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Old 10-23-14, 12:28 PM   #58
AC_Hacker
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gtojohn View Post
When I originally googled air film I got mostly results for the film "air". While at the store yesterday I did find Perma-R Poly sheathing with foil. The 3/8" board itself shows r-1.5 . And lists the system, with minimum 3/4" air gap reaching r-4.47. That could be multiplied for 3 3/8" for almost r-13.41 with a 1/8" thermal break before sheet rock on a 2x4 wall...if you could make it work within an 1/8" tolerance. The same could be done with 2 layers of their 3/4" board for 3" r-11.94 with a 1/2 space left over between sheetrock.
Yeah, this all sounds very reasonable.

It's quite similar to the Multi Layer Insulation idea I am investigating.

However, R13.41 total R-value in a 4" wall (really 3.5") is not so amazing.

For comparison:
  • Your multi-layer foil faced Perma-R Poly is R-13.41
  • Dense Packed Cellulose would give you R-12.95
  • Mineral wool in that same space is R-15.
  • Solid XPS would give you R-17.5
  • Solid PolyIso would give you about R-22

Don't forget, that if you have a standard stud wall, the stud itself has an R-value of R-1 per inch, and is a "thermal bridge", conducting unwanted heat or cold, so the stud section itself is actually R-3.5. In typical wall construction, the cumulative wall R-value will be reduced for any insulation by about 18%, so the above numbers would be:
  • Your multi-layer foil faced Perma-R Poly is R-11
  • Dense Packed Cellulose would give you R-10.62
  • Mineral wool in that same space is R-12.3
  • Solid XPS would give you R-14.35
  • Solid PolyIso would give you about 18.04

If you can make your stud system non-continuous, it is a very large improvement.

-AC
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Last edited by AC_Hacker; 10-23-14 at 12:33 PM..
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