Aluminium
Maintenance and Cleaning
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Aluminium (Infill Panels)
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Maintenance & Cleaning
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Cleaning Frequency
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| Aluminium alloy to BS EN 485. Anodized to BS 3987, minimum 25 micron coating. | Regular cleaning with non-alkaline detergent. Under no circumstances, rough scrubbing tools or materials causing grinding or scratch marks, like sand paper, steel wool or wire brushes, shall be used.
Renewal of sealants/gaskets as necessary Refer to cleaning method for anodic coating. |
Polluted/marine areas: every 3 months
Other areas every: 6 months for close joint system and every 1 year for open joint system. |
| Aluminium alloy to BS EN 485.Liquid organic coating to BS 4842 after all fabrication, minimum 40 micron thickness. | Regular cleaning with non-alkaline detergent. Do not use any powerful alkaline cleaning agent such as pottasium hydroxide, sodium carbonate or caustic soda, or any powerful acidic products.
Under no circumstances, rough scrubbing tools or materials causing grinding or scratch marks, like sand paper, steel wool or wire brushes, shall be used. Any heavily abrasive scouring agent such as Vim, Ajax, or lacquer-dissolving cleaning agents should not be used. Renewal of sealants/gaskets as necessary. |
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| Aluminium alloy to BS EN 485.Polyester powder coating to BS 6496 after all fabrication, minimum 40 micron thickness. | Regular cleaning with non-alkaline detergent. Under no circumstances, rough scrubbing tools or materials causing grinding or scratch marks, like sand paper, steel wool or wire brushes, shall be used.
Renewal of sealants/gaskets as necessary. |
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| Aluminium alloy to BS EN 485.Mill finished. | Regular cleaning with non-alkaline detergent. Under no circumstances, rough scrubbing tools or materials causing grinding or scratch marks, like sand paper, steel wool or wire brushes, shall be used.
Renewal of sealants/gaskets as necessary. |
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| Unclassified, ie aluminium alloy, not to BS EN 485. |
Unclassified
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Cleaning method for anodized aluminium:
| Light stain | neutral detergent (with pH-value 5-8) which shall be diluted with water as per manufacturer’s directions. The chemicals shall not contain additives which affect the anodic film, in particular no Fluorides, Chlorides and Sulphates. |
| Severe stains | abrasive cleaning agents can be used. Such cleaners (with pH-value 5-8) shall neither contain acidic nor alkaline additives. The solvents and the fine abrasive powders of such cleaning agents must be chemically and mechanically effective and shall not affect the anodic film. Apply the abrasive cleaner to a cloth and rub the panel surface in longitudinal direction, applying sufficient pressure to remove the stains. The cloth shall frequently be changed. Alternatively, use of scouring pads like Scotch-Brite from 3M (Type A – red) is recommended, together with a detergent recommended for light stains. |
| In all cases, it must be made sure that all detergents, chemicals, abrasive powders, etc, will be properly removed by using plenty of clean water. High-pressure water jets are recommended for this purpose. Please ensure that no residues are left in gaps between the gaskets and the glass. | |
with courtesy of Alcan Alucobond (FE) Pte Ltd
Notes: Whole life performance of finishes is dependent on maintenance. Most organic finishes require cleaning to remove airborne dirt and detritus forming on the coating which, if left for an extended period may promote breakdown of the coating or at worst, precipitate corrosion of the substrate.
Dirt can hold moisture which can develop into weal acids which can then stain or streak the coatings, particularly anodized coatings.