Solar Window Screens

This is what solar window screens looks like

Solar Window Screens : (Colors, options)

There are two US companies that make the fabric for us as solar window screens assemblers and manufacturers, the two companies are Twitchell Corporation and Phifer Corporation.

Our preference is the Phifer corporation, as they manufacture the Suntex fabric line which we hugely favor and endorse.  The Twitchell Corporation manufacturers a comparable product called their Textilene 80, 90 and 95.  Both the Suntex and Textilene solar window screens fabrics are a heavy duty synthetic PVC (vinyl) coated polyester.  Phifer was the inventor of this technology, they originally made this fabric for outdoor furniture use, as it is mildew, pet and fade resistant.  The Suntex fabric is VERY durable and super strong.  While my experience is limited with the Textilene product, I can't say that it's a bad product by any means, and from what I understand it's just fine, it's just that I have used the Phifer Suntex for years, and I 100% know how GREAT of a product it is.

The Phifer Suntex solar window screens product comes in a 70%, 80% and 90% shading weave.  Shading weave means the amount of shade that the fabric will provided.  While the 70% is available, we do not use it, or believe in it to be used on the Austin TX area, as either you need solar window screens or you do not, and when you do here in the Austin area, you want the protection of either the 80% or if your windows get 4-5hours of direct sun, you will want the 90%.  Maybe other parts of the country where you do no get as much sun as we do, the 70% fabric would work for you.  Here in Austin, during the Summer when it is HOT, we as home owners want all the relief we can get.  

Both the Suntex 80% and 90% come in these colors
Grey, Black, Beige, Chocolate & Stucco

Solar Window Screens : (Mounting, Installation) 

Here in Austin TX, we install our solar window screens one of three ways, we either screw the solar window screens right on to the window, or we use die cast metal mounting clips, or we spring load the screen for windows that are made to accommodate full sized screens.

When, where and why to use one technique over another.

Screwing solar window screens right on to the window -

We do this for all non-opening windows, we will screw through the solar window screens frame into the window frame going around the glass.  This allows us to pull the screen tight when we put our screws in.  You generally do not want to do this as for the fire-code to opening windows.  As a rule of thumb, if the window opens, you want to be able to remove the screen if and when necessary to escape from a fire.  Now, with vinyl windows, whether they open or not, we have to screw them on, as there is no other way to mount them to a window.  Because it is vinyl, it would be easy for someone to push out a screen form the inside screwed on / into the vinyl, as the screw will come out unlike when screwed into a metal window frame.

Solar window screens mounted with die-cast metal clips -

We use die-cast mounting clips are used on all opening windows (windows that open) that are not made to accommodate full size screens as shown below.  There are metal clips and there are plastic clips, here in Texas the sun is brutal, whereby anything but metal over time will break and become brittle.  All over town I come across plastic clips that cheap installers have used, and while they work for a few years, you can 100% count on them becoming brittle on you at some point, at least here in Austin TX that is the case.  The reason these cheap installers use the plastic clips is there is a significant cost difference and when you account for 4 clips per screen, say on a 20 solar window screens job, that's 100 clips.  For us, it doesn't matter what the cost difference is, we will only use the best and that's the metal clips.
    

Installing solar window screens into windows made to accommodate full sized screens -

Some windows are manufactured to accommodate full sized screens.  When this is the case, you can make a full sized solar window screen to fit into that window, and the screen will sit into a lip provision at the top and at the bottom of the window, whereby we will spring load the top of the screen, so the solar window screen is held into place.  See these pictures.

While I have touched on the different solar window screens installation methods and techniques that we at www.JoshHobbs.com use here in Austin TX, I highly encourage you to visit our videos page titled "How We Install Our Solar Window Screens".  This page has videos that in detail show you how we install our solar window screens on these different types of windows using these different types of installation techniques.