| Q. |
What
is it? How does it work? |
| A. |
Pilkington
Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass is a pyrolytic coated glass
product, meaning the chemical composition that gives the glass its
qualities is applied to one surface of the base clear glass while
it is in a molten state. Therefore, the composition becomes an integral
part of the surface, rather than being applied onto the surface
after the glass has cooled. Once produced and installed, it never
needs to be "retreated". (Coatings applied by manufacturers
to glass after it has cooled are typically known as sputter or soft
coated glass products, and tend to be less durable than pyrolytic
coatings.) |
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|
| Q. |
How long does it
need to be exposed to UV before it starts to work? |
| A. |
As stated above, the
glass should be exposed to the sun's UV rays for several days in
order to "activate" the integrated coating. This will
allow Pilkington
Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass
to work continuously at night and even during cloudy days. |
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|
| Q. |
Where can Pilkington
Activ™
Self-Cleaning Glass be used? |
| A. |
Pilkington
Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass
can be used in any residential or commercial fenestration application
that is exposed to the outside environment with minimal overhang.
Primary application include residential windows, commercial/institutional
windows and facades, skylights, atriums and sunrooms, and as part
of exterior doors. |
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|
| Q. |
Can Pilkington Activ™
Self-Cleaning Glass be used as the inboard lite of glass? |
| A. |
No. Because the glass'
integrated coating needs to be exposed to the sun's UV rays to work,
Pilkington
Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass
will not work if used as an inboard lite. |
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|
| Q. |
How long will Pilkington
Activ™
Self-Cleaning Glass last? Is there a guarantee? |
| A. |
Pilkington guarantees
Pilkington
Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass
to last for 10 years. However, test strongly suggest that it will
last longer. |
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|
| Q. |
Does smog and other
air pollution affect Pilkington Activ™
Self-Cleaning Glass? If so, how? |
| A. |
No. Pilkington
Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass
has been tested against a whole range of air-borne pollutants. Salt
spray tests and sulfur dioxide (S02) spray tests have been conducted
along with the effect of a range of solvents and potential pollutants.
In addition, we have real-life results from several years of testing. |
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|
| Q. |
What is the composition
of the Pilkington Activ™
Self-Cleaning Glass coating? |
| A. |
Pilkington
Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass
utilizes a proprietary mixture of chemical precursor materials and
a proprietary chemical vapor deposition process to form a pyrolytic
coating. U.S. and international patents and patent applications
related to the precursor materials and the method of depositing
the coating have been granted or are pending. |
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|
| Q. |
How does it affect
the environment? |
| A. |
Pilkington
Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass
has a positive affect on the earth's environment. First, the integrated
coating of Pilkington
Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass
will not degrade or peel off. Secondly, Pilkington
Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass
can be recycled. (At least 30% of each ton of glass that Pilkington
North America produces consists of recycled glass from it's own
operations.) Finally, because Pilkington
Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass
nearly eliminates the need to use window cleaning detergents, it
prevents run-off of those detergents into the ground. |
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|
| Q. |
Does the special
coating change the color of the glass? |
| A. |
No. Pilkington
Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass
has very much the same appearance as any other clear float glass,
though it may appear slightly shinier. |
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|
| Q. |
Can it be tempered
and undergo other glass fabrication or processing (such as lamination?) |
| A. |
Yes. PPilkington
Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass
can be tempered, laminated, insulated and cut using standard float
glass techniques, and no edge deletion is required. When cutting
Pilkington
Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass,
it should be cut with the integrated surface up and care should
be taken to that the surface does not come in contact with metal
or abrasive objects. Any labels applied to Pilkington
Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass
must be applied to the non-coated surface. |
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|
| Q. |
Does Pilkington Activ™
Self-Cleaning Glass require special care or cleaning after the window
is installed? |
| A. |
No. However, it is suggested
that, when spraying Pilkington
Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass
windows with water, that you rinse from top to bottom. This maximizes
the sheeting effect action be ensuring all the dirt can be washed
off and, on heavily soiled windows, reduces streaking issues on
drying. |
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|
| Q. |
Does the integrated
coating of Pilkington Activ™
Self-Cleaning Glass provide any additional benefits, such as improved
U-value? |
| A. |
An additional benefit
that Pilkington
Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass
provides is approximately 20% reduction in the UV transmission over
clear glass. It does not, however, contribute to improved energy
efficiency or strength of the glass. To improve the energy efficiency
of the window that uses Pilkington
Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass,
combine the product in the I.G. unit with clear glass as the inboard
lite. Or, for optimal energy efficiency, use an inboard lite of
a low-E glass, such as Pilkington Energy Advantage™
or Solar E™ Low-E Glass products. |
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