It's been many years since I last shopped for glass tinting and this is a bit different than auto, so I'm looking for suggestions. Problem: I have an under the counter "wine cellar" that has a clear glass door. I would like to reduce the infrared and solar gain through the double glass, making it more efficient and better preserving the beverages. (There are a few months in winter where it picks up some direct sun through the kitchen sink window for about an hour each day.) Predominant appliance colors in the kitchen are black and brushed nickel/stainless/chrome, with the wine cellar itself being stainless/chrome in appearance. It's not a large energy user, but reducing window heat gain would still be worth something. I would prefer not to make the entire glass opaque. I could see doing this in two zones though--perhaps an opaque border/margin with 80% tint for the remainder. Should the tint be on the outside glass? Or the inside for this application? Is there tint specifically for this kind of application?
There are window films you can get fairly cheap, in different tints and levels. Personally I like the look of a clear wine cooler. If the winter sun is causing heat gain, maybe just stick the solar film on for the 2-3 months you need it
Here, is where I have to disagree. This is what I tint my wine cooler with: . . . . sorry, I couldn't resist .
Drink enough of the contents of the wine cooler you wont give a rats if the sun hits the door or not. I'd fix a curtain to the door that can be opened or removed when there is no direct sun on the cooler. Once the sun hits the glass the damage is done.
This is true. We had a large garden style window in our kitchen where we used to live, and the sun streaming in was horrendous. I got the largest roll of mirrored tint available that blocked 95% infrared, etc. and there was still quite a bit of heat. In addition to the curtain blocking the heat, light can also damage the wine itself, so blocking the sun light from reaching the bottles altogether is a great idea. :rockon:
Not really, it is cumulative. That's why good beer is typically in amber bottles. It greatly reduces the amount of light that will reach the beer during typical shelf life. In the wavelengths that matter clear (flint) glass has about 75% transmittance, green about 15%, and amber several times less. If you keep most of the light from penetrating the glass in the first place you should be in good shape. Much of the beer/wine you buy is exposed to a substantial amount of light anyway, just by being on the shelf and transported home. Stuff going into the wine cellar is for consumption, it's not staying there for a year.
I was referring to the additional heat load on the wine cooler rather than harm to the wine. Stable temperatures are important in wine storage.
There is a control circuit for that so the cycling will be more frequent but within the same approximate temperature range (roughly a degree F.) If one runs the room 10 degrees hotter (Summer vs. Winter) there is also more frequent cycling because of greater heat gain. The wines, etc. in this little refrigeration unit aren't there for long term storage (collection.)
