Published: July 28, 2019
Do you want to clean once ?
Time is money so why wash twice. Choose your brush correctly when washing windows. Want to know more ? Well continue reading.
When you look at a pure water system for window cleaning there are two main types of filtration. DI Systems (DI Resin) and Reverse Osmosis Systems. While the two achieve the same result of getting pure water, the way in which it is done differs, along with the running costs, and purchase price for both are vastly different. DI Resin Systems are cheap to purchase but with high to extremely high running costs in harder water areas. You will often hear businesses are washing windows twice, once with tap water and then again with pure water to leave the windows clean. As the saying goes “time is money” washing twice or have running cost higher than a majority of business does not make sense in a professional cleaning company and in business. One downside with resin is that once it becomes saturated with contaminants the water level rapidly moves away from our desired zero level, and will leave windows marked. The time it takes to change DI Resin within Vessels and the Waste Land Fill component also needs to be considered.
Reverse Osmosis Systems however, do have higher buy price, and are made from a combination of filters. Running costs are only a fraction of the price, and the water quality is stable. A Reverse Osmosis is a mechanical filter and you will see some brands and options of pumped and un-pumped systems. In a reverse osmosis filter, the water flows through the filter and around the filter. The water that flows around the filter helps flush the filter in keeping it clean and efficient. A pumped reverse osmosis system works far more efficiently than un-pumped. The higher pressure running through the filter has better self cleaning and also a better water quality output reaching the final DI resin filter, which is the way in which and why a powered reverse osmosis system makes a lot more water and costs a fraction to run, in hard and soft water conditions.
When your running costs are low, a window cleaner will wash once, with pure water, and get a fantastic result, when a good technique is used. This leads us into the next discussion of the brush selection.
There is a lot of talk about water dispersal from water fed brushes when window cleaning. Traditionally, pencil jets were used and are still widely used today. When using a powered reverse osmosis systems that pumps out a large quantity of water. The water flowing from pencil jets, hits the glass hard and disperse evenly and pools when driven by Ionic Van Mounted, X5 and QuattRO powered systems on both hydrophilic and hydrophobic glass types. I often tell people that washing windows is like washing a black car. If you see someone that has washed a black car and missed areas, when it dries, the dirty missed spots stand out dramatically. Washing windows and glass is the same. You are given tools, like water fed poles, filter systems and brushes, but must be used correctly. Scrub, agitate and rinse. The hardest windows to wash with water fed poles are timber windows, and timber windows that are in bad disrepair, with paint and sealant damage. These windows are often cleaned in a two step method. Clean the frames, then clean the frames of the window next to the first. When the water has stopped dripping from the top frame on the first window, then clean the glass. Always start high and finish low with houses and dwellings, if double or single story. Awaiting for water above the glass, on the frames to stop dripping onto the glass, before the glass on that window is finished, to leave it dry spot free, with pure water.
So brushes come with different dispersal methods. Pencil Jets through the centre of the brush. Ionic Systems also do centre pencil bars and centre fan jet bars. Water dispersal around a brush or overhead is not the best method of pushing water through a brush. As discussed above, any water splashing when moving a brush around on glass, can and does splash frames and can slow the whole cleaning process, or have big possibilities of leaving water marks on glass. When water is pumped through a brush with pencil jets, centre pencil rinse bars or centre fan bars, water flow can be very high and is contained, allowing detailed works, and removing the possibility of splashing like overhead rinse bars.
The last main point is brush filament selection. Split or Flagged Water Fed Brushes have different properties, and can be used on different surfaces. Mono-filament are stiffer and have properties of not holding dirt and make great glass cleaning brushes with Hot and Cold Pure Water Ionic Systems. Blue Flocked or Flagged Brushes have softer filaments and are used for surfaces that can be damaged by a stiffer brush, and more care is needed with rinsing as these brushes can hold dirt in the split ends of the brush.
Following the above basic guide lines can have you working safer and faster with Ionic Systems and Reach and Wash.
Last updated: March 29 2020
