Is reflective coating or paint on a concrete floor withstand high temperatures for a short period of time and reflect IR heat back into the laminate rather than being so readily absorbed into the floor?
My bedroom has been an icebox in the winter with three exterior walls, cathedral ceiling and a garage below. I took out R-30 batts from between those joists, and an insulation guy wanted to blow cellulose in to compact it between the joists.
So are you saying that all I need is a double sided reflective radiant shield – maybe less than a half inch thick – staple it to joists so that it would basically be my garage ceiling, and that’s all I need? And nothing in the 9-inch joist space between the subfloor and the shield?
I do get the theory, but will this actually work?
And as a practical matter, I need to install a regular ceiling for the garage so I would have to install the radiant shield between the joists. What distance should it be from subfloor/pex/heat transfer plates? Do I even need heat transfer plates???
I am installing a radiant heating system by attaching Pex pipe to the underfloor of my bedroom, which is over the garage. I’m using aluminum heat transfer plates, which cover and hold the Pex in place.
What is the best way to insulate the nine-inch joist space in the garage ceiling, which is the space right below the heat transfer plates and Pex? Also, does reflective insulation serve the same purpose regardless of which way it’s facing?
I put a room addition under an existing low sloping roof. The plans call for a radiant barrier. What is your recommendation on how to proceed? The inspectors say to put down low-e Thermasheet. The roofer is not sure about putting under torch down. Any info?
I live in Santee, CA, which gets very hot in the summer. I was going to do heat block paint, but then saw aluminum blinking. What will keep out the most heat and what happens in the winter when it’s 20 degrees out and now the sun is getting blocked from warming the house? What is the issue with condensation and does that apply to an attic in a condo?
Believe it or not, I cannot find an answer to this question on the internet. Reflective sheathing/decking for a roof – although manufacturer guidelines states to install shiny side in, why? What happens if it is installed outward then felt and shingles on top of it? I cannot find what difference it makes.
I have a client in a 2-pad ice rink / arena, one side has 16″ of fiberglass insulation with foil facing the ice surface installed and hung about 8′ from the underside of the roof deck. The other side has less space, the same insulation but it is bound tightly to the beams on the perimeter due to lower roof heights. My questions are the aluminum foil faced insulation a low-e material? Would the rink benefit from attic heat gain if a double bubble with dual foil face were to be installed below the existing insulation or would it be best to be installed in the attic?
Can I paint an interior garage wall that has no insulation? And will I improve the comfort of the garage? I live in South Carolina and garage gets as hot as the outside temperature.
What do you recommend for using radiant barrier in my attic/roof insulation in Atlanta?
I see many times the need to have an air gap opposite a reflective face, it seems to me that for example, a polyester fiber blanket has so much air in its volume, it amounts to an air gap. Is that incorrect or only partly incorrect in that conduction from the reflective surface through bulk insulation is quite low?
I had it in mind to lay on the attic floor, 50mm of polyester with radiant barrier on top, and another 50mm of polyester on top of the barrier to keep it dust free.
The state of Texas has adopted IECC 2015 starting in 2016. A year from that effective date any builder that is seeking ENERGYSTAR certification must adopt version 3.1. As part of that higher standard, the builder will be required to have their ducts in conditioned space. Most of the builders that I have spoken to have be leaning towards foaming their roof decks to solve that problem. (which does not bode well for the radiant barrier people in the world) …. Has RIMA produced any solution alternatives or white papers on this issue on how builders can meet the requirement without jump shifting to foam?
I am curious about the attic spray on barrier being pushed at big box home stores. Do these work and are they worth the cost? I live in central Texas so it gets very hot here for about five months. My house is ten years old and the attic and upstairs room are very hot. Might it be better to install an attic fan?
I live in south Alabama (Mobile) and recently purchased a home that was built in 2003. The AC unit is in the unconditioned attic, and I have soffit vents and an electric power vent near the ridge. In spite of these, the attic temperature is quite extreme on a 90-degree day, approaching 125 degrees ambient, and I measured a few rafters in excess of 138 degrees.
I have no radiant barrier at this time, and it appears I am an ideal candidate. However, the attic is very tall and at a 12/12 pitch. This would require me to use a very tall ladder (10′ or so) in a crowded space.
Researching potential solutions, atticfoil.com has a suggestion to build a “flat top” and simply drape the radiant barrier over the top of the supports. This appears to be similar to simply draping it over the trusses in an engineered truss system. Does the fact that it will no longer be perpendicular to the angle of the radiation, will it reduce performance? I guess the real question I’m asking – should I go to the trouble of fighting with a ladder in the attic (and all the attendant dangers) or will a flat top/draped solution work just as well?
I live in the Northeast and a year ago installed foam insulation at the floor level in a walk-in attic. Overall heating costs are now down. However, the attic became very hot last summer and this past winter the temperature went below freezing in the attic (we have a few water pipes there that I’m concerned about bursting). I’m considering a radiant barrier a few inches away from the pitched roof.
Is it expensive to mount this way? Is there any way to make it retractable, like a window curtain, so that it’s in place during the summer, but I ‘take it down’ during the winter to add a few degrees heat to the attic?
Everything I read about reflective barrier suggest placing the barrier on the attic side of roof rafters however, I live in Ohio, and I see reflective barrier put on top of insulation on the floor of the attic. Does this offer any benefit in the attic during winter? Does the barrier help to keep insulation cool in summer thereby causing less heat gain to the living space? Is there an equation that reflective barrier makes up for some insulation, so less R-Value is needed in attic?
Back in 2010 I contacted RIMA regarding the effectiveness of installing radiant barrier directly over spaced sheeting vs. installing on rafters, which would be the case in new construction and room additions. At that time, the person responding to my email stated that RIMA did not recommend using radiant barrier over spaced sheeting.
I no longer have that email, but if memory serves me correctly, the reason RIMA did not recommend it was because any point where the radiant sheeting came into direct contact with the nailing strips (spaced sheeting) the energy would be conducted vs. radiated.
Now that Title 24 is be enforced throughout California, I would greatly appreciate any information you could offer on this subject. This is a big topic of discussion that our prospective residential customers are asking, and they are receiving confusing information from various roofing contractors they are receiving proposals from.
In regard to thermal reflective insulation material with aluminum foil on both sides and polyethylene air bubble enclosed between the two layers of aluminum foils – what is the role of the air bubble and how does it contribute by reducing the heat transfer by radiation?
We are designing some new residences in Kauai. The roof of the homes are cedar shingles over plywood at a 5:12 pitch. Roof framing is 2 x4 wood rafters. The roof design does not have traditional attic space and we are placing fiberglass batt insulation within 1” of the underside of the plywood, between the rafters (Not on the low part of the attic where the ceiling occurs). So, there are no vents at eaves or ridges. If we install a radiant heat barrier foil over the rafters before the plywood is placed, is this the correct installation? Would appreciate any insight you may offer.
Can you tell us about American Alternative Energy, LLC out of Barnesville, MN? We signed up for installation of the above on the floor of our attic. The transaction has been very quick and we are quite anxious at this point. The price is $4614.00 and supposedly has government discount with it and no state tax. Thank you for any information.
The vaulted ceiling is part of the roof. From the outside in, it’s shingles, roof boards, two by four rafters, probably fiberglass insulation of three inches or less, lastly sheet rock. I am going to ask if it is a good idea to:
1. Fasten some ridged insulation board to the existing sheet rock?
2. Then put new sheet rock over the ridged insulation?
3. I like this idea best, but can you tell me if I could end up with a moisture problem above all of this?
If you like this plan, please recommend the type/ name of the insulation board.