Experience with UV film on Window? House is a damn sauna!

[Dubbington]

As much as I like the space our new place is providing, it's a damn sauna by 3pm.

Lots of windows on the left side and entire back of house WHICH of course the sun beats on it from rising to setting. Left side of house gets the sun until 1pm and back half gets it the rest of the day. Bedrooms stay cool as they are facing north.

I haven't asked the owner the last time the AC was re-charged as that could help maybe.

In the meantime, I want to put up the UV film in the windows. Got estimates and I'm not spending $1800-$2000 grand to have to sliders and 3 windows done. All windows are dual pane aside from kitchen window, not sure why owner didn't spend the $$ to replace that one when he did the sliders.

Anyone DIY UV film their windows?

The film can be bought from Amazon and Home Depot BUT I worry about the efficiency and quality. The quotes I got is using 3m tint, same stuff for cars. I'm not sure where to get that stuff as I think most is sold to installers only.

 

[watsgowinon]

I installed Gila heat control film (titanium color) from HD on all our windows and we noticed a big improvement keeping the temps down, and I like how it looks like a one-way mirror from outside looking in. Our windows are not perfect either. Only drawback is that it’s pretty dark inside the house during the day.

 

[watsgowinon]

Also, service that AC unit. At least clean the coil, tighten the terminals, and clean the evaporator. Very easy to do.

 

[cheez]

Solar screens are another alternative, we put those on the south-facing windows of our Texas house and they did well for 20 years.

 

[afm199]

I suggest getting some honeycombs shades with a light color on the outside. It just gives you much more protection (read insulation) than double glazing and more sun protection than tint. I went that way years ago. Keeps the heat in during the winter, and out during the summer. Takes one second to change height.

 

[buellistic]

What kind of reflected heat do you have outside?
Like walls,windows, concrete, ect,that can be screened or covered..

 

[Dubbington]

What kind of reflected heat do you have outside?
Like walls,windows, concrete, ect,that can be screened or covered..

It’s just sun coming in an 8ft slider, 4x4ft, and Two 3x4 windows on one one side and then a 7ft slider and a 3x4 window on the other side.

Have black out curtains and blinds.

Definitely think UV film on windows will help or something.

Debating putting up sun sails in a few areas. Idea is putting poles to hook the sails to in concrete filled flower pots and leave about 6” inches for dirt to plant small stuff his the concrete. Then attach other end to the eaves.

 

[Dubbington]

I suggest getting some honeycombs shades with a light color on the outside. It just gives you much more protection (read insulation) than double glazing and more sun protection than tint. I went that way years ago. Keeps the heat in during the winter, and out during the summer. Takes one second to change height.

Probably best for kitchens window that doesn’t have anything. Other windows owner has 2” slat blinds.

Also, who doesn’t insulate a garage? Literally open studs. That’s what, 3/4” siding shielding from the outside.

Be a pain but might have garage sprayed for insulation. Looking into it now.

 

[Kestrel]

You're sort of barking up the wrong tree. UV isn't the main issue, but rather the infrared (IR). Normal glass does not transmit UV beyond approx 320nm. 'Low E' coatings and glass can help push that the transmission cutoff to >400nm, but honestly... the bulk of the spectrum from our sun isn't in the UV. We want visible light but the IR just serves to heat up a house. A lot of glass will transmit far into the IR.

^ Area under the curve!

East and west facing windows are... unfortunate. Any future house I build will have minimal east/west facing windows while having a slew of south facing windows (properly shaded during the summer, but allowing for solar exposure in the winter) to take advantage of passive heating.

Get some good blinds and call it a day.

 

[Abacinator]

Probably best for kitchens window that doesn’t have anything. Other windows owner has 2” slat blinds.

Also, who doesn’t insulate a garage? Literally open studs. That’s what, 3/4” siding shielding from the outside.

Be a pain but might have garage sprayed for insulation. Looking into it now.

Finished garages aren't that common.

Edit: Our garage is unfinished and it's roof and door face south. Gets about 4825 degrees in the summer out there. At least the fire walls and door manage to keep that heat out of the house.

 

[berth]

Back when some hustler was trying to sell us a window makeover, and the heat lamp demonstration with film in the windows was very convincing. Simply he had a sample window, a heat lamp, and you put your hand under the lamp as he moves the window in and out of it.

Not enough to buy his windows (he was 4x what it inevitably cost me to do it, plus his crack "oh you can just put the cost of the windows on the price of the house when you sell!" ), but enough to look more in to it.

That film was clear as day, but embedded in the dual pane window. I don't know if or how that film can be applied directly to the windows.

 

[Climber]

Bay Area AC systems aren't really up for the task if they're older than 20 years, the weather patterns have changed and what worked 20 years ago no longer works.

+1 on requesting that the AC system gets checked/serviced. The compressor will lose 5% efficiency a years.

We have whole house fans down here, so early in the morning we can cool the whole house down quickly. We can also cool it at night, as long as it cools off early enough.

 

[afm199]

Bay Area AC systems aren't really up for the task if they're older than 20 years, the weather patterns have changed and what worked 20 years ago no longer works.

+1 on requesting that the AC system gets checked/serviced. The compressor will lose 5% efficiency a years.

We have whole house fans down here, so early in the morning we can cool the whole house down quickly. We can also cool it at night, as long as it cools off early enough.

Agreed. I run fans in the hot season, to suck in lots of cold air at night. They get turned on around 7PM and off when I get up. Yesterday was 80 plus degrees outside, and I knock the house down 10-20 degrees using fans, except for the hottest nights.

 

[Climber]

Agreed. I run fans in the hot season, to suck in lots of cold air at night. They get turned on around 7PM and off when I get up. Yesterday was 80 plus degrees outside, and I knock the house down 10-20 degrees using fans, except for the hottest nights.

We have a high volume fan in the upstairs hall ceiling. It can drop the whole house temp by 5 degrees in about 20 minutes.

I've always wondered why they simply won't install those in the Bay Area, it's such an energy efficient way to cool the house down before (or after) it starts heating up during the day. You just open up windows on the other side of the house and the outside air flows through the house.

 

[Dubbington]

Bay Area AC systems aren't really up for the task if they're older than 20 years, the weather patterns have changed and what worked 20 years ago no longer works.

+1 on requesting that the AC system gets checked/serviced. The compressor will lose 5% efficiency a years.

We have whole house fans down here, so early in the morning we can cool the whole house down quickly. We can also cool it at night, as long as it cools off early enough.

I'll definitely ask bout the AC being checked, my guess its been awhile. A whole house fan was installed and I'm learning the proper way to use it to draw the hot air out. Dont they only work if it's cool outside? We got home last night around 8pm and it was 82 inside. Opened the windows and doors on the hot side of the house, turned on house fan and it got to below 75 in 30-40 minutes.

 

[afm199]

I'll definitely ask bout the AC being checked, my guess its been awhile. A whole house fan was installed and I'm learning the proper way to use it to draw the hot air out. Dont they only work if it's cool outside? We got home last night around 8pm and it was 82 inside. Opened the windows and doors on the hot side of the house, turned on house fan and it got to below 75 in 30-40 minutes.

I suggest you open the windows on the cool side, that's where the cooler air is. The idea is to pull in cool air and blow out hot air.

 

[Climber]

I'll definitely ask bout the AC being checked, my guess its been awhile. A whole house fan was installed and I'm learning the proper way to use it to draw the hot air out. Dont they only work if it's cool outside? We got home last night around 8pm and it was 82 inside. Opened the windows and doors on the hot side of the house, turned on house fan and it got to below 75 in 30-40 minutes.

Great that you have one!

If you can cool the house down in the morning, before it gets hot, it will delay the AC being needed by extra hours. You only need to open up a few windows, that funnels the incoming air through the whole house. Just force the air to flow the furthest distance for best effect.

 

[Starpower]

Probably best for kitchens window that doesn’t have anything. Other windows owner has 2” slat blinds.

Also, who doesn’t insulate a garage? Literally open studs. That’s what, 3/4” siding shielding from the outside.

Be a pain but might have garage sprayed for insulation. Looking into it now.

I had very good luck with DIY spray foam under my house, walls would be much easier and it was easy even in the very cramped space. I also used Gila Titanium window film and happy with the performance (72% heat rejection).

I have an 8' slider facing west, here I use 2" white adjustable blinds on the OUTSIDE, before the heat is already in the home. This is extremely effective, they can be set to allow ambient light but no direct gain. They are the far less expensive interior classic venetian blinds. They are fully retracted/raised for the heating season and also protected from the rain under an overhang. Do the nighttime flush passively w/o fans, all windows, sliders and skylights opened until inside is at outside temp, typically around 9am. I'm still dropping inside temp well after sunrise.

 

[Climber]

On thing about paste on UV film is that while it works great at keeping heat out in the summer, it also keeps the heat out in the winter.

In our last house, we had a pull down film that worked great in the summer then it was rolled up in the winter when we wanted the heat.

Just a thought.

 

[GAJ]

It seems that double pane windows make selection of the proper film a priority vs single pane windows so make sure whatever you get is "approved" for double pane windows.