Has anyone tried Secondary Glazing?

userme

Someone recently told me if you add secondary glazing to your windows you can save money on energy bills! Has anyone tried it before? We struggle with condensation in the colder months which then leads to mould around the windows which apparently secondary glazing can help with. Looks much cheaper than having to buy new windows! Any advice? 

victor2

Welcome to the forum!

Had it many, many years ago on a house we bought. Soon replaced it with "real" double glazed units. AFAIK, it will make a difference if properly fitted.Bit of a PITA to open the windows, as the secondary glass has to be in runners so you can slide it to give access to the actual window you want to open.

Should be considerably cheaper than new windows IF you can find someone to supply and fit it. Might be more economical to fit heavy curtains and ensure the single glazed units ar as draught proof as they can be. That's assuming you plan to replace the windows with new double glazed units in the not too distant future.

QrizB

My parents had an old Victorian house with multi-pane wooden windows. It was listed so they couldn't easily replace them with PVC even if they'd wanted to.

They fitted secondary double glazing in the main rooms (living room, dining room, bedrooms) and thought it was definitely worthwhile.

userme

Thanks for your reply! That's really helpful! I found a secondary glazing website called Ecoease which looks good and its magnetic so easy to take on and off. Hoping something like this will see us through the winter months and it looks like it can be used again. Older properties don't look great with modern double glazing so though maybe this secondary option we were told about could help us get rid of the annoying condensation and even save us some pennies on the heating bills!

pseudodox

I had the magnetic type panes in a previous house.  They were not glass, but crystal clear & light enough to be easily removed (although very large sheets flex so need 2 people to remove or install).  They certainly worked to reduce condensation & no doubt saved on heating even back when there was not so much concern for costs.

badmemory

I too had secondary glazing many years ago.  On more than one window also had a fairly heavy duty cling film too.  They all worked, but could never work as well as the real thing.  So if no alternative then yes.  If proper double glazing a possibility then a very definite yes.  Even if it is only possible to do a couple of windows at a time then choosing well would be very good.  As in which way does the wind normally blow etc.

Gerry1

It's less effective than double glazing but certainly better than nothing.  The heat loss reduction isn't so good because air can circulate due to the gap being so much wider.  You also have four sides to keep clean instead of two.

But go for it if double glazing isn't realistic.

fatbelly

I installed this in an old cottage using a kit. Worked pretty well and very cheap so very cost-effective

It was a Polycell product- think a similar product is still available.

No power tools needed , just a screwdriver and a junior hacksaw

lohr500

We have an exposed front porch with a door and three large window panes, all fitted with very old double glazing.
Whenever you put the back of your hand close to the glass in the winter it felt really cold.

Last winter I purchased a cheap Stormguard secondary glazing kit from Amazon for £20 which basically was a large piece of thick polythene cling film and a roll of double sided sticky tape. After sticking on the plastic sheet you warm it up with a hair dryer to shrink it to a tight fit.

After fitting it you could no longer feel the cold when putting your hand close to the plastic. 

It wasn't the neatest solution and my plan was to remove it this spring. But it seemed to work so well that we have left it in place all year.

No idea if it made any real difference to the heating cost but it did feel warmer in the hallway next to the porch.

We didn't suffer mould issues though so I am unsure if this type of secondary glazing would make matters better or worse. For £20, you could give it a try.

Yorkie1

I've used one of those heavy duty clingfilm kits before and agree that they are cheap but effective.

I left it on for a couple of years, after which the tape became dry and the film became brittle. It was very difficult to remove the tape completely afterwards, and it prevented fresh tape sticking properly when I tried to use a fresh kit.

So yes, useful but not a long-term solution.

matt_drummer

Lighter fluid will remove old double sided tape.