Thermal foil insulation, which way should the foil face?
Q. I have just purchased Thermal foil insulation for the loft, but the instructions are not great. I have had a loft conversion, but I want to insulate the storage area in the front of the roof.I am going to use this on the beams that seperate the room and the store, but should the foil face the plasterboard, or the store area? By the way, the insulation comes on a roll, with foil on one side and bubble wrap on the other.
Asked by views_on_offer - Mon Jan 7 10:19:26 2008 - - 5 Answers - 0 Comments

A. The foil should face the warm side of the wall or floor, otherwise it will trap condensation.
Answered by big_mustache - Mon Jan 7 10:58:48 2008

Should house electrical cables be kept out of new thermal insulation?
Q. So I'm thinking of insulating my attic. I have a slab foundation and all my electrical runs through the attic. I know certain hot features (light fixtures, transformers, etc) need a certain amount of clearance around them so they can dissipate heat - that's in the electrical code. Do runs of individual cable, runs of multiple cables (which have to be derated just because they're near other cables) or junction boxes need to be kept clear of insulation too? The derating business makes me think they need space to dissipate heat, but I can't find anything on the topic. Also, if they are on the house side of the summer heat (it easily reaches 140 up there) wouldn't that be better anyway?
Asked by Robert G - Sat Jan 20 13:34:41 2007 - - 6 Answers - 0 Comments

A. i have to laugh occasionally, when i think about how the NEC (National Electrical Code) has gotten folks so scared..Article 310 has always stated the ampacities of wires...#12 guage copper, according to Code, can handle 30 amps of current. (Article 310-16) although it stipulates that #12 will be attached to no more than a 20 amp breaker or fuse. Think of your average bedroom in a house. 6 to 8 receptacles. per. room..max current load...1 clock radio...1 lamp. 1 television...potentially 5 amps on a set of wires meant to carry at least 30...Unless you have a factory in your house, with the continuous load factor figured...no more than 80% load per circuit breaker...don't worry about it...your house is never gonna get hot enough, to affect… [cont.]
Answered by backyard_tire_biter - Sat Jan 20 23:35:17 2007

Is there any good R-value calculator available for thermal insulation?
Q. Is there any good R-value calculator available for thermal insulation?
Asked by movablewall - Thu Oct 19 08:50:58 2006 - - 1 Answers - 0 Comments

A. Check out those 2 Insulation Calculators. First one is for new homes and the other one is for existing homes.
Answered by testikeme - Thu Oct 19 10:10:16 2006

where a cwsc is located in the roof space of a dwelling and the space beneath it contains thermal insulation?
Q. what action should a plumber take???
Asked by Lee - Wed Jul 2 14:47:14 2008 - - 1 Answers - 0 Comments

A. struggling to understand your question! are you talking about a storage tank? what is the problem with the insulation? if it is in the way move it but insulation under a tank is not a problem the tank will need to be insulated any way!
Answered by MICHAEL K - Wed Jul 2 15:30:28 2008

Can anyone name some materials used for thermal insulation?
Q. Can anyone name some materials used for thermal insulation?
Asked by George P - Sat Feb 16 20:04:44 2008 - - 4 Answers - 0 Comments

A. Vacuum, like in most thermoses works well. Rockwool, fiberglass, asbestos, cellulose, polystyrene, urethane foam, and vermiculite are all materials that are also used for thermal insulation. Depends on costs, applications, etc.
Answered by Charles M - Sat Feb 16 20:15:02 2008

What can you tell me about thermal insulation?
Q. What can you tell me about thermal insulation?
Asked by mashustik94 - Thu May 18 18:34:11 2006 - - 1 Answers - 0 Comments

A. Thermal insulation blocks the movement of heat. Typical thermal insulations are spun glass or fiber glass that traps air. Trapped dead air is a very good insulator because it prevents convection transfer of heat. A vacuum is also a good insulator and that is how a thermos bottle works. Styrafoam is another excellent insulator. The higher the R value on an insulating product, the more heat that it will block. Consider this temperature gradient and heat flow: Outside it is 5 F. Inside it is 70 F. Over the span of 4 to 6" in a normal wall, the temp gradient is 65 degrees! What prevents all that heat from rushing outside? Good insulation of R13-R19 in the wall.
Answered by cat_lover - Thu May 18 20:10:05 2006

what is the material used for thermal insulation in rocket or our space shuttle?
Q. name and wt he composition of material.
Asked by dev - Fri Aug 22 02:38:21 2008 - - 1 Answers - 0 Comments

A. It is made of silica fibers. Here is an article that explains the basics of what they are and how they are made: .
Answered by tlbs101 - Fri Aug 22 18:24:05 2008

What is the difference between Insulation and Thermal Mass?
Q. I can't quite get why they are different.
Asked by Captain Hellboy - Sat Nov 7 16:06:24 2009 - - 1 Answers - 0 Comments

A. Insulation is a material through which heat does not flow very easily. If you have a block of such material and you heat one side up, it will take a relatively long time before the heat passes through and heats up the other side. Thermal mass is what is usually referred to as specific heat capacity. It is the amount of heat (or energy) required to increase the temperature of a certain amount of material by a certain temperature. For example, water has relatively high thermal mass, while most metals have relatively low thermal mass. If you apply some amount of heat to, say, one gram of water, it will heat up a bit. If you apply the same amount of heat to one gram of metal, it will heat up much more.
Answered by unknown - Sat Nov 7 16:11:50 2009

Why is thermal insulation important?? Give examples?
Q. - application of thermal insulators in society. -give eg please and thankyou =)
Asked by Bolly - Tue Jun 10 05:17:33 2008 - - 1 Answers - 0 Comments

A. if you dont use thermal insulators it would be impossible to make a refrigrator, thermoflask, cooking vessel's handles etc...
Answered by Goutham - Fri Jun 13 23:41:24 2008

should thermal insulation ever be applied directly to the underside of a roof top?
Q. should thermal insulation ever be applied directly to the underside of a roof top?
Asked by Tara - Tue Mar 24 19:02:18 2009 - - 3 Answers - 0 Comments

A. Should it be done, No. Thermal Insulation is put direftly above the ceiling. Not on the actually roof top. The reason being, that even though both methods will trap in heat, With the insulation on the arches of the roof, it still allowing heat into the Attic, Or roof space. This means that the top of the roof will infact be the warmest part of the house, and lot of heat will be lost. from the main rooms of the house.
Answered by BigDave=] - Tue Mar 24 19:14:36 2009

What is household thermal insulation?
Q. Why do we use it and how does it work?
Asked by MooT - Wed Nov 4 01:56:32 2009 - - 2 Answers - 0 Comments

A. Thermal insulation is basically a barrier between the environment inside your house, and the environment outside your house... it essentially regulates the conditions between the interior and exterior of your home... It is designed to control problems like hot or cold bleeding from, or into, your dwelling, condensation, and the development of mold or bacteria that results moisture from improper thermal insulation... There are many different kinds... the best suited for your home all depends on the environment that your home exists in and the materials that your home was built with... Talk to a professional... Home Depot DIY just doesn`t cut it when it comes to such home issues!! Cheers! G.
Answered by unknown - Wed Nov 4 02:07:47 2009

Thermal insulation properties of plasterboard?
Q. can anyone tell me the thermal insulation properties of plasterboard/gypsum board? cheers
Asked by Glen M - Sat Jul 1 15:57:53 2006 - - 3 Answers - 0 Comments

A. the thermal insulation properties are excellent material description per Thickness Listed thickness r value hc value weight (in.) (h x ft2 x oF/Btu) (Btu/ft2 x oF) (pounds/ft2) building board gypsum Wallboard 0.5 0.45 0.54 2.1
Answered by raj - Mon Jul 3 03:54:32 2006

Thermal Insulation help?
Q. I'm having a bit of trouble here... Just wondering, If a house design would effect how insulation works and how? Also your location, if it affects what insulation you should use and other uses of insulation if there are any (eg: Sound barrier?) Thanks
Asked by MooT - Mon Nov 9 19:56:26 2009 - - 2 Answers - 0 Comments

A. Insulation works the same way irregardless of the house design. But different designs will require more or less insulation. Yes, you should use more insulation in areas where the climate is colder, or if you are in a very hot climate and use air conditioning, you should also use more insulation. The Sound barrier is for objects moving close to the speed of sound, so it has no relationship to house design. .
Answered by billrussell42 - Mon Nov 9 20:07:52 2009

What are the implications of buying a house which fails only the thermal insulation aspect of building regs?
Q. The vendors have not complied with insulation regs on walls and replacement windows due to respecting important architectural features of the property. Although not listed, the house does contain a wealth of original mouldings, glass, covings etc all of which would be lost if regs were complied with. All other regs are complied with. I know we can do the work afterwards if we want to (we don't want to lose the features either) but need to know whether accepting to buy with a failed building certificate will affect our finding a mortgage and, later on, our ability to sell the property on. Thanks for insulation advice below. The house is Victorian and has solid masonry walls. The building regs specify 50mm of foam "selotex" to be applied… [cont.]
Asked by Jo - Sun Sep 20 05:10:22 2009 - - 1 Answers - 0 Comments

A. Two solutions: add insulation to the interior or exterior of the house and reside or rehang drywall. If you replaced the windows then yes you would likely lose much of the character of the original finish work. If you keep the old windows, add jamb extensions and reapply your original trim. Second solution is to carefully remove the interior trim, strip the walls, remove the old insulation (very possible hazardous in any case) and foam the walls to gain a higher R value per inch. It's not minor, but not insurmountable either. You can put your old trim back on when you're done. Edit: I won't say for certain that buying with the failed cert. will affect your mortgage chances, different lenders have different views. If you find one that has… [cont.]
Answered by del - Mon Sep 21 13:16:39 2009

Thermal insulation protection?
Q. There is a situation where the temperature of room is 250 degree C and they wanted to box up one machine to keep it at 70 degree C. we are going to have 40mm thick calcium silicate board with k=0.17 W/mK. Please help me whether the thickness of board would be sufficient to keep that machine 70 degree C. Could you also guide me on how to calculate it??? Thanks a lot and hope some one can help me with this queries asap ..thanks again all Thanks Spike for your help... i'm not sure about the rate of heat rejection though, the room is an industrial room at factory. usually how much is the rate???are there any reference or website i can refer to
Asked by violet7 - Wed Jul 9 21:55:17 2008 - - 2 Answers - 0 Comments

A. I agree with Spike. You must specify the heat rejection Fourier's Law of Heat conduction Q = - k * A * dT/dx Here, Q = Heat load k = Thermal Conductivity (0.17 W/mK in your case) A = Surface area of the board (We can assume 1 m^2 as the basis) dT = Temperature gradient ( 250 - 70 = 180 C) dx = Thickness of board (0.04 m) The negative sign is to indicate the direction of heat flow, it is irrelevant for heat load calculations. Remember that thermal conductivity usually varies with temperature. Substituting Q = 0.17 * 1 * 180/0.04 = 765 W/m^2 Now, if the machine at 70 C is rejecting heat at a rate of 765 W/m^2, then you can use 40 mm slabs for insulation. You need to find out the heat rejection rate for the machine. The above… [cont.]
Answered by Fluorine - Thu Jul 10 01:18:33 2008

Improving insulation on interior walls?
Q. I have a flat which is losing a great deal of heat through its exterior walls. As I cannot install cavity wall insulation (house is too old), I would like to improve the insulation on the walls inside and was wondering if anyone knew the best option? Choices appear to be flexible thermal lining, thermal insulation boards or studding and insulating. Can anyone tell me the best (economical) method ? I have also heard about Thermawrap but am unclear whether this is effective. thanks
Asked by start1finish - Fri Feb 27 07:59:49 2009 - - 6 Answers - 0 Comments

A. I dont know how you call it but what I am thinking is using lumber to do the trick. You may already know its effectiveness in heat absorption. :) good luck to you.
Answered by oregon - Fri Feb 27 08:31:56 2009

Why would an attic need more insulation than walls?
Q. And what do foam insulation, fiberglass insulation, and thermal windows have in common that helps them to prevent the loss of heat?
Asked by xXrockerchickXx - Mon Apr 16 16:08:52 2007 - - 6 Answers - 0 Comments

A. heat rises,
Answered by Great Answers - Mon Apr 16 16:16:07 2007

explain how insulation between the outer and inner walls of a home helps to reduce thermal energy transfer.?
Q. explain how insulation between the outer and inner walls of a home helps to reduce thermal energy transfer.?
Asked by bob - Sun May 20 12:18:20 2007 - - 2 Answers - 0 Comments

A. ___ Thermal energy (Q) transfer by conduction depends on (i) temperature difference [To -Ti ] across the outer and inner walls. (ii)Distance between the walls 'l' (iii) area of wall 'A' (iv) nature of material [ called thermal conductivity 'K' ]of walls Q = KA[To-Ti] / l An insulator has very poor conductivity, 'K' for insulator is small Hence insulation prevents the transfer of heat across the walls.Insulation reduces heat leakage in a home ___
Answered by ukmudgal - Sun May 20 12:37:08 2007

I installed plywood over the insulation in my attic should i worry about mold or raising it off the joists?
Q. I covered most of the attic space, screwed the boards down to the joists, most of the insulation is compressed. I know i will lose some of the thermal barrier effect, should i have other concerns?
Asked by Morgus - Thu Mar 13 11:29:28 2008 - - 7 Answers - 0 Comments

A. Other than the loss of insulation, due to the compaction, you shouldn't have any problem. It's really no different than the insulation that is sandwiched between your interior drywall, and your outside wall. Your ceiling will act as a "vapor barrier" and keep any warm, moist air from reaching the cold plywood and condensing in the winter. Unless you have holes in your ceiling, this won't be a problem.
Answered by Total_BS - Thu Mar 13 11:49:27 2008

Question on types of insulation?
Q. I'm looking for a relatively cheap thermal insulation material/ chemical preferably suitable for use near food and drink. It needs to be as effective as possible at keeping heat in. Possibly close to the thermal insulation power of a vacuum flask?
Asked by $i - Thu Jun 14 11:46:50 2007 - - 1 Answers - 0 Comments

A. your best best is isocyanurate. The easiest way to get it is at home depot. It comes in cans. It is commonly called expanding foam. Don't buy the water based stuff, it is worthless. There is the minimally and maximum exxpanding type (red or blue cans) Hilti also make it but it is more expensive. It should cost between $5 and $9 per can.
Answered by wfc - Thu Jun 14 15:03:50 2007