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A SoCal woman says the energy efficient window installed in a neighbor’s condominium is melting the plastic components on cars parked in her carport... CBS2’s Randy Paige placed a thermometer in the pathway of the beam on a partially cloudy day. The temperature registered over 120 degrees in less than five minutes...Reports across the country have alleged damages brought on by concentrated sunlight reflected off of energy efficient windows."
I think I have the answer. Let's ship energy efficient windows to our enemies at discounted prices. If it gets up to 120 degrees here, imagine what we could do in the desert.
Anyway, do those windows reflect sunlight differently from conventional windows? I thought the efficiency had to do with the additional layers and insulation...
A SoCal woman says the energy efficient window installed in a neighbor’s condominium is melting the plastic components on cars parked in her carport... CBS2’s Randy Paige placed a thermometer in the pathway of the beam on a partially cloudy day. The temperature registered over 120 degrees in less than five minutes...Reports across the country have alleged damages brought on by concentrated sunlight reflected off of energy efficient windows."
The window prob acts almost as a reflective mirror, and combined with the sunlight already hitting the car, the cheap, lightweight plastic melts.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LauraC
I think I have the answer. Let's ship energy efficient windows to our enemies at discounted prices. If it gets up to 120 degrees here, imagine what we could do in the desert.
First we would need to convince our enemies to buy into global warming, and dangerously lower their safety standards for automobile construction materials, in a vain attempt to save the planet and alter the global climate, with electric cars and mirror-like windows for residential buildings.
Anyway, do those windows reflect sunlight differently from conventional windows? I thought the efficiency had to do with the additional layers and insulation...
That's part of it but the newer ones can be manufactured to reflect or absorb sunlight. Forgot where I saw it but they were showing one type of pane that could absorb most of it. They used a computer monitor as an example, at an angle there was no glare from it because most of the light passed through the glass.
A SoCal woman says the energy efficient window installed in a neighbor’s condominium is melting the plastic components on cars parked in her carport... CBS2’s Randy Paige placed a thermometer in the pathway of the beam on a partially cloudy day. The temperature registered over 120 degrees in less than five minutes...Reports across the country have alleged damages brought on by concentrated sunlight reflected off of energy efficient windows."
I think I have the answer. Let's ship energy efficient windows to our enemies at discounted prices. If it gets up to 120 degrees here, imagine what we could do in the desert.
Anyway, do those windows reflect sunlight differently from conventional windows? I thought the efficiency had to do with the additional layers and insulation...
The difference is the type of gas they put between the windows, and a type of film thats put on the glass to allow sun to reflect on one side, while entering on the other.
That doesn't make any sense. I have a newish Toyota and I have been in temps at 115 in the SW, hotter when I left my car out in the sun...no plastic damage at all. The same thing was claimed here on a house that hit 258 degrees and melted the siding (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/r/24342726/detail.html - broken link)...even though you can see she is standing in front of it showing off the damage between the focused light and the siding ( a hint: 258 degrees will cause severe burns in seconds).
Low E glass has been around a long time even though most interest in it has been pretty tepid till recently. My own parents and neighbors have had the glass in high altitude Colorado (closer to the sun, more heat) since the mid 1990s and there have been no problems with heat damage.
I don't doubt they reflect light and it heats up, but I think the temps are a bit exaggerated. It's likely a combination with crappy materials. 2 cases out of tens of thousands who have these windows is not an epidemic or cause for alarm...it's a fact of life as you transition into new materials.
That's part of it but the newer ones can be manufactured to reflect or absorb sunlight. Forgot where I saw it but they were showing one type of pane that could absorb most of it. They used a computer monitor as an example, at an angle there was no glare from it because most of the light passed through the glass.
I guess the more perfect/smoother the surface is, the more light is reflected. My monitor is very matte, I can feel it.
But since conventional glass is already very glaring, they probably add a reflective layer like with a mirror.
Apart from cars those windows might also become a problem for wooden homes and other objects that easily catch fire
Do they use them at gas stations?
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Must look something like this:
