Switchable\Smart Glass

rampantbunny

Hi all -

There is a type glass that is switches from opaque to fully see-through when an electric current is passed through it. Will be building myself at some stage and like the idea of having a window in this style. Has anyone out there availed of this sort of glass in their homes?


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sinnerboy

Posters - please avoid company names in response . Or respond by pm's only

gears

Google plus 2 min. P.M. sent

rampantbunny

gears wrote: »

Google plus 2 min. P.M. sent

Thanks for the PM gears. Your googling is appreciated.

Spam like content was removed from my first post so the spirit of my query is a little of track. I wasn't really inquiring about the pricing of the technology or installation but more:

Has anyone availed of this type of glass in their homes?
Are there any pros\cons to tell of?
Anything a person should consider before ordering?

gears

On pricing, when I view this thread there are some google adds at the top and the bottom and when I had a look at them some do mention pricing.
Might be worth a look.

rampantbunny

gears wrote: »

On pricing, when I view this thread there are some google adds at the top and the bottom and when I had a look at them some do mention pricing.
Might be worth a look.

But, er, I'm not really looking for pricing gears

rampantbunny wrote: »

...I wasn't really inquiring about the pricing of the technology or installation but more:

Has anyone availed of this type of glass in their homes?
Are there any pros\cons to tell of?
Anything a person should consider before ordering?

Mike2006

Bunny....

I am going to use it on my house build.
I have a bathroom window to the front of the house which was unavoidable so I am going to have the switchable glass on a door contact so that when you lock the door, the glass will frost up and when you open it, it will be clear again.

I don't want an opaque glass window so I am going to go for this option....


Mike.

gman2k

Mike2006 wrote: »

Bunny....

I am going to use it on my house build.
I have a bathroom window to the front of the house which was unavoidable so I am going to have the switchable glass on a door contact so that when you lock the door, the glass will frost up and when you open it, it will be clear again.

I don't want an opaque glass window so I am going to go for this option....


Mike.

So Mike, tell us all - what's it like on the wallet?

Mike2006

I will be looking after the controls myslef and the install of the glass so it will come in at around €1,000.
At that price, I think its worth it as it will be a 'feature' in the house...

MIke.

rampantbunny

I like your idea Mike...nice wow factor.

It's the bathroom I want mine for.
Would like a panoramic type of window above bath so that I can survey the ranch (at rear of house) while covered in suds

From your research Mike can you tell us if you bought a complete window (and if so how did you get it to match with other windows)...or did you buy a double glazed unit for fitting into a frame, or, did you opt for a panel (think this is just a glass panel complete with lcd)?

What sort of guarantee did you get?

Mike2006

I am just buying the pane of glass and I am going to fit it 'inside' the window and put some quadrant around the edges to keep it in.

2 reasons I am doing this

1. Ease of maintenance if something goes wrong with it rather than having to take a window apart.

2. Keep the warranty with my windows. If I disassembled a window to put in a pane of non-standard glass I'm sure that there would be a warranty issue and also it would also probably affect the u-value of my window as well...

Mike.

rampantbunny

Its a good idea to go with the panel separate from the window, something I didn't think of tbh.
When you do get around to installing Mike can you organise a few pics? Can you also PM me your dealer if possible?

coastcooler

really interested in yer posts guys, seen as ye have posted in 2009 really interested know how it went. i have a 6ft wide window to back of house thinking putting this in + also not sure hight of wondow but jus wondering is it worth getting it. thanks guys awaiting yer feedback gud or bad ;-)

rampantbunny

coastcooler wrote: »

really interested in yer posts guys, seen as ye have posted in 2009 really interested know how it went. i have a 6ft wide window to back of house thinking putting this in + also not sure hight of wondow but jus wondering is it worth getting it. thanks guys awaiting yer feedback gud or bad ;-)

Hi coastcooler. My build plans were put on hold way way back, but I'm starting up again and went to tender stage just today.
I've re-read the thread...now wondering if Mikes approach introduced a risk of condensation in the extra pane he added.
In any case I still like his idea and have indicated on my plans that I need power to the window location just in case I find out how to do this.

Have you Pm'd Mike2006?

coastcooler

Hi rampantbunny, I haven't pm mike2006, will do though ;-) dying to hear how it all went and possible pics would be good too..thanks

water-man

Do any of you guys have an update on this? I would be interested in something like this myself for a bathroom window.

PM me any details please.

Regards,
WM

rampantbunny

water-man wrote: »

Do any of you guys have an update on this? I would be interested in something like this myself for a bathroom window.

PM me any details please.

Regards,
WM

Nothing from me WM.

water-man

I did a quick bit of goggling and contacted a company.

They gave me a price of between Eur1050 and Eur1200 per m^2. This included packaging, delivery and electrics.

There must be cheaper alternatives....

WM

rampantbunny

You had more success than I did. I emailed an Irish company but no response. Probably too small fry for them.