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Beginners guide to Waterfed Pole As with anything else, there is a learning curve to using a waterfed pole system and getting consistently good results. This guide is based on my own findings and mistakes; I hope you will find it useful. First and foremost, as long as the water you are using is totally pure, any spotting of the glass is going to be down to user error, so test your water at regular intervals at least once a week. If the reading goes above a couple of parts per million, change the DI resin. Spotting is going to be down to one of a few of things, which I will list here, along with the solutions to overcome them. Dirty frames, this is one of the main causes of spotting. On first cleans ensure you wash the top frame well before attempting the glass. If possible do all the house frames first, then go back and wash the glass once they have either dried or stopped dripping. Once this has been done, subsequent cleans are easy. Dirt hides on the top frame and pure water will seek it out and leave runs on the glass while they are still dripping. Soap residue in the window seals will cause spotting, the only way to avoid this is to rinse well, it may take a few cleans to completely remove the years of Fairy Liquid from these seals. Poor quality paintwork on the window frames will cause real problems, if you encounter this either do them the traditional way or dont do them at all. The best way to test the paint is to run your finger along the paintwork, if it leaves a white dusty mark on your finger you are going to have problems. Very dirty glass, and I mean very dirty. If you are doing a first initial clean and the glass hasnt been cleaned in years, firstly you should price accordingly ( Double for the first clean ) then wash all windows and frames then go back to the beginning and do them again, but just the glass this time, not the frames. A Dirty Brush head, Make sure that the brush heads are kept clean, where possible, leave them soaking in pure water overnight or between jobs, it can help to add just a couple of spots. And I mean spots of GlassGleem 3 to the water the brushes are left to soak in. Make sure you get rid of all GlassGleem soap residue when using on the first couple of windows, the glass will require a good rinse. Dont leave brushes propped up against brick walls, it will pick up dust and transfer it to the glass. If you must leave it against a wall, make sure the head is turned away from the brickwork. Bird Muck, This can be a problem to remove, especially if its baked on the glass. My advice is to do these windows first, soaking the offending stuff well. If it doesnt come off on the first clean you can come back to it once the water has softened it a bit. You can always tilt the brush head a bit and use the edge of the brush to rub it off or get an extension pole with a scraper attached to it to remove it ( Never scrape dry glass, wet it first ). Sash windows These can cause problems as the water runs off the top sash onto the bottom portion. I have found that the only sure way of preventing runs is to do all the top sashes, then when they are either dry or stopped dripping then do the bottom sashes. Alluminium Frames These can cause problems, especially if they are the painted sort and the paint has oxidised ( again do the finger test ) If there is oxidisation I would decline to do them with WFP as the water runs off them looking like milk. Air Vents These vents are often situated directly above the glass and house large amounts of dust and dirt. Avoid vents like the plague. If water gets inside these vents it will drip for ages leaving your nicely cleaned glass with dirty streaks. Well thats the scarey bits over with. There are 2 types of glass, hydrophilic and hydrophobic, hydrophilic likes water the other doesnt, Hydrophilic glass will allow the water to run off the glass as a sheet, the other just beads up and sits there !!!! With hydrophilic glass, wash as normal along the top edge, then down the sides, then all over. Then finally take the brush to the top of the glass and lift it away by an inch or two, this allows the water jets to rinse pure water over the entire glass, rinsing away any remaining dirt. With Hydrophobic glass just wash and rinse well, and hope for the best !!! Some windows come out really well every time, others just never dry without leaving spots. |
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