Spray foam insulation with radiant barrier????
gthigpen
17 years ago
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dallasbill
17 years agolast modified: 9 years agogthigpen
17 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
XPS under radiant floor? open vs. closed-cell spray foam walls?
Comments (2)For soundproofing, use soundproofing materials--either constrained layer damping drywall, such as Quietrock brand or multiple drywall layers and Green Glue. Before the constrained layer drywall was invented, I used multiple layers on resilient channel. Lots of labour that can be easily short-circuited by just one wrong fastener, research shows....See MoreHouse complete... Moving Friday... Photo tour
Comments (62)I would love to have you send me the floor plan of this home! Its perfect! I printed off the original but I like your final with the 3 car garage! I as well have 3 children and live on 10 acres. I love that the home is all on one floor and has a room for entertaining and bathrooms the kids can get to with out running through the house with there muddy boots! Please send to joniconner@Hotmail.com. Thank you!...See MoreRadiant Barrier vs. Foam Attic
Comments (7)I agree with Joe. if your ductwork & equipment are in the attic, use foam to create an unvented semi conditioned attic space. 130 degree attic with R-8 ducts surrounded by this extreme temp air & all the humidity we have... condensating equipment, plenum & ducts. I see it everyday. with mid to high efficiency equipment the air is much colder entering the plenum (vs air handler....two stage units). so in a hot unvented attic the equipment condensates, and the first 4' of the plenum and any ducts taken off in that first 4' condensate. I'd never foam the walls & not the attic..well I'd never foam the walls period. foam sheathing on exterior of walls yes...but not foam in wall stud bays. big waste of money. our heat gain is via the roof...where the sun shines all day...not the walls that get sun at different parts of the day for certain periods of time. that said...I have a radiant barrier. But no ducts no equipment in attic. my air barrier @ ceiling is near perfect. all ducts are in fur downs inside living space & equipment is in interior closet. this was planned for a long time...not just a last minute choice. invest in the foam in the roofline. educate yourself about foam sheathing on exterior of walls, conventional insulation in wall stud bays, and air tight drywall approach for sheetrock to interior. and understand that you still have to reach R-value requirements. 2-3" of foam doesn't meet code requirements. inches of foam X R-value of foam = code requirement. don't buy into the whole 2-3" performs as R-30 it is bull...and will not pass code inspection. open or closed cell? we use open cell 7" in roof rafters & covering faces of rafters, here in La. as Renovator * pointed out...radiant barrier & foam... RB has to have minimum of 3/4" air space between it and anyother product. waste of $$ to foam over tech shield. best of luck....See MoreClosed cell foam and radiant barrier
Comments (4)The 1/4" of foam or radiant barrier (actually the air in the bubbles) is meant to serve as a break for the thermal bridging across the headers and studs. Some of my walls are 1/3 solid wood that bridge directly to the outside. The aluminum foil-bubble-foil radiant barrier claims an R value of 6 with at least 0.75" of airspace on both sides for a vertical installation. I'm skeptical of this claim as well, but if installed correctly it should work in theory...I'm just not sure if it is cost effective, and I'm concerned about trapped moisture. Building Sciences recommends against radiant barriers in basements, but I haven't found much research on their use in combination with other insulation (such as closed cell spray foam) in exterior walls. I have a mixed brick veneer/wood framed bank ranch in NC (mixed-humid) and am primarily following the Building Science Charlotte Profile whenever possible, as this is a remodel not a new construction. I found the recommendation of the radiant barrier in exterior walls on manufacturer's sites, so I'm trying to gather some independent research as to whether they're truly effective....See Morepjb999
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