Temporary double glazing?

Davepen

Davepen

Davepen

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Hello,
Moved into a rented house a few weeks ago, lovely place but very old.

It has sash windows which while very attractive, are not a very good noise barrier/wind protector. As its a listed building and rented I have no chance of putting in double glazing.

Now in the tenancy agreement it states that there is no noise to be audible outside the property after 10pm, but at the moment if you stand outside, even a resonably quiet conversation can be heard through the windows.

I have heard about temporary double glazing where you can shrink wrap a plastic film to the window/window frame, which is apparently quite affective.

Does anyone have any expierence of this stuff? Or any other ideas on how to reduce noise transfer through these old windows?

We have not had any complaints as of yet but I dont want to upset any of the residents with post 10pm rock band sessions :)

Cheers
 
Double glazing relies on the air gap to insulate both thermally and acoustically, I can’t see how sticking film to the inside of the glass can do anything than perhaps obscure your view tbh.

The issue with sash windows is that the actual sash is often loose in the frame and sound travels around the outside of it not necessarily through the glass. The only real way to prevent it with old sash windows is to have them refurbed and acoustic baffles placed between the sash and the frame and then have secondary glazing fitted in its own frame (thin profile aluminium) set back from the sash.
 
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I'd imagine a lot of sound leakage would be because of gaps between the window and the wall.
Big heavy curtains may help, or just brick up the windows and buy a lamp.
 
Unfortunalty bricking up the windows isnt an option :p
I have read about the temporary double glazing and apparently you stick it to the window frame, then shrink wrap it on with a hair dryer, which then creates an air pocket between the plastic and the window, and its totally see through, only disadvantage is you then cant open the window without removing it
 
Thanks Loam, unfortunatly its not something I can get installed myself due to the cost involved, and I doubt the Diocese (who manage the property) would pay to have it installed.

Noise for us (the Cathedral bells etc) isnt an issue, Im more concerned with our noise travelling outside.
 
As said previously, secondary glazing benefits from an "airgap" between the external glass of the existing windows, and the glass contained in the secondary framing unit - I believe there is an optimum dimension of c.150mm in which it's most effective. You can obtain vertically sliding / sash secondary glazing, or lift out products, which will allow you to gain access to the existing frames for ventilation, escape etc.

In order to maximise the acoustic performance of secondary glazing, ensure you use 6.4mm laminated glass, as the PVB interlayer offers improved noise reduction over 6mm toughened glass.

You can either direct fix the secondary frame either to the face of the revel, through the sides into the reveal, or into a seperate subframe.
 
I don't think a thin flim is going to help with sound proofing much - it won't absorb a significant amount of sound energy. You need materials with air pockets to do that. I have the same glazing setup as you - we have heavy curtains and they work very well. Any other solution involving acoustic foam is likely to look horrible!

However, if it really is post 10pm rock band sessions you're going to need thicker walls never mind curtains :D
 
Thanks Sandy, some great info there.

I was looking at this: http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wc...chTerms=double+glazing+film&authToken=#tabrev

A very cheap temporary solution, but as I imagine its gonna get quite cold in winter, it may be beneficial.

Do you think this product may also help with noise reduction?

The walls are pretty thick already! :D
Its a very old house and its detached so dont need to worry about noise through floors/walls, its just simply the windows that I believe are the problem.

Also we would like to put heavy curtains up but again are not allowed to make any such modifications to the house :/

the windows do have heavy shutters on, but they dont seem to help much..
 
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I personally think, as the name suggests, it would help with prevention of wind / air ingress but won't improve the acoustic performance greatly.

The best performing method is undoubtedly secondary glazing, albeit expensive.
 
Thats the problem :/ I dont want to throw too much money on it as its not my house, and the owners arnt bothered.

Check this out tho, found a pic of the house from 1973 :O

617px-9_College_Green%2C_Gloucester_-_geograph.org.uk_-_396291.jpg
 
That wouldnt be ideal as condensation can be a big issue with these types of windows :/

We wouldnt be putting it on all the windows, just the 1st floor windows shown in the above pic.
 
I suppose, but once you get the one complaint it then leaves you open to scrutiny, I want to try and reduce the issue before it becomes an issue :)
 
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