All you ever seem to hear about now days is Serious Serious Serious.

And some of their performance numbers are doggone good.

Hence, in all seriousness (no pun intended,) why doesn't every major manufacturer use suspended film???

Heat Mirror or Suspended Film is the same product. It is manufactured by Southwall Technologies. There are multiple window manufacturers that offer Heat Mirror/Suspended Film IGs. Serious Windows is not the only company that offers IGs with two or three Heat Mirror films. The reason why most manufacturers don't offer Heat Mirror/Suspended Film is that it is more expensive than a triple pane IG and has a lower life expectancy. When comparing IGs you need to look at the U Value. You can get the same energy performance with a 1 3/8", triple pane IG, filled with Argon gas that you can with a 1" double pane IG with argon and a Heat Mirror film. If you want increased thermal performance you can go to the Quad Glass (two heat mirror films) but your U value will only increase by .04 and you will almost double your cost while sacrificing visual light transmission and SHGC.

the window and door industy tryed heat mirror 15 to 20 years ago and it was a real problem the failer rate was high and costs outwayed the benifits it seemed like a great product on the surface but really heart some great companys.

Serious VP of Policy (Seriously? a company needs a VP of policy? LOL) Robin Roy is married to an Obama energy dept czar and stimlus czar Cathy Zoi, hence they got pimped out by Obama and Biden which sure helps exposure. She is now part of a green energy fund started by George Soros I think.

With the advances in glass technology today, heat mirror days are numbered.  Mark my word, you will be able to get better performance with triple glass for a lower cost and a much better warranty. It will only be used when weight becomes an obstacle in larger units...

I agree.  And weight should only be a problem with windows that operate with a crank such as casements, hoppers, and awning windows.  With stronger operating mechanisms, weight should not be a problem.  And by using unsealed sheets of glass under compression there will be no worry about glass seals breaking or the window fogging.

The problem is the weight when you are installing them.
Standing on scaffolding and lifting 400 lb window assemblys gets a bit dangerous. Makes you want to own a lift.
cheers,
Eric

Eric,

I was using lightweight sign cranes in the 1970's.  Now a high lift can be rented from almost any rental company in town.  A high lift with a worker platform with safety rails is the way to go.  No more rickety scaffolds for me.  I worked off of scaffolds three stories high without guard rails when I was in my mid twenties and although I was immortal at that age I was still afraid. 

Take a look at the PPG website. There are some fantastic low ecoating if you are willing to pay for them. Then tell your window company what YOU want.

I love how everyone here is a honk the products they more than likely sell.

Michaeld, I do not sell anything and in most cases I donate my time to interesting alternative construction projects. I, too, am tired of the relentless pushing of products. My advice to people that do not buy an ad: do not count on free advertising.

Inline Fiberglass now offer all of their windows with the latest glass technologies and best spacers. Performance numbers are equivalent and/or better versus other windows using heat mirror technology. However, the SHGC and VT numbers are vastly better. I cannot discuss warranty but could only assume it would be better and the costs should be significantly more affordable

Alton, I've been lurking/a member here for over a year. I really appreciate your posts. There are a lot of people here who take a lot of time to help poor undereducated loafers like me, smile, so thumbs up to you all.
A lad down the street just put 400lb windows into his barn with a block and tackle. Ah. necessity.
Those inline windows look pretty snazzy. Maybe they should buy an ad.

Suspended film is great technology but plagued by a poor reputation. Google Southwall and you will see all you need to see as to why people have moved away from it in large part.

to address several points in this string
durability-as with any product, the early version of Heat Mirror ca 1980's was a thinner film and non UV stabilized- Hence the "bad reputation"
since that time Southwall uses a 33% thicker UV stabilized film. fully tested in the Arizona Desert.
Like many other advances in the standard IG industry, Heat Mirror Units utilizes a Dual Seal System. Heat Mirror IG units have passed, as many as 2 cycles of long term durability weathering test cycles.
With respect to design flexibility i.e. solar tuning, and visible transmission and insulation, Heat Mirror is a powerful tool.
Our focus at southwall has been two fold
1. Extract costs by developing a fully aoutomated HM IG process-DONE
2. inform the architectural community about the industry shift from coatings to multiple cavities.-in process

finally- my question is the same, "Why doesn't everyone use suspended film technology?"

see the following link to the Empire State Building Project www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100304005953/en/Southwall-Provide-Key-Technology-Super-Insulating-Windows

Many are not aware but Southwall pioneered the first Lowe installation in the worls along with the first spectrally selective coating.

Can the issue of breaking-seals be resolved by having no seals? I googled Alton's phrase "unsealed sheets of glass under compression" but found only this webpage. Alton (or others), what do you mean? Thanks

Unsealed glass essentially has no real R-value.

"Why doesn't everyone use suspended film technology?"
I've replaced Hurd windows that have failed and more recently have replaced new Serious/Alpen windows which failed after one year, and where we can see failure coming in other windows.
So why not use suspended film technology? For one thing is it's way too much work! (reinstalling new windows over & over)