Magnetite or "proper" double glazing?

[lissie]

Our PPOR is a 5-year-old weatherboard townhouse, its aluminium windows are single glazed but the house otherwise is well insulated. Most of the windows are N or E facing so the single glazing isn't a problem (in fact an advantage when the sun comes out, we're in Wellington - over heating is NOT an issue LOL) - but we have 2 south-facing bedrooms each with a south facing window which cry all winter - these I think could do with double glazing.

Each window is 1370Wx1300H and aluminum and I am about to do quotes. I saw http://www.magnetite.co.nz/ advertising - I assume they are cheaper and they even claim to be more thermally efficient than traditional double glazing http://www.magnetite.co.nz/Thermal-C...ical-Data.aspx

Any experience with Magnetite? Any recommendation for glaziers who cover northern Wellington suburbs?

[Keithw]

Just prior to Xmas I got a quote to do some ranch sliders and a couple of fixed windows.
I got the other magnetic overlay people - Magicseal I think - thinking, like you that the overlay should be cheaper.
plus I got a double glazing crowd in.

It turns out that even though Magicseal claim to be cheaper, their price ended up being around the same as replacing the single glass with a double glazed unit.

Both of them seemed to need some sort of adaptors for fitting to existing windows, & thats where the money seemed to add up.

In the case of the single glazed units being replaced, the front bevel edge on the window was removed and a U section inserted around the frame / glass edges. The double glazed glass was then inserted into the U section.

For the magnetic overlay, a magnetic strip would be stuck to the face of those windows where it was possible, but some other adaptor was required where the window had no surrounding surface.

In theory the magnetic stickon unit will give better insulation as there is more airspace between the original glass & the stickon, and it covers some of the frame/ surrounds.
Compared to a double glazed glass unit which may have the panes spaced at 12 - 15mm, plus there is still the original aluminium frame/ surrounds to get cold.

Shop around. Either should help the weeping windows.

[One]

In theory the magnetic stickon unit will give better insulation as there is more airspace between the original glass & the stickon, and it covers some of the frame/ surrounds.

If you have too big a gap between the panes the air circulates and the insulation value gets killed.

Covering some of the frame sounds great. A non thermally broken aluminium frame can keep weeping even with double glazing.

[lissie]

@Keith - interesting - I was going to get 3 quotes anyways

@One can you retrofit a thermally broken al frame? Or would that be a full replace?

[muppet]

Check out these threads re double glazing.
http://www.propertytalk.com/forum/sh...double+glazing
http://www.propertytalk.com/forum/sh...double+glazing

[allangg]

Magnetite, The new clean green money saver

Magnetite,
magnetic edging makes a great air tight seal and with the optical grade acrylic that out preforms glass and is up to six times more thermally efficient. Also environmentally friendly Magnetite creates a greener home.
Using less energy on artificial heating and cooling reduces greenhouse gas emissions produced, and by conserving energy usage you will save money. We live in tight times. Magnetite Wellington. contact Allan G

[lissie]

OK - this is interesting - I got quotes for the 2 rooms in question from both magnetite and a window guy who would replace the windows with double glazed units - they came out to magnetite being only $50 cheaper.

I'm leaning towards magnetite because they would install in a way that covers most of the Aluminum surround -which apparently accounts for 30% of the heat loss from a typical window. Either solution would solve my condensation problem - but the magnetite one would be slightly more obvious visually and would be keep the room slightly warmer.

The interesting bit was a quote for the whole house was around $8k - which I thought wasn't unreasonable - the question is would double glazing a 2005 weatherboard townhouse in Johnsonville add $8k of value? If we left for warmer climes - would it add anything to the rental return (the identical place next door rents for about $460/week) or just the rentability.

Another question is what the payback period would be if I did the lounge/living/kitchen open plan area (about $4500) - how much money would this save me on power ? How do I even start to figure out how to calculate that? I know a heat pump is going to cost maybe about $3k - and I don't like them very much - so it now looks like doing the lounge and retaining the existing cheap electric heaters may be a cost-effective option.

[Winston001]

The payback would take a long time.

However - double-glazing is more than just a lower heating bill. It makes the house quieter. Cooler on hot days. And drier overall. Plus it adds value over time which makes your property just that bit better.

[allangg]

Magnetite, Saving you money

The insulating factor(R Value) of two piecess of glass with a air in between is R2. Your 4 inch thick walls have a R value of 12. your 6 inch walls have a R value of 20. We put R40 in our attics. If you were to take the square footage of all the windows in your house and put them on the wall, you would have a wall nearly the length of your house and 8 feet high of R 2 insulation. and you wonder why your heating bills are so high By adding Manetite to your existing windows you rise the R value of your windows to R 5. So Magnetite will lower your heating bills. So in conclusion, by insulating your windows, you have a warmer, more comfortable,draft free and energy efficient home. The cost of insulating your windows is an investment because the savings on heating costs will pay for the insulating of your windows in a short few years and then they will be making you money. Magnetite. contact Allan G

[revdev]

inches and feet...what are they?

[muppet]

Old world measurements.

[lissie]

The payback would take a long time.

However - double-glazing is more than just a lower heating bill. It makes the house quieter. Cooler on hot days. And drier overall. Plus it adds value over time which makes your property just that bit better.

Well cooler ain't an issue - Wgtn doesn't have hot days - and when we had a day of 23C I opened the bifold doors which cover one end of the lounge -nice. House is not wet now - and I don't think double glazing would make it dryer - extractor fans and ventilation does that.

The bit about adding value is interesting though. I am planning on holding onto the house for long-term but we may move out of town and rent it out -is double glazing becoming a new norm for tenants (it would be a nice rental upper middle I'd say - its Jville but very central and on a cul-de-sac)

[lissie]

by insulating your windows, you have a warmer, more comfortable,draft free and energy efficient home. The cost of insulating your windows is an investment because the savings on heating costs will pay for the insulating of your windows in a short few years and then they will be making you money. Magnetite. contact Allan G

Allan do you work for them :-) You should ad a sig if you do because its a nice product and not that well known. I understand that it would save me money - but the question is how much? ie what's my pay back period?

In Sept I spent maybe $300 on heating - it was a cold month - but I swapped power supplier which did help with subsequent bills. So lets say - assuming that in a typical winter we have 3 very cold months (3x $300) plus another 5 months which need some heating (5x$150) - thats a total of $1650/year in power used as a baseline.

Now I add double glazing - what percentage of the bill is saved ? 10? 50? - that's the part I have no idea about? I'm still going to need some heat? Even if I save 50% - and that seems high - that's about a 10 year pay back period - that's a long time ...

[graemeh]

inches and feet...what are they?

I think he's escaped from Canadia. He's also talking BS because we don't use R40 in the ceiling, you can't even buy that stuff here. Also, I think the Canadians measure R values differently anyway.

The Magnetite product looks like it will improve the house insulation so it will be easier (but not necessarily cheaper) to heat the house to a comfortable level. This is likely to be warmer than you used to have it (which is why it is not cheaper).

[One]

This link suggests double-glazing saves 5% of total heat loss of an uninsulated old house. It's got an interesting diagram.

http://books.google.co.nz/books?id=D...ed=0CBwQ6AEwAQ