Sparkleman

Jason, good seeing you! Missed you in Reno,hopefully i'll get to see you in Tampa @ St Pete's? Thanks for replying about Don,he will certainly be missed. How's your Brother doing?

I wanted to pass along the sad news of Don Chute passing away 9-1-10 due to liver cancer. Don was an icon & legend in the window cleaning industry and great friend to many and an expert at pure water cleaning. Don was inspirational with getting the residential aspect of window cleaning known and on the map with the IWCA. Those of us in the window cleaning industry are very saddened with the passing of Don as he left us way too soon. He leaves behind his lovely wife Holly & their kids (which were their dogs) I apologize if i placed this in the wrong thread/category but..i'm sure there are a few of you who either knew Don Chute or heard of him. Craig Aldrich Sparkle Window Cleaning Canyon Lake,Ca. IWCA Board of Directors

One thing i'd like to point out is...Safe-Restore is an "Excellent" product many uses very versatel. Plus it's safe for all glass partly because its a "hydrochloric acid"CC-550 or commonly known as "hydrofluoric acid" has it's place but..some of your info is incorrect. It not that it cant be applied only once it's whether or not you apply it to the tin side of glass or the air side if applied to the tin side then chances are GAME OVER you could run the risk of getting whats known as "tin etch haze" the chemical reaction between the tin in the glass and the acid. Remember ALL glass manufactured in the U.S. is "float glass" it actually floats on molten tin which migrates into one side of the substrate. When dealing with ANY acid proper protection is important knowing what side your dealing with is the tricky part.The only sure shot way to detect the tin side is with use of a UV light which if angled correctly will throw off a grayish hue/reflection if its the air side the reflection will be clear then..it's safe to user a HF aka CC-550. Many still do a small test in the lower corner of a window to see but...that's not always a sure shot as im a firm believer that working in direct sunlight,temperture of glass & dwell time play a significant role in the severity of the etch. Also a acid like CC-550 dissolves glass it's primarily designed to remove "Silicate Deposits" most of the time when you deal with hard water stains if any remain there is a good chance its silicate. The only,other safe option would be to polish it out with a machine like an SRP or scratch hog.

I would highly recommend getting a few different items so..you can tackle either or being residential & commercial. A 14" stripwasher aka wand,mop,sleeve etc. is an ideal size for residential as well as a 10 & 6" version for smaller panes of glass and cut-ups ie:french etc. At least 3 to 5 different squeegee's i use a 6,8,10,14 & 18 for resi work.Many to choose from Ettore,Pulex,Unger,Steccone etc. The Unger's are very comfy...i use Steccone featherweights of course i've been at this awhile and appreciate the lightness of them you may not? You'll want a scraper (pereferably a 6" model) stainless steel blades i recommend Triumph Z-40 a scraper holster a pouch to carry other swag and stuff. A good belt to hold everything like a 3 loop Sorbo and a BOAB bucket on the belt(great for ladder work) You will want detail towels i like the surgical type,of course blue huck towels will work too. Some pick-up towels for interior work i use white terry type 18x27 for smaller sills and 22x42 for larger sills & dont forget the shoe covers makes a good impression! Of course a good bucket i like 5 gal round buckets many use 6 gal rectangular's the choice is yours. Get you some good window cleaning detergent meant for transparent glass dishsoaps im not a big fan of. On the commercial end you want bigger at least an 18,22 & 30" squeegee again..i recommend Sorbo "Quicksilvers" as they double nicely for fanning straight pulls & polework. A couple extention poles either a 2 to 4' ond at least a 12' or bigger the choice is yours and depending on how high you'll be working. There are always "other things" but...thats a start.Good Luck

This has been an on-going issue with me as i have been on both ends of the spectrum commission/piece as well as hourly prefer hourly BIG TIME! Another thing to consider...is im not crazy about starting them off high in pay it leaves you no room for raises whether your on hourly or comm. Personally..15.00 an hour is way too much to start off (at least for my little company) especially with no experience, plus...as already mentioned when you have to correct things(mention technique,basic how to,etc.) and they can't take corrective criticism then...there already getting too big for there britches! I just had that problem with a guy i had for 3 1/2 years got alittle too cocky had to fire him! He thought he was the hottest thing since sliced bread.He was good but...not that good!

Unfortunately...you have to be a member in "good standing" in order to cast a vote.I however do appreciate all the kudo's & good luck wishes,especially from both you "Beth & Rod! To answer the question about fabricating debris that is basically a term used with regards to how the glass is fabricated.You see all glass is annealed from there the edges are diamond ground or belt sanded this process makes glass dust also known as "glass fines" after this (if the glass is to be tempered or heat strengthened) it goes into a glass washer to remove a majority of the fines if...the washer is not properly maintained these glass fines remain on the glass now...it goes into a tempering furnace at 1150 degrees these fines actually get fused into the glass. Invisible to the naked eye so...during a construction phase various amounts of construction debris get on the glass or..even if its kept "SUPER CLEAN" throughout the phase of construction if..a scraper is taken to this poor quality heat treated glass the result is superficial scratches known as fabricating debris. MANY WC'ing companies have and are still losing ther livlihood as a result of this. My concern is getting & keeping these "offending fabricators" responsible for the products they produce. You see not all fabricators are putting out crappy glass also known as "Itchy" (just waiting to be scratched) so...its a fight im all for and WILL NOT rest until!

Beth...appreciate that support,it means alot coming from you! Yes..they are a fine organization proud to be a part of it. Mathew...the IWCA is the International Window Cleaning Association. Im running for the position of Director.

Hello everyone! I wanted to announce that i will be running for a BOD position "Director" for the IWCA for this upcoming year. Its a 3 year commitment 2008-2011 my main focus is to help strengthen the route/residential side of our industry as well as contribute to the ever-growing concern & awareness of Fabricating Debris (which is a real pet peeve of mine) So...im determined & asking for your vote! I'd greatly appreciate your consideration.

You can go to my website check it out under "post construction clean-up Index Page-Sparkle Window Cleaning

I believe i mentioned a "scratch waiver" ? Yes... not a bad idea at all to implement one,whether the "header" of the waiver has any specific title i believe is irrelevant! The body of the "specific" waiver should have all the details,because there is NO set waiver out there,many vary in text but generally mean the same thing.

As for the use of razor blades,nothing wrong with it at all.Provided the glass your scraping is a good quality surface,nowadays with all the poor quality heat treated glass out there & that goes for both "Heat Strengthened" & "Tempered" is where being educated on fabricating debris pays off. A good rule of thumb if...your going to be doing alot of scraping is get a heat treated glass "scratch waiver" signed. Because its not your responsibility to find it and there's no specific field test that can prove its existence or not! Another thing to be careful of is...Tempered glas should always have a "tempering stamp" but...heat strengthened glass does not require one so..thats really why the waiver is so important. Bottom line scrapers,razors,broad knifes dont scratch glass "Fabricating Debris " does!

Pure water cleaning is the "Now" of window cleaning,truly the "Hot" topic on many forums. It isn't the 2nd coming but...if you have the right technique you can clean glass a good as traditional methods! Nice thing is glass cleaned with pure water stays cleaner longer because there's no electro-static charge that attracts dirt & dust like soaps do whether it be professional grade window cleaning detergents or...dish soap which is not my first choice where transparent glass is concerned. I highly recommend if renting a D.I. tank in areas with high TDS total dissolved solids to look into putting sediment filter plumbed inline prior to it hitting the tank it will help immensely on removing chlorine which is the one thing that will pound a tank quickly. I run a little different set-up even though i'm dealing with extremely hard water (i mean you could chip a tooth on it) :) is i run a 2 tank set-up called a "Scrubber & Polisher" the 1st tank takes the blunt of the solids and the 2nd tank polishes the water down to zero (which is the whole purpose) i also get a few more gallons of pure water with this set-up..more or less a little insurance.

Dont confuse glass corrosion with hard water spots or possibly oxidation! 2 totally different things,all water spots are in relief on the glass,although oxidation is quite common it has nothing to do with corrosion,thats partly a BIG misconception. Glass Corrosion takes place in an IG unit (insulated glass unit) not on the surface or..outside of the glass. Corrosion will only take place on dual pane IG units not single pane glass.A faulty or bad seal in a unit is the result of glass corrosion time,temperture & stagnant enviroment is what causes it NOTHING else. As for CC-550 a "hydrofluoric acid" be careful its nasty stuff and you run the risk of permanently damaging the glass by using it. I'll explain more in depth later on so..everyone is up to speed!

No Worries! Here's another little nugget if your making straight pulls be it..horizontally or vertically or fanning with it cut your rubber tight (maybe a 1/16" of an inch from the channels end) and keep the rubber in the lowest slot if...your poling try putting the rubber in the 2nd slot up from the bottom makes poling with it even easier!

Too many variables...to be stuck on a specific price,as all jobs are different! Personally speaking...i try and get "top dollar" for all gutter clean-outs but,lets face it ..your not going to get as much for a single story home as opposed to a 2 story,unless its just hammered & loaded with debris. I've done them as low as 90.00 (thats about my minimum) all the way to 1200.00 depending on what all im removing the method involved,difficulty(thats always a concern) the list goes on & on! My company..we offer 2 types(1) "Standard" cleaning out of all gutters & downspout clearing(if needed) & that sometimes includes installing gutter crowns. (2) "Deluxe" cleaning out of all gutters,downspouts with gutter crowns(installed) as well as pressure washing them completely which usually involves washing off fascia because the pressure washing aspect of it is rather messy especially in my area the heavy silt that builds up is a bear to remove by hand way too tedious the deluxe does make it a bit more messy. Of course with the deluxe...we usually get an exterior window cleaning out of the job as well,which is why i recommend it if they go with the deluxe service. 2 Tools thats a must have regardless of technique is.. a gutter spoon & gutter scoop!