double glazing & sound deadening

magicbastarder

we're looking at changing our windows soon - currently have old alu framed double glazing units, minimum 30 years old, and wit the new windows one of the main considerations is noise.
we live on a fairly busy road with near constant traffic outside - what would be the options to consider for most effective noise reduction? we've heard about a configuration where the inner and outer panes are a different thickness, which i believe will bounce or baffle the sound more effectively, and someone else mentioned laminated glass to us. the latter is noticeably more expensive from what i can see, and i had assumed lamination was primarily for strength, but if it's an effective sound deadener, we'll certainly consider it.

are there any other options we should be asking for when we get quotes?

cheers

mike_2009

I think triple glazing is the simplest answer. There's a company that does an after market sliding window you put on the inside of the existing window, you see it in Hotels and such, and it reduces noise also. I can't answer to the effect that different glazing/laminate options and spacing vs noise will have but any house I've visited with triple glazing has been super quiet. I've a main road outside my bedroom window, 21 year old PVC double glazing and am considering options for replacing just this unit to get a better night's sleep....most likely a triple glazed solution....
Hope this helps.

magicbastarder

hmm; i've heard simply going from double to triple glazed is on it's own an expensive way to get a minimal enough sound reduction?
we've no north facing walls on the house, and i've also been warned about triple glazing and loss of solar gain.

BryanF

magicbastarder wrote: »

hmm; i've heard simply going from double to triple glazed is on it's own an expensive way to get a minimal enough sound reduction?
we've no north facing walls on the house, and i've also been warned about triple glazing and loss of solar gain.

Whoever you’re listening to, please stop

3g is circa 10% more expensive on standard sized units

External noise will be reduced further by triple

North / south it doesn’t matter

Different glazings have different shading factors

3g can be as little as 10% more ‘shaded’ than 2g

Over a year/day - with the exception of a week or two in the summer, more heat will Be lost through 2g than heat/solar gain.

IMO 3g is always better than 2g

Jofspring

Isn’t Acoustic glass also an alternative if noise is the main concern and also much cheaper than going triple glazing.

The Princess Bride

I live on a busy street.
Replaced double glazing with triple and the difference was obvious immediately.
Everyone who visits comments on how quiet it is, in particular my neighbours who still have double glazing.

In my opinion, it's worth the extra expense.
I got the front of house done initially, then the back 6 months later which made it easier on my pocket.
Save up, do it once and do it right.

Noo

If you go with double glazing, the two different thicknesses is a must, the frequencies thats travel through one pane can then then cut out by the other. Also the larger the air gap between them the greater the reduction too. Also yes, laminate is more efficient at sound reduction, not massively but there is an improvement.

MartinHD

I've recently had a salesman in quoting me for replacement of old double-glazed units by the 'new' low-e glass ones in an add-on conservatory I have with teak window frames. He told me that all my existing units had lost all their argon gas, which he said explained why the room was so cold! He did this by holding a small hand-held device up to the glass (on the inside) and it glowed red or not depending on (he said) the presence of argon gas inside the glazed unit. I was a bit sceptical I have to say.

Does anyone know if it is so simple to actually detect argon gas inside a sealed double-glazed unit?