Hi, planning on renovating my bedroom, and sound from the road around 5 meters away is killing me, waking me up at night. Now the current window is (what I assume) is just a single pane window, and my local hardware store have no dual pane window available.

Now, since I can't get special glass to replace the current one, will adding a second window (probably on the exterior instead of the interior), but with normal, single pane glass (1/8" I think is what they used now) be sufficient to dampen some of the sound?

Also, will making a DIY double pane window by using two 1/8" glass in the second window help, even though it's not a real double pane with a vacuum in between?

 

Welcome to the forums! We really need you to fill out your profile. We don't know where you are located, so our advice will be sketchy. You can't build a thermopane IGU. No inert gas between and it will fog up almost immediately. What resources do you have? You mentioned a hardware store. Do you have the ability to order an insulated IGU from a window manufacturer?? Heavy drapes would help with eliminating the sound until you could get the window repaired.

 

I second using heavy drapes - that might do the most. Installing a storm window on the outside might help some.

 

There's no getting around it, windows let noise in as well as light. Our office has a brick veneer on the outside with concrete block inside of that and then regular 2x4 walls with sheetrock. When the office was first bought and renovated, the contractor refused the request for windows, saying the noise from the state highway next to us would drive us nuts with windows cut into those walls.

 

First of all, thanks for all the quick responses, I'll update my profile as soon as I post this.

I'm currently in the Philippines, in a small town with only one hardware store. I know the owner, so they can probably custom make some windows / frames as needed. Here, if I'm not mistaken, they just use ordinary 1/8" glass that they cut themselves. Haven't heard of any glass manufacturers in the area that can make special window glass.

Regarding the storm window advice, what does that actually mean (I haven't heard of that until I read this forum)?

What about adding a second window with just an ordinary glass, maybe 1/4" thick, around 2" apart from the main window, as well as adding heavy / theatre drapes? At least this way, I can always open / close them like normal windows. Currently, my windows are almost always close, only open during the daytime when I go to work to let fresh air into the room.

Also, the frame around the window glass is actually made up of bent steel, hollow on the inside. Would it help if I fill it up with silicone?

 

There's no reason not to add a second pane....but you will need to leave a gap to allow water drainage and air circulation. It will still help somewhat with sound. You will want it easily removable for cleaning of it and the primary.

Add in the drapes and that's about all you can get.

You might consider one of those clock radios with white noise or sound effects. I have one and when I'm having an issue going to sleep I just put it on white noise, gentle rain, babbling stream...and I'm out very quickly. You can just leave it on to sort of mute the outside noise.

 

What kind of gap are you talking about? If I place it in the interior of the house, won't water not be able to get in? Also, planning on adding a sliding window, similar, if not identical to the current one, so it can still be opened for cleaning and such..

 

Storm windows used to be fairly popular in the states. Basically it's a thin window frame with 2 pieces of glass [the bottom one will raise when you need to open the window for ventilation] Double glazed windows have for the most part negated the need for storm windows. Most have a couple of indented spots on the bottom of the frame to allow any rain water that comes in thru the screen to run out the bottom instead of collecting at the bottom and rotting out the sill. If the storm window was installed on the inside the weep holes wouldn't be needed.

 

Well the title said interior....but your post said exterior.....

I was basing my reply on exterior.

 

A 2nd pane of glass may reduce some frequencies of sound but it can actually amplify others. Sound dampening curtains would be best.

 

If you decide to use a second pane of glass try to set it at an angle to the existing glass. Parallel pieces of glass will tend to amplify sounds whereas non-parallel pieces tend to attenuate sound transmission.