Is Cellulose Insulation In Ceiling A Good Idea?

[Nobukat]

My two story house here in BKK is almost finished. Typically cement, with red brick in the walls, cement tile CPAC roof, with the usual 'tin foil' insulation underneath the tiles. Soffets vented around the underside. Am thinking of adding insulation above the ceiling in the second floor, and I think the blown in loose Cellulose may be easier due to the wired up ceiling. Only downside I've heard is that Cellulose absorbs moisture and may lose some 'loft' (so blow in some extra...).

Does anyone out there have experience with it in Thailand? I guess the rolled fiberglass would work between the wired up ceiling supports, though...

[richardt1808]

Hi there,

I've also just completed construction on my house; they used a good quality foil for insulation under good thick ceramic tiles (same position as your pic). Nothing else covering the actual gypsum ceiling (which in itself is a pretty good insulator) and I was amazed at how cool it is compared to the non-insulated place which I am renting.

I did a tour of HomePro etc last year while researching and could only find the foil-types - I have also heard the moisture story regarding cellulose insulation, so perhaps that is why it is not readily available here.

I think that if you have a good, solid gypsum ceiling which is properly sealed all round and a good ventilation gap between the outside wall and the roof-tiles (obviously protected by gauze & slats to keep out the birds) then you'll do very nicely.

[Hobc]

Just a tip in Aus we put insulation [sarking] under the tiles and double sided foiled insulation as well, however at this stage put bats over the ceiling, being careful to make sure all electrical connections are in a junction box and fully taped cables should be over insulation to stop fire hazards. A good idea which is simple is to have a vent on the windwood side ie a tile out higher than the lee side sucks out the heat in the ceiling space.

[backsoon]

Just a tip in Aus we put insulation [sarking] under the tiles and double sided foiled insulation as well, however at this stage put bats over the ceiling, being careful to make sure all electrical connections are in a junction box and fully taped cables should be over insulation to stop fire hazards. A good idea which is simple is to have a vent on the windwood side ie a tile out higher than the lee side sucks out the heat in the ceiling space.

Another good easy and practical idea is to use a wind propelled heat pump selling everywhere. pumps out hot air from the roof/ceiling space and keeps it cool. They're cheap, simple and do not interfere with the structure/wires. Just make sure there is some tray under in case of heavy rainfall.

[tutsiwarrior]

Just a tip in Aus we put insulation [sarking] under the tiles and double sided foiled insulation as well, however at this stage put bats over the ceiling, being careful to make sure all electrical connections are in a junction box and fully taped cables should be over insulation to stop fire hazards. A good idea which is simple is to have a vent on the windwood side ie a tile out higher than the lee side sucks out the heat in the ceiling space.

Another good easy and practical idea is to use a wind propelled heat pump selling everywhere. pumps out hot air from the roof/ceiling space and keeps it cool. They're cheap, simple and do not interfere with the structure/wires. Just make sure there is some tray under in case of heavy rainfall.

I've never heard of these wind turbo extractors needing under-the-roof drainage for possible rainwater ingress...do you have a link showing this arrangement?

we need to vent our roof space as the heat in the afternoon upstairs is still uncomfortable even with 6" fiberglass mat insulation covering the ceiling...I was thinking about one of these turbo extractors and reckoned that any rain ingress would be insignificant...I would haveta think again if a drainage arrangement is required...

anyone else got any info?

[xen]

We have had three of these wind turbine extractors installed in the roof of our house in Sydney and have never experienced any moisture entering via the turbine. That includes some hail storms too. If it is well designed and installed correctly you shouldn't have any problems .

We don't have insullation - only the turbines and they work well . They also remove moisture in prolonged wet weather too .

[Nobukat]

We have had three of these wind turbine extractors installed in the roof of our house in Sydney and have never experienced any moisture entering via the turbine. That includes some hail storms too. If it is well designed and installed correctly you shouldn't have any problems .

We don't have insullation - only the turbines and they work well . They also remove moisture in prolonged wet weather too .

Thanks for the tips. Most appreciated. I think I'll try the rotating turbine vents first. We put some on our warehouse at work and they helped - had some leaks, but mainly from poor installation... There must be some that are not too unsightly to put on the house. The house has large roof overhangs, but I think the under-eve/soffit vents look too small to do a good enough venting job. The cement roof tiles are a light grey, which should help reflect some heat.

They're just installing the ceiling light connections now, so I haven't seen if they're sealed boxes yet. Will ask them to add them, if not, to help keep the crude out. The gypsum board mounting and materials looks pretty solid. I've been pleasantly surprised by the quality of the work so far. I think I'll hold off on the cellulose. (I did see a website here for a company that does it.)

Pic of what it'll look like around 19 March, I hope. Gotta get done before the tax/transfer incentives expire on Mar 28. I really thought they'd extend those incentives...

[AyG]

Have you considered that cellulose is like a banquet for termites?

[bellagrego]

Cellulose has a far lower R value per inch depth than comparable fiberglass battens. You would need two foot depth to achieve any real reduction in heat gain. the other issue is cost vs recovery in lower bills. Elec is so cheap up here in Esaan. 2.5 kw hour. A long time to get back your cash at those rates. i just finished my house with no insulation as there are so many other issues to consider. heat gain from poor windows, single pane. heat gain from eastern wall. heat gain from poor fitting doors and on and on and on. My elec bill 1000 baht per AC room with a 13000 btu mid high end samsung unit.

[Homespace]

fiberglass insulation is almost always the best choice. It has a higher "R" value than cellulose insulation. Retains its R value and is not food for insects.

We have put R25 in our ceiling. I covered all the light fixtures and all the junction boxes then rolled it out over all. You could tell immediately that the tempeture was lower on the second floor of our townhouse. I think it made a 10 degree F difference. I am sure it will pay for itself very quickly. It was 7000 baht to do our townhouse. Our upper floor is 6 meters X 10 meters. Our electric bill went down 600 baht last month from last year. I am very interested to see the effect in April.

[gregb]

Have you considered that cellulose is like a banquet for termites?

Actually, the fire retardants used to make cellulose insulation will repel most of the termites. I'm not saying there won't be one or two who get the urge to try a bit with a nice red sauce, but they will find they get rather upset stomachs from the experience.

What I was shocked at was I put in nice fiberglass insulation with a foil backing to reflect the heat.

The termites ATE THROUGH THE FOIL to something underneath. I'm not sure what was there honestly. It all looks like plastic to me, but it was obviously something edible. There are some darn motivated bugs here in the LOS.

[wpcoe]

We have put R25 in our ceiling. I covered all the light fixtures and all the junction boxes then rolled it out over all.

Sorry to be so dense, but what did you cover the fixtures/boxes with?

[eljeque]

Transfer your house whether it s completed or not, and let the builder know that unless it is done next week or before the return of the higher taxes, that the builder will be responsible.

This should get him in gear.

And / or, do the transfer and have a contract that allows him or foces him to continue hte rest of the work. Maybe pay him for what he has done already, and then pay him for the rest step by step.

best of luck

[stevehaigh]

i'm building a factory which needs to be constantly cooled to about 18degC so i'm very interested in this subject. i especially like the roof vent idea, i had forgot about them

http://www.alibaba.com/product-free/115893...lator_part.html

http://www.alibaba.com/product-free/246121...l_Roof_Fan.html

i wonder if an electrically powered one would a good way to go? fans are cheap to run compared to AC

[trogers]

i'm building a factory which needs to be constantly cooled to about 18degC so i'm very interested in this subject. i especially like the roof vent idea, i had forgot about them

http://www.alibaba.com/product-free/115893...lator_part.html

http://www.alibaba.com/product-free/246121...l_Roof_Fan.html

i wonder if an electrically powered one would a good way to go? fans are cheap to run compared to AC

18degC - Google for cold room designs. Issues discussed here can only attempt achieving normal atmospheric temperature, which in Thailand, peaks at 33-35degC under shade.

[stevehaigh]

you can also get insulation direct from the manufacturer here

http://uniprothailand.trustpass.alibaba.co...Insulation.html

http://uniprothailand.trustpass.alibaba.co...Insulation.html

R0.2, 6.5mm price is 108.38b/m2 i assume that's a lot cheaper than homepro, haven't checked yet