SKOOLIE - insulated windows?

[BusyBus]

Hello, all!

We'd like to keep as many of our windows as possible while maintaining good insulation on our bus. Any ideas on how best to do this? (Reframing the windows and replacing the glass, insulating existing windows? Good sources for insulated auto glass?)

Thank you!

[gmarvel]

I wanted to keep our school bus windows. Crowns have single pane safety glass. We plan on using 3M Black Limo tinting film on the passenger windows. It blocks 99.97% of the UV rays and 60%+ of the heat/cold transfer from the outside. We will then use 3M clear tinting on the windshield to also cut the UV rays and thermal transfer. Clearly this arrangement will not be as good as double paned insulated windows. But, it is the tradeoff for keeping the classic look.

[gmarvel]

Marketing hype!!! I fell for it. Where could we do double or triple paned windows that would fit in a Crown? If you know a source I would love to hear about it. I suspect the cost will be high. I already replaced a bunch of the passenger windows that were either scratched or delaminating and permanently foggy. I got them for free from a school district that was crushing their old Crowns. I took all the perfect ones they had. So, I haven't spent that much on the passenger windows yet.

[gmarvel]

Thank you. I will research.

[Locutus]

I'm also considering whether to keep the original windows in my Crown, or replace them with RV or Residential (safety glass!) windows. One thing holding me back from switching them out is the tapered profile of the sides of the bus. The width of the bus is a couple of inches narrower at the top of the windows than at the bottom. I'm wondering if this taper with have any effect on RV or residential window's ability to prevent water infiltration, especially since there is no eve over them like a house would have. Any thoughts on this? For what it's worth, the original windows leak, but I may be able to mitigate that with new rubber and strategically placed caulk.

[Locutus]

Nat,
Is automotive safety glass (non windshield) and residential tempered glass the same thing, or is there a difference between the two?

[ol trunt]

There is more to know about using residential dual pane windows in a vehicle than has been mentioned here. For one thing, many residential windows are made with 3/32" glass not the 1/8" glass used in vehicles. Further, residential windows are rated for use at various elevations, sea level to 3000', 3000' to 6000' and over 6000'. The framing materials, glass and "E" coatings vary between the elevations as dictated by the "atmospheric pressures" at various elevations--none of these windows are designed for mobile use. Also, using "limo" tint on residential windows will exacerbate the problems with its use due to differential heating of the panes. RV dual glaze windows have a small air vent hole between the panes to allow for the pressure changes which can change quite rapidly during mountain travel. While these vents keep the windows from blowing out due to temp and pressure changes they do eventually lead to water vapor collecting between the panes and causing fogging.

On another topic, only tempered glass and safety glass meet DOT standards for mobile use in the good 'ol USA. In the event of injury caused by standard glass having been used in a mobile application, I'm sure that even the greenest of new lawyers could turn the person responsible for the injury into a frog.

All that being said I still chose to go with residential dual pane windows (1/8", "E" coated, 3000' to 6000' elevation, tempered and with aluminum frames for extra strength). I'll be using my bus from sea level to over 10,000' so I'll just have to see what happens--ya pays ya money an ya takes ya chances! Thank you Dr. science

[Locutus]

Thanks Trunt, that's great information. I should probably try to find a way to make the original windows more watertight before changing them out. But if I do change them it will probably be single pane RV windows, for reasons you and Nat have both mentioned.

[wmkbailey]

I'm using dual pane RV windows. I'm getting them custom made to fit where I plan to put them. They are expesive. I have two 24" x 24" @ $300.00 per window. In my living room I plan to put two 48" x 36" @ $500.00 per window. Hey it's just money, you are going to spend it on something right.