It is the first time we have run a contest for a specific individual product, so we were not going to use a product that we ourselves did not personally use and believe in.
Now, I receive emails from time to time from visitors to our site asking me a few questions so here for everyone are the questions and my answers regarding the EZ Snap exterior window shades:
1. Do we leave them on the outside of the windows all year?
Yes we do. This is in part (confession time here) because I can be a bit on the lazy side. However, the primary reason was so I can see what would happen if they are left on the windows all year round.
So, now I can tell you that I don’t notice any damage at all to the EZ Snap product having left it on our windows during the entire winter season.
As well, I am glad we left them on all year because with the sun lower in the horizon during the winter the direct UV rays were even more direct on the south walls of our home. Yet, it was rare that we had to pull down our interior window shades because of these exterior solar blind type of product.
2. Are they easy to take off and put back on again?
Surprisingly easy.
As you may know this year we had cracks in the seals of two of our ENEGY STAR rated replacement windows, one of which was a large 4 foot by 3 and 1/2 foot stationary window in the south wall of our family room. Well, in order for the window to be replaced I had to take off the EZ Snap exterior window shade off from the outside.
As you can see in the above pictures, it was very easy.
I was prepared with flat edge screw drivers and the like, but quite honestly I didn’t even need them. AS you can see in these series of pictures, the hardware which adhere to our metal window caps (via the 3M adhesive used in the anchoring hardware) remains in place, while the female and mail components stay together within the EZ Snap solar blind itself.
I simply un-snapped the top part of the 8 foot wide mesh from the anchoring hardware first.
Then I removed the remaining part of the EZ Snap exterior window blind from the window frame. And, yes, all of the anchoring hardware remained on the window frame.
Very easy. It took all of 5 minutes.
3. Do They Really Work?
Absolutely for us they did.
What we wrote about last year on how the EZ Snap exterior window shades reduced by 15 degrees F the temperature reading on the digital thermometer which we placed before and after the installation on our above south facing family room window really happened.
To enter the contest for your chance to win one of three EZ Snap exterior window shade gift certificates, simply use this link to the contest rules and entry form. Return back every day between now and May 31st as we accept one entry per household every day in May.
Or, if you don’t want to wait to order your EZ Snap products, simply click on the EZ Snap link below.
8 responses so far ↓
1 tina miller // May 15, 2009 at 4:30 pm
I am actually buying the 3m version and just the start kit to try it out. This is for my 5th Wheel back window. I was going to try day/night shades but very expensive. And we are not at our place all the time where 5th is located and the day/night say store upright. Well this means all items within exposed. So looking for alternative and found these. The blinds throughout are not a problem but in the back of the 5th. This is due to the large arm chairs and people rocking and crunching up and bending the blinds. So we thought remove them since not needed and put these EZ shades on outside and see how that works. Not only will we see out our back window. No one is behind us but no more crunchy aluminum blinds. Now the rest we will probably do, but leave the blinds for darkness while sleeping. Just depends on how they work to cut down on the summer temparatures.
2 Dan // May 15, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Hi Tina,
Interesting.
I would wait before removing the interior aluminum blinds to see how they work for you.
Do note that this product is not meant to be like an interior blind with respect for not allowing people to see inside. Yes, during the day, when it is lighter outside, it is very hard for someone on the outside to see inside through these.
However, at night, when lights are on inside people have no problems at all lookking inside from the outside (if that makes sense).
Dan
3 bob // Aug 17, 2009 at 11:35 am
Can these be used inside to darken room for sleeping?
4 bob // Aug 17, 2009 at 11:35 am
can these be used for interior windows?
5 Dan // Aug 17, 2009 at 11:43 am
Hi Bob,
Reegarding your Q re ‘darken room for sleeping, no. They let a lot of difused light inside the room.
You would need to retain your interior window shade / blind to darken the room sufficiently for sleeping.
Dan
6 Dan // Aug 17, 2009 at 11:45 am
Hi, Again, Bob,
As far as for interior windows, I’m not sure what you mean. A true ‘interior’ window is one that is inside the house on both sides, so I don’t see the point or need to reduce the sun’s UV rays from entering the hosue.
If you meant ‘can you put thse on the inside of windows’, sure. However, as the information on the EZ Shap Direct web site indicates (which you can access from clicking on the links from within this site) it is much, much preferred to install solar shades on the outside of windows so the UV rays don’t even reach the window pane in the first place.
As well, you have to be careful about installing any type of interior window shade as it can cause so much heat to be redirected towards the glass in the window that it might do damage.
Dan
7 Rick New // Jun 18, 2010 at 4:10 pm
I am looking into buying several of the shades for my home in West Texas. I have five windows 6×4 that face the east in my living area and a bay window in my bedroom that faces west. As you can imagine our a/c works overtime trying to keep our home cool (not doing a very good job). Does the shades only attached to metal window facings or can they be attached to wood facings? How about durablilty in wind. Sometime TX storms can be pretty windy?
8 Dan // Jun 18, 2010 at 5:10 pm
Hi Rick,
The anchoring hardware can be used on a metal wood frame (such as the ones we have) or on wood frames.
We actually used the adhesive anchoring hardward not to make any holes in metal window frames. However, the standard packaging would include the anchoring hardward for wood frames.
While the storms in West Texas can be more severe than were we live (eastern part of North America), ours have been on for more than two years now and not any issues at all with any of the adhesive studs coming off.
I hope that helps,
Dan
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