Old Mirror For the Garden

[Mark the Bodger]

Hello,

We have an old mirror that was on a set of wardrobes. The mirror is about 3ft sq.
I was wanting to put it in the garden with a rustic frame around it possibly made from some driftwood or something similar. However, my OH seems to think it is dangerous as the sun could shine on it and reflect off and cause a fire.

Any thoughts if this is true, as I am reluctant to take a perfectly good mirror to the tip.

Thanks in advance

[spamvindaloo]

I would have thought that would only be a problem if you are somehow concentrating the sunlight/energy such as with a magnifying glass. Just reflecting it would have no more power than the direct sunlight. Plus lots of people put mirrors in gardens to make them look larger and I'm not aware they cause fires... It's many decades since I did physics at school though so perhaps someone a bit more knowledgeable will know better.....

[Nicos]

I'm no more knowledgable!

...but I have the same thoughts....it's just a direct reflection of the sun's rays, not a refraction through a lens.
Perfectly safe in my opinion if there is just one mirror involved.

It's not a special bathroom mirror, so it will get moisture into it causing it to mottled ...but that's probably going to be fine for a few years?

Forget the tip...I'd put it up in the garden...bet it'll look lovely!


Piccie please if you do go ahead!

[Glutton4...]

As long as you put it facing away from the sun there should be no problem.

[Jay22]

My daughters neighbour has one on the wall at the end of their garden. They have placed an old wrought iron gate on it, because the mirror reflects the garden it looks as though it's a door through to another part of the garden making it look huge. I was very impressed when I saw it.

[Martin H]

I've been put off using mirrors in the garden from stories of people picking up dead birds on a regular basis, where the birds have flown straight into the mirror at full speed.

I wouldn't fancy that at all.

I wasn't sure if this was an urban myth, but a quick search shows the RSPB worries about this too: The RSPB: Ask an expert: Will a mirror in my garden confuse birds?

I wouldn't be worried about fire risk though, as long as the mirror isn't concave it can't focus the sun's rays.

[Nicos]

Gosh- I hadn't thought about that!

[Bill HH]

I would reflect on the issue

[Bigmallly]

[Bonsai Si]

As long as you put it facing away from the sun there should be no problem.

The simplest answers are ALWAYS the best!

[Snadger]

I put one in my hen run! Chooks reacted to it by pecking it and moving there heads from side to side to try and catch it out!

[WendyC]

We did have a fire in the Close, when one neighbour's fence caught fire due to the next door neighbour having one of those chrome ball water features next to the fence. It had the sun on it, reflected onto the fence which caught fire.
Do worry about birds and mirrors too.

[Lumpy]

I have 2 mirrors side by side in a corner to reflect back into a shady one and thankfully have never had a bird problem.
It could be because the hedge is behind the mirrors and the little shed is only 6ft opposite so our resident flock of sparrows don't seem to notice them.

[Potstubsdustbins]

#9 You would not want to get the wrong side of that silver back.

[rary]

BM I wonder how many Grapes would be able to walk past without preening themselves