Windows with suspension film to improve R-value
Last Post 09 May 2023 01:02 PM by pusherwr. 4 Replies.
Printer Friendly
Sort:
PrevPrev NextNext
You are not authorized to post a reply.
Author Messages
voldieUser is Offline
New Member
New Member
Send Private Message
Posts:8

--
22 Feb 2021 06:34 PM
Hi Folks, Anyone has experience with suspension film windows? An example below. These claim to have really high R-values approaching wall R-Values. I heard there have been problems reported with similar technologies. Any experiences to share? Are folks using these in the houses they are building? https://www.litezone.ca/superior-film-suspension.html
voldieUser is Offline
New Member
New Member
Send Private Message
Posts:8

--
22 Feb 2021 06:36 PM
I reached out to the folks over at lite glass and asked them about reported prior concerns with this technology. Below was their response ### Yes, there have been failures in past suspended film IGU engineering. Not only in the film sagging or releasing but also seals breaking. Heat Mirror IGUs, for example, physically laminated their films in place between the spacers and offered no ability for the film to move when subject to heating and cooling cycles within the insulating glass unit. The film eventually weakened and failed (sagged, stretched or pulled away from the spacer assembly) Think of bending a piece of metal back and forth until it fails. The film would stretch and relax many thousands of cycles and eventually would not return to it’s original stretched shape. Visionwall IGUs had a spring mechanism design (film held in suspension using a tensioned springs) This made sense, mechanically speaking, but their downfall was they made their spacer assembly from metal. Metal has a different expansion co-efficient than glass so the frames were simply tearing themselves apart. Springs released causing film sagging, IGU seals broke and the unit integrity failed. Consider the following for our LiteZone insulating glass unit: The stress due to differential expansion of materials with changing temperature loads on our IGU has been eliminated. (Fiberglass and glass have almost exactly the same expansion co-efficient) The structural connection of glass to spacer is 3 times larger than what a typical IGU with a ½”spacer has. (Or two spacers for triple pane.) The connection of the glass lite to the fiberglass spacer is extremely strong but is also very flexible to accommodate any momentary stresses from 100+ mile per hour wind gusts. (ASTM tested and certified) The edge stress that conventional IGUs experience due to expanding air/argon with changing internal temperatures has been eliminated because LiteZone® is air filled and pressure equalized. Also, no escaping argon gas to reduce performance over time like triple pane units. The stainless steel foil that wraps the edge of LiteZone® is impermeable to water vapour. This we have proven by the water submersion test that you can see here. This foil is bonded across the face of the fiberglass spacer. Immediately under the foil is 5 mm of fiberglass, which has a low water vapour transmission rate. Even if somehow a tiny tear in the foil should occur, the exposed surface area of the fiberglass that water vapour could migrate through would be so small that the life of the unit would not be materially affected. ####
voldieUser is Offline
New Member
New Member
Send Private Message
Posts:8

--
22 Feb 2021 06:41 PM
How do you format text on this? It seems to be removing all my newline characters.
briancornwellUser is Offline
New Member
New Member
Send Private Message
Posts:5
Avatar

--
17 Apr 2023 08:42 PM
Not to toot our own horn, but Alpen High Performance Products manfs windows with suspended film. They've mastered it over time. It's been used to reglaze the Empire State Building for instance (Alpen) and has a long, long history. It's in Antarctica too; literally all over the world. Many manfs gave up on suspended films over the years, or didn't simply understand how to build them correctly, but there are a very few left who figured out the quirks. Honestly, it's a wonderful product that yes, actually works and is reliable. These days, ThinGlass is replacing suspended film units, but suspended film still serves a wonderful purpose and does deliver exceptional thermal performance.

My 2 cents.
High performance building + modern architecture. Passive House construction.

Marketer @ Alpen High Performance Products https://thinkalpen.com
Founder @ Materials Museum https:/materials.museum
Founder @ Materials Magazine https://materialsmagazine.com

Built my first Passive house in my early 30's in Boulder, CO. Lots of insulation, air sealing, and job site fun.
pusherwrUser is Offline
New Member
New Member
Send Private Message
Posts:7
Avatar

--
09 May 2023 01:02 PM
Not to toot our own horn, but Alpen High Performance Products manfs windows with suspended film.
<a href="https://www.camisetasstore.com/">comprar camisetas de futbol baratas</a>
You are not authorized to post a reply.

Active Forums 4.1
Membership Membership: Latest New User Latest: hudson2000 New Today New Today: 0 New Yesterday New Yesterday: 2 User Count Overall: 34707
People Online People Online: Visitors Visitors: 191 Members Members: 2 Total Total: 193
Copyright 2011 by BuildCentral, Inc.   Terms Of Use  Privacy Statement