Super Heat Stopper - ShiNy Windows //

[Groovy2]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Being in Hot Texas made me start thinking about what I could do to reduce[/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]the heat in my van - [/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The Obvious place to start is the Windshield -[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]After thinking about it for a while I decided to put aluminized Mylar [/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]sheet on the OUTSIDE of the Windshield -[/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Stopping the Heat BEFORE it gets inside the van [/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Doing this made a HUGE difference on the amount of Heat gain [/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]in the Van - NICE -[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]With Normal window reflectors the heat is rejected by the shiny aluminum surface [/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]AFTER the Heat (IR ) has already gone thru the glass and is Inside the Van Already -[/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Heating the glass and making the windshield into a Giant Solar powered 145F space heater -[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]with the Mylar on the OutSide of the glass it only heats up the glass to outside ambient temperature [/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]In my case with Normal shiny reflector Inside the the glass it would heat up to 145f +[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]with the reflector on the Outside of the glass it would heat up to 95F [/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]a whopping 50+ degree difference - NICE[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I used Mylar sheet but Reflectics or similar could also be used -[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I also covered the Roof of the van and I have not been able to collect data yet[/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]but Im pretty sure that it will have similar results -[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Next Im going to cover the UNDERSIDE of the van so it will reject Road heat -[/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]not sure how good that will work -[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I will post some pictures at some point -[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]PS -[/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]the Mylar Kills cell phone reception[/font]

 

[Gypsy Freedom]

yep, blocking the light before it gets in can make a huge difference. if you can deal with/handle to problems of having it on the outside like wind and theft it can be the way to go. i have a cloth that is cut to cover the windshield and both front side windows. it locks in good by just closing the edges in the doors. then i put the windshield wipers over it and it stays put real good. i just dont use it in parking lots or other places someone might mess with it

 

[deryk_the_gypsy]

probably could get marine grade snaps, and screw it into the frame around the window then snap the covers on the outside...bit harder for the wind to blow away.

 

[bullfrog]

If you have a roof rack why not mount a retractable awning on the front with a Mylar sheet attached and just extend it down to where you could attach it to the front of the hood?

 

[MrNoodly]

Reflective materials work best, but even light colors are better than using something on the inside of the window.

 

[Tam O'Bedlam]

If you have a roof rack why not mount a retractable awning on the front with a Mylar sheet attached and just extend it down to where you could attach it to the front of the hood?

Hmmmmm that sounds interesting, now I am going to have to ponder how to do this...the wheels in my brain get WAY more mileage than the rubber ones on my van!

 

[highdesertranger]

while there is no doubt that shiny stuff works best for reflecting UV, IR, and the whole spectrum of visible light. the problem I have with it is you can see it for miles. you can probably see it from the space station if the sun hits it just right. I don't want to stand out like that. highdesertranger

 

[B and C]

Here is a heavy duty one that has material on one side: https://www.amazon.com/Arcturus-Wea...vival+Blanket&qid=1563244022&s=gateway&sr=8-5

Wonder how good this would work with the material side out?

 

[MrNoodly]

I don't want to stand out like that.

They already know where you are. They're just waiting for the order.

 

[Groovy2]

Im using Magnets to hold mylar in place -
works Very Good -
stayed in place in 20mph gusty wind -

B&C
that tarp looks real nice should work well

 

[ovrcmr]

As long as the reflector is on the outside you can cover the reflector with cloth over the top of it to make it less noticed.   Even camouflage will work and you'll be stylish.  It reflects heat and it doesn't care what is on top of it.

 

[Aries]

Be careful of over insulating & retaining unwanted heat.  Accumulated heat needs to be released at the end of a hot day.  Another poster had to remove added insulation that ended up being overkill.  Rock on!

 

[Groovy2]

today I put a white sheet over silver mylar covering on windshield -
White sheet Fixed the - Beam Me Up Scotty - problem -

windshield is still Cool with mylar/white sheet added on top -
Amazing how much difference silver Mylar makes -

My windshield has changed from Giant Space Heater to Maybe
the Coolest part of my van - Nice -

 

[RVTravel]

What is the white sheet made of?

 

[Groovy2]

white bed sheet - cotton I think -
Im trying some different type materials over mylar -

going to make a One piece cover for easy install -
maybe sewn together

last summerI tried white bed sheet covering windshield -
white sheet did help reduce heat but not even close
to what aluminized mylar on outside glass does -

Reflectics put on Outside of windshield/glass will work Good-
easy to find / buy -- its mylar with air bubbles -
its kind of thick tho -

mylar sheet rolls/ folds up to small size -

 

[Groovy2]

purchased this Tarp that has one Aluminized side and woven fibers -
it folds /roll pretty easily -
51x82inches  - has 4 eylet holes -

Not real heavy duty but its OK -

main advantage is it is quiet in wind -   $12 

a little spendy compared to mylar sheet  

Mylar is a little noisy if flapping in wind but is quiet once trimmed to size -
-
Mylar is Very strong - hard to rip - and cheap - 100Ftx 48 " roll is $30 
almost enough to cover van completely to become Mars lander look alike -

Aluminized Tarp

 

[highdesertranger]

hahaha those stakes look like martini tooth picks.

but other than that those tarps do work good.

highdesertranger

 

[Groovy2]

the silver mylar sure works Great -

ordered 2 more of the silver tarps -
they fold up/ roll small and dont take up much space

removing the reflector from windows at night allows heat
that has built up inside van during the day to escape better
like Aries said -

the aluminized reflector can also be used to keep van Warm
in winter by reflecting heat Back into van -
keeping Heat in van is where it will be Better to have reflector
on the Inside of glass and with the silver Pointed to the Inside
of van

 

[maki2]

I took a couple of the reflective coated tarp like space blankets and sewed them together to make a larger size. Then I added some good quality grommets about 8 inches apart along the top edge and about a 18 inches apart on the lower edge. I then created some small nylon slides on cords that fit into a narrow awning track I installed. At the lower edge I use the grommets for lines to tie the tarp down. Because I did not use a continuous piece to slide into the awning track the wind that gets underneath the tarp can escape out. That makes it better in windy situations as the air can escape out all sides.

You can do an image search on "DIY awning hangers" A lot of people use metal spacer (tubes) but I used nylon spacers to make mine as my awning track is a flexible plastic version.

I am working on my build so I have had installed 24/7 in the awning track for the past 3 months. It is holding up just great, no rips, no tears and the metalized coating is also doing nicely. It appears to be a much thicker coating that is found on the thin mylar space blankets and also thicker than on the Reflectix insulation.

 

[Groovy2]

I have to say that the aluminized mylar / silver tarps
are amazing technology -

cost almost nothing and makes a Huge difference
in the temperature  inside of my van - 

Putting the mylar on the Outside of windows is
where the magic happens -

stopping the suns heat before it gets into the glass
makes all the difference in the world -

glass will only reach ambient temperature instead
of the 140+ that it gets to when Reflectors or similar
is on the Inside of the glass -

Putting the reflector on the Outside of Any Place
on your van will Reflect the InferRed heat of the sun
and the area behind the reflector will stay Cooler

the tarp listed above are pretty nice and are large
enough for One to cover the windshield on any van
with a little bit to spare -
I use strong magnets to hold in place and it works well -

I attached a white bed sheet to the front of the
mylar to stop the Beam Me Up Scotty effect using
3M Aluminum Duct Tape and it has worked Great -

this tape has SUPER strong adhesive and shows no sign
of coming apart after going threw sever rain storms and
2 ish months of use

light colors  of cloth will work so
U can have designs on sheet -
( white sheet likely be best  color tho )

Try it U will Like -