7/23/2023 0 Comments Bubble wrap insulation![]() I mentioned above that radiant barriers have two excellent applications in homes, and those are in the attic and in windows, the two places where the most radiant heat gain occurs in a building. Since ducts require either R-6 or R-8 insulation, depending on location, building inspectors should start failing this application every time they see it. Not once have I seen spacers on bubble-wrap insulated ducts. I’ve heard of it being used in above grade walls in Florida and on foundation walls of encapsulated crawl spaces, but the former wouldn’t be allowed in Georgia, and I just haven’t seen the latter here.įor bubble wrap to be effective on ducts, the installers would have to put in spacers to keep the bubble wrap from being in contact with the ducts. The only place I’ve seen this stuff used is to wrap duct work. An air conditioner supply plenum wrapped with foil-faced bubble wrap If they staple this stuff to the underside of the rafters in an attic, it will greatly reduce heat gain in the attic, and the temperature will be about 20 degrees lower. The problem here is that for a radiant barrier to work, it must have an air gap on one side or the other. Martin Holladay wrote in the GBA forum, “The claim that bubble wrap is equivalent to R-6 duct insulation is a scam and a fraud.” And these guys at SEBC are claiming R-15.4! What they’re trying to claim is the R-value for an assembly, including air gaps, and not just the R-value of the material. The R-value for this material is about an R-1. To capture that, you’d be talking about the R-value of an assembly. When you quote an R-value for a material, you can’t include air spaces. Pretty soon, he was telling me he didn’t have time to talk with me any more. ![]() I told him, no, it’s R-1, and then he started talking about the thousands of dollars they’ve spent on testing. So, when I walked up to the bubble wrap booth and asked the guy what the R-value of it was, he immediately said 15.4. A roll of foil-faced bubble wrap with an actual thermal resistance of ~R-1 Insulation reduces heat transfer by conduction, convection, and radiation through solid materials. A radiant barrier reduces heat transfer by radiation and has two good applications in homes. Foil-faced bubble wrap is a radiant barrier. I’ve just never seen it installed in a way that would allow the product to do what it does best – reduce radiant heat gain.įirst of all, let’s be clear. I’ll grant that foil-faced bubble wrap has its applications, as the GBA article proclaimed. He presented the pros and cons and gave anecdotal evidence of this product having solved condensation problems. Scott Gibson at Green Building Advisor (GBA) recently wrote an article about foil-faced bubble wrap and did a balanced job of it. ![]() The main one in the latter category is foil-faced bubble wrap sold as insulation. To see how Radiant Barrier works, visit our How It Works page.When I wrote about my trip to the Southeast Building Conference (SEBC) in July, I mentioned how some products on display there really annoyed me because they’re either bad to the bone or overhyped. This is the only product that we sell that is rated for use under concrete slabs and as reflective radiant floor insulation. The metalized foil in under slab insulation is sandwiched between a layer of polyethylene bubbles on each side to protect the reflective coating. The only thing that makes this product special is that it is pre-cut to either 16" or 24" widths and includes staple tabs along both sides for easy attachment between floor joists.ĭesigned specifically for installation under concrete slabs and radiant floors. ![]() Double bubble foil has a double layer of polyethylene bubbles that acts as an extra thermal barrier to prevent condensation.īetween joist insulation is made from the same material as our top-selling double bubble product. Our most popular bubble foil insulation is used for applications in metal buildings, pole barns, basements, crawl spaces, and many other places that require a vapor barrier. With only a single layer of polyethylene bubbles, we recommend single bubble insulation for less extreme climates. It is also 96% reflective which means it does the exact same job at preventing radiant heat gains in your building. Single Bubble insulation is an economic alternative compared to our double bubble product.
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