Are you suffering from window pain? That is, too much noise coming from outside? If I Wanted to Hear What Was Going On Outside, I’d Open My Window! It’s too loud! New windows can help. But can windows and doors really reduce the amount of noise from outside?
Windows are rated as to their ability to deaden or attenuate (meaning the opposite of amplify) noise based on a classification called an STC or Sound Transmission Class. Walls and other building components use a similar system.
STC is the average of an object’s ability to attenuate (aka deaden) sound across the entire sound frequency spectrum. However, this classification does not give detailed frequency-deadening info, which is really what you should look for if you are concerned about blocking a certain type of unwanted noise (i.e. traffic noise).
People are born with the ability to hear around 20 to 20,000 hertz. Hertz, or Hz, is how sound frequency is measured – just like volts are the measurement for electricity.
Traffic noise is typically a low frequency sound, and unfortunately, low frequencies are much harder to block than are higher frequencies. In other words, you are more likely to hear the bass sounds from a passing car’s stereo than those higher pitch tones when that car is farther down the road.
Replacement windows and doors can help you manage whatever noise problem you may be trying to resolve.
Implementing laminated glass as part of your replacement project may be the solution. Laminated glass, or shatter-proof glass, consists of two sheets of glass with a transparent plastic sheet layered in between to form a pane that resistant to shattering.
All quality windows and doors reduce the amount of sound let into the home to some extent. Using a laminated, insulating glass in your replacement windows and doors will provide as much as a 100 percent improvement in sound deadening over other kinds of glass.
For more information regarding glass options, or for a window brand comparison, contact FAS Windows & Doors at 1-888-422-1960. If you have any questions you’d like to submit online, you can always ask our FAS expert! Call us today to schedule your free in-home estimate!
Katie Pettit 9/3/2010