Repair and Replacement Pilot Program

The Sound Insulation Repair and Replacement Pilot Program was granted approval by the Port of Seattle Commission on February 27, 2024.

This pilot program is to help assess products that were previously installed as part of the Sound Insulation Program and evaluate the current condition of those installations. The pilot program is entering the study phase with an assessment anticipated to be completed by the end of 2024. This assessment will include extensive outreach, collection of information from property owners within the study area, and analysis of that information. These results will then be presented to Commission in early 2025.

The eligibility criteria for a sound insulation repair and replacement pilot program have yet to be determined. Once determined, additional information will be provided.

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Survey

The Port of Seattle has heard concerns from community members about the condition of sound insulation treatments installed several decades ago. On February 27, 2024, the Port of Seattle Commission issued Order 2024-04 to study these concerns. The survey will assist the Port of Seattle to determine if previously installed sound insulation treatments are no longer operating as originally intended.

Responses to this survey are very important for the Port to understand the existing condition of homes and determine the feasibility of establishing a replacement and repair program, as a program does not exist today. Your responses to the survey will not be used for any other Port of Seattle programs or studies and are subject to Public Disclosure. It is also important to know that participation in the survey does not guarantee repair, replacement, or maintenance outcomes for your residence.

For more information on three common glass issues, please explore the following:

Condensation
Seal Failure
Low Emissivity (LoE) Window Coating Defect

Condensation

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What Is Condensation?

Is your glass “sweating” – is water beading or ice forming on the inside surface of your windows? There’s a good chance that what you are seeing is condensation, a sign that there is excess humidity in your home. Humidity – water vapor mixed with air – is drawn to the coolest surfaces, such as your window. Cool air cannot hold as much moisture as warm air, so windows and doors often collect this moisture and make it visible. A surface that is cooler than room temperature is more likely to show condensation. Condensation is not a product defect. If you have excess condensation, please explore ways to limit humidity and regularly clean surfaces.

What Causes Condensation?

Indoor moisture is caused by a variety of factors, including cooking, showering, running dishwashers, storing firewood, pets, fish tanks, plants, clothes dryers that are not vented properly, even breathing. Your new windows are most likely showing condensation more than your old ones because they are more airtight – less air is entering your home from the outside. The air leaking from older windows evaporated the moisture before it could collect.

Why is condensation forming at the bottom of the window?

Each insulated unit is a sealed atmosphere, and the air in this atmosphere becomes layered, just as in any closed space. Warm air rises, and since humidity is attracted to cooler air, condensation will often show near the bottom of the glass.

Window Glass Seal Failure

Your windows have an insulated glass unit (IG) that consists of two panes of glass with a metal spacer in between them that are adhesively sealed to the spacer. If the adhesive seal breaks or releases, air and moisture can enter the space between the 2 panes of glass. When this happens, you might start to notice fogging, moisture and streaking between the panes of glass.

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This defect is called a Seal Failure. Because this condition is in between the panes of glass, you are not able to wipe them away.

Low Emissivity (LoE) Window Coating Defect

Your windows have an insulated glass unit (IG) that consists of two panes of glass with a metal spacer in between them that are adhesively sealed to the spacer. On the inner surface of the glass, a LoE coating is applied. A LoE coating is a microscopic, metallic oxide that is nearly invisible coating that help to improve the energy efficiency of windows by blocking part of the sun’s heat in summer and reduces heat from escaping in winter.

If the LoE coating fails, you will start to see small spots appear in between the 2 panes of glass. Because this condition is in between the panes of glass, you are not able to wipe them away. Over time, the spots will grow as more of the microscopic, metallic oxide fails; the small spots will become larger areas over time.

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Repair and Replacement Pilot Program

SEA Part 150 Noise Study

Contact Airport Noise Programs

Aircraft Noise Comment Form

PublicVue

SEA Part 150 Noise Study

Contact Airport Noise Programs

Aircraft Noise Comment Form

PublicVue

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