How Does Window Film Affect Glass?

November 17, 2016

The glass is supposed to be a barrier that offers natural views of the exterior world while also protecting from the elements of this outside in terms of rain, wind, and snow. Whenever sunlight or solar energy, which are comprised of light, heat, and UV rays, hit untreated windows, then nearly 90 percent of all that energy gets transmitted through the glass.

In comparison, after a solar control window film gets applied a sheet or pane of glass, then almost 80 percent of the solar energy can get blocked. The special dyes, nanotechnology, or metals inside the film will act as a solar energy barrier as it either reflects or absorbs a percentage of any energy that passes through the glass.

The levels of reflection and/or absorption are dependent upon how the film specifically is constructed. Dyed films don’t have any metal, so they’re considered non-reflective since they will absorb solar energy. They’re not as effective in managing solar light and heat since they won’t provide any solar reflectance. Alternatively, nano or metalized films offer both solar reflectance and absorption. They can do a lot better job in terms of solar control since their specific construction properties manage both lights and heat the pass through the surface of the glass.

THE WAY WINDOW FILM WORKS

Window film can be applied to many glass surfaces as a self-adhesive polyester film. It’s used as a sort of ‘retrofit’ application for any glass already currently existing on homes, vehicles, and commercial structures so that there can be upgrades to safety, solar control, and appearance.

Solar radiation coming from the sun has three distinct components. The first is light visible to the human eye. The second is infrared energy felt as heat. The third is ultraviolet rays, which aren’t visible. When solar radiation strikes any piece of glass, then window film will act a lot like sunscreen in how it blocks out harmful UV rays while also regulating the levels of light and heat passing through that glass. The amount of light and heat that gets rejected will be dependent upon the kind of window film that is selected.

Common kinds of window film – dyed or non-reflective films which will mostly absorb solar energy, metalized or reflective films which absorb and reflect solar energy, and ceramic/nanofilms that use high-technology compounds in order to offer high performance.

MAINTENANCE AND CARE

Once window film gets installed, it’s not uncommon to notice some slight haziness and even some small water pockets. That’s a routine occurrence when ‘curing’, or the adhesive bonding process, is taking place. Based on what kind of film there is, as well as what weather conditions there are, it might take as many as 30 days for a film to get totally cured. The curing process happens slowly since the remainder of the water that’s used for installation has to evaporate right through the film. Heavy-security and sputtered films will take longer to dry than anything else, and then even longer for the hazy appearance to fade away if it happened.

Once a film is dry as well as cured, then it’s safe for that film to get cleaned. The best cleaners are simple solutions for water with a small amount of soap. Clean a window before drying with a squeegee using overlapping strokes going the same way that you’d clean the outsides of the windows of your car. You might also clean the actual film surface using a regular-strength glass cleaner. Products that have ammonia aren’t going to damage the film if they’re used in reasonable quantities, and also if the film isn’t left to soak. Don’t use abrasive cleaners, any industrial-strength glass cleaners, or any various other window-cleaning tools which might scratch up the window film. Remember, the film surface is coated with something scratch-resistant, but not scratch proof.

Call us today or contact us now for more information on window tint safety and finding the right window film for you!

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