Where can I buy reflective foil or metal building insulation?
You can buy our reflective building insulation direct by calling 1-866-200-9657.
Check out the Reflective Radiant Barrier Difference – How our insulation and vapor barrier is worth its cost.
What is the R-value of your metal building insulation?
Our standard insulation is what is known as “Reflective Radiant Barrier” it is a layer of closed air cells sandwiched between a reflective aluminum facing on the exterior and a white vinyl facing on the interior. This product is “directional”
when installed on a roof – it is better at preventing heat gain, then heat loss. Laboratory test results have given it values as great as R-14 against heat gain. Under no circumstances should you necessarily expect numbers close to this, or rely upon reflective radiant barrier as the sole method of preventing heat loss or heat gain.
Faced fiberglass metal building insulation two inches or less in thickness is no longer an R rated product. Even if it was, or thicker faced fiberglass metal building insulation is ordered, it is installed between the wall and/or roof framing and the steel roofing and siding. As such, it becomes totally compressed at every framing member, becoming R ZERO. While faced fiberglass metal building insulation is a good product for controlling condensation, there are better and more effective methods to insulate a pole building.
What if I don’t want to have insulation under my roof steel?
That’s fine. If not, we strongly advise the purlins be sheeted with either oriented strand board (OSB) or plywood. Then apply 30# felt between the sheathing and the roof steel. If this is not done, you run the risk of dealing with condensation problems, even on buildings with large wall openings. The insulation, besides controlling condensation and offering some resistance to heat transfer, also serves to deaden the noise from rain or hail.
If birds get inside my building won’t they peck away at the insulation trying to use it for nesting material?
Perhaps, in the case of faced fiberglass (metal building) insulations. Obviously, keeping the birds out of the building would have to be the initial goal. Our standard reflective metal building insulation is resistant to bird attack and provides no material with which birds could build nests. In a partially open building (or a building with sliding doors), if you have concerns about birds, we can quote fiberglass insulation facings that are reinforced, or furnish reflective radiant barrier (best choice). These facings, or alternative products, will either greatly reduce or eliminate the possibility of bird damage.
What is the most cost-effective method to insulate a pole building?
The great majority of heat loss or gain is through the roof. With heating or cooling, limiting the space needing to be controlled is a large consideration. In a pole building, installing framing (ceiling joists) between the bottom chords of the roof trusses, installing a ceiling to the underside of the framing (typically drywall) and blowing fiberglass or other loose fill insulation on top of the ceiling is most cost-effective. When a closed attic space is created, it is important to provide adequate ventilation. An insulation cavity in the walls can be created either by commercial wall girts (turning the wall framing flat like shelves on 24-inch centers between the posts) or by use of a non-structural stud wall between the posts.
