Heavy duty noise reduction windows are
out there. Some window companies are now making and selling a
real heavy duty window that are two windows in one frame. It is
about 6 inches thick. One window is a dual pane window like we
recommend and one is, or can be, a laminated glass single
pane interior window.
These work very well and are effective but
are very expensive and cost about three times what a
good standard window costs. It would require replacing your windows. You
can expect about a 75% noise reduction, which is great. However,
some of these windows are poorly designed. The frames are not designed
for the heavier weight of the glass and this can cause serious
problems and failures. Look for steel or aluminum reinforced vinyl
frames. The
glass choices offered are often confusing and costly. Follow the
previous glass suggestions for the dual pane portion and
get laminated glass in the single pane window for the
better results. Some
big name companies are doing this. Some of these windows are good
but a few have serious problems. It may be interesting
to see who is still making them in another few years. Please do
not ask which companies make good or bad ones – we do not want
lawsuits here. Even
the poor ones are good at stopping noise, and if you do not
open your windows very often, they may be just fine.
Soundproof Windows work well. This
is another solution that works just as good or better than
the heavy duty windows discussed above. These are made
by Soundproof Windows (website: www.soundproofwindows.com).
We
mention them by name because there is no one else doing what
they are doing and they have a good reputation. They make an
interior window (that can be installed to the outside
also) that is designed to stop noise. These are high quality windows
in all the basic styles – and they open and close. They
are moderate to just above moderately priced. The website
offers good information and explanations about why they work
as well as they do. They
designed a small footprint window that stops a lot of noise. Their
claims of 75% to 90% or more noise reduction are valid. Since
you can have even more air space than the heavy duty windows,
they can be set up to stop more noise. An interesting price comparison
we have reviewed shows that the heavy duty windows are more
expensive than installing a good dual pane window and
a Soundproof Window. This
is a better solution than replacing single pane windows with
dual pane windows, because it stops more noise for about
the same amount of money. If
you have lousy single pane windows, about 10% of you may
later opt to also replace your original windows.
There are a couple of other window companies that
offer an interior window that is laminated like the Soundproof
Window. However,
their frames are very thick and are really just windows altered
for noise instead of being designed specifically to stop
noise. This
thickness makes them less effective because there is less
air space available to stop the noise. Also, some
companies try to upgrade you to the 1/2" or 3/4"
thick glass “because
it is so much better at stopping noise”. This is a sales
gimmick. While it is true that the thicker glass stops a small
amount more noise, this small amount is barely perceptible
to the human ear. However, the kicker is the air space. Since
the window is so much thicker, the air space between the
two windows is reduced. The
reduced air space hurts the noise stopping ability more than
the thicker glass helps stop the noises.
To continue, click on soundproofing.
|
