I had a few people ask me about tint for the windows. I spoke with the landlord and they have approved Tint for the windows.
Robert
1 Like
Do we have Low-E windows and if so, do we need special film?
I have no idea what kind of windows we have.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Uh, no. They are the cheapest things around. You can feel the sun streaming through in the summer and the cold taking your breath away in the winter. Those windows are the bane of the Purple classroom.
Any tint purchased should be of the kind that blocks the heat coming through.
3 Likes
Shade cloth hung outside as an awning would work better at keeping the heat out.
1 Like
I once worked in a building that had shade cloth on the inside of the windows - a straight panel hanging from a tensioned rod. It was effective at reducing the heat (and you could still see through it, much like solar screens).
If we want to do shade cloth panels, I will volunteer to be one of the people sewing panels.
4 Likes
Suspect the landlord would rather we not modify the building beyond the film they have approved.
2 Likes
Exterior awning - I get your point. But hanging shade cloth panels inside would be no different than shades, blinds, or drapes. Shouldn’t require any landlord approval.
I had a energy efficiency contractor look into options for our windows in the purple classroom and 3d Fab about 2 years ago now. The windows are not low-e. They are standard single pane windows and with the direct sun light hitting them, window tint will do little to stop the encroachment of heat radiating from them, including the very reflective tint.
He suggested for the best efficiency of heating and cooling in the room, short of replacing the windows, is to install plastic sheet on the inside of the windows to effectively turn those windows into double pane windows. This is most commonly done when working on buildings that do not allow external changes made to the building. But, this is a pretty expensive solution as the material cost is high for large plastic sheets.
As a lower cost solution, he suggested getting custom honeycomb blinds for the windows. These will slow the ingress of the heat and cold in the room, but they will not stop it. You also loose the abillity to look out the windows. He said this is a solution he wouldn’t sell to a customer given the direct sunlight due to the direction the windows face, because the room will still be very noticeably hotter in the summer and colder in the winter, meaning he would likely get complaints from customers for not fully correcting the problem.
Lastly, he pointed out the heat is probably a larger concern than the cold. So if we wanted to only solve the heat issue, the solution is Solar Screens. These are inexpensive and quick to install. They are framed screen material placed on the outside of the window and block much of the sun’s light before it even reaches the pane of glass. The room would still be bright when the sun is low in the sky, but the rest of the time would be shielded substantially from the sun, while not blocking the view outside. But, the key was blocking the sun outside, rather than after it has hit the window.
2 Likes
Nick could you share your quotes if you still have them
Does anyone have the dimensions of the windows?
I don’t have them anymore. The plastic was too expensive in my opinion, unless the landlord wanted to subsidize it. But, they haven’t been open to that in the past. Soar screens would be my suggestion of the cold isn’t a big deal.
That’s great info @Nick.
The reflective tint I’m finding is 48" wide. Our windows facing the street (4 in Purple, 3 in 3d Fab, 1 by the design PCs) are 58" wide x 10’ tall. @Robert_Davidson.
Cold is not a problem. In fact, purple is very toasty. It’s the summer that is an issue.
Solar screens or cellular shades are prob the way to go.
What about using them both at the same time?
As we don’t need to see thru the windows, what about polystyrene foam boards? We paint them white and put them in with silicon caulk. Easy to install and remove.
@uglyknees good question.
You can use weather stripping as well, instead of caulk. Then it would be a no mess removal and clean up when we move. Scraping caulk of the painted metal might damage the finish of future Dms member uses a blade rather than a plastic scraper. I like the idea of the foam as a low cost non transparent option. The key is the seperate air space that doesn’t mix directly with the room air.
Small areas (say 2-3 foot tall) could even be left open on a couple of the windows so as to let in some natural light. Getting a seal would be slightly harder, but not too much.
I purchased some MASSIVE standard white foam core from @TLAR (thank you) for Grand Ball at school - somewhere around 48ish" wide and about 60ish" tall or so. They completely fill up the truck bed.
The sheets aren’t mine but after I’m done making what I need to build with them I’ll ask about any extra left over - if they can be sold off or given to DMS if needed.
Hopefully, I should be done with this project by next week.
Those are 48" x 96" in case you are asking…
I can see those blowing out on the highway and killing everyone.