Triple pane vs double pane reality check

If you have a sales person convince you that triple pane is overkill, then I have ocean front property for sale in Arizona.

[@minnybiker4505]

I was really hoping you'd tell me to save my money... But you convinced me that I'm wise to stick with triple pane.

[@johnrogers1794]

Thank you, Jay... This helps A LOT!!! Now all I have to find windows for our manufactured home...

[@rickstorm8948]

Thank you, just ordered triple pane with lowe upvc Veka for our new house in Lahore Pakistan where it gets hot in summers and pretty chill in winters. We are so excited...our house is built completely in a concrete steel rebar frame structure and can easily withstand the enormous weight of our huge windows.... some are 10 feet tall and 8 to 10 wide.... we are lucky to have some great installers trained in the hot Middle eastern countries and we cant wait to complete it by June 2023 InshaAllah.

[@Wallstrcrash2012]

Nice, simple and makes complete sense. At the moment the only concern i have with triple glaze being fitted is with the installation. Triple glaze are going to be heavier so surely there is a potential risk on the surrounding structure?. More support maybe needed. Are you able to offer any advice to elevate this concern and do installers make "right" any problems that may occur in the future?

[@donaldlee6760]

Is there a rough guide to how many years a triple-pane window takes to break even to make back the additional cost in lower heating bills? For example, if paying an extra $1000 for triple-panes windows reduces heating/cooling costs by $500/year, then the additional cost of triple-pane windows will have broke even in two years, and each year after that makes triple-pane windows the "less expensive" choice. I've heard that for houses built before the 1940s that tend to be leaky and not well insulated, the break even point is around 40 years, but there was no evidence to back this up and the individual was advocating to fix broken single pane windows over buying new double pane windows (source - Brent Hull, specifically in pre-1940s historic homes with original and historically beautiful single pane windows)

[@nomomomomomom6916]

Well said !!! Thanks 👍

[@josefernandez2722]

how would I know if my condo's structure can handle the extra weight?

[@demonamin97d]

Vinyl or aluminum?

[@shenoyglobal]

what are some of the good fiberglass triple pane impact windows you have to suggest

[@irishcoffee6894]

Thanks for your honesty. People probably don"t understand the value of triple pane. AND what you said, companies don't bother or don't want to take the effort of providing you with triple pane.

[@Ted655687653]

Let's see a scientifically controlled demonstration of both products and then show us the price difference in table format so WE can decide for ourselves. Thank You.

[@matcauthon876]

Triple Pane is energy star if you buy from a good company, while double pane will never be energy star. Those are based on certified rating, otherwise you can not get energy star. I agree it’s definitely worth it.

[@ReflectedMiles]

@@matcauthon876 Irrelevant. This is a question of engineering relative to a particular application, not a government rating favoring a few percentage points in one or two metrics. The OP is correct.

[@jdsheleg8332]

Good reasoning, but there are no numbers to back up this reasoning or justify the expense versus the return on investment.

[@jayjohnson-ge5to]

When it comes to the laws of physics I keep it simple. 3 panes of glass with low e coatings and either argon or krypton gas fill simply outperform 2 pieces of glass with a single gas fill. Every NFRC label I've seen (over 1,000) for the record; the triple pane numbers far outweigh the double pane in 3 categories. U factors, STC, and CR ratings. If you dont care about these 3 ratings (or don't know what they are" then thats why a person also wouldnt care about triple pane..I've personally been to 3 different glass manufacturers for my (facts). Where are your facts coming from?

[@brycenchad580]

A trick : watch movies at Flixzone. Been using it for watching a lot of movies during the lockdown.

[@sergiobenton7837]

@Brycen Chad definitely, I have been using flixzone} for years myself :D

[@bishopsoren2682]

@Brycen Chad Yup, I have been using Flixzone} for years myself =)

[@silassergio9554]

@Brycen Chad definitely, been using flixzone} for since november myself =)

[@stevenwhiting8941]

We live in a row house in Phila Pa that sits on a lot east to west on a main street that gets a lot of traffic on the east side, front of the house. The house is old built back in the 40s. Does it make sense to put triple panes on the front and rear of the house; upstairs and downstairs? Put double panes on the north side of the house? What do you recommend?

[@mthardt]

The north side will benifit more from triple panes in the winter. You are planning on putting a lesser efficiency window on the coldest side?

[@bluetech2809]

In other words, IF you can find triple glazing for not much more ("not much more" is subjective, though) than double glazing, get it.

[@michaelmike1519]

what company do you recommend for the triple pane windows ?

[@jayjohnson-ge5to]

Any company that has a great framing system to go with it. Also a better than average warranty, good installers, and an A rating on the BBB

[@michaelp9238]

@@jayjohnson-ge5to how do you know if they're good installers and better than average warranty?

[@Dbulkss]

@@michaelp9238 what state and city are you in?

[@michaelp9238]

@@Dbulkss Washington state, Seattle area

[@Dbulkss]

@@michaelp9238 get at least 4 bids from local companies. Ask for at least 3 references for all of them. Ask them to break down in detail the installation process.

[@rolm7877]

You the best

[@kevinburnsmusic3896]

Funny, a video about noise reduction with a really noisy mic :)

[@brainstewX]

He needs a triple pane microphone

[@richardwyss223]

Technically you are correct in regards to performance. But you didn't discuss the advantage of double glassing. For example cost, weight and in particular that double is less dark. If you like a bright room, rather then the best insolation, then double is a better choice. It was me, who gave you the thumps down, because when you make a comparison, don't just look at one aspect. But thank you to take the time.

[@semperbauhaus]

You want it less dark? Turn the light on.

[@gregcorwin8316]

Not necessarily. One example is a triple pane IGU with single silver LowE coatings on two lites with 70% visible light transmittance and a U.13, while a dual pane with a single multiple layer LowE coating could have visible transmittance of 50%-72% with U factors in the U.23 - U.26 range. While the triple has significantly better U factor performance, the VT is comparable or better than many dual pane options. Of course triple pane windows can also be very dark if they are coated with a lower VT coating, but it's not a given in any case.

[@marc123uk]

Both my lounges and main bedrooms have south facing windows ....I would be stupid to put triples in as it would reduce the natural heat from the sun that helps warm the rooms even in the winter months .. This morning 27/02/21 Lincs UK..A hard frost on the ground suns up and rooms are warm from the windows..If they was triples i would need to put the heating on but NO HEATING NEEDED so save £££££..$$$$$$ Triples are great for them that live in shaded areas very noisy areas or areas of excessive cold like Alaska ;) are triples better YES of course but only in the right situations ;)

[@nygelb4333]

How would triple glazing prevent sunlight getting through? It`s still glass and not opaque.

[@dooovde]

What's lowwy glass?

[@alejandroaranda5254]

It is Low E, and it stands for low emission glass referring to temperature

[@peteranthony6280]

sounds good to me

[@mjwmontgomery]

I am upgrading from double to triple. Having doubts of it is necessary?

[@jayjohnson-ge5to]

You have doubts because you don't have the facts. The next time its over 90 degrees or dips into the single digits or less, you'll start wondering why you skimped. triple pane is still NOT going to out perform your wall.

[@mjwmontgomery]

@@jayjohnson-ge5to update. i put triple pane glass. I cant hear any outside noise anymore. I cant tell what the weather is like outside, even if its minus 10. Indoors the temperature is a constant 19 to 22 degrees. I have been measuring it. Less sunlight comes into the room, which is a negative and I have lost the greenhouse effect that the double pane glass had. I think I am sleeping better. Dont know why.

[@leob4403]

@@mjwmontgomery do you have the AC on all the time?

[@mjwmontgomery]

@@leob4403 its more for heating purposes in winter.

[@leob4403]

My worry though since I dont have AC in my home, will the triple glass make it hotter in summer?

[@kealiimahoe25]

I live in Hawai’i, is triple pane good to have in Hawai’i?

[@jayjohnson-ge5to]

I would do triple pane anywhere I lived. It helps a lot with heating, cooling, and noise. Theres no downside and it doesnt add all that much to the cost. Usually around 15% give or take.

[@gregcorwin8316]

No you don't need triple pane in Hawaii. It's a waste of money. A good dual pane with the appropriate LowE coating is more than sufficient. In fact if I was building in any tropical region I would opt for laminated glass with a low solar heat gain coating inside the laminated glass sandwich to control solar heat and a surface 4 coating to improve U factor (or R value) performance rather than a standard dual pane.

[@jasonjrobinson]

all I had to do was look at the diagram... more glass, if that has the lower R value or higher conductivity, more glass is worse... the goal is to have more gas. right... I'll watch the rest of the 3 minutes to see if that was the result...

[@jasonjrobinson]

I was very wrong... but... I'm... conflicted. because... isn't the glass the least insulated part of the system?

[@phatmusic]

Why not make a 10 pane window lol

[@lrm52283]

It cost more! Its more than 10k more between single and double... over 20 years you only save 10k on heating and cooling... the difference between double and single is less, like $100 a year so 2k over 20 years... not worth it Specially if the seal doesn't make it 20 years, which is common... then you just have ugly fogged windows

[@gregcorwin8316]

And your statistics and knowledge on this come from?

[@lrm52283]

@@gregcorwin8316 up your ass... what a snarky and lazy thing to say.... if you disagree, you prove it. Troll But to answer you... math. I lokked up monthly savings from numerous sources and cost difference in windows and oh look... it takes 20+ years to make the money back.... it's a sales technique just like saving money on solar power

[@cristoff3]

But....doesn't it also cause condensation? That is definitely a downside you haven't mentioned...

[@gregcorwin8316]

Nope, glass doesn't "cause" condensation. Condensation on glass occurs when the temperature of the glass is lower than the dew point. Triple pane glass is going to result in glass that is closer to the temperature of the room so less prone to indoor condensation.

[@squirrel9999]

@@gregcorwin8316 It looks like the outside of the windows gets a lot of condensation in some cases. KZbin videos out there showing it. I am not entirely sure why it happens

[@gregcorwin8316]

@@squirrel9999 The better the insulating value of the windows, the more likely the outside glass temperature will be below the dew point temperature resulting in condensation (dew) forming on the exterior glass surface. In the right conditions the window glass will radiate heat to a clear night sky resulting in exterior glass that is actually colder than the air temperature, again increasing the potential for exterior window condensation. This is no different than car windows being fogged up or wet grass in the morning because of dew.

[@maxworx1411]

Nice, simple, but your assumptions are incorrect. As someone in the industry I can sell you all you want, even quadriple glazing, but in person I'd pick double glazed at any time. When you look at it from a scientific point, triple glazing has no benefits over double glazed whatsoever.

[@chrislimnios9180]

Can you *please* elaborate? I'm debating this right now as our home needs new windows and I'm the type who always goes overboard with the upgrades if they make sense.

[@maxworx1411]

@@chrislimnios9180 The energy used during production and transport is higher than the possible energy savings. The mechanical parts have to withstand a higher load and wear down faster. And to put the insulation values into perspective: Single sheet (3mm): 14,6 W/m²K Double sheet (4/16/4): 1,2 W/m²K Triple sheet (4/12/4/12/4): 0,87 W/m²K The gains are minimal, only interesting if you get a special tax benefit. Btw good quality double pane windows (coated and gas filled) can have better insulation properties than triplets.

[@fishinrivers2883]

[low e glass probably has negative health effects and/or will start a fire outside everyones houses with some sort of sun simulator burst or something like that. the gabberment always pushes things for nefarious reasons. ALWAYS]

[@nappanapoli8400]

It comes down to money you goober

[@irishcoffee6894]

See what it brings you in the long haul. Most people that build a house or buy a house are planning to stay there for at least 10 to 15 years. I already know the different of single to double, unfortunate not yet to triple but I know it is MUCH better than double. Just keep compairing

[@jayjohnson-ge5to]

you are correct and I like your name as well.