Prugar Consulting, Inc. » Unusual http://prugarinc.com Prugar Consulting, Inc. Fri, 18 May 2012 12:36:36 +0000 en hourly 1 Beware of Damaging Window Reflection http://prugarinc.com/unusual/beware-of-damaging-window-reflection/ http://prugarinc.com/unusual/beware-of-damaging-window-reflection/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:36:37 +0000 Jerry Prugar http://prugarinc.com/?p=521 Read More →]]> A Prius Owner in Southern California claims that the plastic components of her car are being melted by the reflected beam of light from her neighbor’s windows.  See the article at the website for the CBS Los Angeles affiliate.

Does this sound ludicrous?  I assure you that it is not far fetched.  We have seen vinyl siding melted on a few dwellings by the heat generated from a window reflection.  That is, the neighbor’s window acted, basically, like a magnifying glass.

The first time we encountered this we were skeptical.  But measurement of the temperature of the siding on a cold January day (20 degrees Fahrenheit) showed that the siding was being heated to temperatures over 300 degrees.  The pattern of melted siding was arc-shaped, similar to the path of the mid-day sun.  See Figure WR-1 and WR-2.

As Ripley says, “Believe it, or not.”

window reflects on siding

WR-1 Reflected sun magnified on siding.

 

siding melted by sun reflection

WR-2 Siding exhibits deformation from repeated excessive heat of reflected sun.

 

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