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aqua blinds

 for home windows
  (+3)
(+3) 		  [vote for,
against]

These snazzy windows have three panes and a liquid reservoir in-between the inside and middle panes. A hidden pump circulates the liquid to the top of the panes where it runs down in drops and rivulets, making it difficult to see in or out as long as the pump is running. Like your windshield in a heavy rain.

Or it could work in reverse—a bubble window.
—pluterday, Dec 17 2003

one of these http://www.worldsbe...y/London/SakBar.asp
see on the rhs of the picture. [neilp, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

marine life double glazing http://www.halfbake..._20double_20glazing
a not dissimilar idea [hippo, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

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       i get the idea and i like it, but im confused about how two out of the three window panes are inside... plus now i have the song "aqua lung" stuck in my head
—luecke, Dec 17 2003
   

       Is it raining out? ... I could have sworn the forecast was clear for a WEEK! [+] very nice, [pluterday]
—Letsbuildafort, Dec 17 2003
   

       I vote for the window completely filled with water and bubbles for privacy. Just be sure you don't put any fish in it, or someone might complain.
—scad mientist, Dec 17 2003
   

       yea, what [luecke] said, a great idea, but reckon you can get away with just the two panes.
—neilp, Dec 17 2003
   

       I think people are missing that one cavity is reservoir and the other is where the action happens.   

       An alternative design could use a dark liquid and fill it all the way instead of using blinds. Or mercury for an instant mirror.
—Worldgineer, Dec 17 2003
   

       The mercury-filled window could also be an encredibly effective anti-robbery measure
—Letsbuildafort, Dec 17 2003
   

       ah, in that case, there's one of these in SAK bar, Greek Street, Soho, London, and it's quite impressive. (water, not mercury).
—neilp, Dec 17 2003
   

       //Just be sure you don't put any fish in it//   

       Would tadpoles be OK? Grow some frogs that are used to being flat and don't care if they are run over by a car. Release them when they are grown up to enjoy a happy life without the hazards of modern traffic.
—kbecker, Dec 17 2003
   

       Algae farm window?   

       [scad mientist] Right. And it would be me.   

       [kbecker] No. If a small amount of water with a large surface area gets exposed to direct sunlight it gets hot pretty quickly.   

       Brine shrimp (sea monkeys) can live in hotish water I think (and in sulpherous water if memory serves correct) but this would mean the window would have to be filled with brine which would leave big salty streaks down the panes.   

       All that said, I love the idea of a fake rainy day window. Sort out the algae problem and I'll buy one for my bathroom window (no one can see in, right?).
—squeak, Dec 18 2003
   

       algae won't be a problem if you:
make sure it's sealed and starts out sanitary (boil it first, or radiate it, etc.) or
use something other than water
—Worldgineer, Dec 18 2003
   

       Isn't the point of multi-pane windows to have a gap which prevents the conduction of heat? Wouldn't filling the gap with water reduce this insulating ability? How about tiny beads of insulating material rather than a liquid?
—dobtabulous, Dec 18 2003
   

       How would you get the little insulating beads up there without blocking the window? If you want insulated glass, add another pane.
—Worldgineer, Dec 18 2003
   

       [dobtabulous] Of course, you are right. That’s why there’re three panes rather than just two. The gap between the outer pane and the middle pane is filled with an insulating gas, as usual. The liquid is in the gap between the inner pane and the middle pane.
—pluterday, Dec 18 2003
   

       with all this gas and mercury, surely you wouldn't need insulation. sheesh, where in the North Pole do you live? whoops, wrong idea!
—po, Dec 18 2003
   

       Wait then I misunderstood. I pictured it where you're looking through a solid water reservoir to the rain chamber. Are you piping the water up the side?
—Worldgineer, Dec 18 2003
   

       No, [po], there’s no mercury, and the gas is argon or nitrogen, same thing that’s used in normal double or triple pane windows. And [Worldgineer], the reason I don’t want to use the gap between panes as a reservoir is the pressure. Take a six-foot square window and fill it up with water—the pressure you’d be dealing with would be the same as for an aquarium of that size, and that’s a big aquarium. You could have sharks in it. Anyway, if you filled it with water, the total load on the frame is going to be about four tons. To support that you’d have to have glass a couple of inches thick, and a frame to match, whereas with the internalized rain, there’s no pressure at all.

I’m thinking of adding a pressure oscillator (a piston hidden in the frame) to rattle the panes, like what happens when there’s a gust of wind.
—pluterday, Dec 20 2003
   

       A lava lamp effect would be nice as an optional extra. You'd have to be very careful about not letting it freeze.

(also, see link)
—hippo, Dec 20 2003
   


 

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