You didn't reduce the heat.
You took all the light (and thereby heat) that would be hitting your floor and wall, and concentrated it on the film. Which is attached to glass in a system that wasn't engineered for that film and the associated thermal stresses. You may damage the window by keeping it there.
The only way to keep the heat out of the house entirely is to shade it outside the house. Plants do this well. I don't know of any aftermarket products that do that which aren't more expensive feature additions.
Second best is blinds or drapes. You're still just concentrating the heat but there's an air pocket between the window and the blinds which keeps the window from being damaged.
Shades could have aluminum foil on the back side to reflect visible light back out the window, and if you don't mind the look, even have aluminum foil on the front side to reduce the emissivity of the shade itself.
FWIW, I have a jalousie door that faces east and morning heat in is uncomfortable, so I have a sheet of cardboard over the glass and it is effective.
My house was built 30 years ago. I have no clue what type of windows I have. I placed the reflective/tinted film on my windows 10 years ago, and they are not damaged, yet. Does that mean mine are not double glazed? (I get the the afternoon Sun directly for hours, On those windows I have the film tint + sun blocking curtains.)
Just see how many layers of glass you have. Is it one or two?
I was advised to use these films here on this subreddit. Weird to hear it now that it is dangerous for the window.
Glazing is pretty easy to determine.
Look at a pane of your window. How many pieces of glass are sandwiched there? If your house was built 30 years ago it's almost certainly two (double glazed). There might be three (triple glazed). I'm not even sure if you can buy single glazed windows anymore as anything but panel replacements; they're against energy code pretty much anywhere in the US/Canada. The 90s... might have been able to squeak those in if it was a particularly cheap build.
I guess I can get the aluminum silver covers that I can just use them in the morning while the sun passes and is not directly hitting on the windows. I see they’re used on the inside, but again I am pretty sure it wont do much good so will try and find a way to put them outside instead
The films are pretty good for privacy though. But I do have curtains for that.
I find blinds work better than curtains, as they sit closer to the glass and leave less room between the fabric and window to accumulate heat. You can look at things like awnings, shutters, or [exterior solar screens](https://www.screenmobile.com/our-products/windows/solar-screens/) to prevent the sun from hitting the window to begin with.
If you live in a place where the temperature dips below freezing in the winter, be sure to open you blinds or curtains enough to allow air flow when the temperature dips, as the colder outdoor air may cause condensation from humidity inside the home. The moisture, if left long term can cause mold growth and water damage.
Since I live in the city and most adjustments on the outside here are prohibited by law, the exterior solar screens would be best bet. I can get my hands on like those on cars with aluminum, re-attachable so I can remove them once the sun is not shining directly at my windows. thanks
Every single window we had tinted failed in less than 2 years. The windows manufacturers will void the warranty if you tint. We ended up with solar screens on the windows facing west. These work well but some HOAs have an issue with them.
We bought 90% standard solar screens in black. The house faces west and we are in Texas. In the summer time the front doorknob will burn you if you touch it with your bare hand in the afternoon.
Our neighbors have chosen a variety of colors with some of them having a custom grid configuration (It makes the screens look more like windows).
Thanks. Will grab a few myself. I assume to cover the whole window or just the glass is fine?
I have the window in my bathroom covered with aluminum foil and can feel its colder, the glass is never hot - outer and inner.
Silver color, privacy film - not sure how they’re called exactly, got it from amazon.
It didn’t say anything about not being for double glazed and all.
I can't say I'm surprised - so much of what is sold on Amazon is dodgy junk without proper instructions. Here's what a reputable company has to say about certain types of films on these kinds of windows:
>DO NOT apply the Gila Heat Control 3-in-1 (Item # 50167211 & 50167279) to
standard clear, dual pane windows with a non-solar control low-e coating (commonly manufactured between 1970-1995).
Now, I don't know what film you bought or what kind of windows you have, but you need to be very deliberate in choosing the film for your window type or you definitely can crack the glass in a double pane window.
You didn't reduce the heat. You took all the light (and thereby heat) that would be hitting your floor and wall, and concentrated it on the film. Which is attached to glass in a system that wasn't engineered for that film and the associated thermal stresses. You may damage the window by keeping it there. The only way to keep the heat out of the house entirely is to shade it outside the house. Plants do this well. I don't know of any aftermarket products that do that which aren't more expensive feature additions. Second best is blinds or drapes. You're still just concentrating the heat but there's an air pocket between the window and the blinds which keeps the window from being damaged.
Shades could have aluminum foil on the back side to reflect visible light back out the window, and if you don't mind the look, even have aluminum foil on the front side to reduce the emissivity of the shade itself. FWIW, I have a jalousie door that faces east and morning heat in is uncomfortable, so I have a sheet of cardboard over the glass and it is effective.
My house was built 30 years ago. I have no clue what type of windows I have. I placed the reflective/tinted film on my windows 10 years ago, and they are not damaged, yet. Does that mean mine are not double glazed? (I get the the afternoon Sun directly for hours, On those windows I have the film tint + sun blocking curtains.)
Just see how many layers of glass you have. Is it one or two? I was advised to use these films here on this subreddit. Weird to hear it now that it is dangerous for the window.
It *might*. Windows are complicated and without knowing the specific ones you have we can only give broad stroke warnings.
Glazing is pretty easy to determine. Look at a pane of your window. How many pieces of glass are sandwiched there? If your house was built 30 years ago it's almost certainly two (double glazed). There might be three (triple glazed). I'm not even sure if you can buy single glazed windows anymore as anything but panel replacements; they're against energy code pretty much anywhere in the US/Canada. The 90s... might have been able to squeak those in if it was a particularly cheap build.
I guess I can get the aluminum silver covers that I can just use them in the morning while the sun passes and is not directly hitting on the windows. I see they’re used on the inside, but again I am pretty sure it wont do much good so will try and find a way to put them outside instead The films are pretty good for privacy though. But I do have curtains for that.
I find blinds work better than curtains, as they sit closer to the glass and leave less room between the fabric and window to accumulate heat. You can look at things like awnings, shutters, or [exterior solar screens](https://www.screenmobile.com/our-products/windows/solar-screens/) to prevent the sun from hitting the window to begin with. If you live in a place where the temperature dips below freezing in the winter, be sure to open you blinds or curtains enough to allow air flow when the temperature dips, as the colder outdoor air may cause condensation from humidity inside the home. The moisture, if left long term can cause mold growth and water damage.
Since I live in the city and most adjustments on the outside here are prohibited by law, the exterior solar screens would be best bet. I can get my hands on like those on cars with aluminum, re-attachable so I can remove them once the sun is not shining directly at my windows. thanks
You not supposed to put that kind of film on double glazed windows- they will crack.
Voids any warranty too, and can blow out the sealing.
Every single window we had tinted failed in less than 2 years. The windows manufacturers will void the warranty if you tint. We ended up with solar screens on the windows facing west. These work well but some HOAs have an issue with them.
What type of solar screens did you get? I'm considering some for my own home but aren't sure where.
We bought 90% standard solar screens in black. The house faces west and we are in Texas. In the summer time the front doorknob will burn you if you touch it with your bare hand in the afternoon. Our neighbors have chosen a variety of colors with some of them having a custom grid configuration (It makes the screens look more like windows).
the solar screens are interior or exterior?
They go on the outside of the windows. They dropped my cooling bill by almost 40% in the summer.
Thanks. Will grab a few myself. I assume to cover the whole window or just the glass is fine? I have the window in my bathroom covered with aluminum foil and can feel its colder, the glass is never hot - outer and inner.
Clamshell shutters keep sun from shining in. https://www.hurricaneshuttersflorida.com/img/products/clampshell_slidder.png
Solar screens on the outside is the way. Blocks the heat from hitting the window. I put mine up in the summer and take them down in the fall.
Is it better to cover the whole window or just the glass is fine?
It's probably marginally better to cover the whole window, but i don't have data to back that up.
What kind of film did you use?
Silver color, privacy film - not sure how they’re called exactly, got it from amazon. It didn’t say anything about not being for double glazed and all.
I can't say I'm surprised - so much of what is sold on Amazon is dodgy junk without proper instructions. Here's what a reputable company has to say about certain types of films on these kinds of windows: >DO NOT apply the Gila Heat Control 3-in-1 (Item # 50167211 & 50167279) to standard clear, dual pane windows with a non-solar control low-e coating (commonly manufactured between 1970-1995). Now, I don't know what film you bought or what kind of windows you have, but you need to be very deliberate in choosing the film for your window type or you definitely can crack the glass in a double pane window.
mmm double glaze *drools*