May 20, 2016
When we think of windows, it’s often in the context of major appeal and livability in a home. It’s true that windows can add tons of beauty and fine accents to an interior living space. Plenty of light and a focus on lovely views are often factored into a home’s design and development. Cornerstones of what we love and enjoy in our private space, windows also pose challenges. Keeping them sparkling clean is a duty many do not enjoy. Hiring window cleaners can cost a pretty penny. So, the idea of self cleaning windows is absolutely great, and it’s become a reality. The self cleaning window revolution has grown, and it’s not a bad idea to take a closer look at how it works.
Self Cleaning Window Revolution – Powered By the Sun
Windows that keep themselves clean automatically are with us. How do they do it? It sounds like a miracle. Do they self clean using nothing but the sun and the rain?
The brand name sellers out there include Pilkington Activ™ and Cardinal Neat® Glass. They use a sophisticated glass coating technology, giving you something more than glass. You get a thin outer coating of titanium dioxide. The coating is so thin, about 10-25 nanometers deep that it cannot be seen as a film of any kind. The self cleaning window revolution sounds really good so far. Especially since the effective outer coating does not reduce light penetration by more than about 5 percent.
Without getting into too much of the science, there are chemical reactions that take place in the titanium dioxide when sunlight hits it. The reactions chip away at dirt at the lowest levels. Ultraviolet sunlight provides the energy, it’s a light-activated process.
The outer coating of a self cleaning window also has a targeted effect on water. When rain hits a regular window, it stays in drops. When it hits a self cleaning one, it spreads out evenly in sheets. The sheets of water wipe the glass down much like a squeegee, leaving no streaks, no smears.
Self cleaning windows are meant to keep working for the lifetime of the window. They are even available with color tints. You can also get them with heat-reflecting inner coatings for more energy efficiency.
Now that we have taken much of the mystery out of the term, ‘self cleaning’, and we automatically see the upside, what about downsides? Does it have any? The self cleaning window revolution does come with some, keeping it in check. These include time-lapses in the window’s coating activation and reaction process. Time lapses are dependent a lot on the amount of sunlight available. Downsides include a slow and continual process that does not leave the window quite as squeaky clean as a freshly cleaned regular window. If it doesn’t rain much in your climate, you may have to hose the outside down occasionally. If salty, ocean air is common, the window coating won’t react well to the salt. You also still have to clean the inside of the window yourself.
In Fort Worth, we don’t have ocean air or a desert climate. Conditions are largely suitable for having self cleaning windows. Advantages outweigh most disadvantages in having them.
Are you looking for a home that includes all the benefits of the self cleaning window revolution? Ask your local Fort Worth real estate expert about it today.