Thermal camera and bubble wrap
 

A couple of threads I have read recently have been interesting: thermal cameras and bubble wrap. It would be even more interesting to combine the two. Does anyone have a thermal camera image of 2 adjacent windows, one with bubble wrap insulation and one without? That should really show the effectiveness or otherwise of the bubble wrap and would help the bubble wrap pass the ATW (Acceptable To Wife) test.

I tried Bubble wrap and was thoroughly disappointed with it , to the point that I will suggest you stay far away from bubble wrap. Instead head toward the light , the clear poly plastic light.

Not so much the pathetically thin plastic window insulation kits you see at the hardware store but the actual Poly sheet you find in Rolls at the hardware store. I suggest the thickest clear poly you can find or at least the thicker plastic , not the whispy thin plastic sheeting they use for drop sheets etc.

I used 10 mil over my sliding glass doors frame and it went up without wrinkles with no effort and is invisible to my neighbors / neighborhood. I rolled the edges and used finishing nails to secure it to the door frame then I hung up a old comforter for insulation.

My IR thermometer says I have the same insulation value as my wall beside it now.
Try that with bubble wrap , you will find bubble wrap is just a hair above useless. As I found out when testing by IR thermometer.

In conclusion the bubble wrap looks the part but performs like ------ / feces.

.
I would like to see that also...


ecomodded

When you tested the bubble wrap with the IR thermometer did you put some masking tape on the bubble wrap so as to get a good temperature reading ? If not, you'll get a false reading.

When I first installed mine approximately 8 years ago, I tested it. The wall and bubble wrap were within 1 degree of each other with a 30 + degree temperature spread between inside and out.

I'll test mine again when it gets cold enough, we're in a warm spell now.




>

I used black electrical tape on both surfaces for continuity.

I have deduced the bubble wrap is actually a super conductive heat sink. (and gets wet)
The increased surface area caused by the bubbles does bad bad things for you , lol ,
if the bubbles were enclosed with a second piece of plastic there would be some benefit.

Air is much less conductive then plastic so having a large enclosed air space is more effective at insulating then the bubbles air space.

If you add poly plastic over your window frame it would give you approximately 3" of air space which equates to R1 in insulation value. Add a heavy curtain and you will add another R1 or R2

I am having problems working out quite what material you mean. Poly sheet in rolls that is 10 mil (I assume millimetres) thick is not something I am familiar with. Can you provide a link to an example of this material?

Poly sheet uses mil as a measurement but its not millimeters a mil is one-thousands of a inch or 0.001 10 mil would be 0.010 of a inch in thickness.
A common thickness for plastic sheeting which is actually just clear plastic on a roll , is 6 mil thick.

I will change my suggestion of 10 mil to 6 mil , as 6 mil is near crystal clear and 10 mil is somewhat foggy or hazy.


( I am unsure how Europe measures poly sheet / plastic)