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Homeowner Forum / Construction / December 2005New windows LowEargon test
Is there any way to determine with new windows installed if they are in fact Low E with Argon. I have heard of using a cigarette lighter to test for Low E coating but im not sure how, or how to determine if Argon is present. The thermal panes look cheap with a rivet shot into the frame inbetween the 2 panes of glass, so im suspicous of their being sealed, Its a no name brand. > Is there any way to determine with new windows installed if they are in > fact Low E with Argon. I have heard of using a cigarette lighter to test > for Low E coating but im not sure how, or how to determine if Argon is > present. The thermal panes look cheap with a rivet shot into the frame > inbetween the 2 panes of glass, so im suspicous of their being sealed, > Its a no name brand. The Low E windows I've seen usually have a purplish tint when viewed from certain angles. You could use an infrared thermometer and compare two windows, one being known as either Low E or not Low E. http://tinyurl.com/9843b Is it possible that the rivet is actually a port that was sealed after the argon was introduced? I'm not really up on the manufacturing process, so I really can't say. Can't see any other reason to put in a rivet. R I have a cheap IR thermometer, A differential can be taken but its only a guess. Without knowing if argon is present performance is just not the same. I could remove one and send it to a lab, thats my only thought for a verified independant test of LowE Argon. I would think there is something simpler, since Argon is different than air, something like an IR test or photo may show. >I have a cheap IR thermometer, A differential can be taken but its only >a guess. Without knowing if argon is present performance is just not the >same. I could remove one and send it to a lab, thats my only thought for >a verified independant test of LowE Argon. I would think there is >something simpler, since Argon is different than air, something like an >IR test or photo may show. I always thought a low E window reflected IR back into the house while a regular window allowed IR to pass through. So I devised a simple test. I took a TV remote control and a digital camera. Pointed the remote at a window and pressed a button. Then tried to see the reflection of the remote LED in the window with the display of the digital camera. I figured that a regular window would show little reflection of the IR remote while the low E window would show a stronger reflection in the viewfinder... End result, I could see no difference between the low E and regular windows in my house... So either my low E windows arent, or my test is flawed. I suspect my test is somehow flawed. I recall a similar test they did on This Old House where they used an actual IR camera and you could plainly see heat reflections of people in the low E window and not in the regular window. dickm For an IR remote control test at 700mn wavelenght is a filter used in IR fim photography, Digital are sensitive to this but a block filter is used by manufacturers, Some are more responsive than others, Sony with Nightshot is very sensitive at 700 nm , there P&S also but not as much. Heat starts to register at 2000nm to 5000nm so you need special thermal imaging set ups. CCD for cameras just dont go that high, but yes Thermal imaging is best unfortunatly they start at apx 3500$ US > Its a no name brand. All exterior windows are currently required by code to be identified by manufacturer, performance characteristics (wind loads test to) and the inspection agency. They are also required to show conformance to the code for windows, AAMA/NWWDA 101/I.S.2. Don't know of any method to test an installed window for argon. In a laboratory we could make a comparison using an infra-red heat lamp and bulb thermometer perhaps. |
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