Stain Removal can be a rather messy affair. The best "one step" polishing compound or slurry is based on cerium oxide. This is either a thick compound or a water slurry. In either case it is very difficult to apply. It is also very difficult to use without spraying compound all over the other windows, or the window frame. Usually so much of it is used that when cleaning the window much of it will drip down onto the concrete or other sills or exterior facade. This can discolor the exterior wall directly underneath each window. Another problem has to do with the expense of the compound. Most people have chosen to use cerium oxide powder which has dramatically increased in cost over the last several years. It becomes very expensive when it is over used. You see in reality it doesn't take very much of this at all to clear most stains. Timing is another concern. It takes a lot of time to keep on applying the compound/slurry to the glass as you are polishing. Then if you use too much it can take a lot of time to clean up after. With a slow release pad all of these problems are eliminated! I can coat any pad that you are already using with a custom blended slow release plastic coating. It goes on like a thick paint and then hardens to a solid coating. Which coating can be loaded with any microcrystalline polishing powder. So we can use an optical silica, zirconium dioxide, cerium oxide, aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, or even diamond. Or we can precisely blend any of these powders. To use a slow release pad you first must clean the window. Then just apply a clean soapy water and begin polishing. After about thirty seconds the hard plastic coating will begin to dissolve in the water releasing just the right amount of microcrystalline powder. Once done all you need to do is soap up the window and squeegee it off. Wiping up the bottom edge. There will be very little residue to wipe. Since you are using only a very little amount of powder and only have to apply water, There is very little mess if any. Also the expense is dramatically minimized. Further the time to clear the window is likewise reduced. All of this greatly simplifies the job. It likewise reduces the total expense. There is even the option of adding acrylic or walnut powders to the coating for working on coated glass. It is necessary to test whatever coating you are working on to determine whether or not a custom slow release pad will cause scratches. This could be a very practical way to remove residue such as concrete sealer/water proofing from low e coated glass. There are water miscible solvents available that will soften concrete sealers, silicone, paint, and wood stain. These will also dissolve the plastic coating of a slow release pad thereby releasing the acrylic or walnut shell powder to physically rub off the paint or whatever else which has already been softened. Then all you have to do is agitate with soapy water and squeegee it off. I am now working on a series of videos to demonstrate exactly how each of these custom pads work. Again it should be emphasized that any polishing pad can be coated with a slow release plastic. So if you have a felt pad that has a crack and peal backing to stick on a wheel we can coat this. Or if you have a soft pad that has a velcro backing we can also coat the front of this. There are many different applications. Here is an old video I made several years ago using a special wheel I created and a hard felt ring/pad with a slow release cerium oxide coating. The wheel wobbles because it has a universal joint built in between the shaft and the polishing wheel. This keeps it flat on the glass all the time which makes the system very easy to work with! But. Any wheel, machine, or stain removal system can be used. All that needs to be done is to coat the pad.
If you are interested in exploring any of these ideas just send an email to henrygroverjr@gmail.com To receive these posts in your inbox just type your address in the box at the top right "Follow by Email".
There has been much buzz over this rather simple looking tube. Many are claiming that it has the ability to change water on a molecular level. Actually changing the hydrogen bonding of water or the cohesive properties of the molecules and thereby changing the memory of water which is controlled by the identity of the micro-clusters. They claim that it can change the electrical conductivity of water and even change the surface tension like detergents do. Some believe that it uses cavitation to increase the cleaning power of water. Beyond these claims is the belief that it will extend the life of DI resin in a water fed purification tank. They go so far as to declare that high TDS water run through the Tech 7 tube will not spot glass so that DI/RO systems are not needed when working with a water fed pole. Just use tap water. Some say too that water run through a Tech 7 tube will run off glass faster than normal leaving very few spots. Are all these claims true, or are they just the productions of a wild imagination?
What exactly is a Tech 7 tube?
Lets start by asking what is inside of the tube? It is lined by another tube of copper which is covered with little nubs or indentations. Four lines of many of these little indents go from one end to the other. The outer tube is made of a hard plastic. Anyone can see this. To take the pictures below I shined an LED flashlight up the tube. You can just make out the little nubs as they reflect the light. The theory is that these nubs affect water by creating a vortex and reacting electrically. Also that the plastic outer tube somehow improves this effect by insulating the copper. So there are no chemicals or detergents used. All you need is the tube to make Tech 7 water.
What REALLY matters
The bottom line here is it really doesn't matter how it works. What matters most is does it work. I am sure many of you thought I was going to debate all of these claims which I listed at the beginning of this post. But not! If we can first prove beyond any doubt that the Tech 7 does indeed work, and show very plainly exactly what it does do;...then we can theorize after how it does it. So lets get to the testing.
Testing Tech 7 water for surface tension
The first test involves measuring the surface tension of water. Surface tension is caused by hydrogen bonding of individual water molecules and is otherwise known as cohesion. This is science. There are some very simple ways to see the surface tension of water. One is to count the number of water drops that can be put on top of a penny before the surface tension breaks and the accumulated water rolls off the coin. To do this test you must be very careful and hold the eye dropper straight up. Watch the size of the drops so they are exactly the same size. I was able to get as many as 33 drops on a penny before the surface tension broke. I then added a few drops of detergent to my large cup of test water. It became very apparent that the soap seriously changed the surface tension of the water. I was only able to get about 14 to 18 drops on the penny before the tension broke and the water rolled. Here is a short video of the experiment I am talking about.
Some say you can get up to 44 drops of water on a penny. I say that depends on the size of the drops coming from the eye dropper. The key to performing this test correctly is to use the same eye dropper for all of the fluids/mixtures you are testing. To test the Tech 7 to see if it changes the surface tension of water just hook up the Tech 7 tube to your water source. Collect some water in a clean cup. Now collect some water from the same exact water source in a second cup. Then start counting. How many drops of Tech 7 can you put on a penny before it rolls off ? Now using the same penny and the same eye dropper see how many drops of plain water you can put on the penny before the water rolls. Remember to use water from the same source. I did this experiment. The results I got were not definitive. I was not convinced that the Tech 7 had changed the surface tension of water. My advice to you is do the test for yourself and see what you discover.
Testing Tech 7 Water for Spotting
Does Tech 7 water cause less spotting from minerals? This is really important because it would mean window cleaners could as our friend Jack Sedore puts it, "tap spot free". Here is how to find out. Find a source of high TDS water. Check it with your meter so you know what it is. It might be 65, 125, 225, 325, or even higher. For the test it would be good to know what the silica content is. This requires another type of meter. Here is one that costs about fifty bux. Also here is the link for where to go to buy it.
Now put some of this water in a clean cup. Next hook up your Tech 7 tube to the same water source and run some into another clean cup. Next take a perfectly clean mirror plate and lie it down flat on a table in the hot sun. Put several drops of your Tech 7 water on one side, then put about the same number of drops of the other water which I call the control on the other side. Let all of the drops on both sides completely dry. Now compare the spots that were left. If the TDS or silica content of the water was high enough you should definitely get some spotting. Also if the Tech 7 tube has changed the minerals in some way it should be possible to see this. Some how. When you do this you might want to also see how easy it is to wipe off the spots once dry with a dry towel. If the spots left by the Tech 7 water are easier to wipe off that would also tell us there is a difference.
Testing Tech 7 Water for Electrical Conductivity
Once again take some water from a tap. Rate the TDS and the silica content. Put some straight from the tap into a clean cup. Then run some through a Tech 7 tube. Put that in a second cup. Now use an ohm meter and check the resistance and or the conductivity. These are opposites of the same thing. One is the inverse of the other. You can get a small battery powered meter from an electrical supply house. By the way your TDS meter for your water fed pole is nothing but an electrical ohm meter. Pure/distilled water does not conduct electricity. But water that has minerals/silicates in it does conduct electricity. This is a very simple test. Just look at the numbers. They should be different for the Tech 7 water. If you want to be absolutely sure just test a different source of water with a much higher or lower mineral content. A much higher or lower TDS rating. I am very curious about water that has a very low TDS reading but a rather high silica level. If the Tech 7 does in fact change the conductivity/resistance of hard water, is it more effective at changing silica water? This might be difficult to test using an ohm meter because silica does not promote conductance of electricity.
I am quite sure that we can come up with other tests for the Tech 7. I just want to emphasize it is absolutely necessary to use a "control". Make sure you do a side by side test. Also be as precise as possible. It is critical to the reliability of the results.
Looking straight down a Tech 7 tube
Look for the light reflecting off the little "nubs". There are four perfectly straight rows of them from one end of the tube to the other. The inside of the tube is made of copper. The outside of a hard plastic.
Written by Henry Grover Jr. henrygroverjr@gmail.com To have these posts delivered directly to your inbox just type your address in the box at the top right, "Follow by Email".
Silphos A-100 is a silicone based superwetting anionic detergent. Dawn is an ordinary carbon based detergent blend based on two different anionic surfactants;...sodium laureth sulfate and sodium laurel sulfate. It also has not more than one percent sodium hydroxide (lye). Anionics are typically used in glass cleaning formulas because they carry a negative charge. Glass surfaces also have a negative charge. So an anionic cleaning solution tends to be repelled by glass and will not leave as much of a film as even a nonionic detergent such as an LAE or what is also known as a linear alcohol ethoxylate. Silphos A-100 just like Dawn then does not leave hardly any film. It also is a fantastic superwetter. Which means that you only need to put a teaspoon in two gallons of water to get adequate glide and suds. In contrast you would have to use way more Dawn to get the same results. Of course Dawn is also way easier to get. Just go to the local supermarket and buy a small bottle. Over in the UK there are other products that are based on a very similar chemistry. Other parts of the world the same I am sure. But Silphos A-100 which is made and sold by www.siltech.com is only available in a five gallon pail or a fifty five gallon drum. The cost runs around 85 to 90 dollars per gallon. When you consider how incredibly little you would actually use in a bucket the total expense is very little. After researching the four different surfactant families (which are the anionics, amphoterics, nonionics, and cationics) I discovered that Dawn was based on two anionics. Then I learned the basic reason why the anionics are likely so effective at cleaning glass. They also yield the most suds. Of course I did test out the other families and did determine that they leave a totally unacceptable film. Dawn really was the best. This is what tempted me to look for a silicone (silicon based) anionic detergent. I wanted to see if I would get "similar" results to Dawn.
I actually did. I have a rather large store route. And I have a couple of stores that are rather problematic. Meaning if any window will streak it would be those stores. So I use them for testing. It was summer time, rather hot, and the glass was dark. I discovered as long as I used plenty of water there was no streaking with Silphos A-100. But if the water dried too quickly streaking indeed became a problem. Dawn on the other hand did not cause this problem. The bottom line here is under extreme conditions when the glass is too hot Silphos A-100 will streak but with litle to no film. Dawn will actually do this too but hardly ever.
Many years ago window cleaners used to use TSP (trisodium phosphate). Which creates fantastic glide. No suds. Although it does cause bleed out from the edges of the window. Especially on humid days. And will cause some streaking in the hot sun which leaves white lines. These can be annoying but do wipe right off dry. TSP also leaves no film. So no film but some streaking. Very interesting. Very similar to Silphos A-100. Little to no film but streaking under extreme hot sunny conditions.
The ultimate bottom line of course is we should use what we want to use. Whatever works best for us. I have experimented with SO many different commercial and pure detergents over the years. I mean so many. Then finally it has come down to Dawn. Sometimes with a little clear ammonia for extra glide. I like the lemon scented ammonia.
Written by Henry Grover Jr. Glass Smart Consulting henrygroverjr@gmail.com To receive these posts directly in your inbox just type your address in the box at the top right, "Follow by Email".
Think about it friends;...how much valuable information do you give away for free when you clean someones windows? I do it myself all the time. Most people for example have no clue what "negative deflection" is. They have no clue that the argon gas in units made by Anderson and other window manufacturers can gradually leak out over the years causing the two plates of the insulating glass unit to become concave. Further that in time if the glass is scratched and the barometric pressure is just right;...these windows can implode. It sounds just like a gun. I had a good friend that experienced this while he was cleaning windows on a residential. Customers also don't know how easy it is for us to check this condition. When you do that for each window you clean and write it down, it becomes an inspection service. Which the customer should rightfully pay for. Another inspection service would be to determine exactly what the coefficient of friction is for the surface of each window you clean. As the Glass Committee through the Penn State Materials Lab has proven, the "roughness" of glass surfaces determines how easy they can be scratched. Either through the natural weathering process of the first surface of monolythic or double plate glass, or restoration through polishing, or the use of acids that invisibly etch, once the surface becomes rough it will scratch with incredible ease. Then yet another inspection service is to check the integrity of the insulating unit for water vapor or as we call it, "seal failure". Once the air tight seal loses it's integrity humidity enters. Usually this is invisible especially when it first begins. But as time goes on it gradually becomes visible as a foggy appearance shows up between the two plates. Which becomes worse and worse as time continues to pass. What most people do not know however is that when the fog first begins to develop it cannot be seen if the window is dirty. Scratches too by the way are usually invisible if the window is dirty. The best way to inspect for seal failure is to first clean the window and then apply cold to a small area of the IG Unit. The fog will form in between for everyone to see. There is another effect called gassing which occurs straight from the factory. It shows up as an even haze. Usually it is easy to see when compared to the window next to it. But only in the direct sun light and when the windows are perfectly clean. Fingerprints can be detected between the plates of an IG Unit also. But are usually dismissed or invisible if the window is dirty. When marketing your window cleaning/inspection services through real estate agents that distribute your newsletters directly to their buyers, the best thing to do is explain to the buyer that they should never buy a home with dirty windows. No one should. Rather they should have the windows of their prospective home professionally cleaned, and professionally inspected at the same time. These are only a few different inspection services that a window cleaning company can offer. There are many others. Further did you know that there is a company that manufactures and sells high tech electronic devices for doing nothing but window inspections? If you are interested in getting into this service please email me directly and we can talk about it. I am just beginning myself and am more than willing to discuss it further. If you charge ten bux to clean a window, you should also be charging another ten bux to perform a battery of inspections on that same window. Your prices for inspections should be based on the specific inspection done on each window. So lets say you charge three bux per IG Unit to test for seal failure and there are fifty windows or units. That comes to 150 bux. A professional inspection of all the windows in a home or business could actually cost up to two times the cost of having the windows cleaned. So your profits could realistically be tripled. In less time then it takes to clean the windows! Remember the slogan, "Never Buy a Home With Dirty Windows!". Written by Henry Grover Jr. For more information email me at henrygroverjr@gmail.com
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Are you a General Contractor? Do you think that all windows are created equal? Unfortunately this is not the case. The first thing you must know is that depending on the design of the building windows can become stained within a matter of several months. Such stains will not come off with a simple scrub and squeegee. But require a much more aggressive and high tech solution. Also you certainly would never want to allow a so called "professional" window cleaning company to use an acid to remove these stains if they have already formed. Acids can strip off low e glass coats, magnify light scratches, and etch glass. They are also bad for the environment and a serious health hazard. Windows are likely to have defective glass surfaces these days. I mean they usually are very prone to scratching. Right from the beginning it is necessary to know exactly what you are dealing with. Razor blades and even so called safe abrasives can easily scratch this defective surface. Which can cause tremendous damage climbing into the hundreds of thousands of dollars if there are hundreds of windows in the building. Another problem has to do with low e glass. Exactly where is the coating, is it there at all, and what is the condition even on brand new glass? Quite frequently windows will be rated as low e but not have a low e coating. There are ways to check every window to determine if there are any coatings missing that should be there. Also where they might be. Sometimes coatings that should be protected between the two plates of an IG unit are actually exposed. Negative deflection is a serious problem causing windows to implode with a loud bang. Very loud. This happens because the gas between the two plates of an IG Unit out gases but nothing comes back in. So the plates are sucked in towards the center. This is known as negative deflection. There is a very simple test that will show up this problem. Most times windows are stored for a matter of six months or more before they are installed. At the time of installation windows are usually NEVER properly inspected for all of these things mentioned above and so much more. The very best thing to do is to have a professional glass/window consultant/inspector on every new building from beginning to end. In other words from the day the windows are first purchased and put into storage until the day they are installed and the building is turned over to the owner. Windows actually pass about seven different hands before the construction is complete. During this time virtually anything can happen. And the last thing any contractor wants is to have to wait even a couple of weeks for a replacement window because of some defection or damage. Such could cost way too much if the deadline is not met in a timely fashion. I have worked for contractors, window cleaning companies, real estate agents, insurance companies, and even lawyers on these issues. And can help you too. Just send me an email and we can talk about any and all special projects that you might have going on right now. I also have references available on request. Written by Henry Grover Jr. henrygroverjr@gmail.com If you would like to receive these posts in your inbox on a regular basis just type your address in the box at the top right "Follow by Email".
I am currently working on a system for stain removal that will be the most advanced stain removal system to date. It will NOT be a commercial system for several reasons. Take for example my Wobble Wheel. This will likely never be commercialized for the following reasons. First, since I have made the design public knowledge several years ago it cannot be patented for production and profit. It also is not something that can be kept a secret since it is not a formula such as a window cleaning soap. Another feature of this system will be the slow release polishing pads. Which might be commercialized at a later time. But only if I keep the "production method" a secret. Such that the product will be proprietary. This makes it valuable. The other features of the system will be possible for anyone to duplicate so they will likely not be commercialized. Here is the advanced stain removal system. It is based on a variable speed grinder that does between 0 and 3,000 rpms. High amps for good torque. A Wobble Wheel based on a universal joint shaft or a gimbal. To keep the polishing pad completely flat at all times. Next a water feed for the polishing or grinding process. Also the slow release polishing pads that are based on a water activated plastic pad loaded with different superabrasive powders. Also an rpm counter for reading the speed of the polishing wheel. This will tell the worker when he hits the cutting rate. When this speed is matched the wheel will grab just a little. Which will slow down the pad. This is the speed you will need to operate at since it will much more efficiently cut through the stain. Another feature will be a laser surface temperature gauge. This is very important because it is necessary to keep the glass around 140 degrees of less. Heat and friction are what drive the cutting/polishing process. But you will NOT want to allow the glass to become too hot because it will shatter. Heat alone is all that is necessary to break glass. It will be necessary to have a continuous readout from the temperature meter and a continuous readout from the rpm counter. Both of these devices will allow you to control the polishing process so that the stain removal is done most efficiently. There will be a lot of variables about this system that will make it very practical. I am currently using a tool shop to retrofit a new grinding machine with the features described here. As for the slow release pads these will be quite variable. Some will be capable of use as grinding pads. Others will be possible to use as grinding pads. It will be possible to develop some based on diamond. As some people have had success with diamond based slurries/products such as "Diamond Magic". Many have also had very good success with cerium oxide and optical grade microcrystalline silica compounds. The preferred grinding superabrasive is silicon carbide. This is the basis for the pads from 3M and other companies that the glass restoration professionals have been using around the US. It is also the essential abrasive used in the Glass Renu pads/products. At lease according to their patent. Nonetheless we don't know exactly which silicon carbide they have used. These pads are proprietary because these ingredients are secret. If the secret were to get out anyone could duplicate them. I have been told by Marc Tanner that the SiC chosen is very important. It must quickly grind through the stain. But it must also in so doing leave the most smooth white surface. One that can be very quickly removed/cleared with the highest optical grade cerium oxide. Which by the way is definitely not cheap. I am hoping you find this information helpful. Any of these features are interchangeable. Also any can be used along with any preexisting system. More will be written as I continue to develop the system. I will be developing it over the next month at the latest because I am currently working with a couple of different companies in the capacity of a traveling consultant. Written by Henry Grover Jr. henrygroverjr@gmail.com If you would like to receive these posts directly in your inbox just type your address in the box at the top right, "Follow by Email".
Low E Glass is usually coated with extremely thin layers of different metallic compounds. These can be only 40 angstroms deep. Which is very thin. Any damage whether mechanical or chemical can be permanent! In other words once a coated surface has been damaged there is very little chance of bringing it back to like new condition. Very powerful acids and alkalies should never be used on coated glass. Even certain organic solvents can be dangerous. However solvents are usually the safer chemical. Razor blades and crude abrasives should never be used. So when coated glass is covered with very thick hard water deposits it could be easily beyond repair. Very heavy mineral deposits usually require at least a two step process for restoration. The first step involves grinding. The second involves polishing. Glass is easy to grind. Since it is so thick. A quarter of an inch thick. But coatings are measured in billionths of an inch! Although it is quite possible to develop various polishing techniques that use nano-particle slurrys. There are also plastic particles of different micron sizes. These have different hardness and shapes. So they can be blunt or "sharp". Whether or not these so called compositional abrasives are capable of doing harm to a coated surface depends on testing. You would actually have to buy a sample of the coated glass in question and try to damage it. The same with any "compo-blade" whether that be plastic or carbon based. And on that note I will leave off. Because as some of you know one of the hardest materials in the world is based on pure carbon, that being diamond. Also pencils use graphite which is very soft two dimensional carbon. Further carbon black particles used in squeegee rubber is even softer. So we can see from this that carbon based compounds can be extremely hard or very soft depending on how the carbon atoms are arranged. Alternative particles and or alternative razor blades can be very interesting ideas. If you have any questions about this post simply send me an email. henrygroverjr@gmail.com To receive these posts in your inbox just type your address in the box at the top right, "Follow by Email".
Here is some interesting and VERY important information. I have just started to write a three part series of articles on Glass Coatings for the American Window Cleaner as a member of the IWCA Glass Committee. They are being published under the running theme "From the Lab to the Field". The very first thing that should be addressed by you the window cleaner regarding low e glass coatings is that they can very easily be missed. Most times you just don't know they are there! Especially when the windows are covered with either dirt or mineral deposits. So the very first step should be to clear a test spot and determine whether or not the surface is glass or metal. Is there a low e coating or not. Then if there is you should not use anything at all that could scratch. That can be most any type of abrasive. Because abrasives that would otherwise not scratch glass surfaces at all could easily scratch a glass coating. There are so many different coatings out there that they are becoming very difficult to identify. The AWC articles will address this issue. Razor blades should never be used on glass coatings. It is a rather sad revelation also that many window cleaners end up revealing damage to coatings that was done by previous window cleaners. This also can cost you either a lawsuit or simply a great deal of aggravation. For this reason it is important to do your best in educating any potential or existing customers. This is another reason why I am writing these articles/posts. So you can take this information directly to your customers on your phone or tablet and show it to them. There are time bombs right now all over the world just begging to be discovered by unaware window cleaners in the form of hidden low e coatings. Take a real close look at this picture!
Can you see the black haze on the pyrolytic reflective low e coating? It shows quite plainly the damage that was done likely by hydrofluoric acid. There are times when this type of glass coating can be damaged but not show. Then when HF or a mild abrasive is used a second time to remove stains that have formed again the reflective coating is quickly stripped off. So you wouldn't have a clue before any "visible" damage was done. This is why it is critically important to first determine if the window has a low e coating and then have it in a legal waiver/disclosure. Here is another very interesting problem that could result in a very expensive lawsuit. You might use a rather crude abrasive hard water stain remover compound on a reflective hardcoat that did what you thought was a great job. No scratches could be seen. All the stains were removed. If used on plain glass it would not cause any damage. But glass coatings are another animal altogether. Once you are done and get paid two years go by. The hard water spots reform. Especially because you might have decided not to seal. It becomes necessary to remove the stains again. The decision maker however decides to save money and have a quick acid wash done. The demonstration shows no damage to the glass. Just a bright clean window at one fifth the cost. So it is done. Still looks great from the outside. Even on a bright sunny day. BUT. When the windows are viewed from the inside looking out there are zillions of scratches all over every window! Now after two years later you get a call. After all. It appears that you left the scratches. And you did. You didn't use the acid which magnified those scratches fifty times over making them highly visible from the inside looking out. No you didn't do that. But try to explain all of this to someone that has no clue what actually happened. It won't be any easier in court. Further at best, even if you could explain it, you would likely end up sharing the financial responsibility with the other window cleaner that acid washed the building. Also to receive these free posts from this blog as they are written directly to your inbox just type your address in the box at the top right of this page, "Follow by Email". Written by Henry Grover Jr. henrygroverjr@gmail.com
I started writing for the AWC, WCM, and the EClean about a year ago. All of the articles that are being published in all of these magazines are of the highest quality. They are just totally fantastic! The writers are very good. So I am very honored to have been invited to write for all three of these mags. The article I have just written for the AWC recently is on Glass Coatings. It is yet to be published. At least at the time of this writing. Reader beware. This is going to be a very in depth three part series that will leave you with your mouth hanging open. I will not hold anything back! For example. Check out this picture. It shows a first surface reflective pyrolytic coating that was likely destroyed by hydrofluoric acid. The actual visible damage might not have been done initially. Then later it became the burden of an unwitting window cleaner. These land mines are all over the world! Want to know more?
Further I am going to change the style of my writing somewhat. In a way that I think should be very interesting to everyone. I want to invite all of you in. Tell me stories. Good and bad. I want to know your experiences. I want to know what you think. So I will be telling everyone ahead of time about what my articles will be about so you can contribute. I will let you know through this blog, which is referenced on Robinsons Solutions blog. Also the WCR Forum. And the Glass Smart Facebook Group. Please, please, please send me pictures. The owners of these magazines love pictures. If any are used we can give each an attribution. I can also post your pictures on the Glass Smart Product Review blog, and the Glass Smart Facebook Group. So come join the noise. My email is henrygroverjr@gmail.com If you would like to receive these blog posts directly in your inbox just type your address in the box at the top right, "Follow by Email".
The easiest way to do this is to find a way to increase your speed. It really is all about speed. Pole up. Pole down. Job done. A repeat commercial or residential exterior only route is the way to go. WFP speed is dependent on how fast you can get on and off each and every window. This is dependent in part on whether the glass is hydrophobic or hydrophylic. Does it bead water or film over such that the rinse actually slowly drains off. No drops means no spots. Hydrophobic glass leaves spots. Which are sometimes silica spots. Over time they build up until they can just barely be seen in the direct sun. But what also happens is the glass will become more and more hydrophobic. The really big question, that window cleaners have been desperately trying to answer, is how do we get the hydrophylic effect;...every time? Because if this were possible it would dramatically increase the speed and the profit margin. Now it is true that having the right DI/RO system will remove most of the dissolved solids. But not necessarily the silicas. But this still takes more time than just a single scrub/rinse/walk. Remember speed. The cost of the equipment is really not that much when you consider how much money you can make with it. But imagine if you could somehow actually change how your water reacted with the glass. If it sheeted over instead of beaded up. Without a DI/RO system. Or even with such a system! Is there some way that we could add a device to a filtration system that would diminish the cohesive force of water such that the surface tension of the water would be reduced enough to attain the hydrophylic effect? Now this can be done with superwetting synthetic detergents. I have done it. I can even sheet a window that has been treated with Rain X. You can't get any more hydrophobic than that. Also it doesn't take much of the superwetter to do it. Probably only five or ten percent of the Dawn that you would put in your bucket. But what if, yes what if you could accomplish the same thing WITHOUT any chemicals? That is what one company claims they have done. Is this actually possible? Is it possible to break the hydrogen bonds of water molecules without chemicals? Or is this just a total farce? Is it a lie? When I first heard about this I was very skeptical. Then I began thinking. Well I know that Jehovah my God has already done this on this beautiful Earth. It happens every day all the time as a part of the natural design. Have you ever wondered why rivers never freeze up solid even at very low temps? Water freezes because of hydrogen bonding. Fact. Not a theory. When water is moving and the molecules are in a turbulent state the bonding of each one to the other is much more limited. So the dynamic inertia of the water molecules is greater than the cohesive force of water. Even when water drips down into a bucket at 20 to 25 degrees it leaves long shards of ice around the edge. But where the water drops fall at the center, the water is still in liquid form. Heat is actually another form of inertia. You could say it is the collective inertia of all the water. When the temperature of ice reaches 32 degrees it will thaw. No chemicals needed. Also as the temperature of the water goes up the cohesive force is diminished even more, and the surface tension is hence reduced. Low TDS water does not necessarily have low surface tension. Soap will work better with it. But it will bead up on hydrophobic glass just the same. Would you like a real simple test for determining the surface tension of water? Here it is.
Now there is a device called Tech7 that is currently being sold to the WFP window cleaning market which supposedly lowers the surface tension of water. It also has a filter that removes dissolved solids at the same time. There aren't any pellets or a membrane. The Hydronix CB-25-1005 filter from Chino Hills CAis really not that special. The link for the filter that Tech7 uses is http://www.hydronixwater.com/ Here is a video I pulled up made by Hydronix.
I have received a single filter unit with the "activation chamber" just the other day. My intention is to test it out. Especially on a hydrophobic window. To see if it is indeed able to reduce the surface tension of water without any chemicals as is the claim. I will be writing about the results in the Glass Smart Mirror. This is my final online subscription newsletter that I just started producing once a month. It is sent by email and billed by email also. Using PayPal. The cost is 15 dollars per issue. To inquire about the Mirror just send an email to henrygroverjr@gmail.com
Written by Henry Grover Jr.
henrygroverjr@gmail.com
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I have begun to rebuild what I had 23 years ago. Downstairs around my pellet stove. I had every acid, alkalies, solvents, superabrasive powders, many commercial products, and glass taken from buildings around the country. I even had glass taken from the World Trade Center before it was destroyed. Hundreds of glass squares were wasted and taken to the dump. This was where I learned everything I know. There and in the field. If you are just experimenting in the field you are limited. Cuz you can’t waste the glass. Simple. But if you buy a small mirror plate for five bux you can do anything you want to it. This is advanced testing. Marc Tanner started doing this kind of testing years ago. He works with Starfire glass. I prefer mirrors. Just personal choice. I will never forget meeting this man down in PA once. He was also testing this way. It was through him that I learned how HF causes orange peal and banding. Stage two dynamic surface etching. I get excited as I write this. Real excited. Those were the days. The early IWCA conventions. My affiliation with the big names in our industry. Never would change any of it. Now I am back working with manufacturers. The lab is going back up. Already I am learning things I didn’t know. Such as how to create glass surfaces that scratch with incredible ease. And use these surfaces to test various commercial coatings for scratch resistance. Which is the subject of the April issue of my final newsletter series, “The Glass Smart Mirror”. The lab will be where I do most of my videography. I am working on a video series called, “Breaking Glass”. My focus will be the Glass Smart Mirror. This is going to be the ONLY way that I will make any money from all of this. It will be sent and billed by email using PayPal. Journalism has always been my greatest love along with doing the research and making new friends.
So come go with me friends!
Written by Henry Grover Jr.
henrygroverjr@gmail.com
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Nanovations Pty Ltd is a manufacturer of innovative product solutions. It was founded by a group of entrepreneurs in early 2000 and became one of the pioneers in commercializing Nanotechnology and advanced products in Australia. They claim they were the first company in Australia manufacturing and implementing Nano-scale glass coating technology. The first large scale building applications were done in 2004. Again it is claimed that these coatings still work well and have never required a reapplication for the last ten years. https://vimeo.com/261834739
In 2006, the research in ultrathin coatings and the manufacturing of such was combined under the new brand Nanovations. The first high rise building in the world was coated shortly after, in Sydney, Australia.
In 2012 Nanovations introduced the next generation of automotive windscreen treatment which offers advantages over competing products, with better performance and functionality on today’s markets. This product is formulated with an inorganic sol-gel technology. They are currently exporting more than 95% of their products to more than 40 countries. Again Nanovations Pty Ltd claims they are the only manufacturer of inorganic Nano scale glass coating technology in Australia. Nanovations has expanded into the USA through Nanovations USA located in Florida. The contact information for this company is listed at the bottom of this post. Click on this next vimeo link for the very latest video of Marc Tanner applying the NG1010 to a window.
Consider this interesting piece of information. The SOCAR TOWER in Baku, Azerbaijan (check out the picture below) was designed by the world leader in design, production, and installation of architectural envelopes and curtain walls, the Permasteelisa Group. Here is the link to their company.
Further, Nanovations NG 1010 was chosen after extensive evaluation by glass laboratories in Europe, which indicated superior performance of this technology. When you’re spending 200 plus million on a structure with a glass façade, properly treating the glass surface is vital. None of us would deny that! Incidentally, the Permasteelisa Group was the engineering firm responsible for the curtain wall of the new APPLE Campus in California. Both the SOCAR Tower and the Apple Campus would be of interest to all window cleaning companies.
When looking at the Nanovations coating technology the engineers likely were looking at ease of application, cost, stain resistance, coverage rates, scratch resistance, coating hardness, abrasion resistance, UV resistance (longevity), nanoscale thickness, and how easy it is to clean/maintain. But. You be the judge. Just call them up and ask for a sample. Then apply it to one of your accounts. Show your customer what it will do. I will be developing a line of very short videos demonstrating products like this. These videos will come in handy when you want to pull out your phone and show a potential customer real fast what your company can offer. They will help you make sales and dramatically increase your profit. The Nanovations coatings such as their NG 1010 can explode your profits. If you just simply get involved! Be a beta tester and tell other people through the social media we have available. The WCR Forum and all the Facebook Groups.
If you would like to receive these posts directly in your inbox just type your address in the box at the top right, "Follow by Email". You need to get this information as soon as it is available because it will change the way you do business and instantly increase your profits that day you receive it. If of course you put it into practice. When you do put it into practice you will have learned "A Dynamic New Way to Market Your Business". The running theme title I have for the American Window Cleaner is "From the Lab to the Field". The focus of this theme is the scientific study and application of information gained in the lab to field activities. A case in point would be the study of how water and temperature affects the molecular species of soda lime glass surfaces. Also how this chemical change affects how easily glass surfaces can become scratched. It also affects how easily point indent fractures develop. I call these PIFs. Every scratch begins with a PIF. To apply this to the field we need to look at the conditions of humidity in the field. Windows in a very hot wet environment can easily become prone to scratches. Also scratched glass can crack. So the structural integrity of windows can be seriously flawed if for no other reason just because of the condition of the surface! That is REALLY big news. This IS application. Although it still IS quite boring to most people! Are you dumbfounded and surprised that I just said that? Well the simple truth is that it is. And to further prove it what do you think you will get if you were to show people the illustrations depicted here? Now to turn this around we need to first look at the conditions in the field. From the field to the lab so to speak. I remember one case where I was shown a foggy appearance at the bottom edge of the outside of several windows on a house. It could not be wiped off but was permanent. The woman also said that all of the windows would fog up in the early morning. This could be wiped off. It was condensation. This woman obviously had too much time on her hands. All she did all day was look out the windows. But nonetheless I still had to figure it out because I was being paid to do that. The key to figuring it out was that the windows were "acid washed" with hydrofluoric acid. To prove that the acid caused the effect I needed to make application "in the lab". Of course I didn't have a lab. But I did have a kitchen loaded with about 2500 chemicals and abrasives. Also I could buy a brand new sheet of glass and expose it to HF in different ways. In short I had to find out if I could duplicate the conditions I found in the field, but in the "lab". Which I could and did do. This was the first time that I learned how HF will change the surface of glass in such a way as to make it very hydrophylic, and actually attract condensation. It happens almost instantly. This is why some window cleaners using water fed poles will first apply a product based on a glass etchant, then apply a pure water rinse immediately after. It makes the glass hydrophylic so that the rinse water drains off much better without leaving any spots. It was also the first time I was able to duplicate a stage one and two static etch. In other words a "vapor etch" where the acid rises as a vapor reacting with the glass and leaving the reaction byproducts on the surface as a white haze. So you guys who have have been talking about how HF reacts with the tin side of glass, should at least consider that your individual case study might not be the result of this phenom. But didn't I say at the beginning of this paragraph that we were going to turns things around? What I meant was when we learn how to do things as we have just discussed we should then show them to our potential customer. I mean quite bluntly we need to stick them in their face. That means we must etch a plate of glass right in front of them. We need to show them how we can "scratch proof" a mirror. We need to show them how the wrong solvents will break a piece of plexi in two in only thirty seconds. These kind of demos are great for contractors who care about this stuff. And when you do these things, watch their face. When you see the smile you will have accomplished your purpose. This works even when you are just cleaning glass. Never leave a potential customer without cleaning their most dirty window in and out. Then watch for the reaction. If they like what they see, you stand a much better chance of getting the job. Friends I don't have an atomic force microscope, or a scanning electron microscope. I don't even have a high power light microscope. I am definitely NOT a chemist. Just one very crazy but curious old window cleaner who has learned to look at problems in a different way. Knowledge of the devices used for testing and monitoring relative humidity, or determining the coefficient of friction are fantastic. They have given us a great deal of insight. I will forever applaud the IWCA Glass Committee for their research with Penn State. But we need to make application of this knowledge in the field for it to change our businesses and change our lives. To do this we absolutely must demonstrate what we know. And by doing this, only then will we have learned a dynamic new way to market our business. Come go with me friends. Written by Henry Grover Jr. henrygroverjr@gmail.com If you would like to receive these posts directly in your inbox just type your address in the box at the top right, "Follow by Email".
Imagine a product that can be applied to windows BEFORE the construction begins. The glass is first cleaned, then the liquid product is brushed, rolled, or sprayed on. In a short time it dries to a film. Now concrete, silicone caulk, stucco, paint, stain, etc. can get on the window. When it comes time to clean the window all you simply do is peal off the film in one sheet taking with it all construction debris. The window is now totally clean. No need to reclean it because it is clean. Well this product already exists. And it is called WindOCoat.
If you are interested in trying out a sample just use this contact information below and always use the code GlassSmart618 to get a free sample. Although there will be a small charge for shipping. General Chemical 12336 Emerson Drive Brighton, MI 48116 855-475-5600 sales@generalchem.com Code for Free Samples GlassSmart618
Once you have tested this Flagship Product I just ask that you write about it on every social media platform for the window cleaning industry and draw attention to my blog where there will be more useful info published on a regular basis about this product and many others. Along with a great deal of information regarding Glass Surface Maintenance And Restoration Technology. To receive these posts in your inbox just type your email address in the box to the upper right here, "Follow by Email". Also if you would like to sign up to be a beta tester just send your full name, business name, shipping address, email, and phone number to my email. Written by Henry Grover Jr. henrygroverjr@gmail.com
