Can film help? 114F parked smoke glass... options?

[CamperDan]

2 weeks ago moved in to my van, Florida, summer, trying to save money. Omg Ford Transit factory privacy glass is cooking me alive. Almost ready to paint over glass. Ac units (45.000btu) full blast 97F inside. Desperate I covered the dark glass on the outside with cardboard to stop sun reaching the dark glass. Once those dark windows heat up it’s dangerous to stay inside. No issues with clear glass. Would ceramic tint reduce the heat inside? Or after 30 min the heat will get past the film? I thought HOUSE FILM might reflect the heat away, but reflect through factory privacy glass??? Can tint solve my issues?

 

[Bham]

5 hours ago, CamperDan said:

Once those dark windows heat up it’s dangerous to stay inside. No issues with clear glass.

 

This doesn't make any sense.  I'm not the smartest of the bunch but I feel confident in saying that you are confused somewhere in this scenario.  I have never heard of shaded windows, either factory glass or aftermarket tint, causing the interior to be hotter.  That's like saying it is hotter in the shade than in the direct sun,, which I have also never heard of.  

 

The vehicle sitting stagnant in the sun is going to bake itself no matter what type of film you have on the glass.  Yes, ceramic film would most definitely help you feel cooler and help the A/C work better for you to feel cooler.  But everything else in the vehicle is still going to get hot unless it is cooled down by an exterior source.  

 

Question, is the 144F aluminum ??  This may sound like a dumb question, but I firmly believe that if that Ford is aluminum and not metal, then it will conduct heat twice as fast and twice as far through the vehicle as opposed to a different make. 

 

One option is to run a sprinkler over the vehicle for a few minutes before you enter so that it will be easier for the A/C to catch up faster.  Other than putting it under an awning that's the best option you have.  

 

You can't stop the sun !!!!   

[Dano]

If the van is parked the heat will have a not have a chance to dissipate off the glass or the van body. Tint will hold the heat on the glass and but without motion it will eventually transfer to the interior (thermal bridge).

 

You would be better off wrapping the outside glass with aluminum foil or foiled bubble wrap(home depot) to stop the sun altogether. That's one of many reasons older trailer parks look so sketchy. Skirting around the bottom would help keep the ground cooler underneath. I would try to find some shade to park under as well or just head to a cooler climate if possible. Florida sun is no joke. 

[CamperDan]

1 hour ago, Dano said:

quote...... “without motion it will eventually transfer to the interior (thermal bridge).”

That’s what I was afraid of. The dark factory glass absorbs huge amount of heat like a solar battery. Transfers heat to the metal frame around the glass too. 

 

Quote

1 hour ago, Dano said:

You would be better off wrapping the outside glass with aluminum foil or foiled bubble wrap(home depot) to stop the sun altogether.

I attached cardboard over the outside glass which stopped the heat, fixed the issue, looks terrible. I can perforate wrap the glass I guess like  transportation bus advertisements .

 

i was wondering IF highly reflective HOUSE TINT would be able to reflect heat back through dark glass.  I tried shiny aluminum foil inside and insulated behind the foil inside can’t see out of the windows now. It seem to increase the temperature of the outside window hoping some of that heat would come off but same temperature inside. It’s a little better driving but still super hot. 

 

My last option is to put a wall up inside covering windows with 4” insulation and forget the windows.

 

 I was hoping there would be some magical window film that can redirect most of the heat back through the dark glass?

 

 

[CamperDan]

Or film that can slow the heat transfer (thermal bridge) slow enough where my ac can keep it cool?  Is window film worth the effort if I’m not going to be moving? It’s amazing the white exterior paint deflects so much heat.  But the frame around the window 1 ft around super hot.

 

I’m guessing my best option would be to try and get maybe a 40% reflective ceramic. Legal reflectivity 25% I think i can use more reflective tint as dark glass cuts down on  reflection?

Edited September 9, 2022 by CamperDan

[Dano]

The white perf vinyl is likely your best solution for your situation. Sorry there is no magic wand, everything is a trade off.

[CamperDan]

3 hours ago, Bham said:

....either factory glass or aftermarket tint, causing the interior to be hotter.

Factory smoke glass making it hotter in direct sunlight. Only the dark smoke glass is hot.

 

3 hours ago, Bham said:

But everything else in the vehicle is still going to get hot unless it is cooled down by an exterior source.

 

 

Everything else does get warm for sure. The factory dark glass in back about 60+ sq ft of dark glass in the van. Walls 6 ft tall, glass 2+ ft tall full wrap-a-round glass. Glass is the problem. I covered the glass outside with cardboard and temp dropped -6F after glass cooled down.

 

3 hours ago, Bham said:

 

Question, is the 144F aluminum ??  This may sound like a dumb question, but I firmly believe that if that Ford is aluminum and not metal, then it will conduct heat twice as fast and twice as far through the vehicle as opposed to a different make. 

 

One option is to run a sprinkler over the vehicle for a few minutes before you enter so that it will be easier for the A/C to catch up faster.  Other than putting it under an awning that's the best option you have.  

 

You can't stop the sun !!!!   

 

I thought about an awning. It would need to drop down not to interfere with other parked vehicles in parking spots more like pull down window shades. I’m considering installing pull down shades to rest against the glass. Trying to be discrete stealthy camper.

 

roof is steel not aluminum but I covered glass inside with shiny aluminum trying to reflect heat back through the glass, didn’t really help aluminum gets hot like you said transfers heat inside anyway. The insulation backing the aluminum helps a bit. Nothing I did though made much difference. As you said the metal conducts heat from the edges of the hot glass then heats the metal frame around the window like another inside heater. The outer white paint does a good insulating job reducing heat from walls and roof.

Edited September 9, 2022 by CamperDan

[CamperDan]

33 minutes ago, Dano said:

The white perf vinyl is likely your best solution for your situation. Sorry there is no magic wand, everything is a trade off.

 

Would shiny tint help or no difference behind dark smoke glass?

[Bham]

Not going to continue to argue this point but,,,, Clear glass radiates more heat than a tinted glass.  The exterior of the glass might be hotter with a tinted glass due to the properties and affects of how tint works (absorption and reflection).  The interior side of any tinted glass will be cooler than a clear piece of glass.  This is simple physics and complicated thermal dynamics but sorry,,, you are wrong on that point.  

Edited September 9, 2022 by Bham

[CamperDan]

36 minutes ago, Bham said:

Not going to continue to argue this point but,,,, Clear glass radiates more heat than a tinted glass.  The exterior of the glass might be hotter with a tinted glass due to the properties and affects of how tint works (absorption and reflection).  The interior side of any tinted glass will be cooler than a clear piece of glass.  This is simple physics and complicated thermal dynamics but sorry,,, you are wrong on that point.  

 

You are correct, no disagreement. I was saying the dark glass was hot to the touch, clear glass wasn’t hot to the touch. Yes the heat passes straight through clear glass and dark glass absorbs a lot of the heat and light. My point (i might be in panic from the high heat posting responses not detailed enough, AFTER I placed shiny aluminum foil inside behind clear glass and did the same behind dark glass the clear glass didn’t get hot, the shiny foil successfully reflected the heat through the glass, it was cool to the touch. So with clear glass I could tint shiny or place reflective barrier and it’s not a problem pushing the light back out. I haven’t been able to do that so far with dark factory glass, the glass gets hotter, the inside stays hot, the shiny aluminum gets hot. I understand the heat comes in to both clear and dark glass, with clear glass that heat goes mostly unaffected through until it hits a solid surface inside where it will absorb that light. Totally agree with you. Just so much easier to reflect light back out clear glass. The clear glass wasn’t a problem, I can reflect the heat back out the clear glass doesn’t stop the reflected heat from leaving.

 

Edited September 9, 2022 by CamperDan