[memason]

Should we be looking into tinting the windows in our home, before the summer sun gets here? Our lanai faces southwest, so we do get the late afternoon sun, through the sliders.

So, to tint or not to tint, that is the question . . .

[starflyte1]

The front of our home faces west, so tinting really helps. And, the tint we chose is a privacy tint. We can see out, but no one can see into the home.

[LI SNOWBIRD]

Originally Posted by memason

Should we be looking into tinting the windows in our home, before the summer sun gets here? Our lanai faces southwest, so we do get the late afternoon sun, through the sliders.

So, to tint or not to tint, that is the question . . .

Get the tint. we got all our windows tinted for privacy as well as keeping out the heat and the harmful effects of the UV rays on the interior,

[missypie]

Does the tint eventually bubble? Can you still clean the windows with windex? Does it scratch?

[Tbugs]

The privacy tint is wonderful. Highly recommend for both the heat and privacy.

One of our considerations on buying a house was to have the Florida room (glass enclosed) facing East, so we would not have the hot afternoon sun.

Planning ahead is a good thing.

[mulligan]

memason-you might want to check out any window warranty implications before you tint. I believe someone on this forum found out that the tint reflects heat and damages the seals between panes, and voids the warranty on that problem.

[784caroline]

Low E Glass windows is the best solution for a glass enclosed lanai (especially if it faces west). The Low e protection comes with an automatic tint thats built into the window and when we enclosed our lanai our contractor offered different degrees of tint.

If you are talking about windows already installed that do not have the Low E feature, tint would be an option. Another option would be to get tinted windows that also have a "shatter protection" feature built into the tint covering. This feature would be good during a hurricane and also as a theft prevention feature.

[tom60]

I would defenitely get the windows tinted. As far as i can tell my tint is blocking out at least half of the heat that would otherwise come in. Reason i can tell is my neighbors lawn crew broke out a small window with a flying stone while weedeating. The tint kept the glass from flying all over. I had the window fixed but never got it retinted yet. Thats how i can feel the difference between tint and no tint. Big difference. Also check on the darkness of the tint because my installer told us that if you have thermopane windows you should only go with a certain ammount of darkness in the tint. Reason being the darker the tint the more heat gets reflected back into the glass and if you have thermopane windows like i do the heat build up between the panes can be too much and cause a crack in the glass.They have different shades of tint and our installer said she gave us the shade that would be safe from doing damage to the windows. Plus we have the privacy. When you look at our windows during the daytime it looks like your looking in a mirror. You cant see in. At nite you have to keep the windows covered because you can see in if you get up close to the window. Hope some of this info helps you. Tom

[TrudyM]

A previous neighbor had tinted windows (why they think they need them in rainy Seattle I can't understand). They woud walk around in their underwear thinking no one could see in, I don't think they realized that when the lights are on inside the mirror effect wasn't providing any privacy.

[K9-Lovers]

Our air conditioning went out in the heat of last summer, and that is when we discovered how much heat was coming through the glass.

We recommend Saul at IES, 352-245-0833, although I've heard good things about Underglass also.

IES Website: http://www.ieswindowfilms.com/#/ocal...indow-tinting/