse, you have to develop a love for it. Windows with this type of glass get dirtier quicker as rain water doesn't wash the dust off the window as well as it does with hydrophillic glass. I have a customer with 2 windows side by side, one with 'extreme' hydrophobic glass and the other with hydrophillic glass. The hydrophobic glass is always filthy where the other window is usually pretty clean.


Title: Re: does vision really change hydrophobic glass to hydrophillic glass
Post by: Shane sharples on June 12, 2015, 07:33:28 am
I would never have thought that my day to day stress evolves around water droplets on a window lol
Title: Re: does vision really change hydrophobic glass to hydrophillic glass
Post by: paulben on June 12, 2015, 07:41:57 am
I don't care what the glass is only easiest way to get nice sparkly windows and cash in my pocket
Title: Re: does vision really change hydrophobic glass to hydrophillic glass
Post by: Dave Willis on June 12, 2015, 07:52:20 am
I have found certain acids turn glass hydrophobic for example Viakal and Winsol. Haven't found anything that permanently  turns it hydrophilic
I like some. hydrophilic panes where the water beads away so fast that the glass dries in no time.
Title: Re: does vision really change hydrophobic glass to hydrophillic glass
Post by: SeanK on June 12, 2015, 08:09:25 am
For some reason hydrophobic glass gets guys on forums wound up, as long as you aren't cleaning in a dusty area
then it doesn't matter how many water droplets you leave on the glass.
I never gave it a second thought until I came on here and I know guys who have been using pure to clean for years and hadn't
even heard of it.
As long as you have cleaned the glass right then all the droplets left will be nothing but pure, so unless an additive can leave
the glass droplet free then there's no point in it, a few less spots on the glass is not going to make much difference to a poor
job.
Gary999 has the only solution to cleaning glass where you cant leave any droplets and thats to blade the glass.
Title: Re: does vision really change hydrophobic glass to hydrophillic glass
Post by: Spruce on June 12, 2015, 08:20:15 am
I would never have thought that my day to day stress evolves around water droplets on a window lol

 ;D
Title: Re: does vision really change hydrophobic glass to hydrophillic glass
Post by: Spruce on June 12, 2015, 08:46:22 am
We have all filled a basin with water, added a drop of washing up liquid and then watched the surface tension of the water break up.

For those who believe in vision try this.

Once you have dosed and filled your tank, get a length of plastic tube, firmly seal the one end with your finger and insert it into your tank. The open end of the plastic tube needs to be above the water line as you are taking a sample of water from the middle of the tank. Release your finger to allow water into the tube, close it again and remove.

Take that water to a clean dry surface such as you kitchen sink's draining board and carefully release your finger from the end of the tube so you have a small amount of water, but not enough to run off into the sink. Then add a drop of dishing liquid to this and see what happens.

I also tried it with cold water from the tap and then hot water without messing with the surface tension by adding dish washing liquid. We all know that the viscosity of water changes with temperature, but I was amazed at how much easier the hot water flowed.

Title: Re: does vision really change hydrophobic glass to hydrophillic glass
Post by: SeanK on June 12, 2015, 09:06:28 am
And once you have added the washing up liquid and had the reaction then adding more does nothing, that's all your
experiment proves, you have a solution in the water that has broke the surface tension so adding more of the same doesn't cause it to happen again.
No one is saying that breaking the surface tension of the water doesn't cause it to flow slightly better, but if the difference in the amount of droplets left on the glass is barely noticeable then what's the point.
Title: Re: does vision really change hydrophobic glass to hydrophillic glass
Post by: Peter Fogwill on June 12, 2015, 10:16:12 am
I haven't been keeping up with Vision but wasn't it supposed to be a substitute for pure water? Is this still the case?
Title: Re: does vision really change hydrophobic glass to hydrophillic glass
Post by: firefly123 on June 12, 2015, 10:28:19 am
so your all scientist now then
Title: Re: does vision really change hydrophobic glass to hydrophillic glass
Post by: SeanK on June 12, 2015, 10:39:09 am
I haven't been keeping up with Vision but wasn't it supposed to be a substitute for pure water? Is this still the case?

Need to keep up Peter, it has now been proven that pure water on its own isn't good enough to clean windows to a decent
standard.
Vision rectifies this problem and also as a bonus it restores the shine to upvc and allows you to clean 30% quicker.
All this from adding a microscopic amount to the water.
I can see a movie being made on this amazing breakthrough in a few years time.
Title: Re: does vision really change hydrophobic glass to hydrophillic glass
Post by: SeanK on June 12, 2015, 10:42:07 am
so your all scientist now then

So you don't want opinions after all, tell you what mate yes it does turn the glass hydrophilic so go buy some. ::)roll
Title: Re: does vision really change hydrophobic glass to hydrophillic glass
Post by: Peter Fogwill on June 12, 2015, 11:46:12 am
That was one of the things I found working on something similar and brought it up when I first heard about the additive.  TBH I found the cost effectiveness to be a killer because of the amount I had to put into 400L of water to change anything.   What happened to the product that was supposed to do away with pure water and allowed you to use water straight from the tap?
Title: Re: does vision really change hydrophobic glass to hydrophillic glass
Post by: Dave Willis on June 12, 2015, 02:05:03 pm
Squeegees?

Still about I believe.
Title: Re: does vision really change hydrophobic glass to hydrophillic glass
Post by: Peter Fogwill on June 12, 2015, 02:50:39 pm
 :D
Squeegees?

Still about I believe.
Title: Re: does vision really change hydrophobic glass to hydrophillic glass
Post by: Jonny 87 on June 12, 2015, 04:16:20 pm
That was one of the things I found working on something similar and brought it up when I first heard about the additive.  TBH I found the cost effectiveness to be a killer because of the amount I had to put into 400L of water to change anything.   What happened to the product that was supposed to do away with pure water and allowed you to use water straight from the tap?

Peter That wasn't vision.  Vision is a pure water additive. Something to help pure water and make you a little bit quicker and efficient, leaving a better shine and a bit more cleaning power than just pure water.

Your thinking of Jim thomsons mix. I think it was called window cleaners shine? I think there were claims it would let you clean with just tap water, but those claims didn't seem to hold up.
Title: Re: does vision really change hydrophobic glass to hydrophillic glass
Post by: Spruce on June 12, 2015, 04:39:31 pm
And once you have added the washing up liquid and had the reaction then adding more does nothing, that's all your
experiment proves, you have a solution in the water that has broke the surface tension so adding more of the same doesn't cause it to happen again.
No one is saying that breaking the surface tension of the water doesn't cause it to flow slightly better, but if the difference in the amount of droplets left on the glass is barely noticeable then what's the point.

Sean, what I saying is that additive doesn't break down the surface tension of the test sample of water I drew from the tank.  Adding a drop of washing up liquid to this sample did.
Title: Re: does vision really change hydrophobic glass to hydrophillic glass
Post by: Dave Willis on June 12, 2015, 05:02:43 pm
Spruce, have you tried the same thing with GG4?
I did the floating paper clip trick and it worked with that. The odd thing with Vision is that it seems to thicken the water rather than thin it. I haven't used it but guys are saying it turns pure water gloopy/syrupy. There are products I know of that do that. Soap/detergent doesn't seem to do this.