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Reflective foil insulation. (link fixed, partially)

highland145

highland145

Lifer
Anyone used any reflective foil insulation.

Enclosed part of the attic. 5' side walls(knee walls?) with 6" fiberglass that face the open attic space. Still a lot of heat coming through. The foil would be easy to apply, if it works.

Thanks
Lowes
edit:Reflectix 4' x 25' R-3.7 Double Reflective Foil Insulation
Item #: 13358
Model #: BP48025
What the heck wrong with the links?
 
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I don't see how foil would "reflect" anything in an enclosed space. It's the ambient air temperature in the attic that is "seeping in".
 
I live in a cave, and therefore do not require silly insulation products. My home is naturally protected and insulated against the elements. Naturally.
 
Sorry guys. Tried it again and same results.
Reflectix 4' x 25' R-3.7 Double Reflective Foil Insulation

Lowes
Item #: 13358
Model #: BP48025
 
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SunnyD said:
I don't see how foil would "reflect" anything in an enclosed space. It's the ambient air temperature in the attic that is "seeping in".
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Me either but
R-Values range from R-3.7 to R-17 (depends on application)
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It would be the easiest solution for me. IIRC r-10 for putting it over the existing insulation facing the open space.
 
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Sea Moose said:
Dont do it

Several people have been killed in Australia by foil insulation. Just get white batts.
Click to expand...
Staple in a hot wire would do it.

Suggestions on how to affix the batts on the walls. Thought about using cord at every stud, lay the batt vertical, staple the cord to hold it in place, lay the next on the last, staple, repeat up the wall.
 
highland145 said:
Staple in a hot wire would do it.

Suggestions on how to affix the batts on the walls. Thought about using cord at every stud, lay the batt vertical, staple the cord to hold it in place, lay the next on the last, staple, repeat up the wall.
Click to expand...

just dont do it. The stuff is rubbish. If you ever have anyone do work in the ceiling it will get damaged.

get the white batts.

Dont get the yellow batts, cause that stuff is itchy.

trust me, i do alot of work in ceilings and i would rather work in a ceiling with white insulation
 
Sea Moose said:
just dont do it. The stuff is rubbish. If you ever have anyone do work in the ceiling it will get damaged.

get the white batts.

Dont get the yellow batts, cause that stuff is itchy.

trust me, i do alot of work in ceilings and i would rather work in a ceiling with white insulation
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Thanks. I'll take your advice.

Extra insulation on the side walls may not help anyway. Borrowed a temperature gun and only getting 2 to 3 degrees higher from the "attic exposed" walls and ceiling than I am the floor. Don't know what that means for overall difficulty of cooling. Thoughts?
 
spray foam insulation is something you better off getting done. That gives you a nice thermal barrier
 
highland145 said:
Anyone used any reflective foil insulation.

Enclosed part of the attic. 5' side walls(knee walls?) with 6" fiberglass that face the open attic space. Still a lot of heat coming through. The foil would be easy to apply, if it works.

Thanks
Lowes
edit:Reflectix 4' x 25' R-3.7 Double Reflective Foil Insulation
Item #: 13358
Model #: BP48025
What the heck wrong with the links?
Click to expand...

http://www.askthebuilder.com/601_Reflective_Foil_Insulation.shtml

I second the expensive but awesome spray foam idea. It cuts all air movement plus it's R7 per inch.
 
paperfist said:
http://www.askthebuilder.com/601_Reflective_Foil_Insulation.shtml

I second the expensive but awesome spray foam idea. It cuts all air movement plus it's R7 per inch.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the link and everyone's advice. IIRC, I closed in the space 7 years ago and foam wasn't in the budget.🙁 After seeing the temp guns #'s I may need to focus on the a/c. Still having issues with the unit (new 8/09) leaking freon. It's out again and the installer is supposed to come today. I'll call the manufacturer again and see what my recourse is if he can't/won't fix it right.
 
highland145 said:
Anyone used any reflective foil insulation.

Enclosed part of the attic. 5' side walls(knee walls?) with 6" fiberglass that face the open attic space. Still a lot of heat coming through. The foil would be easy to apply, if it works.
Click to expand...


That is not supposed to be used inside the home. It is for the outside and placed under things like vinyl siding or when doing tar and gravel roof. Putting it in the attic will cause moisture problems that will lead to mildew and wood rot.

How big is the attic space and do you use it for anything ? If it isn't large and you don't use it for storage, etc. Then look at blown in insulation to add a couple feet to the space. Is there any insulation between the ceiling and the attic floor ? Are there any vents in the attic to let out the heat ? Also consider installing a fan in the attic that runs off a thermostat that will exhaust heat when it gets really hot. That also can help extend the life of the materials because the fan will also exhaust any trapped moisture.
 
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Modelworks said:
That is not supposed to be used inside the home. It is for the outside and placed under things like vinyl siding or when doing tar and gravel roof.
Click to expand...

Derp, there is a foil insulation available for use in the attic or ceiling space.

the australian government basically supplied it free to homes, until a couple of installers were killed, cause its useless dangerous shit

http://www.justice.qld.gov.au/fair-and-safe-work/electrical-safety/alerts/2010/managing-foil-ceiling-insulation-risks-householders-and-tradespeople

Check this link out!!
 
Modelworks said:
That is not supposed to be used inside the home. It is for the outside and placed under things like vinyl siding or when doing tar and gravel roof. Putting it in the attic will cause moisture problems that will lead to mildew and wood rot.

How big is the attic space and do you use it for anything ? If it isn't large and you don't use it for storage, etc. Then look at blown in insulation to add a couple feet to the space. Is there any insulation between the ceiling and the attic floor ? Are there any vents in the attic to let out the heat ? Also consider installing a fan in the attic that runs off a thermostat that will exhaust heat when it gets really hot. That also can help extend the life of the materials because the fan will also exhaust any trapped moisture.
Click to expand...
Could definitely see a problem if moisture got trapped in the fiberglass insulation between the sheet rock and the foil.

The horizontal attic space has ~12". There's no heat leaking through to the downstairs(floor and ceiling downstairs temps are the same). I've got soffit vents and a 1650 cfm vent fan like you mentioned and it helps tremendously. When it cuts off in the evenings (~107 degrees in the attic) you can feel more heat leaking in upstairs. During the peak of the day, Saturday 101 degrees, there was only a 3 degree difference between the upstairs floor vs walls/ceiling. After seeing the minimal temp difference, I'm back to the a/c again.

Thanks
 
It works. Installed the foil without the bubbles last summer in my attic. Have about 80% coverage with the foil and it dropped the attic temp 20+ degrees. Hard to quantify how much it has helped the AC as last summer was unusually hot and this year I had some duct work fixed. RIght now we are seeing 30% lower AC bills with those two mods.
 
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