How can I keep heat from coming in windows?
#1
06-29-20, 07:41 PM
How can I keep heat from coming in windows?
We have a bank of windows in our living room facing south. There is a half moon window at the top.
The windows are single pane and thirty years old. They have plantation shutters covering them.
The living room is warmer than the rest of the house, and I have been able to reduce that significantly by hanging thermal room darkening curtains over the bank of windows.
There's still some warmth that can be felt, and I think it's coming from the "half moon" window that remains uncovered.
Is there anything....any product....that can reduce the warmth (and in the winter the cold) coming through these windows without having to put such heavy drapes on them? Could the same be done for the half moon window?
The bank of windows have screens that cover all of the windows from top to bottom.
Eventually we'd like to replace the windows, but not for a while yet.
Thanks for any help you can give.
The windows are single pane and thirty years old. They have plantation shutters covering them.
The living room is warmer than the rest of the house, and I have been able to reduce that significantly by hanging thermal room darkening curtains over the bank of windows.
There's still some warmth that can be felt, and I think it's coming from the "half moon" window that remains uncovered.
Is there anything....any product....that can reduce the warmth (and in the winter the cold) coming through these windows without having to put such heavy drapes on them? Could the same be done for the half moon window?
The bank of windows have screens that cover all of the windows from top to bottom.
Eventually we'd like to replace the windows, but not for a while yet.
Thanks for any help you can give.
#2
06-29-20, 07:45 PM
Group Moderator
There are low-e window films that can be applied to the interior side of your window glass. Talk to a local window tinter or a professional glass shop for more information.
They will help with the heat, but you need new double pane windows if you want protection against the cold. Glass is a horrible insulator. Double pane glass can potentially raise your center of glass temperature by 30F or more, depending on how cold it gets there. Thermal drapes probably help the house stay warmer but they also end up making the glass colder since the windows kind of need the heat from the house to stay "warm". Block the heat loss with drapes and the glass gets colder and colder as the temperature outside drops. Single pane glass just has no place in a cold climate nowadays.
They will help with the heat, but you need new double pane windows if you want protection against the cold. Glass is a horrible insulator. Double pane glass can potentially raise your center of glass temperature by 30F or more, depending on how cold it gets there. Thermal drapes probably help the house stay warmer but they also end up making the glass colder since the windows kind of need the heat from the house to stay "warm". Block the heat loss with drapes and the glass gets colder and colder as the temperature outside drops. Single pane glass just has no place in a cold climate nowadays.
Oberon
voted this post useful.
#4
06-29-20, 08:59 PM
Group Moderator
I have never done it so it's hard for me to say. Knowing what I know, I would say that you would have to have a lot of experience at doing it to do a professional job. Having the glass perfectly clean is half the battle... air bubbles and wrinkles as you apply it are the other problem so it takes some skill and experience to handle the film, not get impatient, and do a good job. You also have to be very careful with a utility knife to get a good fit. And having a decent scaffold to work off of will help avoid costly mistakes, since the film isnt cheap. Without knowing your skill level it's hard to say if it's something you should try or not.
Last job where I needed it done, I hired a pro to subcontract it. And I'm a pro myself, having worked with windows and glass for the last 30 years. Not that I couldn't do it, but I didnt see the sense in even trying.
Last job where I needed it done, I hired a pro to subcontract it. And I'm a pro myself, having worked with windows and glass for the last 30 years. Not that I couldn't do it, but I didnt see the sense in even trying.
#6
06-30-20, 05:38 AM
Group Moderator
I have used low E films applied to the inside. I also have one part of my house where the windows have perforated vinyl on the outside (used for see through signs like at fast food restaurants and for wrapping city buses). Both can help reducing the sunlight's heat coming inside and both are easy to install if you have good access to the window.
#7
06-30-20, 05:39 AM
Member
They are not difficult, just need to follow the instructions and dont install in direct sun.
He had a den with big windows and a large arch that we did this too many years/homes ago. Solar gain was greatly reduced, didnt do anything for winter but then they are not really designed for that!
He had a den with big windows and a large arch that we did this too many years/homes ago. Solar gain was greatly reduced, didnt do anything for winter but then they are not really designed for that!
#8
06-30-20, 05:04 PM
Have a similar problem with a door, half moon window with little panes. The easy fix was to fold a piece of tinted film over a few times and since the door is metal, little magnets hold it in place. I have a small curtain over that.
Think I bought it in the auto section, it's made to put on windshields.
Won't help with the cold but does keep the sun from glaring in.
Think I bought it in the auto section, it's made to put on windshields.
Won't help with the cold but does keep the sun from glaring in.
#9
07-01-20, 04:56 AM
Originally Posted by DonnaJ
We have a bank of windows in our living room facing south. There is a half moon window at the top. -snip- The living room is warmer than the rest of the house,
or a trellis for plants
