Buying double (triple) glazing

[curium]

Hi

I’ve never bought double glazing before. For something that is not especially high-tech the process seems very convoluted.

I’m hoping for some advice on a few things.

Is UPVC double glazing fairly standard now or is there a hierarchy of features that are worth paying extra for?

Is triple-glazing worthwhile for the added costs?

What things should I clarify with the various salesmen to ensure that the quotes are comparable?

What are the things you wished you’d known before buying double glazing windows/doors?

Many thanks

 

[ronniecabers]

Depends on the material you are thinking of using , price wise Upvc Cheapest , Then Aluminium , then Wood. Most Upvc companies fit A rated windows which is Diamant Glass (Low Iron , ever seen glass stacked up , its green , Diamant Isn't it's clear ), warm edge spacer bar , argon gas and Low e Glass (usually Planitherm or equivalent ' softcoat ' ).... any 'extras ' such as ' addons/knockons' obscure glass, decorative glass, trickle vents, Gerogian (internal BArs ) , astragal (externally fitted bars ) will effect thermal performance and the windows have never been tested with these items in , so can never technically be classed as A Rated

Diamant Glass - designed to let more light/heat in (called the ' G' Value)
Warm edge Spacer - to stop transference of cold from front to back pane
Argon gas - heat retention gas (forms part of the ' U ' VAlue ) ---- widely accepted it leaks out over 5 years would you believe!
Low e Glass - Designed to reflect heat back into the room (forms part of the U Value )

As goes the different profiles , all pretty similiar these days , all comes down to the manufacturer and the fitting

Triple Glazed in my opinion is not worth it, unless you live in the mountains , or by incredibly noisy things , where it will help but no eliminate noise, as goes energy saving on Triple Glazing , unless you never move and live for a long time you are unlikely to ever see the return from the initial investment.

 

[curium]

Many thanks for such a detailed response.

 

[Friday round]

Thanks @ronniecabers!
There’s a few more marketing terms that I wouldn’t have a clue. Can you add your thoughts on sight lines ( is there a diff if flush vs traditional), frame depth (is that the same as thickness) , upvc frames with half dozen chambers and metal reinforcement?

 

[pcaouolte]

A small local firm with direct employed fitters may provide better results than a large national company employing subcontract fitters. Try to get recommendations from friends/family. As the quality of the product doesn't vary much, the quality of the fitting can make a big difference to the end result.

 

[ronniecabers]

Thanks @ronniecabers!
There’s a few more marketing terms that I wouldn’t have a clue. Can you add your thoughts on sight lines ( is there a diff if flush vs traditional), frame depth (is that the same as thickness) , upvc frames with half dozen chambers and metal reinforcement?

Sight line would be how much of the spacer bar ( the bit the keeps the two panes of glass apart ) is goes behind the beading, sightline is normally flush to the bead
Flush sash vs traditional upvc ...flush sash is still upcoming, looks much more like traditional wooden windows. Residence 9 ( and 7 ) are the upper end of market, most profile companies do one these days though.
Frame depth ... actual depth of frame , normally 70mm for everything other than Sliding Sash windows, not to be confused with size of sealed units ( most modern pvc is 28mm for those ), if you see 57mm or 62mm , this is normally the width of the face of the pvc( edge of frame to edge of glass )
Chambers- more Chambers better air insulation
Reinforcing- metal is still used and potentially keeps the frames slightly colder. Have seen plenty with ' plastic ' reinforcing but honestly it still bends more than the metal so I'm not convinced

One thing to watch is that later this year Trickle vents are to become mandatory on all Windows, a government directive I'm afraid but the industry is trying to resist it

 

[ronniecabers]

A small local firm with direct employed fitters may provide better results than a large national company employing subcontract fitters. Try to get recommendations from friends/family. As the quality of the product doesn't vary much, the quality of the fitting can make a big difference to the end result.

Absolutely, most nationals fitters are self employed and try and fit as many windows as quick as possible to maximise their income, so quality can be compromised and faults are normally dealt with by dedicated ' remedial ' teams

Smaller companies fitters tend to be fully employed by the company and tend to be made to correct their mistakes themselves but also know that the companies reputation is based on their work