INTERIOR SKYLIGHT MAINTENANCE

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Author Message Jerome J. Lazar, RA, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: lazarcitec Post Number: 654 Registered: 05-2003 Posted on Monday, March 02, 2009 - 10:33 am:    Question from a client on a mall project with a high skylight: The owner wants some type of cleaning system on the inside in lieu of renting a bucket lift or building scaffolding. Does such a system exists? Anybody have any thoughts or recommendations on this? J. Peter Jordan Senior Member Username: jpjordan Post Number: 310 Registered: 05-2004 Posted on Monday, March 02, 2009 - 10:46 am:    You would need a skylight with an operable lite (or a series of operable lites). This seems like it could create more problems that it would solve depending on the specific design of the skylight and the quality of installation in your area. Christopher E. Grimm, CSI, CCS, LEEDŽ-AP, MAI, RLA Senior Member Username: tsugaguy Post Number: 185 Registered: 06-2005 Posted on Monday, March 02, 2009 - 11:22 am:    Would it make any sense to use titanium dioxide or similar "self-cleaning" glass in the skylights? e.g. Pilkington Activ, SunClean by PPG Industries, Neat Glass by Cardinal Glass Industries, SGG Aquaclean and Bioclean Mark Gilligan SE, CSI Senior Member Username: mark_gilligan Post Number: 128 Registered: 10-2007 Posted on Monday, March 02, 2009 - 11:27 am:    I believe that the titanium dioxide systems assume that rain or other source of water ocasionally rinses the surface. Ellis C. Whitby, AIA, PE, CSI, LEEDŽ AP Senior Member Username: ecwhitby Post Number: 52 Registered: 03-2003 Posted on Monday, March 02, 2009 - 11:31 am:    It would be very expensive, but a powered staging running on tracks under the skylight would work. Although I don't see how any but the largest projects could afford this. Jerome J. Lazar, RA, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: lazarcitec Post Number: 655 Registered: 05-2003 Posted on Monday, March 02, 2009 - 11:42 am:    Ellis, the project is in Abu Dhabi, money is not really an issue. George A. Everding, AIA, CSI, CCS, CCCA Senior Member Username: geverding Post Number: 464 Registered: 11-2004 Posted on Monday, March 02, 2009 - 12:20 pm:    Self-cleaning glass works on the outside only, as suggested above. It also requires a minimum slope for the rain water cleaning effect to work. George A. Everding AIA CSI CCS Cannon Design - St. Louis, MO Dave Metzger Senior Member Username: davemetzger Post Number: 307 Registered: 07-2001 Posted on Monday, March 02, 2009 - 01:59 pm:    Window washing firms such as Tractel or Pro-Bel or Spider may have applicable systems Jerome J. Lazar, RA, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: lazarcitec Post Number: 656 Registered: 05-2003 Posted on Monday, March 02, 2009 - 02:18 pm:    Dave, I've contacted skylight manufacturers,Pro-Bel, and Tractel so far, they all seem to be perplexed at my question...waiting and hoping, thanks all for the help. Ellis C. Whitby, AIA, PE, CSI, LEEDŽ AP Senior Member Username: ecwhitby Post Number: 53 Registered: 03-2003 Posted on Tuesday, March 03, 2009 - 08:29 am:    The Pro-Bel catalogue specifically mentions an interior gantry for skylight maintenance. See Page G-14 (lower right photo) http://www.pro-bel.ca/probel/pdf/introduction.pdf. I guess the person you talked to at Pro-Bell doesn't know their full capability. Jerome J. Lazar, RA, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: lazarcitec Post Number: 658 Registered: 05-2003 Posted on Wednesday, March 04, 2009 - 11:28 pm:    Ok, besides the members who posted here, I have heard back from several manuf reps, including the SE US Tractel rep, who references a project in DC, perhaps one of our DC specwriters knows that job and can advise on it: "The underside of skylights can be cleaned or accessed from parallel monorail tracks with powered platforms spanning, or long spanning under-hung rolling gantries. References can be found on our website www.tractelswingstage.com. Please call me if you have any additional questions. We have done an interior skylight with monorail at the Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C. It may not be on the website but is a working reference." Thanks to everyone who posted.