Comments for The Radiant Barrier Guru

Comment on Attic Ventilation – Don’t Mess It Up by Ed Fritz

Ed Fritz — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:14:26 +0000

Kyle, Yes attic ventilation must have holes in the bottom and holes in the top for air to flow in and out. If you have separate “cavities” then I would consider adding some passive vents (air hawks) for this area – especially if the area around the duct is small or far away from the main parts of the lower attics. Before I do this, I would focus on the soffit vents. You should be able to feel the difference in how much air is flowing through the duct chase by cleaning/opening/adding more soffit vents. If you can get good airflow through the duct chase (even if it’s a little small) then you be able to “flush” air through the lower attics without adding more passive vents.

Comment on Attic Ventilation – Don’t Mess It Up by Kyle

Kyle — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:46:32 +0000

Our house has a main attic above the second floor, but two lower inaccessible attics over the outside rooms on the first floor. The side attics don’t really attach to the main attic except for one duct chase on one side. The side attics don’t have any upper exhaust vents. Would you suggest adding some passive air hawk type vents near the top of these? They have soffit vents on them, but no idea how clogged they may be. Thanks for all of the great information.

Comment on eShield™, SolarGuard, Reflectix, – Compared to AtticFoil® Radiant Barrier Foil by Ed Fritz

Ed Fritz — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:14:42 +0000

Yes, if you installing a metal roof with wood battens, then under the roof is the way to go. Look at for more info. I would disagree as to the attic temperature. If it is vented, then the BEST you can hope for is outside air temperature since it is outside air being drawn into the attic. There is no way for the air to get "cooler". For the you need to cut some holes/slits/etc. in the FLAT part of the foil. You will want air to flow either between the foil and the roof deck, or through the attic and out the holes to the top vents.

Comment on eShield™, SolarGuard, Reflectix, – Compared to AtticFoil® Radiant Barrier Foil by Ed Fritz

Ed Fritz — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:09:51 +0000

I would look to applying a reflective coating to the roof instead of trying anything inside. Look up "elastomeric coatings". Or, if you don't mind the look, we have had many customers use AtticFoil on the outside of manufactured homes, work trailers, containers, etc. It not the exact intended use, but you should easily get a several years of benefit. We are not exactly sure how long AtticFoil will last outside, but we have two application going on 4 years with NO degradation with the product.

Comment on eShield™, SolarGuard, Reflectix, – Compared to AtticFoil® Radiant Barrier Foil by William

William — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 03:37:42 +0000

Ed,
I have read all of the above and associated links. I have a house built in the 40′s in south carolina with no insulation at all. I have had a company quote me installing the Green Energy Barrier (which may be the same as atticfoil, was perforated, practically untearable and no fiberglass insulation) for $3950 on an 1800 sq.ft single story home with soffit and ridge vents. I found another company I’m going to get a quote from as well to see if that is reasonable. Your attic foil doesn’t seem that expensive per sq ft, so it must be labor intensive to install or the quote is high. I need to replace the roof soon and will likely go metal with wood strips for the air gap. Should I just put foil under the metal? Or in the attic? Or both? The a/c and associated plumbing is in the attic as well. The installers said my attic would be within a few degrees of the house, not the outside as you said. Maybe with the flat top installation this would be the case? There doesn’t seem to be any venting at the ridge vent in that method. I’m a little confused, sorry to be long winded!

Comment on eShield™, SolarGuard, Reflectix, – Compared to AtticFoil® Radiant Barrier Foil by David Mohr

David Mohr — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 21:24:51 +0000

We live in a manufactured home. Is there a radiant barrier paint designed to be applied to the ceilings of the home?

Comment on eShield™, SolarGuard, Reflectix, – Compared to AtticFoil® Radiant Barrier Foil by Ed

Ed — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:02:46 +0000

You would want a radiant barrier as your first line of defense for that steel roof, but the main concern is going to be getting an air gap between the metal and the foil. So long as you can achieve that, you can make your own foil covered foam board and then put it to work that way. It’s not really the intended use of a product like AtticFoil, but we have lots of people use it that way.

Comment on Bed and Breakfast says radiant barrier “helped tremendously” by Ed

Ed — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:00:07 +0000

Hey Stephen,

Yes, partial coverage still works. Radiant barrier is like shade (shade from the heat, not so much the light) and foil insulation has a cumulative effect: the more coverage you get the better your overall results. Here’s an example, if you were to park your car outside on a hot sunny day, you most likely would choose a spot that is shaded by a tree or some other object. Why is that? Because even if you only get partial shade for your car, your car still stays more comfortable that it would if you parked it in the direct sunlight. This shows you a practical example of how radiant barrier works off a cumulative effect; it simply means that any coverage is a step up from no coverage. As you increase coverage, you increase comfort and effectiveness.

Comment on Bed and Breakfast says radiant barrier “helped tremendously” by Stephen

Stephen — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 19:25:40 +0000

Ed< Due to construction of additions on my house, 2 areas unaccessable and cathedral ceiling, I can only install radiant barrier on 1/2 of my roof in 3 different areas. Is it still worthwhile? thanks, Stephen

Comment on eShield™, SolarGuard, Reflectix, – Compared to AtticFoil® Radiant Barrier Foil by vineyridge

vineyridge — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 17:50:00 +0000

Another insulation question. I have an old steel horse trailer that used to have plain white foam board for insulation. In a repair project all the insulation was removed. Being steel, the trailer is intolerably hot in Mississippi summers. I would have gone back with 1″ foil coated foam board, but I cannot seem to find it.

I’m not sure I can find a spray foam insulation contractor in this area or what the coat would be. And I’d definitely want a radiant barrier next to the metal, wouldn’t I?

Can you give advice on this?