Monty G said:If given the choice you should opt for the soft-coat rather then hard-coat. Soft-coats give lower U-values which means less heat transfer – less increasingly expensive warm-air going out the window. Additional advantages are better clarity – K glass can show ‘haze’ under certain conditions, lower heat-gain – important in sun-rooms and large south-facing windows, and significantly UV transmission – less fading of fabrics and wooden floors.
As is clear from the thread there is a lot of confusion about the different coatings. Hard-coats (such as Pilkington ‘K’) are medium performance coatings. The tin-oxide coating is applied to the semi-molten glass and is ‘baked’ on. This ‘hard’ coated glass can be handled pretty much like any other glass and the coating can even be exposed and (gently) cleaned. Soft-coatings, typically silver-oxide, are applied to cold glass in a vacuum sputtering chamber. The coating is much finer then the hard-coats and requires more delicate handling. This results in only a couple of Irish IGU suppliers being equipped to deal with it at the moment It has been commonly available in northern Europe and north America for more then a decade.
As a rule of thumb a well made double-glazed soft-coated window will have a better energy performance then an un-coated triple-glazed window.
Anybody buying windows should ask for the whole window U-value and not just the glazing alone. Ask for independent certification as the sales people generally don’t know much about this and have a tendency to make things up as they go along.
Just been talking to hubby who works for a window company in Waterford - the seal has broken down, only way to fix it is to replace the glass. If your windows are less than 5 years old, try going back to the place of purchase - most window companies guarantee the glass for minimum of 5 years. If not, hubby reckons your looking at approx €500 to replace the glass.The sliding doors in my house have misting in the cavity between the 2 panes of glass. Is it possible to remedy this? Expensive? The seal must have deteriorated. Is it easier to replace the glass? It is approx 1m x 2m
I would recommend 6.4mm laminated glass if replacing single glazing to you Up & Down Sliding Sash Windows - the only thing to check is, will the weights be able to cater for the extra weight!
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