Why self cleaning glass?
The need:
Build up of dust, grime, calcium deposits and stains will ruin the view from any glass. Be it from your porch window, patio doors or balcony. Isn’t it a dream come true, glass that cleans itself?
One of the most tedious tasks in life is maintenance and cleaning. Anyone that has a glass structure, conservatory, windows or glass balustrades will tell you what a constant battle it is to keep it clean. Now if you fail to keep it clean it gets worse.
Now glass may look like a flat smooth surface; in actual fact it is far from it. When viewed under a microscope you would not recognize that you are looking at a glass surface. Having peaks and valleys it becomes a magnet for contamination, dirt and grime. This over time stains the glass in such a way that sometimes the dirt cannot be removed. Have you ever seen an old glass panel that no matter how much you washed and scrubbed you could not get it to shine or look clear again. Well this is the deterioration glass goes through over time by the deposits in the water, dust and dirt.
This is particularly noticeable in areas such as marine front properties, central metropolitan areas and even in shower enclosures inside your home. The glass quickly becomes opaque with the build up of dirt on it.
Hence there is clearly a need for a glass that is protected from these adverse effects of the environment. A glass that requires a lot less maintenance than regular glass. A glass that looks shiny and new and stays that way for a long time.
The problem:
Is there really such a thing as self cleaning glass? What is self cleaning glass, and are there several types?
Let’s start with saying that the term “Self Cleaning” is a little misrepresentative in itself mainly in the expectations it might create, but Self Cleaning glass has become a trade term for many products out there in the market.
To try to make heads and tails of the subject we can start by dividing this area into two categories
- Glass coated or applied with hydrophilic layer that uses photocatalytic decomposition
- Glass coated or applied with a hydrophobic coating. Also known as the "lotus effect"
Now before you fall asleep from the words we will try to explain in simplicity what these terms actually mean and do and try to point out the important pluses and minuses of each type. Let’s start with the two major differences; hydrophilic and hydrophobic.
Hydrophilic simply means that the glass will attract the water and make it spread out like a thin film. Hydrophobic means the glass will repel water and any water that comes in contact with the glass will tend to have a minimum amount of contact with the glass and will create spherical droplets on the surface.
Start with the first type; this is glass that is based on having a film of titanium dioxide coating. The glass works in two stages. The "photocatalytic" (simply meaning the accelerated process of using the ultraviolet light to break down the organic dirt on the glass) and makes the glass hydrophilic, During the following "hydrophilic" stage rain washes away the dirt, leaving almost no streaks, because hydrophilic glass spreads the water evenly over its surface.
Pluses: Under the right conditions, meaning frequent sun and rain, or if hosed down regularly will reduce the cleaning cycle required of glass. The coating is stable and has a long life span.
Minuses: Titanium dioxide–based glass cannot decompose inorganic dirt, thick non-transparent deposits, such as paint or silicone, waterstop fingerprints, or dust produced during construction. This glass also negatively reacts with silicone and will require specialist glazing. If damaged will require replacement of the glass as no onsite application is possible.
The second type of self cleaning glass is glass applied with a hydrophobic coating also known as having the “lotus effect” which refers to the very high water repellency exhibited by the leaves of the lotus flower. Dirt particles are picked up by water droplets due to a complex micro- and nanoscopic architecture of the surface which enables minimization of adhesion. This form of glass works in a similar way to “Teflon” on a frying pan. It produces a non stick surface and water will run off of this surface quickly and not streak. Glass despite looking like a smooth surface has on a microscopic scale, peaks and valleys which on untreated glass attract and deposit dirt and grime. The coating or applications of this type are silica based and create a nano scale film that covers these valleys or troths.
Pluses: Works on organic and inorganic dirt alike. These type of coatings are scratch resistant and will reduces the need for use of chemicals in any cleaning required as dirt will easily wash off. Protects the glass from graffiti and paint. This type of coating can be replied on site if required.
Minuses: This application, depending on the exact product, has a life span of 5 to 10 years in external conditions.
Cost wise the hydrophobic coatings and applications are usually about half the cost of the hydrophilic type glasses.
We would like to believe that there is a glass that cleans itself but it seems again that, like life, there usually is a compromise and “self cleaning” should actually be renamed into “lower maintenance” to limit customers surprise when they wake up to dirt on their glass that should have cleaned itself.
In summing up we can say that to date there still is no ideal self cleaning glass or a glass that requires zero cleaning but there certainly are some great advantages to the use of these two types of glass products which will both greatly reduce the cleaning chore and cycle.
Our solution:
Introducing Balcony’s new and exclusive solution to self cleaning glass balconies, Juliet balconies and curved glass!
We have long been holding at bay our customer demand to have self cleaning glass supplied with our products. For the last two years we have been testing and researching the worldwide market solutions, from Pilkington’s Active ® or Saint Gobain’s Bio Clean ® product to a great variety of different glass coatings all the way around the globe such as India, China, Europe and the United States.
We were searching for a product that fulfilled these three criteria:
- Did the job of protecting the glass and reducing maintenance
- Was durable for use in a variety of external conditions where our products are used.
- Was renewable when required to keep the desired effect
We found our answer in the form of a super hydrophobic nano coating.
A special patented technology whereby the glass panels are treated inside a custom build treatment chamber using CVD (Chemical Vapour Deposition) technology the glasses undergo a two part process that takes about two hours, receiving two layers of hydrophobic nano coating that is stable and durable. Here are just some of the properties the glass achieves from this process:
.....Oh and did we mention it is applied to BOTH sides of the glass?
- Highly water repellent (hydrophobic); less water on the surface results in:
- Easy to clean and requiring less frequent cleanings.
- Can be easily cleaned with water and cloth alone and eliminates the need for harsh and harmful cleaning chemicals thus helping the environment
- Hygienic layer achieving a reduction in mould and bacteria
- Stain and graffiti resistant
- Oil repellent (oleophobic), and does not leave finger marks
- Scratch resistant
- Impact resistant
- Anti contamination
- Not stick, super smooth to the touch
- Resistant to leaching of calcium and sodium (etching caused by hard water)
- At least 1,000 times more electrical resistant (additional electrical insulation)
- Increases brilliance, at least 20% more brilliance (shine in glass surfaces)
- After 10 years will look like a new glass
Now all our products are available with this special “self cleaning” coating.
We also supply renewal packs to enable you to keep the traits of this coating for many years to come.
Contact our sales department today to enquire how to get your order supplied with this coating!
Note to end users: The name self cleaning can be misleading, as all types of self cleaning glass will actually require cleaning and maintenance. Reference to these types of glasses and glass coatings in the market is as “self cleaning”. It is important that the end user does make themselves familiar with what they are buying or receiving. We have endeavoured to supply the end user with real and factual information on the products we offer in a true effort to create true expectations from the product/s.
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Types of self cleaning glasses
Our glass solution
Frequently Asked Questions
Self application packs