When you have single glazed windows in the house, you will notice that some of your rooms feel much hotter during summers and colder during winters. In addition, frequent noise and disturbance can become a common problem with these windows
Owing to these reasons, more and more people are now opting for double glazing their windows as well as doors, but the main question to ponder on here is: will double glazing stop condensation and what are the benefits of double glazing?
What is Double Glazing?
The term glazing, derived from the Middle English word for glass, is a specialised window term. Keep in mind that even nowadays, people who repair or fix window glass are often called glaziers, and you’re more likely to hear the word glazing used in a more technical manner when many window manufacturers call their window designs “single-glazed” or “double-glazed.”
Double glazed windows, in this regard, are an excellent energy efficient choice with the additional benefit of minimising noise. These windows have two panes of glass. It is worth mentioning that the sealed air gap present between the 2 panes acts as a great added layer of insulation. Note that this extra thermal resistance tends to reduce the amount of heat that escapes in winter and helps keep your home at a more comfortable and cosy temperature.
On the other hand, double glazing usually offers the opposite effect in summer as it prevents unwanted heat from coming into your home. The extra insulation helps lessen your reliance on products like artificial heaters as well as air conditioners and can lower your energy costs.
Double glazed windows could have a low-E coating. Note that Low-E glass can reduce the amount of heat which escapes. Also, double glazed windows don’t need to be tinted. Tinting can reduce visible light while obstructing views. It is worth mentioning that double glazed windows can reduce ultraviolet rays by up to 75 percent. Harmful UV rays could fade carpet, wood, fabric, paper, and even artwork.
How Double Glazing Increases the Quality of Your Home
High-quality frames as well as edge spacers are standard energy efficient window enhancements. One of the most popular options is a frame made from top quality UPVC.
Double glazing is also an ideal way to boost the resale value of a home. This is because with double glazing, older homes can be just as desirable and worthy to purchasers who want to make sure that the house they purchase is efficiently insulated.
Security is also enhanced as double glazed windows are often harder to break compared to windows with single glass panes. Note that the tight seal tends to make them more difficult to force or pry open from the outside. You specify laminated or toughened glass for even greater security.
Double Glazing and Insulation
A warmer glass surface means less chance of condensation. Most double and triple glazed windows are carefully designed to lower the loss of heat from an interior space, like a room, by conduction, often from the inside to the outside of the building.
And in case a room is heated, under average conditions, the room side temperature of an inner pane of a double glazed window would be much higher compared to single glazing. The likelihood of condensation, as a result, occurring when warm and moist air in your room comes in contact with this glass is reduced.
How Double Glazed Windows Can Stop Condensation
When a window is just single glazed, the cold temperature on the outside often transfers very easily to the inside, causing condensation to occur rapidly. On the other hand, when double glazing is installed, you will notice there is much better thermal insulation between the inside and outside. Condensation is considerably reduced, as a result, which creates a warmer, healthier and drier home.
Double glazing is also called “insulating glass”. That is because it can provide an effective insulating layer from the outside to inside.
That is also how double glazed windows can help reduce unwanted condensation as well as the associated moisture and water damage, mildew and mould, and the health impacts.
It is worth mentioning that double-glazed windows are now often standard both for new construction as well as replacement windows. These windows could be engineered so there’s simply dead air space in the small gap between the two window panes; that being said, today it’s more common that these windows are meticulously designed so that the space between the two window panes is filled using an inert gas, like argon or xenon, and this tends to increase the resistance to standard energy transfer through the glass panel.
Selecting the Right Window Frame
Keep in mind that the level of condensation at or near the edge of the double glazing as well as on your window frame would be influenced partly by the material of your window frame. It is worth mentioning that timber window frames are great insulators. With high quality double glazing, and a home with decent management of fresh air ventilation, it can be reasonably expected that condensation on your windows could be eliminated.
On the other hand, where the window frames are made from aluminium (that isn’t thermally enhanced) it’s likely that there would continue to be some level of condensation on your frames. The level would be influenced partly by management of inside humidity level and will be more noticeable in extremely cold temperatures.
Condensation could be a serious problem, especially in older homes; this is because it causes mildew and mould, and in many cases it would also rot timber frames while damaging your family’s health. In this respect, double glazing works well to lower excess moisture on the window panes.
Final Thoughts
As condensation only tends to form on surfaces that are cooler compared to the surrounding air, double glazing can greatly help reduce it by allowing the inner glass of your windows to retain heat. So, yes, double glazing can indeed be a very effective way to stop condensation.
Reach out to us today if you’d like to benefit from double glazed windows.