Cleaning polycarbonate conny roof

[Aqua-pure Portadown]

Right guys I have a full house Pvc clean next week with a conny ,it has polycarbonate panels so what is the best way of cleaning them and can you use hot water on them ?appreciate any feedback

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

 

[Dave B]

Ubik..spray on..agitate well..good scrub and rinse

All with tapwater as no glass to rinse with pure

 

[peter rogers]

Use customers tap can't go wrong

Wet it with garden hose

Spray ubik

Give it 20 mins

Rub with brush

Use garden hose to rinse

Then go over the bits u missed

 

[Solarpanelcleanington]

What ubik to water mix are you guys using ?

 

[Dave B]

What ubik to water mix are you guys using ?

Mine is a very technical method

I put a big dollop in a sprayer with water lol

I never measure it but i suppose to fill my 7l sprayer i probably use a couple of inches out of the ubik container

You soon get to know what strength works best for you

 

[steve garwood]

As above but I use virosol at around 25%

 

[Le coup de raclette.NET]

Hello everyone.

I cleaned a conical polycarbonate roof of a pergola yesterday with hot pure water and with a soft flocked bristles Vikan Ovale brushes.

In the past, I had no problem at all with that kind of brush on polycarbonate roofs but yesterday, after the cleaning, at the end of the day (when the sunshine was passing through the polycarbonate), the customers contacted me to tell me that the polycarbonate is full of micro-scratches (see pictures enclosed).

I'm now thinking about 2 different things :

1/ Could it be possible that my flocked bristles are not flocked enough anymore because the 2 brushes are 1,5 year of use and 6 months of use ? I mean : could the flocked bristles be worn out and not having the flocked feature enough anymore ?

2/ Maybe this polycarbonate is more delicate than the previous ones I cleaned before from the same manufacturer. The polycarbonate roofs that I cleaned before were 7 or 8 years old and this one is from September 2019. I also saw on the web that it exists 2 kinds of polycarbonate : standard and anti-scratch. Maybe that could be the reason also.

I will visit the customers on this Wednesday evening to find a solution with them.

I'm thinking :

1/ To propose to try a restoration of the scratches by myself with a hot air gun

2/ To contact my insurance (I will have to pay a deductible).

If you can give me any advice, experience or help, that would be nice...

Thanks in advance mates,

Gilles

P.S. : sorry for my poor english

 

[Iron Giant]

I wouldn't be surprised if the scratches were already there, those type of panels scratch all on their own when they take a battering from wind and dirt or even been caused over the winter months with snow and ice or the customer could have caused them previously, it's a difficult one to be honest. 

Your English and grammar is better than quite a few on here ?

 

[Le coup de raclette.NET]

Hello Iron Giant,

Thanks for your answer.

I was thinking the same as you...

My only problem is that they installed a last piece of polycarbonate (a "half moon" on one side) this beginning March 2021...totally new then....and it is apparently the one which is the most scratch....

I'm then thinking that maybe the polycarbonate of this new "half-moon" could be a more delicate one (standard polycarbonate) and the rest (the conical roof) could me in anti-scratch polycarbonate.

You can see a lot of pictures of the cleaning here : https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-0rKY7cXx4BQhF2KnfacGsKGKWi84f5G?usp=sharing

 

[dazmond]

Usually polycarbonate roofs are not clear.......

I reckon you ve definitely caused the scratches with your brush...its very soft material by the looks of it...nightmare....hope you get it sorted...??

 

[Martyn]

Morning Gilles, your English is very good.

What a horrible position to be in, I too think that most of those scratches were probably already there, I don't think you can clean polycarbonate without leaving some fine scratching regardless of how soft/flocked the brush.

I'm amazed to see people still use those Vikan brushes, so heavy. ? (nothing wrong with them)

I don't know if you had the desert sand that we had recently? That would probably be agressive on polycarbonate.

I hope you can resolve this with your customer without too much pain.

The only suggestions I can make are for the future, I would get new brushes for that type of work so you know you are starting from a good place and I would spray the roof with a soapy solution to provide lubrication.

Best of luck.

 

[dazmond]

Morning Gilles, your English is very good.

What a horrible position to be in, I too think that most of those scratches were probably already there, I don't think you can clean polycarbonate without leaving some fine scratching regardless of how soft/flocked the brush.

I'm amazed to see people still use those Vikan brushes, so heavy. ? (nothing wrong with them)

I don't know if you had the desert sand that we had recently? That would probably be agressive on polycarbonate.

I hope you can resolve this with your customer without too much pain.

The only suggestions I can make are for the future, I would get new brushes for that type of work so you know you are starting from a good place and I would spray the roof with a soapy solution to provide lubrication.

Best of luck.

I would avoid them altogether and stick to glass cleaning 

 

[swc1]

It would take you a really long time repair all the polycarbonate, if the customers is putting the blame on you and you cant stand on solid ground then I would contact your insurance company and move on to better work.

Your labor cost would be alot more then your insurance deductible most likely. 

Good luck hope it works out for you.

Everyday is a learning opportunity. 

 

[Davy G]

I would avoid them altogether and stick to glass cleaning 

I would definitely avoid cleaning this type of material in future. I've never seen anything like this before and I've cleaned dozens of conservatories. Window cleaning is easier and simpler work for the money. I do clean conservatories but I make sure to charge a good amount. I charge for a full soapwash, top to bottom.

 

[Skxawng]

I'm not so sure it's polycarbonate. PC has a glass transition temperature (the temperature at which it softens and can be damaged) of nearly 150°C and is also very tough. 

I'm thinking it could be perspex (acrylic) which can have a glass transition temperature of between 90°C and 105°C depending on the brand. 

If it is Acrylic then it's perfectly plausible that you could have damaged it with hot water and nylon bristles. 

I wouldn't use a hot gun, it could cause the sheets to sag. 

Instead use brasso and a clean soft cloth and polish the scratches out. It should come out fairly easily with a bit of elbow grease. 

 

[Col]

Looks like perspex.

I have tradded a few perspex balcony panels over the years and they scratch up something rotten and that is just with cotton,rubber and water.

When the sun catches them they look like a skating rink.

 

[Pjj]

I agree with the above that looks like Perspex not polycarbonate Perspex is easily scratched , most polycarbonate roofs are semi opaque and they will also scratch but it does  t notice as you cannot see through it