I just got some info from another wcer about Pella’s new SunDefense Dual low-e panel. It is basically a interior panel w/ low-e on both sides of the pane.:eek:
This of course would make it impossible to properly and safely clean the glass. Any silicone or other difficult to remove debris would have to be removed w/ harsh chemicals and soft pads. No razors, steel wool, or white pads.
I will now have to make sure to ask customers if they have these windows. If they do they are going to have ot find someone else clean them.
Add to that the fact that after a while the inside low-e will be totaled. If they have kids or a dog - well, you get the picture.:rolleyes:
Tony, I think the low-e coating is inside the hinged panel or inside the ig unit which ever style is used. I doubt even Pella would leave it exposed.
Here’s how they describe it -
Spot-cleaning marks on a SunDefense™ Dual Low-E room-facing glass surface or the standard Low-E glass (located inside the Designer Series® hinged glass panel)
Spot-cleaning marks on a SunDefense™ Dual Low-E room-facing glass surface
Occasionally, a mark may appear on the interior of Dual Low-E glass due to metal coming in contact with the surface.
Most often, this is not a scratch and can be removed using the following instructions:
- Apply undiluted white vinegar to a soft, clean, lint-free microfiber cloth or paper towel.
- Rub the marked area from several different directions.
- If the mark still remains on the room-facing Low-E glass surface, apply a small amount of Bar Keepers Friend® or Cerama Bryte® Ceramic Cooktop Cleaner to a soft, clean, lint-free microfiber cloth or paper towel. Avoid getting any cleansers or solvents on the fiberglass frame as they may discolor the finish.
- Rub the marked area again from several different directions until it disappears.
- Then clean normally as instructed on page 1.1 “Cleaning the glass.”
It seems to me they mean the room side of the IG unit.
Leave it to Pella to make a bad product even worse.:eek:
Pella may be a huge name in the window and door game but so many times as I approach their product I’m often asking myself “why do these guys have to make things so unnecessarily complicated?”
Hey man, sounds like your from Iowa. Your right its on both sides of the glass. They will pay the price.
Paul
Show Me Cleaning Window Cleaning Kansas City, Missouri, Mo. Kansas City, Kansas, Ks
I have heard that there is a product called “CopperGlow” that will take out the metal marks from a blade or steel wool padfrom low E Glass tint with excellent results. I believe that they carry it locally in most supermarkets. It is a pot and pan cleaner.
I really wish that Pella would stop trying to re-invent the window every two years. Sh!t gets really old!
I turned away 2 jobs last year due to them being pella windows. Just don’t need the aggravation.
We have a Pella manufacturing plant right in our city! I HATE their products but can’t say a word because there are so many Pella execs that live here and I do their windows, lol.
I wonder how that works, since Low-E (Low-emissivity) is a coating (metal oxide sputtered in layers upon the glass surface). Do blades or steel wool leave a mark or do they permanently remove the coating?
I my experience steel wool doesn’t remove the coating but darkens the area that it is used on, thus looking like a spot. Never have scraped it but had a squeegee handle drag across it once and leave a permanent line.
Left a line, or removed some cosating?
Couldn’t say with any degree of absolute certainty. Pella replaced the windows that it happened to since it was a new house.
I believe I have only encountered one window where the Low-E side was installed incorrectly and was exposed. There appeared to be considerable drag when I used my Unger Microfiber washer to initially wet the glass, so I didn’t use my scraper (commercial CCU.) The glazier was onsite, and I reported it to him and the general contractor (as well as the building owner – my direct client.)
In my case the windows were hinged and the we were cleaning in between the storm panes.
Sorry 2 hear that man, I live in the same state as old castle glass. 
so i just finished a post construction job that has about 100 of the new pella designer series windows post. NOT a fun job…They were extremely dirty and had to be taken apart. Long story short…the best thing i have ever discovered out of desperation…the magic eraser removes silicone! sometimes you need elbow grease, but i have experimented for years with many products and tools, magic eraser actually did the job. If there was a glob of silicone i did take a pocket scraper and lightly scrape the top layer of silicone and then used the magic eraser to get the remainder. no scratches, no worries. My employee and I exclusively used the magic erasure for the whole job. It really looked fantastic after.
You could also put some Slayer powder on the magic eraser to save a little elbow grease. <a href=“http://shopwindowcleaner.com/soap-chemicals/stain-removal/slayer-powder-by-mr-squeegee.html?&a_bid=cc9f2458” target=“_top”><img src=“http://www.shopwindowcleaner.com/affiliate/accounts/default1/banners/hard-water-slayer-powder.jpg” alt=“” title=“” width=“220” height=“220” /></a><img style=“border:0” src=“http://www.shopwindowcleaner.com/affiliate/scripts/imp.php?&a_bid=cc9f2458” width=“1” height=“1” alt=“” />
Aaaaah! The perfect opportunity to make a point. I bet thier homes don’t have these junk windows that they produce. Maybe an informational brochure about the perrils of maintaining the Pella’s left in the right place would get to the right eyes and or ears.
