Posted by admin on August 30, 2010 · Leave a Comment
attic exhaust fans
By Lincoln Miller
If you’re looking for a way to save some money without having to spend a lot to do it then you might want to consider installing reflective foil over your attic insulation.
Also known as a radiant barrier, foil barriers are a type of reflective material that reflects radiant heat rather than absorbing it. However, unlike thermal insulation, they do not reduce heat conduction. Instead it works with the insulation to help maximize the efficiency of your home, to keep the heat out during the summer or to keep it in during the winter.
While there are a variety of different ways to install the reflective foil in your home, many of the options require you to hire a professional. For people who don’t have that much money in their budget it is still possible to reap the benefits without having to hire an installer. It is called an attic floor installation. This form of installation might take a little time to complete but you can do it all by yourself. It also works well with any attic insulation you might already have in place.
Before you get started measure your attic. This will tell you exactly how much radiant barrier you will need to use. Once you know how much you’ll need to get the job done then you can start shopping. Because this is a long term investment for your home you will want to look around and make sure you’re getting the best product possible.
There are three different factors that are taken into account when the performance of a reflective foil barrier is determined. They look at the emissivity, reflectivity and the angle that the incident radiation bounces on the surface. When shopping for a reflective foil to use in your home, look at the numbers. All radiant foils are rated using a number between 0 and 1. The higher the number, the greater the reflectivity.
When you purchase the reflective foil you will also need to make sure that you have a cutter and staple gun on hand to complete the job.
Once you’ve gathered all of your supplies and the right radiant barrier for your needs it is time to get started. First you will want to make sure your attic is completely cleared out. Anything you might have been storing in it will need to be put elsewhere. Next you will want to make note of any vents in your attic. If you have any then you will need to make the appropriate cuts in the foil to make sure they will not be covered.
After you have all the reflective foil cut and ready for installation it is time to lay it over your attic floor. The entire floor should be covered with the foil when you are done.
From here you can either staple the reflective foil down so it will stay in place or you can choose to overlap it and let it lay loose. If you choose a loose lay this will give you the opportunity to reach any wires that may be under it without any trouble in the future.
When installing the barrier over your attic insulation make sure it does not touch and that it faces in the right direction. If it is laid wrong it could have the opposite effect on your home, causing your energy bills to rise instead of go down.
Lincoln is a resource for homeowners seeking to save energy, lower their utility bills, and improve the life of their HVAC system. As an experienced residential carpenter, Lincoln gained firsthand experience with improving the quality and efficiency of homes in his Midwest community. Seeking a more effective way to heat and cool his home, he discovered radiant barrier foil insulation and now spends his time helping others do the same. Lincoln recommends using reflective foil over attic insulation to save money and reduce HVAC stress.
Filed under Attic Insulation · Tagged with Attic Floor, Attic Insulation, Budget, Different Ways, Efficiency, Foil insulation, Foils, Heat Conduction, Incident Radiation, Job, Lincoln, Little Time, Long Term Investment, Much Money, Radiant Barrier Foil, Radiant Heat, Radiant Insulation, Reflective Material, Reflectivity, Shopping, Staple Gun, Thermal Insulation
Posted by admin on July 23, 2010 · Leave a Comment
attic exhaust fans
By: Barrett Hudson
The term radiant barrier refers to a reflective coating that is typically applied to the underside of the roof, there are however several different types and different ways that it can be installed. The two major types are spray on and sheet barriers. Sheet radiant barrier comes in large roles that you then roll out in your attic. This can be laid directly on top of your insulation, nailed to the bottom of the roof, or hung from your rafter supports. This is also the type of radiant barrier that is sometimes used underneath shingles. In new construction or re-roofing projects you can roll out sheet radiant barrier on top of the roof but under the shingles.
The second kind of radiant barrier is spray on, which is sprayed onto the underside of the roof like paint. This has the advantage of being more durable and easier to install correctly. It is in fact a paint mixed with metal flecking that provides the reflective property required to reflect the heat. Another advantage of spray on barriers is that they are easier to get total coverage with as compared to the sheets. However, there is one drawback to spray on radiant barriers, they do not provide quite as much heat shielding as properly installed sheets can. However, many experts feel that you will see just a much benefit from spray on radiant barrier due to its greater durability and ease of installation over the entire surface of the roof.
Both of these radiant barriers function on the same basic principle. Reflecting heat away from your house will keep heat away from your insulation, which in turn will lower the amount of thermal radiation that passes through your insulation and makes your house warmer. Radiant barrier is primarily designed to keep heat out and does not show significant benefits in reducing heating costs for people living in cold climates. That being said, it can make a major difference on roofs in southern states and dramatically decrease your cooling bills. The reflective metal in the barrier will prevent the heat on the outside of your roof from the sun turning your attic into an oven. No amount of insulation can totally prevent heat transfer, and the higher the temperature difference the more heat transfer their will be. So by decreasing the temperature in your attic you make it easier for your insulation to do its job and keep the cold air in and the hot air out.
Many people feel that if there house has adequate insulation they either do not need, or won’t see much benefit from, installing a radiant barrier in their house. This is not true primarily because radiant barriers and traditional insulation function very differently in how they keep your house warm. Radiant barrier prevents the transmission of heat radiation into the air around it, it stops heat that is radiating into your attic space from outside. Traditional insulation on the other hand primarily serves to trap air, thus preventing heat transfers due to air movement known as convection. So even if you have adequate traditional insulation preventing convection warming of your house from your attic, you can still benefit from adding a radiant barrier to prevent heat radiating into your house from outside.
About the Author
Barret Hudson is a representative of Green Collar Operations. We are an Austin company that helps homeowners dramatically reduce their utility bills through home weatherization. More information at www.greencollaroperations.com
Filed under Attic Insulation · Tagged with Barrett, Basic Principle, Cold Climates, Different Ways, Drawback, Durability, Insulation, New Construction, Paint, Radiant Barrier, Radiant Barriers, Rafter, Reflective Coating, Reflective Property, Roofing Projects, Roofs, Several Different Types, Shingles, Southern States, Thermal Radiation
Posted by admin on April 21, 2010 · Leave a Comment
Spray foam insulation is not usually the first type of home and business insulation you think of when you need new insulation. Most people, business and homeowners alike, will think of the pink fibreglass batt insulation, or even loose fill cellulose insulation before they consider spray foam insulation. When you look at the undeniable facts, you will wonder why that is.
Spray foam insulation is perhaps the most versatile insulation available, but that is only one of its many advantages. To compare insulation products, we need to understand exactly what insulation does, whether its spray foam insulation or any other type. Insulation is designed to stop the transfer of heat from one side of the insulation to the other. This is why insulation is almost as important in the summer as it is in the winter. As most people know, in the winter, insulation keeps heat inside a building. But, in summer, insulation is still working hard as it keeps heat out of a building to make it cooler.
All insulation stops the transfer of heat to some extent – if not, it wouldn’t be considered insulation. The one that stops the most heat is the best insulation. The ability for any type of insulation, spray foam, fibreglass, or others, to stop heat transfer is measured in R-value. The higher the R-value of insulation the better it is at stopping heat transfer.
This leads many people to believe that, once they find the insulation with the highest R-value, they have found the best insulation. Unfortunately, finding the best insulation for your home or building is not that simple. When you do your research, you will find that R-15 spray foam insulation ins ulates better than other insulation rated at R-30.
This does not mean there is a problem with the R-value system. It means that different types of insulation work in different ways. To achieve a particular R-value, all types of insulation need a certain thickness. The thicker the insulation the higher its R-value. The first sign that spray foam insulation might be better for your home than other types of insulation is that one inch of spray foam insulation has the same R-value as two inches of fibreglass and loose fill insulation.
But, there are other factors that affect R-value that you should consider before you determine which insulation is best for you. For example, unlike spray foam insulation, batt insulation is designed to fit between the structural supports of your wall and ceiling. Two main issues can affect the listed R value of batt insulation. First, it is often difficult for installers to get batt insulation to cover every opening in a wall and ceiling. It works covers fairly well in regularly shaped spaces, but in any odd-shaped or difficult to reach areas, batt insulation can leave gaps between batts or between the batt and the structure of the building. Those gaps are like open windows through which heat can travel freely. In the winter, heat will escape through those gaps and it will enter in the summer. Spray foam insulation is sprayed into every nook and cranny in your walls and ceiling. It seals every gap so you get 100% of the R-value you paid for.
The other area of heat transfer that batt insulation can’t stop is the transfer that occurs through the structural members of the building. In a home, the structural members include wooden wall studs and ceiling joists. Batt insulation fits between studs and joists. But heat can transfer through the wooden joist or stud much easier than through the insulation. Spray foam insulation can be sprayed on and around structural supports to completely seal the building with insulation.
There is yet another enemy of the R-value of fibreglass batt insulation. Not matter how hard we try, it is nearly impossible to keep moisture out of ceilings and walls. Fibregalss batts are very sensitive to moisture, which reduces its R-value. Even very humid air will reduce the R-value of fibreglass batts.
Spray foam insulation is unaffected by moisture. In fact, because spray foam expands after application, it very often seals small leaks in ceilings and walls.
When you do your research, it isn’t difficult to see which type of insulation you should choose.
Air Seal Insulators specialize in insulating your home or business with spray foam insulation.
You have many choices for insulating your home or business, including spray foam insulation, batts and loose fill. R-value is used to measure how well insulation works, but R-value does not tell the whole story.
attic exhaust fans
Filed under Foam Attic Insulation · Tagged with Batt Insulation, Cellulose Insulation, Different Ways, Extent, Fi, Fibreglass, Heat Transfer, Ins, Insulation Foam, Insulation Products, Insulation Work, Leads, Many People, Pink, R Value Of Insulation, Seal, Spray foam insulation, Spray Insulation, types of insulation, Undeniable Facts, Valu
