Radiant Barrier choices (roof, Home Depot, Lowes, heat)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I am looking to install a radiant barrier. I am going with the rolls as they are alot more effective than the spray. I would like to stay with stuff at Home Depot as I have a $350 store credit but could even go with Lowes as I have some family member that get discounts there.
Is any one better than the other?
3 choices in order of preference after looking at the specs are Reflectix, UltraTouch, and Enerflex
Enerflex is 5x thinner than the other two which means it is probably not as durable. UltraTouch is listed as a Natural Cotton Radiant Barrier. Does that mean it has some insulating properties on top of the reflective.
Also I noticed my ducts are cooling the attic and I can noticeably feel the cool air when opening the attic. Ducts are not leaking and my electric bill is normal. I have noticed this over the last couple years both with the old and new a/c unit installed last year. Could I use a spray on radiant barrier on the duct work on top of the roll's stapled to the rafters and/or some type of spray insulation on the ducts. I would leave the joints/seams exposed as they are the most leak prone so I could potentially find the leaks easier.
It appears that you've made the decision to go with radiant barrier rather than just adding more insulation.
I had an energy audit done on my house and, when I mentioned that I was looking into radiant barrier, the auditor recommended that I not add radiant barrier, but add more insulation if I felt it necessary. (The auditor didnt think I needed more insulation right now either.)
So I'll be interested to see what kind of answers you get here.
It appears that you've made the decision to go with radiant barrier rather than just adding more insulation.
So I'll be interested to see what kind of answers you get here.
I have thought of insulation but the attic gets very hot seeing as I am in South FL. My a/c doesnt seem to struggle or run all day long. I am more concerned about the attic temps to get less of a temperature variance from the attic through the insulation to the house. Plus the a/c duct-work has an R factor of no greater than 6. So 65 deg ducts in a 110 deg environment is better than 130 deg.
I am going to measure the attic temp today with my laser thermometer. Reflecting radiant heat works. Painting my flat roof deck white dropped the temps on it 25 deg on a cooler south fl day during the winter and probably 50+ during the summer.
That comparison page is...
...well, it's a joke.
A true comparison page would be a white paper from an independent lab testing the claims and posting results of said products. That page is nothing more than a quantity vs. price comparison. So, when it comes to energy efficiency what's more important, initial cost or product performance?
Why the change? You stated in a past post that you painted a radiant barrier on the roof- now you want to add radiant film in the attic?
Sounds like you've been sold by a hack. South FL presents problems that no other region of the continental US has. Mainly- heat and humidity, and they require particular attention.
I believe you'll find this to be a very good read and a good start to an effective solution of energy efficiency. Building Profile: Hot-Humid Climate: Maitland — Building Science Information
That comparison page is...
...well, it's a joke.
A true comparison page would be a white paper from an independent lab testing the claims and posting results of said products. That page is nothing more than a quantity vs. price comparison. So, when it comes to energy efficiency what's more important, initial cost or product performance?
Why the change? You stated in a past post that you painted a radiant barrier on the roof- now you want to add radiant film in the attic?
I was mainly looking at the thickness and dont care for any insulating properties. Someone on a car forum I am on put in the stuff from Lowes and said it was very flimsy but in the end it worked. I would rather have the thicker more durable stuff.
My house has a flat deck just across the back of the house covering a "florida room", porch, and master bedroom. I just painted the flat deck only with the white elastomeric paint so the reflective property was just from the white/light color. The other 1500ish sqft of the house is an A frame roof with attic access that the radiant barrier would be going over
Those prices are not very good... a bit less than double what it should be.
what would be a better price and where could I get it?
The specs I am taking lightly but still weighing them.
At HD I am looking at $140 for a 400 sqft roll or a $1 per 2.857142857142857 sqft. Thickness is .3125" compared to the other one which is cheaper but .065". So mine is 5x thicker than the other one.
I saw an install vid on the site of an installer from another state and theirs was very thick and wasnt folding over itself when stretching it 25'+ to staple it.
Edit: the site I was talking about was atticfoil. and their prices seem to be half of HD for the same or slightly better. At least per the weight of the product.
I'm pretty sure that's where I bought from (atticfoil). It worked great - in the two years between when I bought the stuff and when I sold the house it easily paid for itself plus some.
I'm pretty sure that's where I bought from (atticfoil). It worked great - in the two years between when I bought the stuff and when I sold the house it easily paid for itself plus some.
yeah I saw earlier that you could order a free sample so I went ahead and did that. If is is the thick stuff as they describe it then I will order it and might even do my neighbors after getting results from mine as it would only save $4 to order it together. Started taking temps of several roof areas. So I will have at least 2 weeks of before testing. Found a post from 08 on a HVAC Forum where someone bought from them and was pleased.
The "thickness" does not really matter when it comes to reflectivity- it's the foil doing the work, whatever it is attached to just provides strength. You COULD use regular kitchen foil, but it wouldn't stay up for long. What you want it "Strength". I used the Atticfoil Radiant Barrier and it works great. You can staple it up and pull the foil and the staple will actually come out of the wood before the foil rips.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Atticfoil is REALLY strong.
