Pilkington Activ™ - Advice
• Where possible, use a clean dry gasket glazing system or a system using non-setting oil-free glazing compounds. The gasket should be of sufficient quality to minimise the leaching out of silicones from its surface.
• Where dry gasket glazing systems cannot be applied, materials based on MS polymeres should be used.
• Only high quality oil-free sealants that prevent silicone exudation should be used. When glazing into frames do not use glazing tapes that contain oil (e.g. silicone or paraffin wax).
• Under no circumstances should linseed oil putty be used with Pilkington Activ™.
• Insulating glass units must be installed with the Pilkington Activ™ coated surface as the external face of the window, i.e. the Pilkington Activ™ hologram is on the outside of the window. When the hologram sticker has been removed, the surface only requires cleaning with a mild detergent/water solution.
• Where the glass is adjacent to new lead flashings, white carbonate run-off can stain Pilkington Activ™. To minimise this, apply Patination oil or Leadshield™ to the flashing.
• As with all glass, care should be taken to ensure that alkaline leach-out from concrete etc. does not occur.
• If further building work is taking place, great care must be taken to avoid staining or damage to the Pilkington Activ™ coating, which must be protected from welding, rusty deposits, cement, plaster products or adhesives, for example.
• Once all work is completed, rinse the glass with water as soon as possible to remove all traces of dust, abrasives, etc. Then apply a mild detergent and water solution through a saturated cloth and gently rub the wetted surface with a clean, lint-free towel or cloth.
• Rinse with clean water* and wipe nearly dry with a dry, clean, lint-free towel or cloth. Any moisture remaining will soon evaporate to leave a clean surface.
• Avoid using a squeegee if possible – if it must be used, take care to prevent any metal parts from coming into contact with the coating, or any dirt particles becoming trapped under the blade.
*If the water quality is very hard (greater than 180ppm combined content of calcium carbonate CaCO3 and magnesium carbonate MgCO3), rinsing water should be softened with a domestic water softener or by adding a couple of drops of detergent (such as dishwashing detergent) to a litre of water.