Triple glazing

[Steveam]

I moved into a flat about a year ago. I’m about to have some decorating done in the main bedroom but decided to change a slightly draughty/leaky pair of balcony doors. Having discussed with the window maker/installer it really isn’t that much more expensive to go from double to triple gazing. I’ve no idea whether this will be cost effective but the installer says it’s marginal but should provide better sound insulation.

Best wishes,

Steve

[88V8]

I moved into a flat about a year ago. I’m about to have some decorating done in the main bedroom but decided to change a slightly draughty/leaky pair of balcony doors. Having discussed with the window maker/installer it really isn’t that much more expensive to go from double to triple gazing. I’ve no idea whether this will be cost effective but the installer says it’s marginal but should provide better sound insulation.

Law of diminishing returns... sound insulation ideally 4" gap, but no harm done to put more mass (extra glass) between you and the noise.

V8

[BullDog]

For marginal cost, yes, I'd go for it I think.

[the0ni0nking]

Assuming there is an insulation benefit to it then I'd say it's worth it.

I have triple glazing but that existed when I bought the property and was done, as far as I am aware, for noise reduction purposes as it's about 2 miles from Leeds Bradford airport and on the flight path for both arrivals and departures.

I don't actually think it makes much difference on that front - you still always hear them!!!

[88V8]

I don't actually think it makes much difference on that front - you still always hear them!!!

In our previous house the library was at the front and over time the road became busy... I had double casements made, single glazed (lead lights) exterior glass, then a 4" gap to double-glazed inner casements.
That totally killed the noise, even without the velvet curtains.

V8

[Dicky99]

Assuming there is an insulation benefit to it then I'd say it's worth it.

I have triple glazing but that existed when I bought the property and was done, as far as I am aware, for noise reduction purposes as it's about 2 miles from Leeds Bradford airport and on the flight path for both arrivals and departures.

I don't actually think it makes much difference on that front - you still always hear them!!!

Secondary glazing is more suitable for noise reduction. 2ndry glazing combined with DG gives best of both worlds.

In terms of the benefit of triple glazing over double, yes if the aim is to eek out further gains in a generally well insulated space, no if everything surrounding the doors is not very well insulated.
Where you may derive a benefit, if the cost differential is small, is that with double glazing on the coldest days you may still get some condensate around the glass perimeters which is unlikely with triple.

[Lootman]

Where you may derive a benefit, if the cost differential is small, is that with double glazing on the coldest days you may still get some condensate around the glass perimeters which is unlikely with triple.

Yes, my experience is that there is no condensation with triple glazing, and some with double glazing.

As a kid I grew up with single glazing. Not only did the condensation rot the window frame (luckily my dad was a carpenter). But in the winter I had to scrape ice off the inside of my bedroom window.

Kids today are soft and coddled.

[UncleEbenezer]

But in the winter I had to scrape ice off the inside of my bedroom window.

Surely anyone who's an adult today is old enough to have been born into that world, though only those with a few more years may remember it clearly.

[Padders72]

Where you may derive a benefit, if the cost differential is small, is that with double glazing on the coldest days you may still get some condensate around the glass perimeters which is unlikely with triple.

Yes, my experience is that there is no condensation with triple glazing, and some with double glazing.

As a kid I grew up with single glazing. Not only did the condensation rot the window frame (luckily my dad was a carpenter). But in the winter I had to scrape ice off the inside of my bedroom window.

Kids today are soft and coddled.

You had windows Lord Snooty? You were lucky!!!

[tjh290633]

But in the winter I had to scrape ice off the inside of my bedroom window.

Surely anyone who's an adult today is old enough to have been born into that world, though only those with a few more years may remember it clearly.

They certainly can. They can also remember a time before roads were salted and cars were mush less common than today. Tyre chains were often used when it snowed. I remember a Sheffield Corporation single decker heading for Ringinglow with tyres so fitted, about 1957 or 8.

TJH

[pochisoldi]

But in the winter I had to scrape ice off the inside of my bedroom window.

Surely anyone who's an adult today is old enough to have been born into that world, though only those with a few more years may remember it clearly.

That ended for me when I was around 17, and parents moved us from a house with gas lukewarm air central heating (Sugg Halcyon) and thick blankets to one with a boiler and radiators.
The only good thing about the Halcyon was that the only part that ever broke was the thermocouple.

[Gerry557]

Check the energy efficiency ratings. The last lot I bought it cost quite a bit more for the triple. Just check your not getting "cheaper" triple that's only as good as good double.

You can always get other quotes.

In theory it should be better insulated and less noise. Check the frames also have the same energy ratings too

[UncleEbenezer]

Surely anyone who's an adult today is old enough to have been born into that world, though only those with a few more years may remember it clearly.

They certainly can. They can also remember a time before roads were salted and cars were mush less common than today. Tyre chains were often used when it snowed. I remember a Sheffield Corporation single decker heading for Ringinglow with tyres so fitted, about 1957 or 8.

TJH

My (swedish) late mother was full of disdain for the Brits' inability to drive as soon as there was a flake of snow. It was all part of learning to drive for her.

[tjh290633]

They certainly can. They can also remember a time before roads were salted and cars were mush less common than today. Tyre chains were often used when it snowed. I remember a Sheffield Corporation single decker heading for Ringinglow with tyres so fitted, about 1957 or 8.

TJH

My (swedish) late mother was full of disdain for the Brits' inability to drive as soon as there was a flake of snow. It was all part of learning to drive for her.

She should have been with us in the Peak District during the severe winters of 1961-2 and 62-3. We didn't miss a day getting into Sheffield, but one day we had to go via Dore, because an Austin A40 got stranded on Froggatt Edge with the deep snow packed under its flat floor, so its wheels lost their grip

We regularly met 6 vehicles after we left our village - a milk lorry, a Post Office van, a bus and 3 snowploughs, before we got to the main road.

And our water froze the day that the thaw began. A neighbour found us a milk churn full of water. Only for about a day before the pipe thawed out.

TJH

[the0ni0nking]

My (swedish) late mother was full of disdain for the Brits' inability to drive as soon as there was a flake of snow. It was all part of learning to drive for her.

She should have been with us in the Peak District during the severe winters of 1961-2 and 62-3. We didn't miss a day getting into Sheffield, but one day we had to go via Dore, because an Austin A40 got stranded on Froggatt Edge with the deep snow packed under its flat floor, so its wheels lost their grip

We regularly met 6 vehicles after we left our village - a milk lorry, a Post Office van, a bus and 3 snowploughs, before we got to the main road.

And our water froze the day that the thaw began. A neighbour found us a milk churn full of water. Only for about a day before the pipe thawed out.

TJH

I suspect you and my Dad from Grenoside would get on well! As it is, I'm 43 and I remember going to my (dads) grandparents house and they still had an outside toilet.

I'm still of the view that as a nation we're becoming less accepting of reasonable challenging circumstances.

[tjh290633]

She should have been with us in the Peak District during the severe winters of 1961-2 and 62-3. We didn't miss a day getting into Sheffield, but one day we had to go via Dore, because an Austin A40 got stranded on Froggatt Edge with the deep snow packed under its flat floor, so its wheels lost their grip

We regularly met 6 vehicles after we left our village - a milk lorry, a Post Office van, a bus and 3 snowploughs, before we got to the main road.

And our water froze the day that the thaw began. A neighbour found us a milk churn full of water. Only for about a day before the pipe thawed out.

TJH

I suspect you and my Dad from Grenoside would get on well! As it is, I'm 43 and I remember going to my (dads) grandparents house and they still had an outside toilet.

I'm still of the view that as a nation we're becoming less accepting of reasonable challenging circumstances.

Yes, the higher parts of Sheffield had its share of hard weather. The main roads were fine, but when you turned off it was the devil take the hindmost. I had a VW Beetle which coped well in the snow.

TJH

[the0ni0nking]

My dad referenced one winter which was colder than any other - he's not well enough to remember specifically but by the sounds of it 1947 was the coldest by a long while!

I seem to think there was something worse in the 50s/60s in terms of snowfall.

[Dicky99]

They certainly can. They can also remember a time before roads were salted and cars were mush less common than today. Tyre chains were often used when it snowed. I remember a Sheffield Corporation single decker heading for Ringinglow with tyres so fitted, about 1957 or 8.

TJH

My (swedish) late mother was full of disdain for the Brits' inability to drive as soon as there was a flake of snow. It was all part of learning to drive for her.

What's driving ability got to do with it. One of my relatives bought a spare set of wheels, fitted with winter tyres, three years ago for his Porsche Taycan and hasn't had to resort to putting them on yet. When I saw him recently he's thinking of selling the car so what a complete waste of money that was.
I would imagine that in Sweden it's compulsory to fit winter tyres in the winter months cos it snows there sometimes.
Imagine trying to bring that requirement in here.

[tjh290633]

My dad referenced one winter which was colder than any other - he's not well enough to remember specifically but by the sounds of it 1947 was the coldest by a long while!

I seem to think there was something worse in the 50s/60s in terms of snowfall.

The hardest winters I can recall were c.1942, 1947, 1962, 1963 and nothing comparable since. There have been short periods of heavy snow, but nothing comparable with the first three months of 1963.

TJH

[the0ni0nking]

My dad referenced one winter which was colder than any other - he's not well enough to remember specifically but by the sounds of it 1947 was the coldest by a long while!

I seem to think there was something worse in the 50s/60s in terms of snowfall.

The hardest winters I can recall were c.1942, 1947, 1962, 1963 and nothing comparable since. There have been short periods of heavy snow, but nothing comparable with the first three months of 1963.

TJH

In 1963 my dad would have been 24 and have recently finished his national service which he spent in Germany (could have been 62 but if both winters were similar then who knows) so that seems entirely aligned with what he recalls.

An entirely separate debate from the initial topic but it's nice to know that what my dad went through as a youngster aligns with others of the period!

I remain of the view that I had it relatively easy compared to my parents , and people younger than me have it even easier in terms of basically life in general.