Low-E Products
 

I used a very similar product to insulate the top cover of my boiler. It worked great.

This stuff isn't like most insulation. It's like a mirror, reflecting back the heat.
http://www.low-e.com/application/app...ages/crawl.jpg


Low-E Northeast Distribution Product Low-E TAB




Low-E Insulation


YouTube - How Does LOW-E Reflective Insulation Work?


Anyone of you guys use this stuff??

I've used foil covered bubblewrap to make tiny greenhouses for seedlings. Is it similar or just similar looking?

I used some of that foil covered bubblewrap to insulate my boiler's top cover.
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f1...ar/TarmTop.jpg

The metal top cover has 3/4" of fiberglass glued on it, but the top cover was always very warm to the touch.

After I added a few layers of fancy insulation, the top cover is cool to the touch!

With the foil+bubbles, you get blockage of both radiant & conductive heat loss.

YouTube - Radiant Barrier Under Shingles Won't Work Without An Air Space

We have foil on a 5mm piece of styrofoam glued behind our radiators to reflect heat back into the room instead of the wall behind the radiator. I'm sure it helps, but I doubt it can be quantified.

From the first video, he claims:

That is total and complete BS. It may block 97% of radiant energy, but there are still conduction losses. Conduction losses are normally a much larger factor in heat loss/gain I believe. I have never really seen the two compared and quantified though. So, it definitely has its place, but its not the end all solution.

The second video illustrates this much better. A roof is a perfect example of where radiant barriers are great to have.

It's hard to put an R-factor on a reflector. :confused:

In your case, I think the effectiveness will depend on the heat conductivity of the wall.
If the wall's conductivity (to the outdoors or other unheated space) is high,
and you are getting 97% reflectivity.. I would give that a DIY-factor of 9.7 :rolleyes:

The effectiveness of this material is very dependent on where & how it's applied.
That Atticfoil.com video above really brings home the point..

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I have an application where the Tab product might be useful.
Low-E Northeast Distribution Product Low-E TAB

A homeowner wanted to 'Flip-this-house', so they installed a fancy floating tile floor, over an old concrete floor.
(I think it was a one-car garage before).
They laid 2x4 studs directly on the concrete (floor joist), nailed 3/4" plywood sheathing over it
and covered that with the floating tiles. NO INSULATION or vapor barrier.

In the summer, no problem.
But in the winter, the ground temperature gets lower around the edges and the outside air gets under the floor..
The room can't be used, it's so cold..

So, I considered foam sprayed into holes (many holes), but didn't like all the negatives.
So, removing the flooring, insulating, then replacing the flooring is being considered.

I'm thinking the 16" Tab product for walls could be used between the studs.


See pics here: Low-E Northeast Distribution Crawl Space Applications


After the insulation (& re-flooring) is done, add some carpet.. With an insulated pad under it.
Low-E Northeast Distribution Product Therm-E Pad

Because the available space beside the 2x4s is so small, normal insulation
will not be thick enough to do much good.
The goal is not to use regular insulation that will saturate to a low temp,
but to reflect the escaping heat, back into the room..

I'm wondering about the advisability of adding a vapor barrier just under the plywood..?.

Comments please..

He should have been more specific..
 

"we actually block 97% of energy transfer in and out of the structure",
at the points where radiant heat is the transfer medium.

I think maybe I could keep my ceilings a few degrees cooler in the summer,
if I had a layer of shiny foil over the top of all my attic fiberglass..
Of course, it could shorten the life of my roof shingles by a few months.. :D

Xringer, don't forget that a layer of foil will have ZERO effect without an air gap. A sheet of foil in contact with your boiler will readily conduct heat out of the boiler, and the surface of the foil will radiate heat away the same as your boiler's red paint does. Same goes for packing it tightly between sheating and fiberglass.

The Steffan-Boltzmann Law points out that radiant heat transfer varies with absolute temperature (in Kelvins) to the FOURTH power, so metal foil heat shields are more effective on very hot objects, such as car exhaust, where radiation is an important heat transfer mode. A foil barrier with an air gap will help a little more than an air gap alone at room temperature, but it's not night and day.

Don't forget, it's foil covered bubblewrap and has a built-in air gap..

I've got a few layers of it in there, and it works fantastic.. The top of the boiler is about
170 degrees F right now, and the top cover feels cool to the touch..

I just measured it at 69F and the sides at 75 to 80 (with the factory insulation only)..

That top cover was probably up in the 90s before I added the foil covered bubblewrap.

And, no! I'm not going to take it out to make 'before' measurements! LOL!!

Not even a short experiment in the name of Science?!?