topic Re: Blocking the west sun in Home

Blocking the west sun

pommom — Fri, 25 Mar 2016 13:52:45 GMT

I live in Texas. I recently moved and have a big bay window in the front room. The window faces west. I bought blocker curtains which really were not effective. Then I bought panels of blockers and placed them behind the curtains. The glaring heat of the sun still seeps through somehow. I keep the curtains closed in the afternoon.

Tuesday I had to put the a/c on around 4 pm and when I went to bed at 10, the thermostat still read 80 degrees.

I'm at my wits' end. What else could I use to block the heat? Mylar is not an option. I've watched videos and it looks very complicated.

TIA for your ideas/suggestions.

Re: Blocking the west sun

Lacey1 — Fri, 25 Mar 2016 14:01:13 GMT

@pommom

Good luck with the sun! My sister lives in Phoenix, she used to drive into the sun every morning and evening. Even super duper sunglasses didn't help and she develped premature cataracts. She finally took a work from home job.

Could you try some sort of plant in front of the window, shutters?

Re: Blocking the west sun

Meowingkitty — Fri, 25 Mar 2016 14:00:41 GMT

I live in Arizona and our house faces west. We don't have curtains or shades but we have shutters for the inside and we have shade screens on the outside. We have one room upstairs that gets warm but ceiling fans help. The living room also faces west but we don't stay in there very often and there is a big tree outside to help with the heat. Our a/c has been going on for the past few weeks. Just the price you pay for not living in the snow.

Re: Blocking the west sun

millieshops — Fri, 25 Mar 2016 14:07:14 GMT

No real help from here. I have a wall of windows facing west in my Long Island, NY apartment. I keep my blinds closed from noon to sunset which helps with the glare but not so much with the heat. Then again, our terrible heat days are limited compared to those in Texas. I do remember my Denton, Texas aunt saying they turned their A/C on in April and off for Thanksgiving!

Re: Blocking the west sun

Mary in MO — Fri, 25 Mar 2016 14:15:38 GMT

pommom, you can have your windows professionally tinted (like they do for car windows). Have a pro come to your home to suggest solutions and prices. It is well worth the investment, and it will save on your utility bills and your furniture. They sell "window film" in big box stores, but it is actually only a temporary solution, and not the best.

Re: Blocking the west sun

Nightowlz — Fri, 25 Mar 2016 14:29:51 GMT

DH took our screens off our windows & made shade screens for all our south windows. Since we have bought dual pane windows which really helps keep the heat/cold out so we don't need them. I would suggest either buy shade screen & make shade screens for the outside of your windows. Only thing is it's harder to see thru plus when you look thru the windows that have them it looks like it's fixing to rain but it's not. You could also buy roller shade screens you install inside or outside like the pics below. Ours looked like the one below the guy is putting on the window. I would go for the indoor shade you can pull up & down as needed so you are not stuck with it on the window all the time like our outdoor shade screens were. I would not recommend the solar window film. We tried that. One of our south windows cracked after it got really hot after we installed it.

Re: Blocking the west sun

Mominohio — Fri, 25 Mar 2016 14:32:29 GMT

@Mary in MO wrote:
pommom, you can have your windows professionally tinted (like they do for car windows). Have a pro come to your home to suggest solutions and prices. It is well worth the investment, and it will save on your utility bills and your furniture. They sell "window film" in big box stores, but it is actually only a temporary solution, and not the best.

This would have been my suggestion, as well. I think that the intense sun and heat some of you deal with in climates different than those of us up north, require a real solution, for both the heat aspect, and the way the sun will ruin furniture and fabric in it's path.

It may be expensive, but in the long run will save so much.

Re: Blocking the west sun

ChynnaBlue — Fri, 25 Mar 2016 14:44:17 GMT

@Mary in MO wrote:
pommom, you can have your windows professionally tinted (like they do for car windows). Have a pro come to your home to suggest solutions and prices. It is well worth the investment, and it will save on your utility bills and your furniture. They sell "window film" in big box stores, but it is actually only a temporary solution, and not the best.

Yes, I recommend the same thing. Every window in my office is tinted. My old car did not have tinted windows and my new car does - it makes a BIG difference. The money you spend will be made up in utility bills in no time.

You could also put up blinds AND curtains. Neither option may be aesthetically pleasing, but I think the tint would be the better option.

And if your window is getting so much sun that your AC can't keep up, you may want to look into solar panels. It's an investment, for sure, but they pay for themselves over time. I have several friends who've had solar panels installed and they've mostly been very happy with the results. (The one who isn't had a terrible experience and it took nearly a year to get the panels installed and running and a lot of back and forth hassle. She bought hers through a program run by Home Depot, so I wouldn't recommend them.)

Re: Blocking the west sun

151949 — Fri, 25 Mar 2016 14:47:05 GMT

We have this exact problem with bay windows facing west in our camp. It was so hot there by evening it was unbearable to eat in there. We would keep the night shades down 24/7 but it wasn't enough so my DH bought some of those cardboard things you unfold and put in your car windshield to keep the car cool. We cut them to fit the window and put some velcro dots on the window frame to hold them in place - then after they were up we closed the night shades again so we did not see them from inside. sadly, you can see them from outside but that is just unfortunate - we aren't removing them - they work perfectly. The inside of the camper is much more comfortable. We can now sit right in front of those bay windows. Because they are only held in by velcro - we are able to remove them any time it may be cool out or if we want to open the window in the mornings.

Re: Blocking the west sun

Nightowlz — Fri, 25 Mar 2016 14:57:41 GMT

@151949 wrote:
We have this exact problem with bay windows facing west in our camp. It was so hot there by evening it was unbearable to eat in there. We would keep the night shades down 24/7 but it wasn't enough so my DH bought some of those cardboard things you unfold and put in your car windshield to keep the car cool. We cut them to fit the window and put some velcro dots on the window frame to hold them in place - then after they were up we closed the night shades again so we did not see them from inside. sadly, you can see them from outside but that is just unfortunate - we aren't removing them - they work perfectly. The inside of the camper is much more comfortable. We can now sit right in front of those bay windows. Because they are only held in by velcro - we are able to remove them any time it may be cool out or if we want to open the window in the mornings.

Nothing wrong with that for your camper. I could not deal with that on the windows in my home. I'm a clean freak & that would drive me crazy.

Re: Blocking the west sun

Nightowlz — Fri, 25 Mar 2016 15:00:57 GMT

@ChynnaBlue wrote:
@Mary in MO wrote:
pommom, you can have your windows professionally tinted (like they do for car windows). Have a pro come to your home to suggest solutions and prices. It is well worth the investment, and it will save on your utility bills and your furniture. They sell "window film" in big box stores, but it is actually only a temporary solution, and not the best.
Yes, I recommend the same thing. Every window in my office is tinted. My old car did not have tinted windows and my new car does - it makes a BIG difference. The money you spend will be made up in utility bills in no time.

You could also put up blinds AND curtains. Neither option may be aesthetically pleasing, but I think the tint would be the better option.

And if your window is getting so much sun that your AC can't keep up, you may want to look into solar panels. It's an investment, for sure, but they pay for themselves over time. I have several friends who've had solar panels installed and they've mostly been very happy with the results. (The one who isn't had a terrible experience and it took nearly a year to get the panels installed and running and a lot of back and forth hassle. She bought hers through a program run by Home Depot, so I wouldn't recommend them.)

I never thought about the professional window tinting like your car. The other solar stick on temporary stuff is ******. I would still rather have something I could pull up & down so I could still see out the windows. Tinted them like car window tint will block your view somewhat. The months of the year when you don't have that hot beaming sun I would want to be able to see out my windows clearly.

Re: Blocking the west sun

Kachina624 — Fri, 25 Mar 2016 15:21:50 GMT

The sun is much more intense here in Albuquerque than in anywhere in Texas due to our altitude. I couldn't even go in my bedroom, which faces SW, on the coldest winter day. I put tinted film on the windows myself and the difference was like night and day. It doesn't impede your viewing of the outside at all and has the advantage of people not being able to see in. I forget it's there. It was very easy to apply. I don't think any of this product blocks views. You can also get clear, tinted film in roll-out blinds.

Re: Blocking the west sun

pommom — Fri, 25 Mar 2016 18:47:55 GMT

Wow! So many great suggestions! Thank you all so much. This is the first home I've had a home with windows facing west. I have always made it a point to check the placement of windows in my home because of this Texas heat and have had east-facing windows. I love this new home, though, so will do my homework and start to work in making this situation better.

Again, thanks, all!

Re: Blocking the west sun

Another new name Sue — Sat, 26 Mar 2016 01:37:21 GMT

You probably need a multi-pronged approach: everything you can do on the inside as well as drop-down shades on the outside. Have you considered planting bushes in front of the window? Maybe a landscaper could suggest something which looks ok. As you go around your area, look at what others have done.

Re: Blocking the west sun

flickerbulb — Sat, 26 Mar 2016 02:30:05 GMT

I had all of my home windows tinted professionally when I built my house. It was 3 M tint and is still going strong.

I also had my screens re-screened with dark sun blocking screen. It is especially good for my screened in front foyer which faces west. The sun was so strong, it was miserable before I re-screened.

My front windows and blinds are thermal lined. After all of that, I recently replaced my a/c unit. Now I am as cool as a cucumber!

Your air should not be struggling to cool off to 80. I would have it checked out.

Re: Blocking the west sun

Desertdi — Sat, 26 Mar 2016 03:38:24 GMT

I am west-facing in Phoenix. Finally had to go to plantation shutters. I have tall trees shading the roof which helps, too. Lucky for me, I can take the heat much better than cold.

Re: Blocking the west sun

151949 — Sat, 26 Mar 2016 03:47:42 GMT

When we built our huse, since this is a villa (new term for duplex) we were very careful to be certain we were in the villa on the east side and would get the morning sun and not the hot, intense afternoon Florida sun on our windows. For the bedroom windows which face south we have shutters so when we get up in the mornings and I make the bed I flip the slats to up and no sun can get through them.

Re: Blocking the west sun

Lucky Charm — Sun, 27 Mar 2016 02:45:02 GMT

We own several homes and there are many ways to beat the hot sun.

Think seriously about planting a tree, consider it a 'gift' to your new home.

Our cottage is single story, so a lilac bushes give us complete shade on both the east and west side of our front porch.

One house, the afternoon shade from a neighbors wall of bamboo gives us an unbelievable amount of afternoon shade.

We also have awnings that help with afternoon sun, they can be expensive, but they are so pretty and a necessity.

Inside, the plantation shutters really do help more than those cheapie plastic ones. Most importantly is to turn them up and not down to keep the room darker from sunlight. Most people think blinds should only be turned down, actually it's better to turn them up. You can tell how much it makes the room darker by doing so.

Never leave windows open in the direct sunlight. That hot air will come right in. We have breezes off the bay and the ocean, but timing and lighting is everything to catch those breezes.

We also have

Re: Blocking the west sun

ID2 — Sun, 27 Mar 2016 10:39:15 GMT

Get a nice awning installed over that front window! They help immensely!

Re: Blocking the west sun

Tigriss — Sun, 27 Mar 2016 13:14:08 GMT

You can get solar curtians like these to reflect the heat and sun, or put tin foil to cover your windows (not a likely solution for your situation), or get them tinted which is the best option but can be expensive.

The curtains below are $5.98 each for a variety of sizes.

http://www.harrietcarter.com/household-problem-solvers/solar-curtain/

I have the same issue with my bedroom and livingroom. I have blackout curtains up, but the south Georgia heat is horrible. I put up some RV bubble insulation.

I already had it and don't care what the few neighbors think. I live out in the county so there isn't anyone to pass judgement on it. It really, really works!