Secondary windows

Gio22

Hello. Anyone who has installed secondary windows in their home? Are they worth it? I bought this apartment but the windows are old. They are still good (protecting from cold, rain, wind etc.), however they are not stopping the traffic noise very much. I live 5/6 metres close to a road which is quite busy during the day. I have watched this videos on you tube about secondary windows in apartments which have even worst located than mine and I think this could be a possible cost-efficient solution for me. I have 7 windows and currently they reduce the noise by just 17 decibel (new double windows are advertised to reduce noise by as much as 31 decibels). Changing them will be pricey ( 8k) as I will need also scaffolding, while by installing secondary windows and improving my current ones I believe will cost me no more than 4/5k. Also, double deck buses pass every2/3 minutes and create these light vibrations though the table, sofa which I feel all the time ( my partner less than me).I am wondering if I will install secondary windows if they will reduce also this kind of vibrations? Currently in my apartment I have an average noise level of 33dB with my windows closed. 

Ebe_Scrooge

Secondary glazing is pretty good at reducing noise and heat loss, and does cost less than full-on replacement double-glazing.  It's not quite as effective as proper double-glazing, but is less expensive.  It won't have any effect on the vibrations you describe though.

Worth bearing in mind - double-glazing, whilst being more expensive initially, will give you bigger long-term savings in terms of heat loss.  It will also make the apartment more attractive to buyers when you come to sell (even if it doesn't actually increase the "value" of the property to any appreciable extent).  Whether you'll recoup the initial outlay is debatable, but it's something to bear in mind.

Gio22

Ebe_Scrooge said:

Secondary glazing is pretty good at reducing noise and heat loss, and does cost less than full-on replacement double-glazing.  It's not quite as effective as proper double-glazing, but is less expensive.  It won't have any effect on the vibrations you describe though.

Worth bearing in mind - double-glazing, whilst being more expensive initially, will give you bigger long-term savings in terms of heat loss.  It will also make the apartment more attractive to buyers when you come to sell (even if it doesn't actually increase the "value" of the property to any appreciable extent).  Whether you'll recoup the initial outlay is debatable, but it's something to bear in mind.

Thank you. I forgot to mention that my current windows are already double glazed that's why I thought about secondary windows rather than exchanging them. Additionally, I have been in touch with a lot of companies which provide new windows. Nice talks and great expectation, but then I went to you tube and I have researched a bit more in deep for reviews and I have found a lot of complaints about windows not being installed properly....it it will cost me 8K to change them...I do not want to experience additional issues...

nofoollikeold

1. Secondary double glazing - For
1a. Cuts down sound transmission.
1b. Cuts down heat transmission.
1c. Cheaper than double / triple glazing.
2. Secondary double glazing - Against.
2a. Generally looks amateurish, even the professional ones.
2b. Needs removing to keep clean.
2c. If aluminium, tends to discolour over time.
2d. If plastic, looks even worse.
2e. Another pane to open when you air the place.
3. If only some of your windows face the traffic noise, could you not replace the existing double glazing in these with triple glazed units?

ComicGeek

Secondary glazing will provide a much greater noise reduction than triple glazed units, as it's both the difference in pane thickness (and therefore frequency) and the size of air gap between panes that's important. 

I agree that it can look a bit strange internally and that it's difficult to open/clean, but if noise is your primary issue then secondary glazing is the best solution.

As said above, won't make any difference to vibrations, as that's through the building structure and not the windows. Try putting pads under the furniture to absorb vibrations.

Gio22

nofoollikeold said:

1. Secondary double glazing - For
1a. Cuts down sound transmission.
1b. Cuts down heat transmission.
1c. Cheaper than double / triple glazing.
2. Secondary double glazing - Against.
2a. Generally looks amateurish, even the professional ones.
2b. Needs removing to keep clean.
2c. If aluminium, tends to discolour over time.
2d. If plastic, looks even worse.
2e. Another pane to open when you air the place.
3. If only some of your windows face the traffic noise, could you not replace the existing double glazing in these with triple glazed units?

Basically all my 7 windows face traffic noise...I believe the double glazing is good, but the rubber seal has to be changed! I have read that most of the time an old seal is the real problem,  rather than the double glass itself! I guess I will call in an expert to have a look at them 

langlauf

Hi Gio22,

don't know where you are in regards the secondary windows but thought I'd post my experience of Secondary Double Glazing.I lived for many years in a ground floor flat in a large coverted Victorian house. My flat had 10 large sash windows which rattled and were draughty when it was windy, most top windows were painted shut and didn't move. The living room was above and faced onto a relatively busy Rd but had great views to mountains in the far distance. My upstairs neighbour had secondary double glazing already and after much consideration had all my sash windows supplemented with Secondary Glazing. The upside was draughts eliminated, slightly reduced noise, reduced heating bills and the windows were not too intrusive on the aesthetically appealing sash windows. The downsides I believe outweigh the positives and we're talking here over 10 years of having the windows installed. I found the biggest problem was the condensation (especially in the winter time) caused by effectively sealing off a constant trickle of air as the units do not have vents. I'm talking about stained curtains, skirting boards and high moisture readings in the flat. This issue led to me using a dehumidifier on a regular (daily) basis which helped to some degree. The only way to avoid this I believe is to keep some of the top units lowered allowing a trickle of air to and from the flat which would defeat the aims of having it in the first place. Sliding the units up and down might be difficult for an elderly person even though the larger units have a spring mechanism to aide lifting.This mechanism means you can't take the windows out to clean the back of them and also parts of the inside portion of the original windows without paying an installer to first of all remove window and then refit once all cleaning has been done. The smaller units can be easily removed for cleaning but it adds double/treble the time to clean all the windows. Replacing all my windows would have cost tens of thousands of pounds so wasn't an option at the time but I would never fit Secondary Double Glazing if I could avoid it but if I had to I would keep the top window of at least two of the small units down back and front of house/flat to try and avoid the condensation problems. I would not swop double glazing for Secondary as it isn't anywhere near as efficient or convenient as good as Double glazing windows with vents.

gamston

30+yrs ago i had a house with secondary glazing (it was everest glazing so one of the best at the time) got to say it was great at noise reductions and heat lose, the probelms with it for me were
dust etc trapped between the 2 sets of glazing
painting between the glazing
i think if i was starting to replace all my windows i would look at having a 2 sets of separate glazing instead of 1 doulbe glazing frame

elisamoose

I recommend stormwindows.co.uk

jamesperrett

If you want to reduce noise then secondary glazing is by far the most effective way to do it. It won't help with vibrations that come through the structure (like low flying Chinooks in our case) but will work well for most traffic noise. It may also be worth mentioning that we had separate soundproof ventilation systems where we had secondary glazing so the windows could stay shut when we needed maximum soundproofing.