3 Factors Tampering with the Effectiveness of Double Glazing in Sound Attenuation

Posted on: 6 May 2015

One advantage that double-glazing offers home occupants is sound attenuation. Sound from outside the home is kept out, while the sound generated from inside the home (such as loud music) stays inside the home. However, several factors influence the effectiveness of this sound attenuation. This article discusses some of those factors.

The Heaviness of the Glass

Double-glazed windows are made using varying thickness of glass. The thicker the glass is, the better it is at isolating sound. This is because the thick glass will dampen the sound in just the same way as a thick wall will act as a sound insulator in a building. Thus, the degree to which sound attenuation will take place depends on the thickness of the glass used to make your windows. For instance, 6mm thick glass will provide better soundproofing than glass that is 4mm thick.

The State of the Seals

As windows age, the seals wear out so the inert gas (like Argon) used to insulate the windows leaks out. This reduces the sound attenuation capacity of the windows since the heavy gas barrier is no longer effective in dampening the sound. You should therefore ensure that the seals in your windows are in good condition so that the gas between the glass layers does not leak out. Have the windows inspected periodically, maybe annually, so that broken seals are quickly fixed.

The Size of the Air Gap Between the Glass Layers

Double-glazed windows have an air gap between the layers of glass. This gap helps to prevent moisture from building up inside the glass, causing it to fog. The air gap prevents sound from reverberating through the glass so a bigger air gap will do a better job of sound attenuation than a small air gap. Most new double-glazed windows now have larger air gaps than the older versions of double-glazed windows. Install new double-glazed windows if you would like better sound isolation in your home.

Ask a glazier like B.C.I. Glass to inspect your home if you feel that the double-glazed windows you have are not effectively attenuating sound. He or she will be able to advise you as to what you can do to improve their sound isolation capacity (such as sealing up all gaps beneath the windows).

You should also steer clear of DIY attempts to fix sound attenuation issues since those DIY attempts may result in compromising the design of the windows, such as causing the inert gas to escape.

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