- Dec 2, 2015
- 693
- 243
Just a friendly reminder to take a few minutes and clean the glass in front of those camera lenses. Like night and day 
Just a friendly reminder!
- Thread starter rufunky
- Start date
RicRat2009
Getting the hang of it
- Dec 2, 2015
- 693
- 243
PapaBill
Pulling my weight
WOW that was kewl!, I didn't even see the guy in the dirty pic, but after ya cleaned it BOOM! THERE HE WAS!
bababouy
Known around here
Good reminder. While everyone is at it, check your recording and HDD and make sure your cameras are recording what they should be. Have your wife walk around with a stuffed bear, then pull the video to be sure everything is recording properly.
CCTVCam
Known around here
- Sep 25, 2017
- 2,875
- 3,757
Just one thing to bear in mind with water fed poles, the ones window cleaners use, don't use tap water. They use filtered water treated by passing it through an ion exchange resin to remove the dissolved minerals, so as to prevent water spotting from minerals in the water. (Same as you get when you wash your car but don't wipe it clean afterwards).
eg. nLite HydroPower DI Starter Set
Water spotting not only looks unsightly (and in this scenario could affect a picture), but can actually lead to glass etching.
I've nearly bought one of these several times in the past for my windows, but could never justify the cost. Might be worth it for a CCTV setup though.
PS nearly forgot, you're also going to need a pump system to feed the filter and pole. There are one or two small back pack systems available. Couldn't comment on these as never seen them used.
Last edited:
CCTVCam
Known around here
- Sep 25, 2017
- 2,875
- 3,757
Hard Water Can Damage Windows
What causes hard water etching?
In the second link one poster mentions Hydrofluoric acid. I'd very strongly advise you to give this a wide berth. Hydrofluoric acid not only burns but soaks in on contact in if it makes contact with the skin. Once it's internal it de-calcifies the bones. It can lead to death and devastating injury. It is an EXTREMELY dangerous acid.
Why is hydrofluoric acid so dangerous if it is a weak acid?
What causes hard water etching?
In the second link one poster mentions Hydrofluoric acid. I'd very strongly advise you to give this a wide berth. Hydrofluoric acid not only burns but soaks in on contact in if it makes contact with the skin. Once it's internal it de-calcifies the bones. It can lead to death and devastating injury. It is an EXTREMELY dangerous acid.
Why is hydrofluoric acid so dangerous if it is a weak acid?
Pure Dihydrogen Monoxide is an excellent cleaner for everything including camera lens.
Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO) is a colorless and odorless chemical compound, also referred to by some as Dihydrogen Oxide, Hydrogen Hydroxide, Hydronium Hydroxide, or simply Hydric acid. Its basis is the highly reactive hydroxyl radical, a species shown to mutate DNA, denature proteins, disrupt cell membranes, and chemically alter critical neurotransmitters. The atomic components of DHMO are found in a number of caustic, explosive and poisonous compounds such as Sulfuric Acid, Nitroglycerine and Ethyl Alcohol.
Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO) is a colorless and odorless chemical compound, also referred to by some as Dihydrogen Oxide, Hydrogen Hydroxide, Hydronium Hydroxide, or simply Hydric acid. Its basis is the highly reactive hydroxyl radical, a species shown to mutate DNA, denature proteins, disrupt cell membranes, and chemically alter critical neurotransmitters. The atomic components of DHMO are found in a number of caustic, explosive and poisonous compounds such as Sulfuric Acid, Nitroglycerine and Ethyl Alcohol.
CCTVCam
Known around here
- Sep 25, 2017
- 2,875
- 3,757
If it mutates DNA surely it's carcinogenic, in which case, I'll give it a miss.
Best solution is not to get etching in the first place, closely followed by polishing with a glass polishing compound if you do. One way to avoid water spotting is to wipe the glass dry with a cloth that doesn't shed fibres before the minerals have time to crystallise out. Another way is to use filtered water. If washing CCTV and you can physically get up a ladder to it, then one way without buying expensive equipment would be to buy some de-ionised water intended for car batteries (sold in bottles at most car accessory places), and use that when cleaning it by hand. Shouldn't be any need to detergent (which will re-introduce mineral ions), just a wet cloth with de-ionised should do the trick. When they wash windows with filtered water, they don't use detergents.
Best solution is not to get etching in the first place, closely followed by polishing with a glass polishing compound if you do. One way to avoid water spotting is to wipe the glass dry with a cloth that doesn't shed fibres before the minerals have time to crystallise out. Another way is to use filtered water. If washing CCTV and you can physically get up a ladder to it, then one way without buying expensive equipment would be to buy some de-ionised water intended for car batteries (sold in bottles at most car accessory places), and use that when cleaning it by hand. Shouldn't be any need to detergent (which will re-introduce mineral ions), just a wet cloth with de-ionised should do the trick. When they wash windows with filtered water, they don't use detergents.
jbc60
n3wb
not sure why bugs like to sit on my camera lens, but have webs and insects just sitting on some of my cams....In the barn, a fly (alive) has chosen his favorite place to sit, right on the lens...that's life...
CCTVCam
Known around here
- Sep 25, 2017
- 2,875
- 3,757
There are far more powerful nano tech based rain repellent products than RainX.
I couldn't recommend anything for CCTV as no experience with them in that environment, but for as most of these products are also used for car windscreens detailing, products to consider especially for glass might be GTechnic G5 (glass and perspex), Anglewax H2Go (glass only so far as I have seen) and others.
Just a word of warning though - these bond permanently to the surface and so you either have to wait for them to wear off, or machine polish them off with a glass polish (obviously possibly maybe with a glass lens on CCTV depending on the lens projection, but a no-no on a plastic dome, although there are perspex polishes out there).
I couldn't recommend anything for CCTV as no experience with them in that environment, but for as most of these products are also used for car windscreens detailing, products to consider especially for glass might be GTechnic G5 (glass and perspex), Anglewax H2Go (glass only so far as I have seen) and others.
Just a word of warning though - these bond permanently to the surface and so you either have to wait for them to wear off, or machine polish them off with a glass polish (obviously possibly maybe with a glass lens on CCTV depending on the lens projection, but a no-no on a plastic dome, although there are perspex polishes out there).
CCTVCam
Known around here
- Sep 25, 2017
- 2,875
- 3,757
Not knocking RainX. However, I frequent professional vehicle detailing forums, and it's not the product of choice for many pro's.
I've personally used Gtechnic G5 on the side windows of my car and found it very good. Without the movement of a vehicle through the air, CCTV is different and so I can't make a specific recommendation other than to say RainX is designed also for car windscreens. It's up to someone to try others at their own risk therefore just being aware of the bonding properties of some of these products.
I've personally used Gtechnic G5 on the side windows of my car and found it very good. Without the movement of a vehicle through the air, CCTV is different and so I can't make a specific recommendation other than to say RainX is designed also for car windscreens. It's up to someone to try others at their own risk therefore just being aware of the bonding properties of some of these products.
Frankenscript
Known around here
- Dec 21, 2017
- 1,288
- 1,201
I've never understood the desire to have a surface tension agent on a car windscreen. I'd rather have the water sheet in a a way I can see through it than be all beaded up in between wiper swipes. As far as I'm concerned, it's awful stuff to put on windshields. I'd rather have a sticky silane rather than a slippery one. Different strokes for different folks, I suppose.