Your home is your sanctuary; a place to escape from the noisy chaos of your daily life. There is not much worse than having the calming quiet atmosphere of your home destroyed by noises from outside. A loud car whizzing by, a train roaring through, a neighbor’s dog barking, or a truck bellowing down the road are all sounds that are not welcome in the home.
How do you prevent unwelcomed sounds from entering the home?
There are many approaches to soundproofing your home, but keep in mind that there is no way to completely block out all sound from the home. When the world outside your sound sanctuary gets loud, you will inevitably be able to hear, but you can take some steps to help reduce the amount of sound that enters your home. While there are many approaches to soundproofing your home, this article will focus on the role of windows in a sound-proofing plan.
The means of maximizing the soundproofing properties of windows can be broken into two categories: installation techniques and materials.
Installation Techniques:
Acoustic Sealants/Caulks
Caulking is a vital aspect of any window installation. Caulk not only prevents the flow of air through seams and cracks, but it also acts as a barrier for sound. As with any other material, a softer, more pliable caulk will absorb sound rather than transmitting it through to the other side. The pliable caulk will also prevent the vibration produced by the sound from directly transferring to the walls or window itself where it is potentially amplified (made louder). At Energy Windows LLC, we always use high quality acoustic caulk which will remain soft and flexible for the life of the window. This not only improves the energy insulating properties of the installation, but it also lowers the sound transmission into the home. Many of our competitors will cut corners and use cheaper caulk which will harden and even crack. We at Energy Windows LLC are not willing to save a buck at the expense of our customer’s satisfaction. You’ll always get the best materials and service from us.
Acoustic Curtains or Blinds
Another option for improving the soundproofing properties of windows in adding acoustic curtains or blinds. These are both relatively affordable options for adding material that absorbs or dissipates sound that makes it through a window opening. According to soundproofcentral.com, curtains are typically able to absorb more sound than blinds due to their ability to be more massive, but both are helpful. Again, no treatment will completely eliminate outdoor noise from entering the home, but these window treatments can drastically reduce the volume of the intruding sound.
Materials:
Triple Pane Windows
One key element of a window’s ability to block sound is the air gap between panes. Most modern windows are double pane meaning that there are two sheets of glass with an air-filled gap between them. This air gap acts as a thermal and acoustic insulator. If constructed correctly, every transition from glass to air or air to glass causes the sound to lose energy which means less volume. Therefore, a triple pane window adds an extra layer of energy loss thereby reducing the volume substantially more from outside noise.
Dissimilar Glass
Dissimilar panes of glass simply means that two panes of glass are sandwiched together to increase their sound absorbing properties. The two panes are of differing thicknesses specially chosen to best absorb a specific frequency range of sound. One pain blocks the high pitches and the other blocks the deeper pitches. The two working together more effectively block a wider range of sound frequencies. Dissimilar glass is an option on our ProVia Aspect and Endure windows installed by Energy Windows LLC.
This is but a sampling of the many techniques that can be employed to prevent the noisy outside world from destroying the peace and quiet inside your home. Give Energy Windows LLC a call today to see how we can help you install high quality windows to reduce both your energy bills and outside noise problems in your home.