Solar/UV window film... need advice

[fiskrond]

Stone build terraced house, 4 windows and door facing South West, direct onto pavement.

House get's ridiculously warm in summer... I have a portable aircon unit which keeps bedroom cool, but is expensive and noisy. Would like to prevent heat build-up in the first place.

Ideally external shuttering would be best, but not suitable in my area (not civilised)... no forecourt and thus highly prone vandalism..

Any suggestions/knowledge/recommendations on internal UV film?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

What sort of portable 'aircon unit'?

If it is one of those wet evaporation types, then they are a waste of money. They do cool the air, but massively increase the humidity, net result is a worse atmosphere. Vertical blinds will help a little.

 

[Careful_Bodger]

I investigated and installed some solar film a few years ago.

The fridge-freezer and SWMBO's Chenin Blanc fridge in the utility room were working overtime with late afternoon solar loading. Anyhooo, I ended up rejecting using internal film as there was anecdotal evidence on the interweb of thermal stresses in the glass (i.e. double-glazed units in uPVC frames) causing issues. So - using the logic that the heat was best kept outside - I installed external solar film and it has been great TBH.

What I used was the mirrored stuff from this lot https://www.omegawindowfilms.co.uk/, so may not be appropriate for a public-facing window (...or then again!). From a security perspective the mirrored stuff has touch wood quite a deterrent effect, as you cannot see who might be looking out.

If you do install a film, then take your time. Cleanliness is paramount. Any grime on the glass, the frame, or anything the back of the film touches gets very easily trapped behind the film and the end result can look really sh1te. To clean the glass I used one of those Stanley type blade scrapers, which also gets off any paint spots including the ones you cant see. So mind your fingers! A very sharp blade, a good edge, and a steady hand is also needed for final cutting to size before a final squeegee.

HTH!

 

[fiskrond]

What sort of portable 'aircon unit'?

If it is one of those wet evaporation types, then they are a waste of money. They do cool the air, but massively increase the humidity, net result is a worse atmosphere. Vertical blinds will help a little.

Is a proper one... vented through window (gap sealed) with one of those hoses like on a tumble-dryer, water draining from hose into an external container.

If I didn't have a stone build house I would have a proper wall-mounted unit installed...

 

[fiskrond]

I investigated and installed some solar film a few years ago.

The fridge-freezer and SWMBO's Chenin Blanc fridge in the utility room were working overtime with late afternoon solar loading. Anyhooo, I ended up rejecting using internal film as there was anecdotal evidence on the interweb of thermal stresses in the glass (i.e. double-glazed units in uPVC frames) causing issues. So - using the logic that the heat was best kept outside - I installed external solar film and it has been great TBH.

What I used was the mirrored stuff from this lot https://www.omegawindowfilms.co.uk/, so may not be appropriate for a public-facing window (...or then again!). From a security perspective the mirrored stuff has touch wood quite a deterrent effect, as you cannot see who might be looking out.

If you do install a film, then take your time. Cleanliness is paramount. Any grime on the glass, the frame, or anything the back of the film touches gets very easily trapped behind the film and the end result can look really sh1te. To clean the glass I used one of those Stanley type blade scrapers, which also gets off any paint spots including the ones you cant see. So mind your fingers! A very sharp blade, a good edge, and a steady hand is also needed for final cutting to size before a final squeegee.

HTH!

Thermal stress issues are under consideration...
Don't really want to go for mirror finish.. but if push comes to shove, my comfort overides what the neighbours think.. (I've got foil taped to interior at present so they already think that I'm upto no-good ie drugs. The fact that if I was doing something like that I would be trying to draw as little attention to my house as possible has not crossed their mind.. average IQ in South Wales valleys not very high.. :-/
Haven't ruled out external application.. actually, external application makes more sense as theoretically prevents heat build-up in the glazing cavity as heat bounced off before even hitting the glass... am still researching on this..
Am awaiting samples of internally applied Climate30/50/70 from https://www.windowfilm.co.uk