# heat reflective blinds -fire hazard??



## 105754 (Jul 10, 2007)

I have recently been informed that leaving the reflective blinds down in very hot weather can be a fire hazard and the sun can cause them to melt, particularly the skylight blind.

We have previously pulled down all blinds when going out for the day in order to keep the motorhome cool without any problem. We have an Autotrail Apache 700.

Can anyone give any information.


----------



## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

curlyman said:


> I have recently been informed that leaving the reflective blinds down in very hot weather can be a fire hazard and the sun can cause them to melt, particularly the skylight blind.
> .


We always do leave the blinds down in hot weather and have not had any cause to worry about them- no signs of melting, scorching or discolouration. Naive perhaps but it is reasonable to assume that sun blinds are made for use in hot sunshine I think.

Can you give the source of your information and the make of the blinds- are they the pleated kind or the flat ones ?

G


----------



## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

I think you may be in trouble with the Heki blind.

If this is left drawn, and the Heki is closed or open only a little bit, there will be an enormous amount of heat trapped in a very small volume.

Same is true to a degree with the vertical windows, as they trap heat in a small volume too, but lots of people do it and I've never heard of anyone actually having a problem.

Don't know . . . but there is a warning sticker on our Heki saying the blind should never be drawn more than one third of the way across if the Heki is not open.

Dave


P.S. Perhaps the excessive creates a narcotic gas . . . . . . 

Aaarrrrrggggggghhhhhhhhhh . . . what am I saying!! 8O :lol: :lol: :lol:


----------



## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Nah Dave, that's your pants, is your spring is chafing you.

Kev.


----------



## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I must be missing something, isn't the very purpose of "heat reflective blinds" to reflect heat?

Kev , confused and all alone, she's left me, gone off with another man, OK, she's taken her son to his Prom, and very handsome he looked too.

Youth is wasted on the young.


----------



## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Kev_n_Liz said:


> I must be missing something, isn't the very purpose of "heat reflective blinds" to reflect heat?


Yep! 

It's where the heat is reflected to that creates the (real or imaginary?) hazard. 8O

Dave


----------



## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Heat*

Hi

I usually close the blinds about "90%" when it is really hot and sunny outside. I leave the windows open though, or at least "on the catch" when I am out.

Part of the issue I think is the heat build up between the blind and the plastic window. Somewhere on here is a thread about internal silver screens and the heat build up between the silver coloured screen cover and the glass.

The Dometic roof vents have a sticker that seems to state the blind should only be 2/3 closed in sunshine.

I am guessing that the motorhome standard fitted blinds are flame/heat tested, but maybe Swift or Johns Cross could advise further?

Russell


----------



## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I could do with reflecting some into this bag of sh1te Smev oven, takes 20 mins to do toast just nice, 20minutes and 2 seconds to set fire to it.

Are they Italian by chance, if so typically Italian, looks wonderful, works like *****

Kev.


----------



## mickyc (Jan 20, 2006)

A build up of heat between the blind and window (the greenhouse effect) would at worse melt any glue etc.

There is no way the heat involved could be classed as a fire hazard

Sunlight could (and does) start fires, but a lens would need to be involved (magnifying glass etc.) so I suppose a blind being open would be more dangerous if your van had glasses etc. positioned in the sunlight.

Having said all that, the sunlight starting fires is extremely rare even more so through tinted windows.


----------

