Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: gwrightson on June 22, 2009, 05:28:00 pm
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Bit of a problem if you window cleaning guys can help!!
My brother recently had a house built and on one side of the house the sloping roof going over the kithen area is glazed with self cleaning glass, however after they had fitted the glass roof which goes under the lead flashing from the main tiled roof a problem has arised, the roofers did not coat the lead to prevent oxidisation, " I think thats what they call it " so over a period of time the run off from the lead is staining the windows.
Nobody seems to want to take the blame for this, builder, roofer , glass comp. etc all blaming each other for responsibility ::). what he would like to know is can the glass be cleaned to remove this lead residule? if so what with ? and would this cleaning process remove any of the self cleaning properties?
The lead has now been replaced with treated lead by the way!
thanks for any suggestions
Geoff
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Nahh sorry mate you lost me at "self cleaning glass" ??? ???
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Nahh sorry mate you lost me at "self cleaning glass" ??? ???
Self cleaning glass www.pilkingtonselfcleaningglass.co.uk/how-it-works/
basicly it react with sun light and rain washes the dirt away.
Geoff
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Nahh sorry mate you lost me at "self cleaning glass" ??? ???
Self cleaning glass www.pilkingtonselfcleaningglass.co.uk/how-it-works/
basicly it react with sun light and rain washes the dirt away.
Geoff
??? ??? ???
still lost me ???
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All you need to know is its crap ;D
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I,m not one to argue with you dave, but to say its crap is a bit strong ;) :)
the actual glass roof extends beyond the tiled roof itself, so where no lead has been used the glass is actually clean........... so cant be that crap!!! , but I do understand your statment.
All i,m asking is can the residule be removed with out damadging the active coating ?
geoff
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Probably worth emailing or calling pilkington tech dept tomorrow and ask them what they would suggest.
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Geoff, when we get oxidisation on glass here, the Germans use something similar to caustic soda. The only problem is, whatever they used, the problem keeps coming back. One of the old boys that worked for me told me that whenever the glass surface has been damaged so bad that it can be seen with the eye, that it was past help.
I would expect that the treatment of self cleaning glass would really be knackered if its been scrubbed or scraped. If it was my house that had suffered this sort of thing, I would go after the architect.
Good luck anyway.
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Try MDR i think titan laboritories make it the american company.just checked it out it does remove oxidation
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Just checked, it's Hydrochloric acid.
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Its ok trying these products, but what effect will it have on the coating? It may or may not be too late, but i would still speak with pilkington.
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crystal clear 500 will remove the oxidization but i am not sure if it will effect the self cleaning quality of glass, but if it does there is a firm that sells a product that will put a coating back on again.
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thanks for all the replys,
No attempt has yet been made at removal , hence my questions , this is why the neccesity of getting the right stuff to clean the glass.
perhaps it is a good idea to contact Pilkington to be on the safe side.
Geoff.
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,m not one to argue with you dave, but to say its crap is a bit strong
the actual glass roof extends beyond the tiled roof itself, so where no lead has been used the glass is actually clean........... so cant be that crap!!! , but I do understand your statment.
All i,m asking is can the residule be removed with out damadging the active coating ?
Thats because its getting the sun and rain but i have alot of customers with it as there standard house windows and before i started cleaning they were thick with much stook to them! one of the woman as about to take legal action the company who fitted it i think.
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you can get proper glass cleaner for this from a upvc supplies about 4 quid not dear its good stuff......from what you said is wrong make sure they have used either lead mate or morter to seal lead to brickwork as some fitters tend to use clear silicon as its cheaper and this is what tends to run,i no this cause i was a fitter.......as for self cleaning glass it aint that good more of a sales gimmick
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you can get proper glass cleaner for this from a upvc supplies about 4 quid not dear its good stuff......from what you said is wrong make sure they have used either lead mate or morter to seal lead to brickwork as some fitters tend to use clear silicon as its cheaper and this is what tends to run,i no this cause i was a fitter.......as for self cleaning glass it aint that good more of a sales gimmick
After any silicone has gone off, i have never known any silicone to run? Once it dries it forms a skin! It is probably as Geoff has already said, cheap grade lead.
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honestly clear or cheap silicon reacts with the lead and it runs just have a look at how they sealed it if its clear that will b the problem
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Ive never used high mod before, but never had a problem with low mod.
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i was a fitter for 17 years and it happened a lot if u used clear silicon,if you go to a upvc suppliers u can get the glas cleaner fitters use it gets anything off
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i clean a chip shop and when they were giving the place a clean they used something called hard surface cleaner or something and some got onto the glass and basically left a right mess. i tried using MDR to remove it no joy. A scraper removes a little of it but it's still there. Too scrape it would take forever
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the other thing fitters use is solvant cleaner its good at getting absolutly anything off glass even tar but you will have to use the glass cleaner straight after it then rise it all off with water
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Just an update on the original question,
After many weeks of haggling between builders, roof fitters, glass installers non who wanted to take responsabality , because of the £12,000 it would cost to relplace the glass a solution has been found :D
The roofers admitted in the end it was their fault for not pattenising the lead, and after numerous attempts at cleaning it them selves with various solutions recommended to them, ie. white spirit, white vinegar, meths lemon juice etc they admited defeat, although a little improvment was made after labourious rubbing of just one small area. they were going to put it through their insurance was the only solution. bearing in mind nothing abrasive could be used.
I stepped in with quote to bring back the glass to pritine condition" after consultation with Pilkingtons tech dept and anaylasis of the marking" and after I had tested an area with their recomendations.
The price for cleaning 20 panes of glass £750 , they bit my hand off .
Think I may just take up window cleaning ;)
I will take some pics tommorow to show what the problem was.
geoff
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Will look forward to that Geoff !
Cheers Jeff !
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nearly every house we clean with lead flashing above the conservatory treated or not has marked the glass although none of it is selfcleaning glass so i to would be interested in a soloution for removing it