Harleys & Double Paned Windows

[cube_rat]

We live in a home on a fairly busy suburban street. Our bedroom window faces a huge canyon so sound resonates big time off the hills. Our neighborhood is very nice with beautiful, well tended homes. Most here are primarily homeowners. However, Harley Davidsons are very popular around these parts. It seems like every other homeowner has a harley. These are not young folks either, it's the hardworking, middle aged, pudgy balding guy that comes barreling down the street showing off his fat pipes(canyon = resonate). It's unnerving and annoying to say the least.

Okay, okay, I'll get to the point:

I'm thinking of putting in double paned windows. I'm not concerned with energy conservation, although that's a plus, I'm concerned with sealing off the noise. I don't want to spend 9K on windows if I'm still going to hear the Harley boys. For those with double paned windows, was it worth it in terms of noise reduction? Please tell...

[REWahoo]

Originally Posted by cube_rat

I'm thinking of putting in double paned windows. I'm not concerned with energy conservation, although that's a plus, I'm concerned with sealing off the noise. I don't want to spend 9K on windows if I'm still going to hear the Harley boys. For those with double paned windows, was it worth it in terms of noise reduction? Please tell...

cube, double paned windows will certainly help with your noise problem, but they will not keep the Harley noise out. Whether or not you will get $9,000 worth of noise reduction is questionable.

Here are a couple of links that may help.

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=574830
http://soundproofwindows.com/technical.html

[MRGALT2U]

Originally Posted by REWahoo!

cube, double paned windows will certainly help with your noise problem, but they will not keep the Harley noise out.* Whether or not you will get $9,000 worth of noise reduction is questionable.

Here are a couple of links that may help.

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=574830
http://soundproofwindows.com/technical.html

The Harley noise is music to me. Reminds me of days gone by.

JG

[Outtahere]

Originally Posted by MRGALT2U

The Harley noise is music to me. Reminds me of days gone by.

JG

Ah huh, reminds me of last weekend to be exact. The double pane window will help some but not enough to stop that rumble.

[Michael Moore]

We noticed that some frequencies are much MUCH more noticeable after putting in double-paned windows. We live near a streetcar line, and we now hear a pretty steady noise from that which we weren't particularly aware of before.

And the "bros" with their straight pipes are just as noticeable as before. I've got race bikes quieter than some of those things (with more horsepower too).

For us, the sound-deadening abilities of double-paned windows are a disappointment.

cheers,
Michael

[Martha]

I know someone who built a condo in a building on a very busy street. He used the soundproof laminated windows that REW refered to. They worked well but are different and much more expensive than ordinary double pane windows.

[cube_rat]

Thanks all. I'll use the links REW provided and do some research.

[poyet]

earplugs (foam based) work well also and are less expensive than double paned windows. In some cases, both will make it and you'll sleep again. It did work for me in a previous appartment I owned where only one room was concerned. With the double paned window I had kind of a 50% noise reduction feeling (take care to measurements its a log scale) and with earplugs added 95%... :-)

[cube_rat]

I don' really have a sleep problem since these guys are generally in their home by 6pm. After 6pm you could literally hear a pin drop, that's how quiet it gets back in the canyon. Well, you might hear the deers mate

The activity is typically during the day on the weekends. Up and down the street, back and forth... rinse, lather, repeat. Never during the weekday. These are just hardworking guys who want to have fun on the weekends.

[brewer12345]

Heheh, I live on a suburban cul-de-sac where evryone notices if an unfamiliar car goes down the street. Some fool went wizzing down the street too fast one day and my neighbor (who is a fireman and a construction worker - huge guy but sweet as can be) stopped him by stepping in front of the car. Let the guy go after a good talking to about the kids that play in the street and why none of us drive to fast here. For a minute, I thought he was going to stop the car by throwing a brick through the windshield and talk to the driver by hauling the poor SOB out the driver's side window...

[JPatrick]

I just hope the deer don't smoke afterwards, you know the canyon is really dry this year.* One misplaced cigarette and poof*

[SteveR]

Originally Posted by JPatrick

If they do, they're doing it too fast.

[riskadverse]

I used to live three doors down from an apartment complex inhabited and run by Hell's Angels. On Sunday nights they would be returning from one of their "runs" and turn off their bikes about a block and a half away. They would all coast into the alley with the loudest sound being the whirr of the bike chains. It seems they didn't want to upset the neighborhood with excessive noise. Funny how the posers do just the opposite.

[Michael Moore]

There isn't much pose value in being inconsiderate, is there?

cheers,
Michael