Pilkington Self-Cleaning Glass: Application FAQs
Q. Is it true that Pilkington Activ™ is only for use in domestic situations?
A. No, not at all. Pilkington Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass offers benefits for domestic, commercial and public sector applications. It is particularly beneficial in areas which are difficult to access for cleaning such as upper floor windows, conservatory roofs, other sloping roofs, atria and any building where the occupants find it difficult to clean their windows safely.
Read more about the benefits of self-cleaning glass.
Q. Can Pilkington Activ™ be used in shop windows?
A. Yes, however it should be noted that Pilkington Activ™ needs both daylight and rainfall to work effectively. Shops are often situated in covered walkways or malls where large projecting canopies may prevent sufficient daylight and rain from reaching the glass.
Q. Is it OK to use Pilkington Activ™ to achieve other performance benefits?
A. Yes. The Pilkington Activ™ range must be on surface 1, the external surface of an insulating glass unit (IGU). Once incorporated into an IGU, Pilkington Activ™ can be used in combination with an extensive range of products offered by Pilkington to achieve the required benefits.
- For thermal insulation: Pilkington Activ™ can be incorporated into IGUs with Pilkington K Glass™ or Pilkington Optitherm™ S4. If it is necessary to have a decorative glass as the inner pane, then Pilkington Activ™ can be used with a low E glass laminated to a decorative glass inside, or alternatively Pilkington Activ™ laminated to pattern and Pilkington K Glass™ as the inner.
- For solar control: Pilkington Activ™ Blue or Pilkington Activ™ Neutral can be used. This is a light blue tinted glass or neutral coloured glass with Pilkington Activ™ on one surface. Pilkington Activ Suncool™, a dual coated product, is also available. Visit www.pilkington.co.uk/activ for details. Pilkington Activ Optilam™ I solar control laminate can also be used.
- For security purposes: Pilkington Activ™ can be toughened or laminated for safety or security applications.
- For noise control: Pilkington Activ™ can be combined with Pilkington Optiphon™ for noise control.
- For decorative purposes: Pilkington Activ™ can be laminated to Pilkington Stippolyte™ for decoration.
- For fire purposes: Pilkington Activ™ can be combined with Pilkington fire products such as Pilkington Pyrostop™ or Pilkington Pyrodur™.
Q. Is Pilkington Activ™ suitable for internal use?
A. No. Pilkington Activ™ needs daylight and rain in order to work properly so it may only be used externally.
Q. Can Pilkington Activ™ be used with frameless glazing?
A. Pilkington Activ™ can be installed in a frameless glazing system such as Pilkington Planar™. It requires the use of specialist sealants that don't leach silicone. For more information on these products call 01744 692000. It is also possible to butt joint panes of Pilkington Activ™ using the specialist sealants listed above.
Q. Is it acceptable to use Pilkington Activ™ in single glazing?
A. Yes, providing that the system meets the requirements of the relevant Building Regulations. Pilkington Activ™ can be provided in annealed, toughened and laminate forms.
If your question wasn't answered in this section browse through the other FAQ sections on this site or submit your question now.