I read your response to the PGT issue. Don't have any answer for you but WOW seems to have done that for you. I just scratched Low-e off my list for our new house build. I could not live with that personally, best of luck.

Thank you. For your reply. I can't live with it either!

summerdonne,

As WoW said, it isn't removeable.

Any chance that you have laminated glass in your door?

Also could you post a few pictures from different angles, please?

Finally, who is the window manufacturer?

Post script: I just read the thread on the PGT issue from a few years back. The same may apply here I suspect. Tough to tell without more information though.

That looks awfully deep in purple to be a regular Low E Glazing. The purple hue I have seen is much less prevalent than that. As oberon asks is that by chance laminated? Do you have the tag with the actual glass makeup as something definitely seems off for normal insulated glass.

Link to other thread.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2634073/pgt-solarban-60-low-e-windows?n=10

We are in Northern California, have LoE 270/272 (don't recall which right now) windows and they look normal, nothing like your photo. Yikes! I hope you get this resolved soon.

summerdonne,

Try making a scratch in the glass. Pick a corner and using something very sharp like a steak knife, draw the knife tip along the glass. Don't push hard, just draw it and see what happens.

I am wondering if the windows were made with the coating exposed? If so the glass (coating actually) will scratch very easily.

Hi summerdonne. I know this is a long shot, but may I ask what ended up happening with your windows?

I’m here in SoCal, and just had a full view garage door installed with low e glass. We were told it would have a slight gray tint but after installation looks very similar to your windows with a deep purple/blue hue. Did you ever get the issue resolved? Thank you.

Estaban,

Is the glass in your door laminated?

LoE²-270/272/240 and Solarban 60 are the most common dual-silver coatings for residential applications, but there are others. All dual-silver LowE coatings that I am aware of will have a slight purple hue when viewed in the right conditions.

Enclosing that coating between the lites in laminated glass enhances the hue and results in a product with a distinct purple shade. The intensity of the shade will vary between different dual-silver coatings, as well as potentially being enhanced depending on the background and lighting.

Laminated or not, the color is a lot more noticeable when looking through the glass from light to dark, especially when viewed from an off-angle.

Less likely, but I would also consider the possibility that the coating was built exposed which could result in a more noticeable purple tint.

Hi Oberon,

Thanks for responding. Yes the glass is laminated instead of IG. The purple hue is very distinct while looking directly at the door from the outside.

It is possible they placed the coating on the outside. when I put an LED light up to the panes of laminate, you can see the purple in one of the reflections.

We have reached out to the manufacturer to see what can be done, but is definitely not what we ordered. It’s a shame because the door is beautiful otherwise.

Just trying to figure out what the best next steps are. I included a photo which shows the purple.

i am guessing that when you took the picture it was brighter outside and darker in the garage. That would really show up the purple.

The easiest way to tell if the LowE is exposed would be to use a nail (or anything sharp) and scratch it in a corner. You will be able to scrape off the LowE coating if it is exposed. However, looking at your picture I am pretty much 99% confident that you have laminated glass with a dual-silver coating inside the laminate.

The only fix is to replace the glass, the color is nature of the beast and it can't be changed.

If you were to go to the next level, triple-silver coating, then you would likely see a slight greenish tint when looking from outside in. You can search this forum for pictures of that color shift and see peoples reactions to it. With that said, 90% (+) people never notice the greenish tint, but for those that do....there is about the same reaction to the look as you feel about the purple. The green is particularly evident with a white background, but in your case, looking into an open garage, it may very well be negligible and acceptable.

Another potential possibility (which may not be an option at this point due to availability and distribution), would be to go to a quad-silver layer coating either LoE­-452 or solarban SB90. These coatings are brand new (less than a year since market introduction) and I suspect cost and availability at this point would make them a no-go. But couldn't hurt to ask.

One additional upside with LoE-452 is that is comes standard with NEAT+ easy-clean coating on the exterior side (surface 1), and in your application that would be a really nice upgrade.

I would personally never recommend a dual-silver coating inside a laminate for any residential application due to the obvious color shift, but window companies do spec them and order them from laminated manufacturers.

Thank you for the info! I will test the coating in a bit, but I’m sure you’re correct.

Is it the case they may have used the wrong type of low-e glass for the laminate application? I saw the other response stating there are different types of low-e glass for laminate and IG units.

It’s interesting, we noticed this morning (between 7-9AM) there was very minimal purple showing up as the sun was hitting the windows directly. Guessing it has to do with the sun lighting up the interior of the garage. (Coincidentally this is same the timeframe we had the garage door installed, so the purple wasn’t noticed quite as much until everything was done.) But as soon as the sun is off the windows directly, the purple becomes extremely noticeable through to the late evening.

Our house is painted green so In combination with the purple it’s quite the sight... At this point we are just hoping the windows can be replaced with just plain clear laminate or gray tinted laminate glass.

I wouldn't say that they used the wrong coating for laminated glass, but using dual-silver coating in a laminated glass application ensured that there was going to be a color shift to purple, that was inevitable.

The same LowE coatings that are used in IGU's are also used in laminated applications, but some LowE coatings, not all, will color shift when compared to IGU applications and some won't.

Single or triple silver layer coatings don't have a color shift to anything approaching what dual-silver coatings do. Some laminators (and some LowE coaters) suggest being cautious about specifying dual-silver coatings in laminated glass specifically because of the color shift. But it still comes down to what the window company specs.

There is no concern about the reliability or safety performance of the laminated glass, the only concern is that not everyone will appreciate the pretty purple tint, just as some people are not happy with the green tint of a triple layer coating whether in IGU or laminated application.

Did they show you samples up front? The color shift would have been very apparent if you had looked at samples in front of a dark background, but if you were outside on a sunny day or in a brightly lit room then it's likely you wouldn't have noticed it.

Since your home is green, seems like a triple-silver coating might fit in nicely.

Just a quick thought, what color are you seeing at night from the inside the (lighted) garage looking (dark) outside? Is it still purple or is it more of a copper or gold color?

Yes, we were unaware of any color shift.

They did not have a sample at the time, but the manufacturer (stated in writing and over the phone) there would be no difference between clear laminate and the low e option except for a slight gray tint. We read there could be a green tint which we were fine with, as you stated the house is green so it would have at least complemented it.

We will have to check tonight regarding what it looks like from the inside to a dark outside. If I recall correctly it was mostly a reflection of the interior. Could not see too well outside. We did notice the purple reflection as the sun moved up and over the house this morning As shown in this pic.

Again really appreciate your input! Wish we had this info as we were specing out the garage.

You're welcome, hopefully the garage door folks will help you out here. If they said in writing that the coating would look gray then you definitely have a legitimate follow up because that ain't gray.

I asked about the color looking out because there is one other coating that I thought about after my earlier reply. That coating appears as a strong blue color from the outside but as of a copper/gold color when looking out from inside, so I was curious if it could be that other coating.

Hi Oberon! Just wanted to get back to you, there is a slight blue/gray tint looking out from the inside. So I don’t believe it’s that other type of coating you mentioned With the copper/gold color.

Again, appreciate the insight and information. It’s been extremely helpful.

Yep, sounds like basic dual-silver.

I am curious what the garage door manufacturer says to you.

I’ll make sure to update once things settle.

Is it possible the laminated units were installed backwards? I was reading that typically dual-silver laminate has a gray/silver/blue tint on the “front” and can look red/purple on the “back” of the units. I have included a pic of what it looks like from the inside looking out.

I’m wondering if they installed them incorrectly. When we spoke to one of their employees early on, he stated there was nearly no difference between the clear laminated units and the low e. Which would make sense looking from the inside out. And if you are on the inside, you wouldn’t notice the purple reflection unless it was dark outside and really bright in the space.

Yes, there is a frontside and backside when installing LowE coatings, and installing backwards can make a huge difference, IGU or laminated.

Pictures of laminated LoE²-272 and LoE²-240 illustrating difference i backside/frontside under very specific conditions...the color shift will vary under different conditions, but thses work to illustrate.

I did not take these pictures.

Thank you, we owe you a drink/meal at some point over this!

I’m curious, which side (side 1 or side 2 in the pictures you included) would be the one typically placed on the outside of a structure?

Since they are laminated units instead of insulated, does it matter which surface the coating is on (Surface 2 vs surface 3)?

Also wondering if it is normal to have this label facing outwards on the laminated units? No worries if you don’t know:

The CCC stands for China Compulsory Certification and the number under the CCC tells who made the glass and the specific certifications the glass meets. Curious if you have a safety logo on any of the glass? Since it's laminated you don't technically need one, but an inspector would normally require a certificate stating that you have certified safety glass in the door.

Typically in residential applications the glass labels (logo's, bug, etc) are on the inside glass surface of the window, readable from the interior of the home. These may very well be installed backwards if all of your labels face outward.

On the pictures that I sent, labeled side 1 would be intended to face outward, exterior of a home. Conversely, labeled side 2 in the picture (which in glass-speak would be called laminate surface 4) would face inside the structure.

Most LowE coatings are designed to be applied to glass surface 2. Glass surface 2 is inside the laminate (or IGU) opposite side 1. Glass surface 1 and 4 are "touchable" while glass surfaces 2 and 3 are inside the laminate (or IGU) and when using any 2, 3, or 4 silver layer coating, the coating should be on surface 2. And this the same for both laminated and insulating glass (and that changes when you have a triple pane IGU or a laminated IGU, or especially a laminated-triple-pane IGU...but not going there).

And yes, coating application surface does make a difference both in performance and aesthetics, and this is a consideration in both laminated and IGU applications

Make sense?

Yes all the logos are facing outwards.

There are no tempered logos on the units as far as I can tell.

It absolutely makes sense! I wasn’t sure if it mattered for laminated units because of how close the two pieces of glass are. I know it is very important for IGU because of the gap that is present, it can mess with the refractive/reflective properties.

No need for tempered logo's, the laminated glass meets all appropriate safety requirements. I wasn't clear when I said safety logo...my bad.

Next step is to get the glass turned around and see what happens...

Hey Oberon,

I wanted to give an update. The garage door company agreed to remake the door and ensure the windows are installed properly. Should be a few more weeks till it’s done, Thankfully the installer now knows what to look for, so let’s hope the second time is a charm.

Thank you so much for all the help!

Thanks, and you're welcome, Estaban

Glad to hear that the company is making it right for you.

Let us know how it goes once it's installed.

Hi Oberon,

Hope all is well!

We finally got the new door installed. It ended up taking two months but it looks so much better:

We did confirm the manufacture installed the glass the wrong way.

Thank you again for all your help! My wife and I really appreciate it.

Really glad to hear that your door is now looking like what you originally wanted.

You're welcome!