Safety Glazing Options: Everything You Must Be Aware Of Double Glazing For Your Home
Despite the negative media, double glazed windows have become a norm in the field and offer numerous benefits – however, they can be a bit difficult to understand. If you’re looking to upgrade your windows or other glass-based installations, or expand your home, it may help to know the basics of double glazing actually is.
What Is Double-Glazing?
The first thing to do is getting started. Double glazed window installation can be described as a term which is so prevalent in home and construction that it could appear as if it’s not needed. To fully comprehend the benefits of double glazing, it’s crucial to grasp what exactly it is.
Simply put, double glazing. It’s used in all types in glass installation (particularly windows) and consists of two glass panes that are placed within the same frame. They are separated through a fine film of air (a vacuum) or, sometimes, inert gas like the gas argon.
It can reduce drafts and is a significant improvement over single glazing, which is one pane of glass that acts as a wall between the indoor and outdoor worlds. Those who have single-glazed windows have probably noticed that during colder seasons, the single panes could act as chilling units within a house.
Double Glazing’s Origins
The first reports of glass windows being doubled in order to act as a barrier to cold aren’t clear however some have claimed that the origins date as far back as 1870, which is in Scotland. Anyone who’s travelled to the Highlands will recognize how frigid Scotland can be.
And in winter months, Victorian homes with several rooms that were heated (and the sluggish fireplace in the kitchen, often the sole heat source) looked more similar to massive fridges than the homes of families.
What Are The Benefits Of Double Glazing?
If you know the two aspects of double glazing and where it comes to be, the following concern is what does double glazing actually accomplish? In addition to things like electronically controlled Windows and Doors, double glazed glass panel can provide many benefits for a home.
Reduces Drafts And Heat Loss
The most significant benefit double glazing can provide and the reason that it was designed initially is to limit heat loss within the interior of a space. Double glazing stops all heat from leaving an area and also limits the amount of draft that could be able to pass through the gaps.
It Provides An Acoustic Insulation
Double glazed windows and doors can also provide excellent acoustic insulation when compared to single glazing because the volume of sound that passes through double-glazed installations is decreased by the added material and the gap that exists between both panels. When sound waves hit the surface, they bounce off; others are absorbed, while others go through the glass.
Security Is Improved
Single-glazed panels aren’t the same as double-glazed ones in protecting against intruders even when they’re using toughened or laminated glass (explained under the heading “types of double glazing” later). The mere presence of two glass panes set within the same frame offers the illusion of an additional layer of security for an apartment.
Reduces Condensation Build-Up
Condensation develops on surfaces that are cooler than the surroundings (which is the reason windows in cars steam up during cold days; the window may be cold; however, inside the car it is warm).
The reduced loss of heat of the best double glazed windows ensures that the inside glass won’t be as cold, and this means condensation isn’t able to build up. This, in turn, can aid in reducing the amount of moisture within the building, which can help avoid problems such as mould and laundry which takes a long time to dry.
How Can Double-Glazed Windows Cut Down On The Loss Of Heat?
Despite the many benefits double glazing can provide, nearly every homeowner or property owner decides to replace their windows due to the reduced heat loss that it provides. This is because a lower heat loss results in less need for heating and, consequently, it will save you money on heating bills that are expensive.
What is the process? Double glazing helps reduce heat loss because it limits the amount of heat lost from a building through convection and conduction.
Conduction is when heat is transferred through a substance: heat is absorbed by the glass and then is transferred through the window to the outside world. For single-glazed windows, heat strikes the panel and it is then transferred to the outdoors, condensing the warmth
Double house heat map of comparison between double and single glazing taken from the home. Double glazing can hinder this method, since the heat that is conducted doesn’t go outside, but gets transferred into the air between the panels which are where convection kicks into.
Convection happens in the process of transferring heat via fluids or gas, which is in this instance air, and sometimes the gas argon. Air is a poor conduit of heat, which is why the vacuum of double glazing serves as a barrier, keeping the heat from being transferred.
By tackling both processes at the same time, double glazing helps stop heat transfer. It’s not perfect in any way, but the distinctions between double and single-glazed homes are quite evident.
Double Glazing Types
In general, double glazing does not come in a large selection of “types”; each installation operates in the same manner – however, the materials used to make the frame, as well as the kinds of glass used, can differ.
Low E Glass
This is the term used to describe Low emissivity Glass. This is achieved by applying an extremely thin metal “low E’ coating that is applied to the opposite edge of the glass in order to produce an insulating impact. This reduces the heat transfer between the two sides of the glass. It also enhances the installation’s energy efficiency.
Float The Glass
Float glass is the name used to describe the method used to make the majority of contemporary glass used for windows and other types of installations. The method was developed by Sir Alastair Pilkington the technique involves floating glass molten on an underlying layer of molten steel and produces a uniformly smooth, flat finish. It may sound like a fancy technique however it’s the standard way that glass is created.
Laminated Glass
Double glazing is much more secure than one (more on this later) however, acoustic laminated glass increases that degree of security even higher. The laminated glass panels are constructed by two pieces of glass which are joined to result in the glass pane being held together in the event of a break, instead of breaking into a thousand tiny bits. This is a good thing:
Glass That Is Toughened
The toughened type of glass, as its name suggests it is a glass made reinforced by heating tempering processes to ensure that in the unlikely occasion that it does break it breaks into smaller pieces, rather than sharp fragments.
This kind of glass is now used for everything from car windscreens to telephone boxes and double glazing made of toughened glass offers a more secure and safer alternative. While this isn’t a comprehensive list, what it reveals is that double glazing by itself isn’t a product that comes out of the box, it’s a method and it’s the result of a particular manufacturing technique.
This is a reason in part why when it first came out the concept of it was (and to some extent is) often misunderstood. Those who promoted ‘double glazing’ gave an illusion that double glazing was like a product when in reality, the range of various designs is huge.
