Planitherm A Glass Double Glazing - Blue Haze

M271

Last month I had new double glazed window and doors fitted to my house. The glass used was Planitherm A (according to label on glazing units).
All the info on the Planitherm site says how clear the glass is and the coatings do not show quote from website 'maximises the amount of natural light into the home, without the haze or tint effects associated with some older double glazed windows', but my windows have a definate blue haze to them so much so that I questioned the fitting company if they had fitted the correct glass i.e. not tinted conservatory glass.
Has anyone else had Planatherm A windows fitted and do they notice a blue haze?

M271

Sun was shining through windows today and had visitors around for lunch. I purposely didn't draw their attention to the windows but without prompting said 'nice windows, when are you going to clean them', I had only just cleaned them before their arrival so I wasn't best pleased. But with the sun shining through they were very bluey hazey smokey looking.
Interesting looking from outside in there is a more browny hue.

leveller2911

All glass units that have been treated with Low E coatings have a haze. I tend to use Pilkingtons so have a read of the link below.Planitherm etc will be the same, its to do with the coating not being as clear as the glass itself and when the sunlight comes from an oblique angle you get a haze..

2. Why have I got a haze/milky appearance on my windows?



Haze is an optical phenomenon which makes the glass look like it is covered in a very fine, uniform, layer of dust when viewed from an oblique angle or viewed under strong light incident on the glass at an oblique angle.

Pilkington K Glass™ can, under certain lighting conditions, display this phenomenon to a limited extent.

The reason for this is that the Pilkington K Glass™ coating is not as smooth as the glass surface. While this is not obvious to the eye when examining the glass, some people who regularly handle Pilkington K Glass™ can tell which side the coating is on by the feel of it.

The optical effect of the slightly rougher surface is to scatter a small proportion of the light incident on it (in exactly the same way as a thin layer of dust would, which is why it looks similar). With Pilkington K Glass™, the amount of scattered light is generally less than half of one percent of the light coming through the window, so under most viewing conditions it is not obvious. However, when incident sunlight is at an oblique angle and the view through the glass is of a shaded area, then the scattered light can become more visible, giving rise to the appearance of haze.

Quote:"Most coated glasses are susceptible to the phenomenon of haze, to a greater or lesser extent. The amount of haze on Pilkington K Glass™ is limited as far as practicable, and is generally better controlled than on its direct competitors in the field of low emissivity coatings".






http://www.pilkington.com/EUROPE/uk+and+ireland/english/building+products/forhouseholders/frequently+asked+questions/windows+technical.htm

M271

Thanks Leveller for the feedback.

I understand that the coating may be perceptable but I never expected such an obvious haze/smokeyness, especially as the Planitherm blurb says 'maximises the amount of natural light into the home, without the haze or tint effects associated with some older double glazed windows'

I don't believe that I am being over sensitive about this, it is VERY obvious in direct sun and noticeably bluey when not in sun, it looks like the dirty film inside of a car windscreen that builds uo over the months if not cleaned. However it is probably as it is supposed to be but I find it hard to believe that the internet forums are not full of adverse comments about these coatings on low e glass.

docmatt

Planitherm is much clearer than Pilks, get them to change the unit, it shouldn't be obvious like that, have they fitted active blue self clean by mistake? You should be able to scratch the blue on the outside if it is act blue.

M271

docmatt wrote: »

Planitherm is much clearer than Pilks, get them to change the unit, it shouldn't be obvious like that, have they fitted active blue self clean by mistake? You should be able to scratch the blue on the outside if it is act blue.

Thanks for your comments/advice. I will ask my fitting company to check what spec of glass they ordered from their supplier.
The haze does seem worse on my toughened glass is this also a factor.

cajef

I have Planitherm glass fitted in our conservatory windows and doors and there is no noticeable haze in sunlight or other light.

M271

cajef wrote: »

I have Planitherm glass fitted in our conservatory windows and doors and there is no noticeable haze in sunlight or other light.

How long ago was it fitted?

Was it standard glass units or A rated, self clean or solar control? I presume that it was toughened as it was in a conservatory.

cajef

The conservatory was built two years ago and TBH I cannot recall the ratings etc., the doors are toughened glass, I remember the stickers on the glass stating the way the units should be fitted, the company that constructed the conservatory stated they preferred Planitherm as in their opinion it was clearer than Pilkington.

M271

cajef wrote: »

The conservatory was built two years two years ago and TBH I cannot recall the ratings etc., the doors are toughened glass, I remember the stickers on the glass stating the way the units should be fitted, the company that constructed the conservatory stated they preferred Planitherm as in their opinion it was clearer than Pilkington

I was also under the impression that Planitherm was clearer than Pilks which is why I am so suspicious about the blue haze effect which I am experiencing.

alibaba72

Hi
I have had new double glazed units installed 1 month ago and I am glad I have found this thread. My kitchen window has the obvious blue haze when the sun is shining directly in. I thought it was only this window affected but have since realised that they are all affected. The bathroom is the worst due to the patterned glass where you can see definate outlines in blue and I have noticed a mark on the inner side of the glass. I have only just got onto the company and awaiting a response. They don't mention what type of glass is used. I can honestly say I really don't like the haze as the windows look so dirty