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 Mobile ViewEXTERIORS of buildings ALGAE, FUNGUS, LICHENS, MOSS ARCHITECTURE & BUILDING COMPONENT ID ATTIC CONDENSATION CAUSE & CURE BASEMENT WATERPROOFING BEST CONSTRUCTION PRACTICES GUIDE BRICK VENEER WALL Loose, Bulged BRICK WALL DRAINAGE WEEP HOLES BOOKSTORE - EXTERIORS CHIMNEY INSPECTION DIAGNOSIS REPAIR DECK & PORCH CONSTRUCTION DECK COLLAPSE Case Study DECK FINISHES COATINGS PRESERVATIVES DECK FLASHING LEAKS, ROT Case Study DEFINITIONS of ENGINEERED WOOD OSB LVL etc EARTHQUAKE DAMAGED FOUNDATIONS ENERGY SAVINGS in buildings ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS - INSPECT, TEST, REMEDY EXTERIOR WALL SIDING TRIM & FINISHES FIBERGLASS INSULATION FIBERGLASS HAZARDS FIBERGLASS INSULATION MOLD FLOOD DAMAGE ASSESSMENT, SAFETY & CLEANUP FOOTING & FOUNDATION DRAINS FOUNDATION CRACKS & DAMAGE GUIDE FOUNDATION WATERPROOFING FRENCH DRAINS HEAT TAPES & CABLES on Roofs for Ice Dams HOUSEWRAP AIR & VAPOR BARRIERS KIT HOMES, Aladdin, Sears, Wards, Others LEAD POISONING HAZARDS GUIDE LEAD PAINT REMOVAL ALTERNATIVES LEAD PAINT REMOVAL TROUBLES LEAD PIPES in BUILDINGS LEAD in ROOFING, EFFECTS LEAD TEST KIT for HOME USE LEED GREEN BUILDING CERTIFICATION LOG HOME GUIDE LIGHTNING PROTECTION MOISTURE CONTROL in buildings MOLD DETECTION & INSPECTION GUIDE MVOCs & MOLDY MUSTY ODORS ODORS & SMELLS DIAGNOSIS & CURE PAINT ANALYSIS, DIAGNOSTIC USES PAINT & STAIN GUIDE, EXTERIOR PORCHES & Sunrooms PORCH CONSTRUCTION & SCREENING SHEATHING, Gypsum board SHEATHING Homasote & Other Board SHEATHING, OSB SHEATHING, Plywood SHEATHING, FOIL FACED - VENTS SIDING, Sheathing Identification - Photo Guide SIDING, ALUMINUM SIDING, ASBESTOS CEMENT SHINGLES SIDING ASPHALT ROOF SHINGLES on WALLS SIDING ASPHALT SHINGLE or SHEET SIDING DAMAGE by SPLASHBACK SIDING EIFS & STUCCO SIDING, FIBER CEMENT SIDING HARDBOARD SIDING STEEL SIDING VINYL SIDING, WOOD PRODUCT CHOICES SIDING, WOOD INSTALLATION SIDING WOOD, FAILURES OVER FOAM BOARD SIDING WOOD, FLASHING DETAILS SIDING WOOD SHINGLE INSTALLATION STAIN & BIODETERIORATION AGENT CATALOG STAINS on buildings - QUICK GUIDE STAIN DIAGNOSIS on BUILDING EXTERIORS STAIN DIAGNOSIS on BUILDING INTERIORS STAIRS, RAILINGS, LANDINGS, RAMPS STONE CLEANING METHODS STUCCO WAll FAILURES DUE TO WEATHER STUCCO WALL METHODS & INSTALLATION STUCCO OVER FOAM INSULATION STUCCO PAINT FAILURES SURFACE GRADING, SITE DRAINAGE TERMITES, ROT THERMAL EXPANSION of MATERIALS THERMAL MASS in buildings VAPOR BARRIERS & CONDENSATION in buildings VENTILATION in buildings WALL FINISHES INTERIOR WATER BARRIERS, EXTERIOR BUILDING WATER ENTRY in buildings WIND ENERGY SYSTEMS WIND TURBINES & LIGHTNING WIND WASHING INSULATION At EAVES WINDOWS & DOORS ALUMINUM WINDOWS Best Practices Guide for Windows & Doors: CLIMATE, WINDOW CHOICES FOR CONDENSATION on WINDOWS & SKYLIGHTS Doors, Exterior, Energy Efficiency Guide Doors, Exterior Flashing Details Doors, Exterior, Frames DOORS, EXTERIOR, Selecting & Installing DOORS, INTERIOR FIBERGLASS WINDOWS GLASS vs HEAT MIRROR SOLAR GAIN/Loss HURRICANE, WIND, & STORM-Resistant WINDOWS LOW-E WINDOW GLAZING LOW-E VS QUAD-GLAZING LOW-E RETROFIT ADD-ON FILMS POLYCARBONATE GLAZING SITE BUILT DOUBLE GLAZED WINDOWS SKYLIGHTS, Guide to Choosing & Installing Skylight Condensation Problems Skylight Window Design Issues Skylight Energy Efficiency Skylight Installation Procedures SKYLIGHT LEAK DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR SKYLIGHT VENTILATION DETAILS SLIDING GLIDING WINDOW DEFECTS SLOPED GLAZING DETAILS STORM WINDOW INTERIOR STORM WINDOW PLASTIC CHOICES STORM WINDOW WEEP HOLES SUNGAIN, FILMS, LOW-E GLASS SUNSPACE GLAZING for SUNTANNING VERTICAL GLAZING DETAILS VINYL WINDOWS VINYL / PVC WINDOW WARPING WINDOW / DOOR ENERGY EFFICIENT, DOE WINDOW / DOOR AIR LEAK SEALING HOW TO Window Certification WINDOW EFFICIENCY Features & Ratings Window Flashing & Sealing Guide WINDOW HARDWARE PHOTOS Window Installation, Flange-Type Window Installation, w/ Integral Brickmold WINDOW LEAKS INTO BASEMENT Window Materials & Construction Window Types, Guide WINDOW TYPES - Photo Guide Window & Door Sources WINTERIZE A BUILDING Wood Burning Heaters Fireplaces Stoves Woodstove Safety ZONE VALVES More Information |
This article discusses sources for window films and coating to control heat gain, heat loss, heat transmission - high-transmission 3M Sungain film. We list and discuss window glazing energy products and answer: what are the differences in function & use among low-transmission films, low-E glass, coated reflective films & high transmission, low emissivity films or reduced-iron-content glass? Accompanying text is reprinted/adapted/excerpted with permission from Solar Age Magazine - editor Steven Bliss. Also see LOW-E VS QUAD-GLAZING for a comparison of the benefits of Sungain films vs. multiple-glazed windows. For retrofit or "DIY" Low-E window films see LOW-E RETROFIT ADD-ON FILMS. For more up to date information about the performance of films to increase solar collector efficiency, see SOLAR COLLECTOR FILMS. A wide range of energy conservation and solar energy topics is found at SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS. Contact us to suggest text changes and additions and, if you wish, to receive online listing and credit for that contribution. © Copyright 2012 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use page top links to major topics or use links at the left of each page to navigate within topics and documents at this website. Green links show where you are in a document series or at this website. Sungain Film Sources for High-Transmission Film WindowsThe link to the original Q&A article in PDF form immediately below is followed by an expanded/updated online version of this article.
The question-and-answer article below paraphrases, quotes-from, updates, and comments an original article, (see links just above) from Solar Age Magazine and written by Steven Bliss. Sungain SourcesQuestion: I've had little luck [back in 1984] locating quad glazing with Sungain™ film (Solar Age, 2/83, 9/83) locally. Do you have any information on where I can buy quad-glazed glass window units? -- Rick Essman, Carson City NV Answer: High-transmission Sungain film is made by the 3M Company. According to M.J. Johnson of 3M's Energy Control Products, quad-pane and tri-pane units and windows with Sungain film were [by the mid 1980's in the U.S.] available from several manufacturers, and 3M continued to add more of them across North America by 1985. Sungain is a thin plastic film, discussed in Popular Science Magazine in 1982 and produced by 3M Corporation. Sungain plastic film admits more heat than glass through the same area. Quad-glazed units (glass only):
Complete windows with quad-pane Sungain glazing
Check with the glazing and window manufacturers for prices and availability. Window Glazing Energy Products: What are the Differences in Function & Use Among Low-Transmission Films, Low-E glass, Coated Reflective Films & High Transmission, Low Emissivity Films or Reduced-Iron-Content Glass?Definition & Uses of of Low Transmission Window Films and Low-E GlassLow-transmission films such as Scotchtint™ were developed to block solar transmission through window glass into the building interior, avoiding un-wanted heat gain in some buildings. Low-transmission, heat reflecting films would not help solar collector efficiency. Low-E glass, low-emissivity glass, low infrared reflectance glass (these all mean the same thing) produced by Airco Temescal, Berkeley CA, and Guardian Industries, Carelton Michigan, uses a transparent coating that reflects heat. Infrared energy is long-wave energy (longer than visible light), and is in essence, radiant heat. If we reflect radiant heat from a window surface we are reducing the heat that passes through the window. Practically speaking, in winter indoor heat may be reflected back into the interior, reducing heat loss through low-e glazed windows by radiation loss by 1/3 to 1/2. Of course air bypass leaks in a building can easily overcome the energy savings from special window glazing. See AIR LEAK MINIMIZATION and AIR SEAL STRATEGIES. In summer, heat from bright sunlight may be reflected back outdoors, reducing the heat transmitted to the building interior. Thus low-e glass or Heat Mirror film coated glass may reduce heating costs in the heating season and cooling costs (by letting in less solar heat) during the cooling season. Low-e glass, compared with un-treated glass, has a slight bluish color. Coated plastic reflective films, such as Heat Mirror, produced by Southwall Corp., Palo Alto, CA, also reflect heat as does the low-e glass mentioned above. Low transmission glazing films such as Heat Mirror (a 2-mil polyester reflective film) and Low-E glass have been installed on airplane windshields to increase pilot protection, comfort, and visibility since World War II. -- op cit. A special advantage on airplanes was the fact that the glass is electrically conductive: sending an electrical current through the glass could be used to remove fogging, frost, or ice. The Southwall Corporation was formed by the original developers of coated plastic reflective films for these applications, including John Brooks, Sean Wellesley-miller, and physicist Day Chahroudi who had observed low-E and coated windshield technology, working at MIT, adapted the process to produce a transparent insulation leading to a whole industry of special glazing intended for use in solar and energy conservation applications. Heat mirror film coated glass, compared with un-treated glass, looks about the same.
1. Popular Science Magazine in 1982 2. U-value is the measurement of heat transmission through a material - it's the reciprocal of R-value. R-value is a material's resistance to heat transfer. Definition & Uses of High Transmission, Low Emissivity FilmsThe high-transmission, low-emissivity films such as Heat Mirror™ or 3-M's Sungain™ might boost solar collector efficiencies in some applications, particularly high-temperature collectors in cold climates. In this case, the added insulation value of the film might offset the transmission losses. The actual efficiency gains for the solar collector may still not justify the added expense. As these products were developed for building glazings (windows), their durability in solar collector applications is in question. The effects of high temperatures, thermal cycling, and high UV exposure on the window glazing film had (in the 1980's) only been studied in a preliminary way. 3M informed us that its Sungain film will become brittle at temperatures above 250 degF., prohibiting its use in some solar collector applications. Reduced-iron-content glass, such as Solakleer, produced by General Glass, International, New Rochelle, NY, also admits more heat than ordinary glass.
For more up to date information about the performance of films to increase solar collector efficiency, see SOLAR COLLECTOR FILMS The question-and-answer article about Sungain film by 3M and used on glazing or windows, quotes-from, updates, and comments an original article, (see links just above) from Solar Age Magazine and written by Steven Bliss. Questions & Answers regarding this article. Ask a Question or Search InspectAPediaHTML Comment Box is loading comments...
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