![]() ![]() more than six times the film's potential pressure increase. Specifically, the installation of a film such as 3M's Scotchtint will only increase the pressure by 0.55 psi (pounds per square inch), while the federal specifications require windows to withstand a minimum of 3.30 psi. Window Film has been applied to millions of square feet of insulated glass units throughout the world for more than 40 years and have never been shown to be the cause of seal failure. To reinforce this point, some window film solution providers even offer a five-year thermal breakage warranty that includes glass and film replacement.įilms applied to Insulated Units will cause seal failure. Only if the glass is not manufactured and/or installed to established industry standards can window film be a contributing factor. Film applied to glass according to manufacturer's specifications can never be the sole cause of thermal breakage. Some of these myths include:įilm applied to glass will cause thermal glass breakage. These managers have missed out on an opportunity for a long-term, cost-effective solution solving these concerns. The most common tenant complaints are about comfort too hot, too stale, too cold or too drafty. But despite its many significant advantages, window film is not always a solution owner-managers care to entertain.īuilding managers, who have never used window film, have concerns about using window film that are simply not supported by the facts. In the last 37 years, window film has proven, for the most part, to be an effective and economical solution to heat gain problems. Seesemann, who has been working with 3M products since 1976, says modern reflective film offers up to 79% heat gain reduction. "This is perhaps because it took glass manufacturers some time to figure out how to adhere the reflective material to glass," says Helmut Seesemann, national account manager for the window film distributor The Convenience Group. Reflective glazing, the practice of coating glass with a reflective coating, only came about in 1976 - ten years after the initial introduction of window film. Reflective technology has always been a part of the NASA tool kit when dealing with this problem but it first showed up in commercial building applications in 1966, as a film patented by the 3M Company.īefore this, buildings were still clad with tinted glass, but the solar heat gain reduction of this glass - at approximately 30-percent - was still not good enough to represent significant cost savings. Depending on its position relative to the sun, a spacecraft is exposed to temperatures that range from 400 degrees above to 400 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. Little surprise when you consider the magnitude of the solar heat gain problem NASA faces. "What's the point of having a window if the blinds are always closed."Įarly window film applications were developed for the space program. And Vertes noticed tenants were keeping their blinds open more often. It was the thing tenants noticed the most," recalls Vertes. "Of all the things we did, the window film gave us the biggest feedback. A more viable option, building management discovered, was to install window film. Among the initiatives was the idea of replacing the windows with double-pane, tinted glass - an option that would have involved a major capital investment. ![]() But solar heat gain continued to plague tenants of the 26- storey, 270,000-square-foot building, so an energy conservation program was devised. "Our standard response was to say, "Keep your blinds closed," says The Sorbara Group's Emil Vertes, the property's general manager. ![]() The Dundas Edward Centre at 180 Dundas in Toronto had a problem with solar heat gain prompting a number of tenants to complain about comfort. Myths About Window Film A clear understanding about window film and recognizing that there are myths, the owner-managers will have another tool for tenant satisfaction and retention. ![]()
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