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Prevention of heat coming into your home or working environment can be accomplished very easily by either the installation of a solar reflective film or by the application of a solar reflective coating.
Solar Reflective Window Film
Window Film is a great way of reflecting a huge amount of heat that is reflected through glass windows, especially roof-lights. It only requires basic tools and can be quickly installed without the need of specialist labour.
Window film is supplied in various strengths (% of reflectivity) colours and thicknesses. (We are not really covering thickness so much with this guide as thickness is really related to safety and security, rather than solar reflectivity. However, for your interest we even have films that help stabilize glass in explosion and implosion situations)!
There are however at least three important things to consider:
- Is the glass double glazed and if so, is the glass hardened / safety glass?If the glass is standard glass, then you must not install a film with strong reflectivity as this can reflect so much heat that the ‘vacuum’ within the two panes of glass can expand to such an extent that it can shatter the outside pane of glass. This is in fact a rare occurrence and really depends upon how much air was indeed trapped between the two panes during manufacture and/or how much has crept in after manufacture! Unless you know you have strengthened (safety) glass. It is therefore for advised that you only install a lower reflectivity grade to lower the risk of this happening.
- Does the glass have steel wires running through it?This is another case where you need to take care. Not only can the wires heat up whereby this can cause cracking, but also the glass often has a ‘stippled’ effect on the surface. It is therefore almost impossible to be able to apply the film neatly, due to not having a flat surface. In industrial situation such as factories with high roofline, aesthetics are often not so important as companies / personnel are more concerned to reduce heat gains. However, should aesthetics indeed be important, you may like to complete a trial to make sure that this system will be acceptable before committing yourself to the entire area. When films are fitted correctly, there are not designed to be removed easily.
- Window films are not recommended for rough surfaces and/or where the glass might curve in two directions.
Solar Reflective Paint (Externally Applied)
Polycote Solarflex is a highly advanced solar reflective paint also with excellent waterproofing properties. It is however important to know that Solarflex will totally block out the light. Another point to consider is that it will completely hide the fact that there is a rooflight underneath and that if a person was unsuspecting this to be so, they could step on it and inevitably fall through. It is therefore vital that a notice is attached to the roof area warning of such danger.
Solarflex is however an excellent product and is hugely successful in cutting down unwanted heat gain from roof windows. No matter whether it is glass, polycarbonate or Perspex, Solarflex adheres well and will offer a long lasting waterproof as well as solar proof finish. It is important to ensure that the surface is clean and dry, and application is performed either by a brush or a broom. The added benefit of Solarflex is that as soon as it has been installed, it is rain resistant!
Solar Reflective Paint (Internally Applied)
Applied by brush or roller, our internally applied solution can offer a significant reduction in glare and due to its incredible shielding properties will also help prevent UV degradation to carpets and furnishings, etc.
For any additional information or advice, please give our friendly Sales and Technical team a call on 01234 846400, or use our live chat function! Searching for hard-wearing flooring which combines style and substance? Ask our experts today.
