It's time for metal building owners to take another look at foil insulation.
This is a product with long term benefits which include durability and efficiency while also providing short term benefits in terms of saving money and installation time.
While fiberglass insulation has been the standard for many years, its challenges within a metal building start at the installation process and continue with meeting fire safety standards and functioning properly to insulate the building over the long term.
Once you understand the challenges of fiberglass insulation, you will easily see why opting for foil insulation in metal buildings is a better choice.
The challenges with fiberglass insulation begin at the point of install.
Installation crews must be scheduled so they can complete their job before the roof goes onto the building.
Holes must be drilled into the trusses, wires strung, and the fiberglass material placed over the trusses.
If the roofing crew is delayed, the insulation could be exposed to the elements and risk losing some of its effectiveness if it gets wet or becomes compressed.
Sometimes, procedures used to install fiberglass insulation compromise the very properties that make it an effective insulator.
Any insulation material used in a metal building must also pass fire safety standards.
Because of the material used in fiberglass and the way it is installed, these standards are sometimes hard to meet and additional money may need to be spent to pass inspection.
Foil insulation has had an easier time meeting those fire safety standards while also allowing for a more aesthetic look after it's installed.
No clumps of batting precariously strapped in above your head such as you will often find with fiberglass insulation.
Most importantly is the factor of how effective the insulation remains after it is put to work in a metal building.
The reason you need insulation in the first place is to keep the interior temperature at a comfortable level without expending too much energy and money on a heating and cooling system.
Metal is a great conductor of heat, so you need to provide insulation that will keep as much of the heat outdoors.
Metal buildings also attract condensation.
Understand that fiberglass insulation is most effective when it is dry and when it has not been compressed.
Now imagine that you used this type of insulation in a metal building that is prone to a buildup of moisture, causing the insulation to become damp.
This natural occurrence easily reduces the effectiveness of fiberglass insulation.
In the past, metal building owners have just increased the thickness of the insulation they installed which added to their costs.
With the advent and improvements of foil insulation, this is no longer necessary.
Because foil insulation is made of different material it doesn't need a completely dry environment to remain effective for many years.
By using only the required amount, without having to compensate for condensation, and by employing the most advanced technology for insulation in a metal building, foil insulation saves money.