[Greenbuilding] low e detector

[Stephen Collette]

John and all,

I've used the $75 CM1030 unit on the website you listed. They use them  
up here for Energy Star for New Home certification to make sure the  
windows have the low E. Basically doing the same that you are doing  
with it. They work pretty well, for telling on a double pane only  
which side the of either glass the low e coating is located, so if  
they put the window in backwards (apparently happens on occasion when  
building sliding doors) you can tell. Or as you mentioned, just plain  
missing. It's just three lights and the various combinations tell you  
what layer (1,2,3,4) the coating is on. I would assume, it would work  
for the aftermarket layer, but we only played with them on a new  
construction with new windows. It's a neat low tech looking gadget.

Stephen

Stephen Collette BBEC, LEED AP
Principal
Your Healthy House - Indoor Environmental Testing & Building Consulting
www.yourhealthyhouse.ca
stephen at yourhealthyhouse.ca
705.652.5159

>
> Message: 4
> Date: Mon, 7 Jan 2008 12:09:25 -0800 (PST)
> From: John Porterfield <john_m_porterfield at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] Greenbuilding Digest, Vol 19, Issue 15
> To: greenbuilding at listserv.repp.org
> Message-ID: <713242.98160.qm at web55514.mail.re4.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>
> Re: salvaging insulated glass units
>
> There is a non-destructive tester for lo-E coating > http://www.solarstop.net/edtm/1_LowE_Detection.htm
>
> developed from research at Lawrence Berkeley Lab
>
> We've had interesting results using this instrument:
> in most cases windows that were purchased as lo-E test as lo-E,in  
> some cases newly built housing that theoretically must have lo-E  
> coating to comply w/ code did not,in some cases clients who told us  
> they had lo-E did not, in some cases clients who told us they did  
> not have lo-E did,in one case windows specified to NOT have lo-E ,  
> south windows of a passive solar house (that has indoor insulating  
> shutters), where the architect-builder supervised work on a daily  
> basis, had lo-Ein some cases one sash of a double-hung window had lo- 
> E while the other sash did not (!)
> Two models of tester are available, though we did not feel confident  
> using the 4600 model that also determines range of  SHGF  of the  
> glass.
> My understanding of the use of the AE1600:
> If a reflective coating is present (three lights are displayed by  
> instrument) it is not possible to determine whether glass has an  
> internal lo-E coating.  I'm unclear (npi) whether instrument returns  
> a reliable result for lo-E on an interior third glass pane.  Nor am  
> I clear whether this type of instrument will test pyrolytic lo-E  
> glass or an "aftermarket" film, normally applied to increase  
> reflectivity, that is rated to provide some lo-E  
> performance.Experience of others using the  Etekt AE1600 or AE4600   
> will be appreciated!
> John Porterfield
> john at energy detectives dot c
>