RE: [VAL] Lexan windows

["Tom" <tmeeker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Stephanie,

I know exactly what you are talking about when you mentioned that you are
STILL finding pieces of glass inside your trailer from a previous breakage.
The same thing will happen to a car window if the glass gets punched out by
an object.  The difference though between a car window and an Airstream
tempered glass windows is that the car window has a "laminated" piece of
tinted plastic between the two layers of glass.  This plastic between the
two pieces of glass helps hold it together somewhat, not entirely but it
does a fair job.

That said, on our oldest Airstream trailer (1969 29' Int'l Ambassador) I
added window TINT to the inside of ALL the exterior windows including the
rounded front corner windows.  I will say this -- IF something were to hit
and break the window it will stay in one piece for the most part unless the
hit is very violent.  A stone will crack or shatter the tempered glass, but
it will NOT fly all over the place BECAUSE the window TINT is on the inside
of the glass, therefore it keeps any broken glass outside the trailer.  If
your windows had been tinted with a quality window TINT you wouldn't have
had the tiny pieces to pick up you are still finding.

I would think that even the windows that the older Airstreams and now even
the newer Airstreams would benefit from window TINT.  Even the off-brand
companies product should hold up to a hit -- the trade-off though when you
buy "cheap" window tint is that it turns purple with age.  I've found 3-M
products to be the absolute BEST window tint for my use.  On our old Volvo
made in 1984 we STILL have 3-M tint that looks as good today as it did 20
years ago when we had it installed.  

The newer Airstreams have tinted windows I know - our 1995 year model does -
but I'm not sure if it's the glass itself that's tinted OR if there is a
laminated tinted plastic sheet between two panes of glass.  Does anyone
know?

A hail storm took out 2 of our windows on the 1995 Airstream before we
bought if from the previous owners and those windows were replaced with
Lexan.  I still need to tint those 2 windows so they will look uniform with
the rest of the trailer.  

I would advise everyone who has no tint on older glass windows to install it
-- it's cheap insurance and you might be able to complete your trip IF the
glass held together with the plastic tint does it's job in a superior way.
I know insurance companies in the SE part of the country encourage
homeowners to have their plate glass doors and windows tinted BECAUSE in the
event of a hurricane the windows stand a better chance of protecting life
and property.

Tom
WBCCI 5303