Does clear poly carbonate sheet magnify sunlight?

Technical
1

we used clear poly carbonate for a lid on a LDPE roto molded box. sitting outside in the sun it seems to act as a magnifying glass melting the surface below the sheet.

any ideas to help on this ?

2

Sand it to be rough. It might help deflect more light.

3

Paint.

3 Likes
4

Probably just greenhouse effect causing the temperature inside to increase.

My EV charger with a clear polycarb cover overheats and turns off on sunny summer days for that reason.

5 Likes
5

unless there is a curve to the sheet, I don’t see why it would magnify the light. I do agree that the greenhouse effect is a more probable culprit.

1 Like
6

I’ll 3rd the “Greenhouse effect” comments. Polycarbonate is surprisingly effective as a thermal insulator, even without magnifying the light. Is there any way you can ventilate this box, or does it need to be “sealed”?

7

Also, polycarb absorbs UV light, which is eventually going to turn to heat (sunlight can degrade polycarb pretty quickly).

8

thanks everyone for the feedback. Unfortunately it needs to be sealed. I wish I could vent it.

9

If In really needs to live out in the sun, buy Aluminum foil tape, that’ll reflect most of the sunlight to minimize heat.