Question about window tinting

[Super_Dave]

My factory windows are dark but not reflective. My uneducated thought is that the dark actually creates more heat. Would a reflective window tint film be an improvement?

[dedmiston]

I've been following this thread since it started a week ago, and I honestly thought that some of the responses were April 1 goofs.

Lots of thoughts, opinions, and even some vitriol (I just deleted a badly condescending one).

I have my own opinion on this topic (like the fact that all my windows have blinds and it's legal for me to drive with the blinds down, so what does that say about tinting in a trailer?).

Notwithstanding my own thoughts on the topic, I think the meaningful discussions are long over and what's left is chest-beating. Time to close it.

[mr_andyj]

Again... Tinted windows WILL keep it cooler!
Tinted windows will keep it cooler inside.
Glass does not reflect the sun rays as a painted vehicle would, light goes straight through glass, so forget all you know about sun and heating up painted surfaces, we are talking about glass.
Absolutely tinted windows will keep it cooler. This is not a topic that should even be debated other than drunks at a bar.
If you have never had tinted windows, maybe do not comment. If you have then you know absolutely that tinted windows do keep it cooler.
Wow, just wow on some comments...
Also, we are talking about single pane windows, not double pane. That is going to involve two panes of glass and the temps in between the glass, completely different.

[Super_Dave]

Gdetrailer, my 5th wheel windows now have a factory bronze tint to them which made me think that they were actually absorbing more heat. I'm definitely trying to find a way to minimize heat gain in the trailer.

[Super_Dave]

ford truck guy wrote:
I do not know a WHOLE LOT about tinting, but I did stay at a motel 6 last night...

anyway,

While at the tint place talking, they had a revolving wheel with the different types and styles on it.. There was a bright light bulb behind, you would rotate the wheel to show the effectiveness of each tint..

The ONLY ones that kept the heat close to minimum was the new NANO based Polymer products....

The 1 advantage of going with the tint is the UV.. the grade they chose is 99% UV protectant.

While they were doing the windows, I was inside standing between the 2 windows, 1 done, and 1 not done... The glass was cooler to the touch on the tinted... Just not sure what that would result to in the big scheme of things... Their primary reason for tinting was privacy...

Joe

Thanks Joe. Personally, I would be just as happy to have all the blinds and drapes down but my wife would just come right behind me and open them all back up again. I would also consider adding more awnings over the windows but just too darn windy every day in the afternoons where we camp.

[ford_truck_guy]

I do not know a WHOLE LOT about tinting, but I did stay at a motel 6 last night...

anyway,

While at the tint place talking, they had a revolving wheel with the different types and styles on it.. There was a bright light bulb behind, you would rotate the wheel to show the effectiveness of each tint..

The ONLY ones that kept the heat close to minimum was the new NANO based Polymer products....

The 1 advantage of going with the tint is the UV.. the grade they chose is 99% UV protectant.

While they were doing the windows, I was inside standing between the 2 windows, 1 done, and 1 not done... The glass was cooler to the touch on the tinted... Just not sure what that would result to in the big scheme of things... Their primary reason for tinting was privacy...

Joe

[Gdetrailer]

ford truck guy wrote:
my daughter had her trailer windows down yesterday... They are coming back next Saturday to do the door and 2 bedroom windows - The place that did hers does NOT offer reflective..

Looks nice, but with that much glass and that dark of tint, without a reflective property I suspect they will find it gets a bit hotter near the windows.

Here is a pix of my trailer..


Click For Full-Size Image.

The door window is non tinted obscurity glass, there is a curtain in the inside which has a white backing.

The picture window beside the door came tinted a dark brownish color (its from the 1980s when brown colors were the rage) IN THE GLASS.

I can assure you that the darker windows in my trailer create hot spots around the window..

Never noticed it with the previous trailer I had which had non tinted windows.

We finally broke down this year and have added "thermal/blackout" curtains to see if we can curb some of the radiated heat gain.. These curtains have a heavy white backing that in theory should reflect some of the heat instead of absorbing heat. That big picture window we have was a nice thought but we found that it often gets too hot to sit there and look out the window when camping in 95F+ temps.

[ford_truck_guy]

my daughter had her trailer windows down yesterday... They are coming back next Saturday to do the door and 2 bedroom windows - The place that did hers does NOT offer reflective..

[Gdetrailer]

wa8yxm wrote:
Super Dave. did you read my post about turning into the setting sun.

I've had sunlight reflect off vehicles and cause me to have to use skills to see. I'm generally aware of my surrounds so it did not cause a problem but it could have.. Like in the Sunset story above... I was aware so prepared.. Wife was not.. I kind of feel sorry for other drivers who were not.

That is no worse than the folks who have super high gloss buffed and shined paint on their vehicle and you get major glare reflected back at you..

Have been blinded many times over the yrs from folks that spend 90% of their life polishing their vehicles..

Are you gonna outlaw high gloss paint jobs and waxes?

Even plain car window glass when the sun is in the wrong place can blind you, are you gonna outlaw glossy glass?

Glare IS a fact of life if you are going to be driving, if glare is that bad, step on the brakes and backoff the behind of the driver in front of you and the glare will be reduced or at least moved away from your line of sight.

There is zero laws about reflective tints, just DARK "limo black" and those laws do not apply for windows behind the driver seat nor do they apply to trailers of any type.

[Gdetrailer]

Super_Dave wrote:
Surprised that there hasn’t been anyone with actual experience on the subject.

Are you wanting to tint your 5th wheel windows?

or your truck windows?

As far as actual "experience" on one of my older trucks I had limo tint put on the back window to reduce the light from the folks driving with high beams or badly misadjusted lights..

Never got pulled over, never got a ticket, the dark tint DID seem to make the back seat a bit warmer though.. The dark tint unless it is reflective AND on the outside traps heat in the window and tint, will get pretty darn hot to touch.

As far as darker windows on my trailer, my current trailer came with a dark tint in the glass and comparing to the trailer I had before which the windows were clear and no tint, I noticed that in the summer heat a higher temperature around the windows and the A/C does seem to work harder in 95F+ temps with the dark glass.

Seems like the darker windows absorb and re radiate the heat adsorbed into the interior.. It is one of the reasons that tinting double pane windows on the inside glass is not recommended.

Not sure what you are trying to accomplish, keep heat out or make it darker.. If you are trying to keep the heat out, the darker you go without reflecting the heat may make things worse, it may end up counter productive..

On edit..

Tinting on outside of window

"Q: What happens if you tint the outside of house windows?


A: While most film is made for the inside of windows, there is exterior window film as well. Exterior window film, for the most part, looks and feels the same as interior window film. It is applied the exact same way (with a soap and water solution), although the windows may require a little extra cleaning because they are on the outside.

These (exterior) films usually have little better solar specs than interior. Because light and heat hit the exterior surface first, less is absorbed by the glass itself. They help the windows withstand wind, rain, and other factors that it will be exposed to."

The above echos what I have noticed..

Perhaps that will explain it a bit better than I can..

[mr_andyj]

Dark tint does not create more heat. It will keep the inside much cooler, and that makes less heat.
Clear glass does not reflect much light at all.
White paint reflects a lot of light, stays cool. Black paint absorbs light, gets hot.
Black tint does not absorb more light than a clear glass. Clear glass lets almost every bit of light/heat through.
In my state the dark tint law refers to windows that roll down, not fixed windows.
I have never heard about the mirror tint. I would ignore that CHPS comment and if you want mirror then put on mirror.
Trailers can be tinted as dark as you want. Limos' rear windows can also be tinted dark, just not the drivers and front passengers windows. There is a reason the term "limo tint" is tossed around a lot.... Limos have dark, legal tent.

[Super_Dave]

As far as I know, chrome tanker trucks aren’t outlawed nor is the sun. FWIW, I want to just do the sides of the trailer because it is the largest surface area that the sun hits in the campground.

[Bumpyroad]

a friend at work brought his van in from New Jersey and he had the reflective mirror coating on windows behind b pillar. the MD DOT rejected it so he got some white paint and painted over the windows and then it passed the test.
bumpy

[justlou]

If your RV has dual pane windows you should not use film with higher than 50% heat absorption rate.

[JaxDad]

Not that it may ever come up but window tint is an ‘equipment regulation’ and is not covered by reciprocity.

A friend found this out when he was parked in a plaza parking lot and a local LEO stopped by (looking for a different, stolen) Class C similar to his.

The law was explained to him and he was given only a warning, but was also told the next time might be different.