We had triple pane argon filled windows installed about 11 years ago. I have always noticed a green tint when looking at the windows from the outside especially the large bay window. I have always hated the green tint. I assumed it was because our siding on our house is light green or maybe it's reflection of the grass (although they are still green when the snow covers the ground). I love the look from the inside and they are extremely energy efficient and well built window besides the green tint.

I'll try dark shades.

Someone above stated "The LoE-272/270 coatings or less will not exhibit a green tint." That is just plain wrong. It does in fact show green.

Clear float glass will have a "green" tint to it on its own. Unless you specify low iron glass, all if it will appear green. Low-e will just exacerbate that.

Where is the home?

Windows on Washington - do you know which companies even offer low iron glass? Any if them offer low iron hurricane impact glass? Thx.

HU-968198033

Someone above stated "The LoE-272/270 coatings or less will not exhibit a green tint." That is just plain wrong. It does in fact show green.

The first picture below is 366. It does have an obvious greenish hue.

Below is 270, note the violet hue in the glass with the exception at the edges where it does look green,

The color difference at the edges is due to edge deletion, where the coating was removed and you are seeing the uncoated glass substrate.

Below is 272, like 270, the coating is steered to violet not green. The white paper in the picture is there to enhance the color contrast for the picture. But it also illustrates the difference between transmission color and reflective color.

Color in LowE coatings is intentional, it is not a flaw, it is not an accident. The color is a factor in the performance of the product.

LowE color is enhanced when looking at the coating against a dark background.

Thanks Oberon.

Karen...I don't deal at all in the impact market so maybe Oberon knows of some suppliers of low iron impact windows.

Anyone should be able to get Low Iron Glass for a window regardless of Impact or not as the tempered and laminated glass both can be done with Low Iron. You may have an extended lead time and the pricing may be extremely high but any of the major manufactures should not have an issues getting the glass.

Unfortunately, I don't know anyone who specifically offers low iron glass in impact products, but I agree with millworkman that the option is out there and you have to ask whatever companies that you are interested in if they may offer that option.

Millworkman, Windows on Washington and Oberon, thank you.
I’ve called PGT hq technical line several times and they act as if I’m speaking Greek. I’ll ask to speak to another tier support next time. They even say their glass doesn’t appear green, which is exhausting.

I’m wondering... does low-e 366 glass look as green with black/bronze frames as it does with white frames? (I will use dark window coverings on exterior either way).

It is hard to say IMO. It is going to depend on the angle your viewing from, the amount of direct sunlight that hits it and how sensitive you are to the difference in color. I have never had a complaint yet and I have a hard time telling. I only use 366 in limited applications , mostly when heat control is needed. Even though most glass manufacturers make a low iron glass most window manufacturers will not offer it. keep In mind I drink Coors beer , have a poor sense of smell and my vision is not the best.

I purchased a home last fall in Florida. Every window had shutters so I removed them and painted the dreary walls. In January and February, all was good. I had to leave and return beginning of March and to my horror, all the walls are Green. Looks like I painted the interior a light key lime pie. And further in, there are 2 walls that are blue green!!

Realized late last night after dark when i saw the windows the problem is the glass. They are really GREEN and they are controlling the color of the walls!

Now I know why the sellers had installed shutters on every window! GRRRRRR!!!!!

I wonder if the glass is foreign made?

Why do you think the glass is foreign made?

@building2017 getting back to you since we have moved in and the Sierra Pacific Low-e 272 glass. I have attached some photos from the inside out and outside in with different window coverings (including white). There might be a slight tint on the north side against the wooden blinds but I don't notice a tint against the white cellular shades and looking out I don't see a noticeable green tint (see the mountains). The casement window construction of the Sierra Pacific Aspen II windows makes us wonder if they will stand the test of time. Some of the casement windows don’t close tightly. There is a gap between the window and the trim. We aren’t noticing air leaks anymore after SP adjusted but the windows still don’t close tight due to wood warpage/shrinking and the way the window trim is designed/built. The gaps vary in width. The gap in the photo is 5mm and varies along the height of the window. It would be a major undertaking to replace the trim and then refinish. There is no further adjustment to close the window tighter. The screens had some little scratches when they were unboxed and sharp edges. Of course the installers don’t say anything about the scratches and there is no touch up paint available. As far as the sharp and exposed aluminum edges, that’s just how they are designed. Sierra Pacific has been out a bunch of times to adjust the casement window closures but many of the windows still have gaps. I don’t know what we could have done to mitigate the warped boards, maybe if we had ordered the windows with a factory painted or stained finish but I think the design is the problem. Oh well, C’est la vie.

Thanks so much, @bluemtn - really appreciate the info - and I'm sorry for the problems you are experiencing. While we wait to build, we recently bought a house that has Low E-366 windows, which has only confirmed our concerns after living in it this winter. Aside from the (very real) green cast, there is no warmth coming in even with direct west sun rays, which we miss. Again, thanks so much for the photos and follow up. Really bummed about those casement issues. Enjoy the mountains!

@building2017 It's great that you know the windows where you're living now are Low E-366 so you can compare. Our temporary housing during construction also had some type of coating on it that made the house dark and the houseplants didn't grow. I was concerned that houseplants wouldn't grow with low e 272 glass but that hasn't been a problem as they are growing again!

Here's a tip if you already ordered Sierra Pacific Aspen casement windows. They are delivered without the finish hardware but give you plastic tools for operating the windows. Ask for a "real" temporary handle or two to operate the casement windows which make it a lot easier to operate the windows during construction and document/contact them with any concerns right away. Also, you can go to the SP website and download the user guide to verify the windows are being installed properly and how to care for the windows. They didn't give us any information when the windows were delivered. SP does "Lock and Slide" at the end where they come out and install the hardware and screens. Give them your list ahead of time so they schedule the right amount of time at your job otherwise they won't have time to fix anything. Also, our contractor didn't protect our front door during construction and it got dinged so he is buying us a new front door. We realized, a little too late, that we needed to help with protection so that's a good reason to be on site as much as possible.

I wish you the best in your building project. It is wonderful to see something on paper come to life. Having good plans helps a lot! We appreciate all the effort from the subcontractors especially building during COVID-19. We are happy with the low-e 272 and also the architect did a great job of window placement and eaves that consider the sun angle and the view.

Does Cardinal make low iron glass? Can you get low iron glass with loE coating? If so, does it still end up green-hued from the coating? In other words, if you can get low iron glass with loE coatings does that defeat the purpose of the low iron glass?

I read a couple times in these threads that the green etc of the loE coatings is intentional for technical reasons, so now I'm really wondering *why* since the aesthetic is not exactly pleasing in a home. I have so many questions!

"Does Cardinal make low iron glass?"

Yes.

"Can you get low iron glass with loE coating?"

Yes.

If so, does it still end up green-hued from the coating?

No.

Ok, @millworkman, you just blew my mind. LOL.

Do you know if regular people can get this glass in their home windows (Marvin, ahem)?

Absolutely. Any window company that buys insulated glass units can get Low Iron Glass. Don't let them tell you they cannot. In fact if they persist that they cannot, find another window dealer.

If anyone is able to get a quote for low iron glass, I would be interested in knowing which window line a d the uplift %. I’ve asked 6 companies that sell impact windows and they all act as if they’ve never heard of low iron. I understand that PGT still makes their own glass (they only buy Cardinal Glass on their doors. ). Frustrating.

Even though most companies could get low iron glass they are not going to go through the hassle use something That is not their “standard“ glass packages that they use. I know what would happen if I asked my window supplier For this option. You may want contact some glass manufacturers direct and then ask them to direct you to some one that could accommodate you . You’re going to have to some home work to make this happen IMO.

Vitro (formerly PPG) manufactures Starphire low iron glass, as well as a number of different LowE coatings, and they do offer at least a couple different low iron coated products.

Cardinal has manufactured low iron glass in the past, but not for a number of years. Although they don't make their own, they do have access to low iron from several outside sources.

Guardian produces UltraClear low iron glass and they also offer a number of different LowE coatings. Since they produce coated low iron for the European market, I would expect that they produce coated low iron in north america as well, but off the top-of-my-head I can't think of a specific product from them.

From Guardian most all of their Super Neutral or SNX lines of Low E are available on their Low Iron "Ultraclear" products.

That does make sense. If I was coating low iron i would probably prefer to stick with neutral color LowE coatings (especially high solar heat gain products) for best results as well.

I would agree with that. I deal with these all day, we typically use Vitro and Guardian mostly as we do pretty much strictly commercial. These days mostly Solarban 70XL (quite a bit of the SB72 now as well which is the Low Iron) here in NY with the 2020 Building Code called for on most newer drawn projects.

Milkworkman, Oberon476, and Toddinmn—- Thank You! I appreciate the inside scoop.

Some of the best guys on the internet when it comes to windows on that short list right there.

I would add WoW to any short list

Aww....Schucks...

LOL!!

I am an artist and am so upset that the windwos in my new studio in Florida are green.

i cannot photograph my paintings inside because the photos are green. For 40 years I have photographed my work inside with daylight. yes and they dont look nice from the outside either.

@artist54 …..:and what is maddening and so intrusive is that these windows are required by code in most states.

I had no idea my windows would be green

Here is how things look when the sun comes in at just the right angle Other times the glass looks purple and its so ridiculously reflective you cant even see outside.

Seriously, I dont understand how this glass is allowd out of production or tolerated.

Seriously, I dont understand how this glass is allowd out of production or tolerated.

By whom?

@oberon476

By the glass glass manufactures themselves…by whatever local bodies insist on requiring low e. This junk should not be forced on the general public (who have zero choice in the matter) until they produce a material that is of much higher quality. One should be able to see out ones windows and not have a color cast inflicted on them in their own personal space. What if they decided that all windows should be black. At what point do the laws and ordinances become a complete intrusion into ones personal life.

The LowE coating on your window glass is one of the most technologically sophisticated products in your home. And while I understand that you don't happen to like the color shift with a particular coating, writing something like "until they produce a material that is of much higher quality", or "I dont understand how this glass is allowd out of production or tolerated", is frankly pretty much meaningless to anyone who knows knows the science or anything about the LowE glass coating process.

There are no quality issues involved, the coating looks and performs exactly as intended in order to deliver the performance required; but that doesn't mean that there aren't people who aren't pleased with the appearance of some coatings.

There are literally billions of windows worldwide that have LowE coatings. They are required in pretty much every country that has a semblance of an energy code, and in the real world complaints about LowE coatings are extremely rare. In fact it's MUCH more common to be asked if windows are LowE coated as ordered because people can't tell if they actually have the coating rather than to hear complaints about the look of the coating. I have heard complaints from people about coating color that on investigation didn't have a LowE coating at all, but even the slight greenish hue of clear glass in the right lighting and viewing conditions was objectionable apparently.

I am not unsympathetic, especially in cases such as "artist" mentions in his/her post, but there are alternatives, and some of those options have been discussed in other posts on this thread.

Well, we all know that science is extremely limited regardless of how sophisticated it is. Just investigate claims from the scientific community regarding the universe and how they are now admitting (embarrassingly so) they don’t know as much as they insisted they knew ….and they used their precision science as proof of their postulations. I would add that just because a product performs exactly as intended does not make it a quality product. I can’t help it if the standards have been set ridiculously low. It IS a quality issue. What is being produced is subpar and does not allow a clear and unobstructed view to the outside because of the high reflectivity and the color cast. This product should not be forced on people. I have 165 windows in my home (including transoms) and I can barely see outside on a sunny day. In fact, I am not allowed to see outside on a sunny day because the law does not permit it….this should not be.

After reading your reply I am going to wish you a great day and I hope that you find a solution that works for you.

I just don't understand why a human has to suffer with green windows. They are windows. I just need to know- someone needs to tell me what brand and color film I can buy to attach to the insides of my windows to make the hideous hue go away. On a north facing house in Oklahoma, my windows are undeniably and offensively green. You can't even notice the green of the same windows on the south side of my home, so I can understand why some people haven't had the same experience . It's tragic.

I know this is an old thread, but after being haunted for years I have solved my problem! This may only be a solution for north facing windows in the northern hemisphere... but I lined my curtains with dark brown velvet blackout material and the greeness is invisible! Drastic. Yes. Worth it? YES.

My problem is that I loved our custom made plantation shutters in our front window until the green windows happened. I leave the shutters open now, have taupe curtains hanging in the windows between them, and I’m on the fence about taking down the shutters. I’m still mad. And to add to my anger, we had a “new” window hire at Lowe’s (we discovered was fired months later) who insisted we could only get new Pella 350 in equal halves instead of the larger size on the upper window, replacing exacwhat we had. This changed the look of our beautiful custom shutters, which no longer were set at the proper position of the openings for the new windows. UGH!!!!!!!! Sorry for venting….

Use clear glass in your project if you can. Add solid shutters or blinds to block sun. The green glass stinks. So glad we don’t have to use it in our state.

Please be sure to check with code in your state as well as educate yourself, i.e. understand the ratings, climate, and specifications, as well as get some samples so that you can see for yourself. Much of the comments about "green glass" could have been avoided with proper specifications on the Low-e and glazing specifications.

The man who did our window plans was a new hire and was deficient in knowledge and pushed untruths as fact. He had even had the wrong window frame colors sent to the house and it took forever to have that mistake corrected! He ultimately was fired. Too late for us. The entire team at Lowes was having communication issues because of him.

Here is Georgia we can get energy efficient windows with clear glass. They may not have the nth degree of efficiency, but who cares??? They’re not green. That green is hideous. And by the way, women are much more aware of the color than men. So don’t expect them to understand.

What sirt of energy efficient windows are you considering with clear glass ?

Guessing you are going with triple pane and clear glass?

Keep in mind that normal float glass will, as a default, have a greenish hue to it. Properly specified Low-e range is key here. I would venture a bet that 90% of the window complaints on here about "green windows" are from 3 coat Low-e equip windows.

Agree 100% with WoW's assessment.

Have Marvin high end windows with E3, didn't know, new windows are green, awful. In Colorado. Don't do this!