Best Blockout Material?

[Pete Moss]

Does anyone know of a good product to reduce heat transmission from outside to inside spaces by blocking out a portion of the sunlight? I have a customer looking to lower the inside heat by blocking out some sunlight on their windows. The kind folks at Oracal directed me to their 8800 and 8300 series and gave good percentages in terms of the amount of light that shines through. From the small amount of research I've done it sounds like the suns radiation is what transfers the heat energy and it's infrared rays carry the most radiation. Unfortunately, it seems most of the specs I've seen relate to ultraviolet rays. Any ideas on a better material for blocking out some but not all of the sunlight? At this point I am leaning towards a window perf material. At the same time I've heard of some 3m films (tint?) that help to block out heat but was unable to find anything in terms of infrared light. If I go with a translucent film, I know I should add a empty border around the glass to allow for expanding and contracting. Do you think a 1" gutter will work? Which leads me back to window perf since if may not need this due to the amount of exposed glass already, or maybe it does. Thoughts and suggestions, as always are greatly appreciated.

 

[J Hill Designs]

first thing that comes to mind is a solar blocking tint film (think mirrorized) that still allows light transmission

 

[Pete Moss]

Thanks, I was thinking something like that too, for a moment, since it actually reflects the light as apposed to absorbing it, decreasing the likely hood of heating the glass more. Are there any concerns with too much reflection into traffic or am I over thinking this? I believe these windows will be on the ground floor of the building but will confirm that.

 

[boxerbay]

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/...me/Products/WindowFilm/CrystallineWindowFilm/

I have the CR90 on my car windows.

 

[Pete Moss]

Does the asterisk by the infrared rejection specs denote:†TSER On Angle calculated at 60 degrees
††IR for wavelength range of 900-1000 nm?

 

[boxerbay]

follow the link to 3M website. has all the info right there.

3M™ Crystalline Automotive Window Films 70

68% Visible Light Transmitted
50% Total Solar Energy Rejected
59% On Angle†
97% Infrared Rejected††
38% Solar Heat Reduction
9% Visible Light Reflection Int.
9% Visible Light Reflection Ext.
99.9% UV Rejected
23% Glare Reduction
†TSER On Angle calculated at 60 degrees
††IR for wavelength range of 900-1000 nm

 

[Zac]

I think you're overthinking the reflections scenario, not that serious. Tint is definitely what you need. Find a local tint supplier (wholesale) and they'll usually know their stuff and sell you something to fit your needs. Llumar makes some great stuff too, it's like the Avery of the tint world.

 

[rjssigns]

If you're tinting/covering IG panels there are calcs involved. This makes sure your heat gain is within specs and you don't pop the panels.

I'd get hooked up with a reputable film installer and ask for help.

 

[Pete Moss]

Thanks for your input everyone! Yes, I do occasionally have the tendency to overthink, (insert understatement of the year here). Yet at the same time always look at new scenarios as an opportunity to learn something new. I find I learn more when I have all of the details.

What are everyone's thoughts on using Oracal 8800 series for something like this? Sure, it sounds like tint is the best option yet the Oracal Transparent vinyls reduce the amount of sunlight going through enough that they should work just fine. I am thinking of using white or a lighter color to reduce absorption of light.