Acrylic v. Laminated Glass

[Speckulator]

I would like to reduce traffic noise through some windows.  It is mostly a problem at night when the house is quiet.  I am thinking about doing magnetic windows, either the do it yourself or having magnetite come do it as I don't have a lot of time to do it myself at the present time.  If I have magnetite do it I think they only go up to 1/4 inch thick, is that thick enough?.   I only talked to the guy for a min. at a home show but he sounded like he would do either one I wanted but he thought acrylic is better than laminated glass.  Is this correct?  If they both work the same will lam glass last longer than acrylic?

I have not been able to find a source that will even ship me a soundproof replacement window in the Hurricane Katrina affected area so that only leaves magnetic windows or soundproofwindows. com   Magnetite is within commuting range from me.  Is there anyplace I can find some info on acrylic v lam glass for solving a traffic noise problem? 

Is 1/4 acrylic or lam glass likely to work or should I consider something thicker even if it must be a fixed window?  The guy had a picture of a condo right next to the Greater New Orleans Bridge over the Mississippi River and says he solved that problem.  I am thinking if he solved that problem he can surely solve mine, but salesman are always optimistic about how well they did. 

And lastly if the magnetite doesn't solve the problem well enough would a second one in the space of an ordinary sized window sill help or is it mostly the airspace that does it?   Any thoughts and suggestions are welcome.

Thanks
Speck

[bjnash]

I would like to reduce traffic noise through some windows.  It is mostly a problem at night when the house is quiet.  I am thinking about doing magnetic windows, either the do it yourself or having magnetite come do it as I don't have a lot of time to do it myself at the present time.  If I have magnetite do it I think they only go up to 1/4 inch thick, is that thick enough?.   I only talked to the guy for a min. at a home show but he sounded like he would do either one I wanted but he thought acrylic is better than laminated glass.  Is this correct?  If they both work the same will lam glass last longer than acrylic?

I have not been able to find a source that will even ship me a soundproof replacement window in the Hurricane Katrina affected area so that only leaves magnetic windows or soundproofwindows. com   Magnetite is within commuting range from me.  Is there anyplace I can find some info on acrylic v lam glass for solving a traffic noise problem? 

Is 1/4 acrylic or lam glass likely to work or should I consider something thicker even if it must be a fixed window?  The guy had a picture of a condo right next to the Greater New Orleans Bridge over the Mississippi River and says he solved that problem.  I am thinking if he solved that problem he can surely solve mine, but salesman are always optimistic about how well they did. 

And lastly if the magnetite doesn't solve the problem well enough would a second one in the space of an ordinary sized window sill help or is it mostly the airspace that does it?   Any thoughts and suggestions are welcome.

Thanks
Speck

The info you need is at
http://soundproofing.org/options_sound_control_for_windows.htm

Then go to
http://soundproofing.org/sales/magnetseal_windows.htm

The Magnetite uses a thin plastic available from many hardware stores.

Our Magaseal uses Acrylic from your local plastics supplier available in heavier thicknesses- 3/8 is best.

Both are do-it-yourself projects.

Or, you can try www.soundproofwindows.com  They will come out.

BJ Nash - Senior Soundproofing Technical Specialist
Super Soundproofing Co
www.soundproofing.org
888-942-7723

[farallon]

For most applications I would think the 1/4 inch thickness is more than adequate. I can say this because I recently had the optixshield system (a magnetically attached and using acrylic panes similar to magnetite and of the same thickness) installed to lessen noise from a local airport and it's doing an excellent job, it's O'Hare airport btw. So for your application, eliminating traffic noise, I don't think you will be disappointed.

[johnbergstromslc]

1/4" laminated glass is much better at killing sound than 1/4" acrylic - higher density, plus it has a layer of PVB plastic in the middle that helps break the vibration.  But, as you've said, it's not availiable, so go with acrylic, but go thicker - 3/8" to 1/2", as much as you can afford.  Any additional 'leaf' installed with an airspace (assuming it's properly sealed) will help reduce the dBs.

You are right - it's mostly the airspace that does it.

[Speckulator]

I have found some 1/4" Laminated glass for $10 per sf.  That is roughly twice the price of the 1/4" acrylic but still a number I can handle.  It is 1/8" glass .30" PVB and 1/8" glass.  It weighs 3.22 lbs per sf.  I am mostly doing windows that are about 2.5ft x 4 ft.  (The 3/8" Lam glass with .90 PVB @$42 sf is beyond my budget and weighs 5 lbs per sf)

So if you guys don't mind I have a few more questions before I make a descision. 

1 Will the magnetic materials sold on this site hold that much weight OK?

2 As this glass will be large and rather heavy for the ladies in the house, is there any reasonably simple method to make the window in 2 pieces like you can with the magnetite?

3 Is it OK to put the soundproofing window about an inch to an inch and a half from the primary window so it will be behinds the blinds and you won't even know it is there?  Or is the air space so importand that I should I put the souldproofing window all the way out to the end of the space and leave the blinds hanging in between the windows?   

I would also like to thank all of you for taking the time to answer all my questions.  It is forums like this that make the internet great.  Whatever I end up with for a finished product I will post the final results for future readers.

[joel]

The Magnetseal system magnetic tape will probably not hold up a laminated glass panel safely.  If you use the acrylic use at least 3/8" thick.  And the air space is important.  4" air space is far superior to 1-1/2".

[ricki65]

The Magnetseal system magnetic tape will probably not hold up a laminated glass panel safely.  If you use the acrylic use at least 3/8" thick.  And the air space is important.  4" air space is far superior to 1-1/2".

Hi, i am a web developer and i have a client who is running a company that offers acrylic window replacement, with magnetic edge. I am not sure if this is the perfect solution for you guys. But it suppose to be a soundproofing window replacement, his website is http://www.supersaverwindows.com hope this helps.

[Randy S]

We are an authorized Magnetite dealer and the system does deliver a reduction, however we only deal with the 1/4" acrylic magnetite system due to a higher reduction value.
And our Magnaseal system hold a 3/8" thickness delivering a far greater reduction value.

[Adrian]

I have read the posts with interest.  I think for the most part everyone is getting the information correct.  Dealing with noise there are three important aspects to consider in the following order of importance 1.) The larger the air cavity between the layers of glazing the better the result 2) The more air tight the window the better the results 3) The heavier the glazing the better the results.

So it is advisable to move your blinds forward in order to achieve the biggest air gap possible.  A 4 inch gap is ideal.  Less than 2 inches and you need to consider how serious you are about stopping noise (generally the more bass and vibration in the noise the harder it is to stop)

The Magnetite window system works extremely well due to the air tight seal it creates. Traditional windows with laminated glass will not seal as well as they tend to slide to open which means they let in more noise.  If you use a fixed laminated section of glass and can seal around the perimter to ensure it is air tight then you will get excellent results - unfotunately it means you will not be able to access the air cavity very easily for cleaning or redecorating.

Glass is more dense than acrylic so for the same thickness of glazing, laminated glass will reduce more low frequency noise.  The laminate is not doing much for noise it is primarily the overall thickness of the glass whether it is lamiated or not it will have the same weight and density. 

If you focus on air cavity and getting reasonable seals then you shoudl be ok. If a thicker acrylic glazing is not accessable in your area then a system using laminated glass will be icing on the cake.  It is not advisable to use glass as a substitute to acrylic in a magnetic window system as this is not safe.  If you can't get thicker acrylic then it is likely the magnets are not strong enough to hold the laminated glass either.

Hope this helps

Regards
Adrian Lafleur
Magnetite (Australia) Pty Ltd
www.magnetite.com.au