Triple Shield glass in a conservatory

How does Triple Shield glass compare with standard Pilkington K glass? Is the benefit really felt in a conservatory (in SE England during the winter), or is it deemed excessive?

"Tripleshield" is just another manufacturers name for their Low E glass.
I think it is manufactured on the continent somewhere?
We buy in a Low E glass known to us as "Silverstar" which is exactly the same thing.

Low E glass does perform better than Pilkington K glass and actually has a U Value of 1.10W/m2K when the double glazed unit is filled with argon gas (the unit cavity must be at least 16mm).

Tripleshield is also probably slightly cheaper to buy than Pilks K although you probably won't notice the price difference as a customer.



Basically the rule is, the lower the U Value the better the unit will perform. Using Pilks K glass will comply with Doc L of the building regs.

Dont know if it makes any sense but U Values are as follows:

Argon Filled Units
Clear Float / 16mm Argon Cavity / Pilks K Glass = 1.50W/m2K
Clear Float / 16mm Argon Cavity / Low E glass = 1.10W/m2K

Air Filled Units
Clear Float /16mm Air Cavity / Pilks K Glass = 1.70W/m2K
Clear Float / 16mm Air Cavity / Low E glass = 1.40W/m2K

We have just had an updated quote for Triple Shield glass on a conservatory and in a couple of windows and it added on £290.

Now that the conservatory is built and our house windows have been replaced with the same Triple Shield glass, how can I be sure that the glass is indeed Triple Shield, and has been argon filled?

I notice that the kite mark has the words System 3 on it, which I understand is a brand which makes low u value argon filled glass, but as far as I know, if it has been argon filled, there should be some holes inside the window between each pane of glass - I can't see these holes, and am concerned I am being charged for some gas which I cannot see!

jimbobfruitbat said:

Now that the conservatory is built and our house windows have been replaced with the same Triple Shield glass, how can I be sure that the glass is indeed Triple Shield, and has been argon filled?

I notice that the kite mark has the words System 3 on it, which I understand is a brand which makes low u value argon filled glass, but as far as I know, if it has been argon filled, there should be some holes inside the window between each pane of glass - I can't see these holes, and am concerned I am being charged for some gas which I cannot see!

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Argon gas is invisible and will deteriorate over time anyway. There should be no markings on the glass itself except for kite marks where toughened glass is used. The spacerbar has the manufacturers name on it and usually a date of unit manufacture.

System 3 is a company that manufactures double glazed units. They do not actually manufacture any glass itself.
They are based in Manchester and I have had quite a few dealings with them myself. They are a very well known and reputable company and I've personally never had a problem with them. You will not be able to tell the difference between an air filled unit and an argon filled unit.

I think the holes you refer to are the small holes in the spacer bar? If so, these have nothing to do with the argon gas. The spacer bar is filled with dessicant (Silica gel type substance) which absorbs moisture inside the unit. The holes are in the spacer bar for that purpose and spacer bars from different companies may not look the same.

The original units should have had stickers on them to identify what glass has been used to make the units and to identify whether or not Argon gas has been used. These stickers are sometimes left on the glass when glazed so that the customer can see for himself and check.
As long as you have a FENSA certificate to say that the installation complies with Doc L of the Building Regs, you wont have any problems.

Excellent, my mind is now at ease. There were indeed stickers on the windows (which I found in the garden where they had been peeled off) which seemed to allude to Triple Shield type glazing.

Cheers