How They Work

How Soundproof Windows Work to Reduce Noise

Soundproof Windows do not Remove or Replace Your Existing Windows
Soundproof Windows rehabilitate your existing windows!!! There is no need for window replacement. graphic of how the soundproof window works

Windows and Doors are the Noise Problem

The windows are the major noise problem in over 90% of the cases. As an analogy: You turn on a radio very low. Now take another radio and turn it up full blast. Which radio do you hear? Well, the noisy one is your windows and the quiet one is the walls. Only until you turn down your window’s volume, will it be possible to hear the walls.

The noise problems are seldom the walls, but are always the windows. Only in extreme noise environments or very poor construction situations do the walls require any special noise abatement treatments.

Besides reducing noise, our soundproof windows can solve other window problems.

Our soundproof windows are second windows placed behind your existing windows. Our windows insulate, stop drafts, soundproof and more. They open and close just like your existing windows, and offer more benefits than replacement windows – at a significantly lower cost.

No construction mess or down time to install our soundproof windows.

No hassle installation takes only hours per room to install our soundproof windows. Simple, straightforward and fast. Also, a very clean installation with little, if any, mess.

Many custom colors.

Our soundproof windows allow you to change the inside appearance of your windows without changing the outside appearance. Available in many custom colors (at an additional cost), our soundproof windows soften the often harsh brown-bronze color or appearance of your current windows.

Double Pane Windows have Poor Noise-Stopping Capabilities

While double pane windows do stop a little more noise than single pane windows, IGU (dual pane) glass is not very effective.

In a quiet environment, it becomes very quiet. In a noisy environment, you hardly notice the difference.

In a double pane windows, the two pieces of glass are coupled within the same frame and vibrate together – like the two tynes of a tuning fork. The air space does very little to retard the vibrations. The glass is usually rather thin. The insulation values in double pane windows are much better than single pane windows. Also, glass has certain sound frequencies that harmonize with the glass. This makes the noise at that frequency nearly “invisible” to the glass, and the noise rushes through. This is the ‘sweet spot’ of the various thicknesses of glass.

For more information about double pane windows, and what can be done about them, please see our Double Pane Windows page.

Why Our Windows Work to Reduce Noise

First, we use laminated glass. The inner PVB layer of plastic stops vibrations – like a finger on a tuning fork that also stops the ‘sweet spots’ referred to above.

Secondly, there is an air space between the two windows (the existing window and the new Soundproof window), so the frame is isolated from vibrations.

Finally, we spring-load the seals in our frame, which puts a constant squeeze on the glass panels. This constant squeeze prevents sound leaks and helps stop the noise from vibrating through the glass. A wine glass will ring when struck, but if you hold it firmly there is no ring. This is similar to how our frame squeezes our glass panels to keep them quiet and reduce noise.

The Maximum Amount of Noise Stopped by Soundproof Windows

We have tests that show up to an STC of 53 after installing Soundproof Windows. We know we can get STC ratings in the 60’s. Present us a noise problem requiring higher STC ratings and we will create the window that can solve it.

If interior noise levels are still very loud with STC ratings in the 50’s, then it would be physically dangerous to be outside for any reasonable amount of time – a definite health hazard.

For a closer look at this, please see our page on STC Ratings.