Secondary glazing manufactured and supplied by Granada Glazing has cured issues with heavy condensation on single-glazed windows for a couple in the Scottish Borders. Jill and Francis Mordaunt are so delighted with the difference that secondary glazing has made to their comfort, they are planning to have it installed throughout their 1920s semi-detached home, which is in a conservation area.
The couple sought advice from Peeblesshire Windows on improving the thermal efficiency of their Peebles home, but their primary concern was condensation, especially in colder weather. “We’d been thinking about secondary glazing for eco reasons, but mainly because we’d had problems with condensation. On a cold morning, the windows would be running with water and that led to black mould round the edges of the windows. I really wanted to get rid of that,” explained Jill, a retired academic.
Jill said that having the six units installed – four vertical sliding units and two horizontal sliding units – made a ‘huge difference’ to their living environment. The vertical sliders were glazed with 4mm toughened glass and the horizontal sliders were 6mm toughened glass.
The original, timber, single-glazed windows in the sitting room, bathroom and bedroom were all treated using Granada Glazing’s new, high-specification secondary glazing range, that claims to offer the most discreet-looking solution on the market. With ultra-slim, durable aluminium frames, the entire range offers even narrower sightlines than its predecessor.
Where condensation is a major issue, Granada Glazing often recommends secondary glazing with balanced trickle ventilation. This provides a simple, cost-effective and permanent solution.
The factory-fitted trickle ventilation system is both discreet and robust. It allows a simple, flexible method of providing the all-important background ventilation which will help to control condensation problems.
“I hadn’t realised how unobtrusive the secondary glazing would be,” continued Jill. “You can hardly see it’s there. And the panels are so easy to open and close for ventilation. We’re very pleased with it and we like it so much that we’re going to have the rest of the house secondary glazed.”
The cost-effectiveness of secondary glazing was another important factor in their decisionmaking, as Jill explained: “We had an extension built with double glazing and were thinking about going down that route to solve the condensation issue. However, at a cost of around £23-24,000 for six replica double-glazed windows versus around £3-4,000 for what we’ve had done, that was out of the question.”
Jill has also noticed another welcome benefit of the secondary-glazed windows: they are retaining more heat and helping to keep the rooms warmer, adding: “The sitting room is warmer in the morning, whereas it used to be chilly. It’s keeping the heat in.
“Not only will secondary glazing solve my condensation problem, but it will also hopefully reduce our heating bills. And we’ve retained the character of the original windows.”
Suitable for all property types, Granada’s slimline aluminium secondary glazing frames can be powder coated in over 200 RAL colours. Virtually invisible, they blend in with any interior décor. The Granada Glazing product range encompasses hinged, sliding and vertical sliders options, including tilt-back and lift-out options. Full training and marketing support is available to installers across the UK. For more information about adding the Granada Secondary Glazing range to your business, call 01909 499 899, visit gsecg.com or email info@granadaglazing.com.
