We think of the home as a quiet, cosy sanctuary that allows you to escape the hustle and bustle of the outside world. For many homeowners, though, all sorts of noises find their way into the house. You might live in the flight path of an airport, have a railway line that runs along the bottom of your garden, or have a house that sits behind a big factory. You may just live on a busy road, or in the centre of town where people are always coming and going. Whatever the cause of the disruption, you’ve probably been thinking about different ways to soundproof your home. So, that leads to the question: how soundproof is double glazing?
Well, to put it simply, double-glazed windows can help to soundproof your home, especially if your existing windows have single glazing. This is because the gaps between the panes of glass, which can either be filled with air or inert gas, absorb the sound as it passes through, meaning any noise has been quietened by the time it reaches your ears. There are ways to enhance the soundproofing capabilities of double-glazed windows: for example, you could make sure one pane of glass is thicker than the other, so that the sound wave changes as it travels through the window; or, you could fit shatterproof (or laminated) glass to your double-glazing unit so as to form an extra layer of material for the sound to get through.
Is triple glazing more soundproof than double glazing?
It would be fair to assume that three panes of glass would be significantly more soundproof than two. But this is not necessarily the case: triple-glazed windows are only slightly better than double-glazed windows when it comes to soundproofing (and they cost a lot more!). You can, however, enhance the performance of your triple glazing by making one of the panes thicker and fitting shatterproof glass – just like with the double-glazed windows.
It’s all about secondary glazing
It can be argued that the best option for soundproofing your windows is to install secondary glazing (or to install double or triple glazing as well as secondary glazing!). This is because it significantly increases the gap between the panes, making it difficult for sound particles to pass through. The secondary glazing panel can also vary in thickness from the original window, meaning the sound waves change frequency as they travel through the unit (and so are quieter by the time they get to you).
Here at Your Price Windows, we can help you find the best window options to soundproof your property in London and the home counties. Contact us today to find out more.
