Secondary Glazing

[WhiteVanJack]

Hi,

I have a couple of bay windows that I am considering for secondary glazing. One is a large square bay and the other a medium size angled bay.

The original wooden frames are in good condition so rather than rip them out and replace them with uPVC double glazing at considerable cost I am thinking of fitting some secondary glazing.

Firstly, is it a relatively easy job to fit secondary glazing or is it best left to an experienced fitter? Secondly, are there any makes of secondary glazing that are recognised as giving good performance? Finally, how efficient is secondary glazing in practice at preventing heat loss and draughts etc. I know that there are manufacturers claims to the efficiency but are these claims true in practice?

Any information most appreciated.


Rgds
Jack

 

[merlin50]

had it in a house many years ago and it worked very well.

 

[big-all]

almost all the benefits off secondery glazing is stopping draughts in the origional windows
if your windows are draught free you will have a small reduction in heat loss and sound probably in the area off 5 to 10% which would probably equate to 1 to 2% off heating costs so not cost effective unless you plan on being in use for many years to come

 

[WhiteVanJack]

There are draughts from the existing windows so I hope that the secondary glazing will be reasonably efficient at excluding the draughts. However, it is also the noise reduction that I am wondering about as the house is set back about 60 feet from a busy main road and we get a fair bit of road noise.

If I knew that I would get a reasonable level of noise reduction I would definitely go for the secondary glazing and the draught exclusion would be a bonus.



Rgds
Jack

 

[big-all]

a lot off the noise reduction is because the frame is plastic so absorbs noise also you have a sealed unit that greatly reduces noise and heat transferance

if your windows "rattle" when diesels pass then draught excluder will probably be just as good at noise reduction as the friction will reduce the bass vibration

 

[alext05]

Our secondary windows have been great in reducing traffic noise (very significantly) and keeping the house warm (and reducing your heating bill). It also eliminates condensation on the sash windows.

The bigger the gap between the secondary windows and the original sash windows the bigger that noise reduction.