Author Topic: Mylar Window Treatment to Beat the Heat?  (Read 32166 times)

catccc

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Mylar Window Treatment to Beat the Heat?
« on: June 01, 2015, 10:54:43 AM »
I am reading about using mylar emergency blankets in windows to keep the summer sun out of my kids' room.  Their room gets the hottest, their window A/C unit always is first to get installed and gets the most use throughout the summer.

I have considered getting thermal window panels/curatins, but I don't want to also have to buy and install rods to hang them from.  We rent, so I am basically looking for a quick and inexpensive fix.

The windows have plastic mini blinds on them, I plan on just taping the blankets over these, so they are solid when viewed from the room (as opposed to placing them in the space between the window and the blinds.)  I guess because I am assuming it will look like junk from the outside if they are right up against the window, and also because it will allow us to still move the blinds up and down.  I'll have to rig something up so that the mylar can be folded up if we do that, I guess.

Mylar emergency blankets are quick and cheap.  Amazon reviews on this specific use look promising.  Curious if anyone here has tried it?  Or otherwise have any thoughts on my plans?

Jack

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Re: Mylar Window Treatment to Beat the Heat?
« Reply #1 on: June 01, 2015, 11:42:07 AM »
The most efficient way to do it would be to tape the mylar (or plain old aluminum foil?) to the outside of the window. Of course, then your windows will look metallic when viewed from the street...

catccc

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Re: Mylar Window Treatment to Beat the Heat?
« Reply #2 on: June 01, 2015, 01:13:38 PM »
The most efficient way to do it would be to tape the mylar (or plain old aluminum foil?) to the outside of the window. Of course, then your windows will look metallic when viewed from the street...
Thanks. I thought of that, but had a couple of issues with it:  one, it will look horrid.  I'm not one to care much about the appearance or curb appeal of our home (I could let the grass go to seed if the township would let me...), but this one is past my threshold.  And two, this mylar isn't the sturdiest- I don't think it would last long with outdoor use.

I think mylar and foil behave differently- mylar being more reflective than foil, and foil being a better conductor of heat than mylar.  So for my purposes I think mylar wins out?  (I googled this and got a bunch of marijuana related articles.  Has to do with growing, I'm guessing?  Outside of my skillset...)

sunshine

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Re: Mylar Window Treatment to Beat the Heat?
« Reply #3 on: June 01, 2015, 02:31:04 PM »
http://www.cabelas.com/product/The-Original-Space-Brands-All-Weather-Blanket/713345.uts

We used these to make clip on covers when we had a pop out camper. They are durable. I now use them to cover the coolers.  I think you could easily make a durable curtain with these. I bought a roll of this http://www.amazon.com/Reflectix-BP48010-48-Inch-10-Feet-Insulation/dp/B000BPAULS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433190527&sr=8-1&keywords=reflectix.  and double sided Velcro to make covers for our current campers Windows.

waffle

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Re: Mylar Window Treatment to Beat the Heat?
« Reply #4 on: June 01, 2015, 03:33:59 PM »
The mylar will easily beat most curtains for beating the heat, but if you want to get the most out of them then you should put them on the outside or at least over the window itself and not on the mini blinds.
Also while it is a lot more expensive compared to the blankets your basic thermal curtains and basic curtain rod at walmart should be less than $20 for the set.

tonysemail

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Re: Mylar Window Treatment to Beat the Heat?
« Reply #5 on: June 01, 2015, 11:14:28 PM »
Have you looked at window tinting?  It works great in my home.

http://m.homedepot.com/p/Gila-3-ft-x-15-ft-Titanium-Heat-Control-Window-Film-HRT361/100616385

catccc

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Re: Mylar Window Treatment to Beat the Heat?
« Reply #6 on: June 02, 2015, 08:58:55 AM »
Thanks for the thoughts, everyone!  I will have to consider putting the mylar directly on interior window glass.  I am worried about how hideous it will look from the street, but I probably shouldn't care.  If DH is okay with it, I could probably be convinced.  Also, if I put it right on the glass, it will still be easy to open/shut the windows.

I might leave an un-mylared strip of window at kid-level so it's not so isolating.  Not that they look out onto the street much, but just in case they want to peek outside.

catccc

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Re: Mylar Window Treatment to Beat the Heat?
« Reply #7 on: June 02, 2015, 09:24:18 AM »
Oh, geez, I just read an amazon review from someone that put the mylar over the blinds, and it got so hot on the blinds side of the mylar that the blinds melted.  (temp was at least 140 degrees- that's as high as the reviewer's thermometer would read.)  So it's going straight on the glass!

Jack

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Re: Mylar Window Treatment to Beat the Heat?
« Reply #8 on: June 02, 2015, 11:56:29 AM »
I still think you're better off attaching the mylar to the outside of the glass rather than the inside, especially if you have double-pane windows. I realize you have concerns about durability, but isn't it worth testing?

HipGnosis

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Re: Mylar Window Treatment to Beat the Heat?
« Reply #9 on: June 02, 2015, 12:03:19 PM »
Oh, geez, I just read an amazon review from someone that put the mylar over the blinds, and it got so hot on the blinds side of the mylar that the blinds melted.  (temp was at least 140 degrees- that's as high as the reviewer's thermometer would read.)  So it's going straight on the glass!
Solid proof that the stuff works!!

catccc

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Re: Mylar Window Treatment to Beat the Heat?
« Reply #10 on: June 02, 2015, 12:29:05 PM »
I still think you're better off attaching the mylar to the outside of the glass rather than the inside, especially if you have double-pane windows. I realize you have concerns about durability, but isn't it worth testing?

Well, I'm getting a 10 pack, so it may be worth trying.  ($5 4-pack was an add on item.  Since i didn't need anything else I went for the $6 10-pack that shipped w/ free prime alone.)  There are screens on the windows, so there is a small level of protection against the elements.  It will be a bit of a hassle to clean the exterior side of the window to adhere the mylar to it.

Is it really going to be a far superior set up with the mylar on the other side of the glass?

I was also considering putting the mylar on cardboard so I could easily remove and store the mylar after the summer.  And maybe to remove it on a cooler day temporarily.  It felt blazing hot on Sunday, and yesterday the rain came and cooled everything down... 

Miss Tash

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Re: Mylar Window Treatment to Beat the Heat?
« Reply #11 on: June 02, 2015, 01:06:09 PM »
One thing to think about with reflective treatments is what the energy from the sun is really doing.  The radiation enters through the glass, some portion is absorbed by the glass and turned into heat, it reflects off the foil or mylar then returns through the window.  Both passes through the window glass turn some radiation into heat and the mylar or foil (they are the same thing) also loses some energy into the room.  If you have a double pane window the temperature differential between the inner and outer panes will cause them to expand different amounts and crack the seal between them.  There's a reason the professional companies always put the tinting treatment on the outside pane; to reject the heat before it gets to the glass.  Good luck.  If it were me I'd put up white curtain liners or make frames with solar shade material.

Tenlha

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Re: Mylar Window Treatment to Beat the Heat?
« Reply #12 on: June 14, 2015, 07:29:41 PM »
Just stapled up some mylar blankets on two south-facing windows. Will do some west windows after we see how it holds up for a few days.

Cat did you try the cardboard idea, and if so, how did it work out? How would you fasten it to the window? I don't think my staple gun will hold staples big enough for that.

catccc

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Re: Mylar Window Treatment to Beat the Heat?
« Reply #13 on: October 06, 2015, 09:00:23 AM »
So, the summer is over.  I just wanted to update everyone.  I just used scotch tape to affix the mylar over the individual panes, inside the room. (am I using the right term?  there's just two per window, they slide up and down to open).

It really helped a lot, I think.  I don't have hard numbers as evidence or anything, but it was just much darker and cooler in the room all summer long.  I would definitely do it again.  I didn't really get to the cardboard because I was anxious to get the stuff in the windows, and finding and cutting cardboard was just another step.  The mylar came down quite easily and is sitting in the hallway, waiting to be folded up for next summer.  I do think a kid took off with one of them to play, and then DH trashed it.  Oh, and I used one of them to wrap a birthday gift for a kid's party over the weekend.  Oh well.  I only used 1 or 2 sheets, and that was out of ten, so it's not a big deal.

Maybe next year I will try to put it on the outside.  It was just so much easier to just tape it onto the inside.