Sound and heat insulation - Tripple or double glazing ?

cem

Hello, Might be an obvious question but looking at getting windows replaced in my house as on a busy road and windows seem to do a bad job of keeping the cold out.

have had quotes from two local companies and got conflicting advice.

1 said triple glazing is the way, best thing you can do to cut out noise and keep heat in

Other said forget triple go for double glazing but with a 8mm outside glass and a 6mm inside with the gap in the middle being 18mm.
Said something about tripe being a bad choice as noise waves vibrate more in between the 3 glasses :-s (not sure i got it)

current window is double glazing aluminum structure, 4mm glass width.

Both have suggested to get PVC, with a reinforced structure (whatever that means) and Argon gas filling in the gap between the glasses.

Hopefully some of you expert folks can shed some light from your experience and knowledge in terms of what would be a better solution . (Cost wise the difference is £300 which I can afford)

Thanks very much for your time

a_j_mair

For noise dounle glazing with different thickness glass is your best bet. The different thickness glass vibrates at differnet frequencies meaning less noise carried through glazing

If you go for new PVC frames and argon gas they should be more than adequate for heat loss aswell

Id go double

cem

shameless bump - any more guys?

brig001

Ask the suppliers for sound attenuation figures in dB - the bigger the number the better. Triple glazing or different thicknesses of glass will both work better, as will a bigger air gap. I would also look at general draught proofing and insulation around the house - a gap will always let more sound through than a closed window.

HTH,
Bri.