some additional thoughts pertaining to post #10
-there appears to be conflicting or at least vague information amongst different manufacturers with regard to glass cleaning standards.
for instance, this manufacturer contradicts itâs own statements when it says in paragraph 1 âThe coated surface of Low âEâ glass does not need to be cleaned differently to ordinary glassâ, and yet two paragraphs later states âWipe dry with a dry, clean lint free towel or cloth. DO NOT USE A SQUEEGEE on the LowâEâ coated (interior) surface.â
hence my conclusion that the methods manufacturers recommend are somewhat arbitrary and are designed more around avoidance of liability than anything else. it appears that manufacturers themselves are unsure of the correct and safe methods for cleaning hardcoat low-e surfaces.
so, as usual, we window cleaners will have to use a carefully balanced approach based on the printed material,our own experience, and street smarts to establish a standard method that we are comfortable with, based on what we are seeing in the field.
-all of the posted links and attachments are copied direct from the manufacturerâs sites. they are not my recommendations, they are the manufacturerâs. one common thread you will notice is that nearly all prohibit the use of scrapers. this goes for any kind of glass they produce, low-e coated or otherwise. but, you already knew that because you havenât been living under a rock for 20 years.
-the only exception to the above that i have seen is weatherShield (see the attachment in post #10, page 3, left column half-way down) which states that new blades can be used, but scratches caused by blades will not be covered under warranty.
-if specific exposed hardcoat low-e cleaning instructions exist (for these or any other manufacturers), and you are able to locate them, please post a link in this thread or pm me and i will add them to post #10. this is an in-development resource, so we can edit the database as we get more specific and concrete information.
-all of the info collected so far is freely available on the internet. if you have no experience in a lab, or a glass factory or whatever, never fear- you can still contribute. the information regarding the manufacture of glass, either hardcoated, softcoated or non-coated is mostly available to the public at large. it requires a few minutes worth of digging (and the ability to read) but thatâs about it.
my hope is that this can become a sort of crowdsourced collection of hard data, one that will be open and available to all wcâers who need it.