Over the last 45 years the surface of windows has become VERY scratch sensitive. It is defective. What has happened is totally needless. Many surfaces are also NOT even glass, but are very thin metallic coatings applied when the glass is still on the float bath. We are NOT working with that old smooth glass of yesteryear.
Coupled with these technical challenges is the fact that most people in every other related industry have NO clue about this. General Contractors don't know anything about defective scratch sensitive glass surfaces. Painters know nothing about this too. Power washers don't know how quickly even pure water can leach minerals from certain building exteriors and create water spots in as little as thirty minutes. Property maintenance managers have no clue that sprinkler systems can literally destroy millions in low level windows. Lawyers are completely ignorant as to how quickly a 1 to 2 percent solution of HF acid will ripple out dark glass and cloud out clear glass. Also and especially window cleaners have no clue how quickly so called restoration products based on "super-abrasives" can create thousands and millions in permanently damaged glass. It is unfortunate that the window cleaning industry now includes very large corporate franchises that span the country from sea to sea. Having given a seminar for one of them telephonically on this technology we discovered something at the end during the Q and A that is really counterproductive. It surprises me that I even encouraged it at that time. We learned that if a problem surface was revealed during the analysis of a potentially new job, the best and most safe thing to do would be to walk away. So that the franchise would not incur a lawsuit of course. But really that is NOT a foolproof method. Owing to damage that could be revealed after a simple routing cleaning. Which damage had been left by the previous window cleaner, or another professional during the construction of the building.
All of this explains why our industry NEEDS more consultants. I have run into them out there. They are not your average window cleaner. Kind of like a family spread out around the world. Some of these have companies of ten to twenty employees. Others work alone. All of them have learned by experience. When I tell them I learned everything I know by wasting brand new glass, and reading books on chemistry and physics, they understand. It is fascinating! Just to name a couple. I met Marc Tanner on FB one late night many years ago. That was a two hour messenger conversation. Nick Evans contacted me by phone from New Zealand. We have done messenger, and Zoom. He developed his own tech FB Group local to NZ and AU. Both of these men are totally unbelievable. I could mention others as well. Simply said I have had a great deal of joy meeting them and exchanging ideas and knowledge.
Our industry needs people like this. Which is what I would really like to do. Find them and introduce them to you by means of this IGSA and this blog. Also if the AWC is on board with this idea I would like to work with it too.
Please check out the latest July issue of the American Window Cleaner. It is a fantastic issue of the past. Many leaders have come and gone. What we need now more than anything are consultants. Send me an email so we can talk.
Henry Grover Jr.
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