Best sound proof window company in India?

There are many uPVC & aluminium windows companies in India which claims to have sound-proof windows e.g. fenesta, tostem, ais windows & eternia windows but they do not have any substantial data like test reports confirming to international standard e.g. EN ISO 717–1 to support their claim.

Now coming back to question, Best sound proof company in India, my answer is - there is no best sound proof company in India. Company like Fenesta has very limited knowledge about sound proofing. Pl check following advertisement Fenesta Windows & Doors - Solve your Noise Problems.

Keep the outside noise out by sliding window- Quite laughable ( Worth to mention- airtightness in sliding window is less than casement window). I am not against Fenesta, they are doing wonderful job in uPVC windows but for sound proofing- it is like dark matter for them[1]. May be my message will get through, and they will improve their understanding for sound proofing.

Also check their webpage over sound proof windows.

Sliding window to stop traffic noise. Amazing ludicrous ignorance !

Casement window has gasket sealing at open/close position in comparison to Sliding windows.

Check another interesting insight on their webpage. They are using silicon for noise insulation. Silicon sealant are good for water tightness, not for noise insulation. PU-Foam must be used for soundproofing.

How the PU Foam installation looks like , Pl check above pic.

Same thing runs with tostem India. Here is the details on their website

There is no performance data mentioned on the products which you will find out in other reputed brand's website e.g. schueco, cortizo & reynaers even uPVC brand also mention their performance data. Also worth to mention ASTM standards are not as stringent as European standards. I will stress only one thing that IF YOU CAN NOT MEASURE SOMETHING, FRANKLY SPEAKING IT DOES NOT EXIST.

Same kind of half baked knowledge as silicone sealant for soundproofing. Once again- Silicon sealant are good for water tightness, not for noise insulation. JIS ( japanese standards) performance data is not shared so can not comment on the same.

Do you want any help for unwanted sound proofing. You can write to me on shivendrasinghk@gmail.com. I can share my knowledge, experience for noise insulation.

Footnotes

[1] Can someone provide me with the Fenesta reviews and complaints about the UPVC windows and doors products?

My Credentials

How to soundproof your room against barking dogs ?

 Hi Friends,

As you know that India is one of the most populated country in comparison to most of the countries in europe & also USA. Noise pollution is one of the modern man-made disease. Honking car horns, DJ sound & religious practice of using loudspeakers is order of the day in India. The Supreme court has already set time & decibel limits on the usage of loudspeakers. In any condition, One can not exceed more than 55 dB noise level. But challenge in India is Law- enforcement & common man's limited knowledge about side effects of high noise level. It is known fact that once continuous exposure to noise level more than 55 dB is one of the reason of heart attack.

   It becomes more dangerous if it continues during our sleeping hours. Our body heals & regenerate cells during quality sleep. Barking dog or, any kind of disturbance is bad for mental as well as physical health. In this article, I will share my knowledge & experience about barking dogs noise. Barking dogs noise is approx. 65-100 dB. ( Source : Check this below acoustic report)

To soundproof any window , 3 things to consider

1. Wall/Window gap should be completely air-tight, no air- leakage.
2. Present window sash/frame ( Vinyl i.e. uPVC/ OR, Aluminium/ OR, Wood) must be completely air tight as well as it should have noise reduction min. 30 dB.
3. Glass- If it is single glazed, Sound proofing is not possible. Double glazing with lamination is must. You can check on the following interesting app by Saint Gobain Glass - Glass dBstation
   -what difference different glasses will make in reduction of barking dog noise.

I hope above info is suffice to prove that without changing Door/window & glass, it is not possible to reduce barking noise.

How good is Tostem (Lixil) windows & doors

 Hello Friends, 

I have decided to review variable doors and windows which are available in Indian market to share my opinion about the product based on my hand-on experience & information available to general public. The purpose of reviewing different products to educate people about quality & limitations in system.

    

Let us start with tostem which is part of lixil group from Japan. Here one of the customer of tostem invited me to visit their home. They were using 14 mm laminated glass in all Slide doors.  14 mm laminated glass comprises of following specifications -6mm clear toughened + 1.52 mm clear PVB + 6mm clear toughened. This particular glass gives security class P3A - P4A as per protection class of EN standards. 

Tostem Grants Series Sliding Door

When i closely examined the Sliding door ( they call it Grant series ) surprisingly locking aroused my interest. It was single point lock in the middle. It was crescent lock & i didnt feel secure with this lock.

Check Single Point Lock in Sliders

Normally if you discuss with any aluminium system company e.g. Alumill, Schueco, Reynaers, AluK etc... they will never use single point lock in such a large size sliding door. But for Grant series, Tostem dealer offers a very attractive price which hides all kind of shortcomings. I recall with my 14 year experience that how door/window industry evolved from conventional door/window to uPVC then slimline aluminium.  Single point to multi point locking is based on security required. Pl check below video to know more about multi point locking in a Slider Door. How it works.. 

If you check below performance table of another Aluminium system brand sliding door- The burglar resistance class of door/window is RC2  or, resistance class 2..

Performance of Another aluminium system in the table is highlighted 

If you compare tostem grant sliding door with above Burglar resistant class of another company's highlighted one, that means it performs lowest in the category. (Mind it no good reputed aluminium system brand offers single point locking for sliding door when security is concern) ; Even your old wooden door has multi point locking as tower bolts on top & bottom. 

Just to add 14 mm laminated glass comes under RC 2 category

Check Resistance Class 2 Glass

In the nut shell, single point locking with security glass does not make a product premium. I am sure tostem also has some good products but this one should be avoidable where security is a concern. 

Introducing SECCO Thermal Break Steel Door & Window system

Recently we have collaborated with Secco thermal break steel door & window systems. Secco steel systems from Italy are the worldwide market leader in high performance brass, corten, ms & ss steel door & window systems. In 70 years of history Secco Sistemi has designed and created numerous innovative systems of metal profiles for doors and windows for use in the field of architecture, thus contributing to the evolution to the engineering of these architectonic elements, developing the design and the performance, the efficiency and functionality, while further enhancing the strength and beauty of the materials implemented. Secco Sistemi has identified structural and mechanical solutions for reducing the visible sections of the profiles to the minimum and for satisfying the most demanding requirements of heat and sound insulation, of resistance to break-in, resistance to wind and to fire: for doors, windows and façades, for windows and doors of large dimensions and for all types of openings, whether sliding, tilt-and-turn, pivot or hinged. Of the highest quality, the metal alloys used by Secco Sistemi have precise characteristics: they are natural, whole and safe, ductile and versatile. Furthermore, while appreciated for their structural resistance and duration over time, necessitating little maintenance, they are also recyclable and reusable. These materials - galvanised steel, stainless steel, corten steel and brass - with their different surfaces and finishes and particular manufacturing present extraordinary potentiality of expression, and are capable of interpreting and transforming the design project into a concrete reality while perfectly blending into the surroundings and many landscapes that differ for environment and climate, tradition and culture. In-depth knowledge of the material properties and their manufacturing while fully respecting their characteristics and beauty is what distinguishes Secco System's work and what enables us, in collaboration with the designers right from the preliminary phases onwards, to identify optimal solutions using the selected material.

The best part of using thermal break steel door & window is its minimal sightlines. Imagine an openable window in uPVC or, in aluminium. The material itself will take 5 inches space + glass but in Secco special design system it will be less than 3 inches. 

Steel as an material has 3 times more strength in Aluminium that gives perfection in design as well as help in designing bend shapes. 

If you want to know more about SECCO steel, You can write to me on shivendra@rsvpsysteme.in. 

RSVP

We set up RSVP to change the way people buy & use door/window systems. RSVP is a social enterprise & does soundproof windows & best-in-class aluminium as well as steel door/window systems as to create noise-safe & energy efficient spaces. 

                    Watch : What our products are & value we create in a simple way 

Our Mission- 

RSVP is social-driven, not profit-driven. We set up a strict social mission to make sure we stick to this. We are dedicated to assisting people protect themselves from the harms of noise, dust pollution & save energy through cost-effective door/window systems.

Every decision we make must further the social mission. RSVP is a social enterprise, not a charity. The social enterprise model allows us to be sustainable and to pay living wages to the people who give their time to fulfill the our mission. Extra profits are used primarily to expand to other cities where people need high performance door/window systemes and to develop new tools to help people understand high performance door/window systemes.

Our team- 

In 2019,  RSVP was started to deliver high quality door/window systems around India with affordable price. Along the way, our team has grown to passionate & hardworking persons who are doing everything they can, all over the india, to get more people noise-safe & energy efficient door/window systems.  

Our contact details -

 

Contact no. : +91 9958533266

Mail             :  shivendra@rsvpsysteme.in

Meet the team

     

Shivendra Pratap Singh

Shaveta Singh

Shivam Rana

Chetan Chauhan

Gajendra Pal

Danish Ghazali

                                             

Ventilation is the key for #Covid19

Dear Readers, 

Hope everyone is staying safe & well. After reading many scientific articles over covid19 now most of the people is accepting it as a fact that covid19 transmission is airborne rather than by hands or, surface touch. Further studies suggest that One can easily catch Covid19 virus in poor ventilated closed space.

Quite in detail explanation- How infection spreads in Closed space

What is micro droplets & how it remain suspended in closed room or, space.

Must watch video to understand severity of danger while interacting in closed space.

I was strong advisor for Casement or, openable Door/window rather than Sliders. (Are aluminium sliding windows soundproof?) but being an old veteran in the industry as well as after losing few loved ones by this disease, I realized & recommend to everyone not to remain in air-tight meeting spaces as well as avoid meeting places where ventilation is poor. 

You can have one sound proof or, noise-safe room for study or, meditation with openable or, casement but let your all other spaces should have cross-ventilation or, use Sliders instead of Casement or, openable. 

To be continued.....

Footnote :

1. 'Stop Swapping Air' campaign launched to slow COVID-19 spread
2. MIT researchers says Opening windows or installing new fans to keep the air moving could also be just as effective or more effective than spending large amounts of money on a new filtration system.
3. Japan has long accepted COVID's airborne spread, and scientists say ventilation is key
4. Cross Ventilation Indoors Must To Stop Air-Borne Covid, Says AIIMS Chief
5. COVID-19 predominantly transmitted through air: Lancet study

What is bullet-proof glass ?

Dear Readers,

Hope you are doing great & staying safe. Life after Covid19 will be very different. It will be new normal. Once lockdown opens, health & safety is going to be top most priority of everyone. Also work from home culture will increase... During this lockdown, regular crimes have taken a back seat. Usual crime professions like bank robberies & burglaries have disappeared. 

When we think safety inside our home, Doors & windows with bigger glass looks like most vulnerable. I have already discussed, safety against burglary and vandalism over this blog. 

Now as stated Bullet resistant glass ( Popular but improperly said " Bullet proof glass") is protection against fire-arms. In normal laminated glass, there are 3 layers of glass & PVB film. But Bullet resistant glass is combination of multiple layers of glass, PVB film & Polycarbonate sheet. 

Again number of layers for bullet resistant glass depends upon type of weapon & standard followed (Most common standard is EN 1063 ).

Test Glass sample 

One thing i would like to add, chosen frame must also comply the same standard. It means bullet should not penetrate & pass through the chosen aluminium frame also.

I was part of Hotel Oberoi , Delhi. Here BR6 category protection chosen for some VVIP rooms in triple glazed windows. The price for bullet resistant windows depends on type of protection required & on request. 

How to buy Door/window in India Part-2

When I wrote How to buy uPVC Door/window in 2013 , I was not expecting such a good response as i recieved. People from all around world appreciated my efforts. That time Door/window industry in India primarily about traditional wooden or, conventional aluminium windows & uPVC window systems were treated as a luxury. 

RIGHTLY said by C Parkinson " A luxury, once enjoyed, becomes a necessity "  

Now uPVC windows system market has reached its peak & people are also realizing its limitation as an product. During your search for Quality uPVC or, aluminium windows, You will meet both kind of sellers. Some are selling both & would like to manipulate you as per their own interest firmly in mind. It is the curse of the modern world we live in, where we are consumers and clients first, and the survival of their businesses depend on their ability to sell to us and thus grow in size. Little wonder that market is filled with ill defined products. The prevalence of persuasive sellers who will lie or, highlight only those portions of the product that appeal to you, is encouraged by our unwillingness to take responsibility.

As discussed over this blog many times, We can not use uPVC Door & window for larger sizes.  

uPVC has more linear expansion in-comparison to Aluminium windows. 

In simple words, larger (something more than 8 ft height) size uPVC Door systems is not advisable as it will have more expansion/contraction in comparison to aluminium system windows. 

Here comes the question which i would like to try to answer in this article " Which windows are better, uPVC or, Aluminium ?" 

Aluminium windows are present more than 30 years but that is conventional aluminium. If you are comparing conventional aluminium windows ( easily available at 250–300 INR per sq ft ) with some good quality uPVC windows then uPVC windows is a better product. But now technology available in Aluminium Door/window systems are much ahead then uPVC/Door window systems . Just check following pic-

Above mentioned performance values are of good quality thermal break aluminium sliding door system . If you look for similar data in uPVC windows, you would be surprised that there is no Indian or, Global player sharing the same for specific door/window design. It doesn't mean that uPVC is inferior product. Not at all but there has to be way to measure performance..

Does performance data matter to us ? Yes, definitely yes . Just check Air tightness of the system. Highlighted one is the performance measured of this particular sliding system. Air tightness “Class 4″is equivalent to Dust proof Door (yes proof - not dust resistant; must buy to keep our homes safe from severe dust pollution in India ). These performance values also shatter your MYTHS about aluminium systems. ( Pl check thermal insulation values & performance against wind pressure).

I have prepared detailed comparison in aluminium vs uPVC system. Please check-    

Now even uPVC Brand like Fenesta diversified & introduced Fenesta aluminium system.  

As requested , do not become the product sellers make money from so you are not taken for a ride by clever salesman. Be clear that your need is the primary driver of your decisions. Marketers define needs that you did not know existed. When and how did we allow someone else treat us hapless victims.  Pl do not be gullible about what a product will do for us.