Insulating ceiling/ material ? buy at Global?

[FNQ]

Have you considered the option of spraying the underside of the roof with the dense foam?

Consider painting the roof white

In Oz I used to market a "Thermastic Coating (paint)" called Thermobond, it's heat reflective properties were pretty impresive, we found it worked well on all types of roofing materials but Iron was best.,

I hopes this helps.

[jacko45k]

Have you considered the option of spraying the underside of the roof with the dense foam?

expensive and doesn't work !

It still gets hot under it and it's your ceiling that gives the heat to the room,

,

also hot air is trapped under your roof and can't ventilate during the night !

Put any kind of insulation directly on your ceiling .(the pots upside down over your light is a good idea)

It worked at my house, the roof space is much cooler than before and hence that helps in the rooms.

So much heat from the sun on the roof came through the tiles before.

And they radiated it well into the evenings...so mush so I was spraying water on the roof at night!

Perhaps that along with fibre on top of the false ceiling would be best..

I put those reflective foam tiles on top of my old false ceiling (previous home) and that made little difference!

I also had a water leak in heavy rain and it took care of that, plus the added security that the roof tiles can't just be slid back to gain access.

You are right, it was a bit expensive, and I spent a few days resolving electrical problems caused by the clumsy oafs up there.

I liked the upturned pots around light/fan fittings idea.

Edited January 25, 2014 by jacko45k

[jacko45k]

O

The last house that I built, in Phuket, we bought rolls of insulation material and put this on top of the upstairs ceilings throughout the upstairs--it made a big difference in keeping the cooling from the AC in the rooms and from stopping the heat of the roof space warming the ceilings--I would definitely recommend it.

Don't ask me where you can buy it since this was Phuket, and in 2003-2004.

P.S. Keeping cold out--never occurred to me in those days.

Many thanks haybilly, will try Homepro and Global here in CNX.

Yes, "welcome to the Ice Age" never been so cold in CNX as we have been this season....can't last much longer, the "Global Warming Theorists" will all be fretting and that would never do!

It's called climate change now,and if you don't' think its happening,you have your head buried in sand.

They called it global warming before things started getting colder!

[jacko45k]

Have you considered the option of spraying the underside of the roof with the dense foam?

Consider painting the roof white

In Oz I used to market a "Thermastic Coating (paint)" called Thermobond, it's heat reflective properties were pretty impresive, we found it worked well on all types of roofing materials but Iron was best.,

I hopes this helps.

Could it be applied to external walls?

My west facing wall soaks up the sun and as it is a single layer that heat comes into the bedroom.

If I turn the AC off in the night the place soon warms up again.

Edited January 25, 2014 by jacko45k

[bbudd]

Best option is spray foam on underside of roof tiles-but its costly.

Next best is the rolls of foil back insulation-can be glued on roof tile or onto ceiling tiles

Be sure there's adequate attic ventilation with either roof vents or gable vents

[Muhendis]

I have noticed that quite a few Thai style roofs are double. I often wonder about this and have concluded that the upper roof is there to shade the lower roof. Anybody know of a different reason?

[jonnyscot]

Reading this topic with interest, we're about a third of the way through our house build, I had planned to have the electrician run the electric cables along the roof space inside the blue water type pipes to keep clear of direct contact with the insulation, but reading this topic I'm now unsure whether it would be a good idea or not, as I see mention of "free air" around the electric cables, maybe if the pipe was big enough diameter it may still be a consideration to do this? Any thoughts?

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[masuk]

My thoughts on a couple of the above comments:

If I were building, I'd certainly have aluminium backed sarking placed under the tiles/ roofing material Saves problems with possible minor leaks as well as being the first defence against a hot roof.

I am sure that if electrical cables were run so they are not covered with insulation, they will not overheat.

I'd use ceramic garden pots above ceiling lights, not plastic.

If there's any suggestion of foam polystyrene being used as ceiling insulation or stick-on ceiling tiles, totally avoid it. It's banned in most countries as it's very flammable. Tiles were once used in the UK, with disastrous effects. Styrene batts were also used in some places, and the smallest fire becomes a total roof fire.

I once saw a good demonstration of radiated ceiling heat. I was visiting a Polish engineer, and it was snowing outside. The family were walking around indoors in shirt sleeves or light sweater. I commented on this as I couldn't see any heating appliances.

I was told that they'd installed heating foil above the ceiling (same thing as car rear window demisters) and this was then covered with 15cm of insulation. The ceiling heated up to about 30C, and the radiated heat warmed up people, furniture etc underneath.

Imagine what an uninsulated ceiling at about 65C would do on a hot day.

[Muhendis]

The pipe is referred to as conduit. The amount of current carrying capacity is less when inside conduit. This is due to the lack of cooling air movement around the cable. There are tables which relate the size of the cable to the maximum current for a 10 deg. C temperature rise. So you will need to know the maximum current that the cable needs to carry to your appliances. The current per kw in a 220v system is about 4.55 Amps. Here is a link that contains all the information you should require. http://www.poweranalytics.com/designbase/pdf/NEC_Wire_Sizing.pdf

It is most likely a supreme overkill but the bits you need will be in there somewhere. Generally you will be ok with 2.5mm sq for a few kw.

Another source of information which is probably easier to use is http://www.smartgauge.co.uk/cable_type.html

[Muhendis]

Reading this topic with interest, we're about a third of the way through our house build, I had planned to have the electrician run the electric cables along the roof space inside the blue water type pipes to keep clear of direct contact with the insulation, but reading this topic I'm now unsure whether it would be a good idea or not, as I see mention of "free air" around the electric cables, maybe if the pipe was big enough diameter it may still be a consideration to do this? Any thoughts?

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

It would be better if the electrician used yellow or white plastic pipe, then you would not make the mistake of thinking there is water in it later.

[THAIPHUKET]

I am the OP, thanks for electric tip.

Clarification : I will not take roof tiles down or treat them. Let me be more precise : What material can be laid over the white room ceiling plates. Builder says aluminum only covered plates,. Anything better like aluminum plus foam, in one unit?

[Daniel Boon]

First off ... most heat gain and or loss happens through windows .... be wary of suggestions of a) putting insulation in as the heat will be trapped in the house putting the 'whirly-birds (wind-driven extraction fan on top of the roof (no wind = no movement) and in winter - heat convection being what it is - all the heat you want in the house goes out.

In Australia, there was no spontaneous combustion; it was poorly regulated untrained workers installations that cause several deaths); less widely promoted in the news was the higher incidence of houses being hotter after installation (but doesn't have the media bite) ...

Venting down lights is like turning the air on, but leaving the windows open ... (there are special insulation 'caps' for down lights)

lucjoker is right, the ceiling should be insulated, this leaves a air pocket the expanse between ceiling and roof ...

painting the roof white will help upper story, but as I indicated earlier, once the heat is in (through windows) its too late (and heat is trapped in the house) ...

estrada suggestion of paper is good, provided its treated (borax) and will last up to 5 years ...

sdanielmcev suggestion of (close-able) ceiling vents is good if the people before you put in the whirlly-bird vents ... close in winter, keep open in summer ...

I can make recommendations for maximum comfort in houses (will be in Surin in early April and then Pattaya till early May)

[Muhendis]

First off ... most heat gain and or loss happens through windows .... be wary of suggestions of a) putting insulation in as the heat will be trapped in the house putting the 'whirly-birds (wind-driven extraction fan on top of the roof (no wind = no movement) and in winter - heat convection being what it is - all the heat you want in the house goes out.

In Australia, there was no spontaneous combustion; it was poorly regulated untrained workers installations that cause several deaths); less widely promoted in the news was the higher incidence of houses being hotter after installation (but doesn't have the media bite) ...

Venting down lights is like turning the air on, but leaving the windows open ... (there are special insulation 'caps' for down lights)

lucjoker is right, the ceiling should be insulated, this leaves a air pocket the expanse between ceiling and roof ...

painting the roof white will help upper story, but as I indicated earlier, once the heat is in (through windows) its too late (and heat is trapped in the house) ...

estrada suggestion of paper is good, provided its treated (borax) and will last up to 5 years ...

sdanielmcev suggestion of (close-able) ceiling vents is good if the people before you put in the whirlly-bird vents ... close in winter, keep open in summer ...

I can make recommendations for maximum comfort in houses (will be in Surin in early April and then Pattaya till early May)

Good information here

If you have direct sunshine on your windows and the glass is not tinted then your house will become like an oven. Ideally one would have double glazed and tinted (UV opaque) windows. I Thailand, tinted glass is easy but you may be struggling to get double glazing.

[JesseFrank]

Here is something to think about.

I've been talking to my friend this afternoon. We both have similar style houses in the same area, and almost similar build.

Both have double cavity walls inside and outside, uPvc windows with double glazing. My friend has his roof sprayed with foam but nothing on the ceiling, while I have the reflective foil under the tiles and 6" fiber wool ( from global house) on top of the ceiling.

During the recent cold spell it would reach at night outside temperatures of 14ºc.

My friend said that during the evening inside his house it would be more comfortable than outside, but in the morning his house inside would be really cold.

I have thermometers installed inside and outside my house, and when I woke up at 7 o'clock, outside it would be less than 20ºc while inside it would be still a comfortable 25ºc.

[masuk]

Here is something to think about.

I've been talking to my friend this afternoon. We both have similar style houses in the same area, and almost similar build.

Both have double cavity walls inside and outside, uPvc windows with double glazing. My friend has his roof sprayed with foam but nothing on the ceiling, while I have the reflective foil under the tiles and 6" fiber wool ( from global house) on top of the ceiling.

During the recent cold spell it would reach at night outside temperatures of 14ºc.

My friend said that during the evening inside his house it would be more comfortable than outside, but in the morning his house inside would be really cold.

I have thermometers installed inside and outside my house, and when I woke up at 7 o'clock, outside it would be less than 20ºc while inside it would be still a comfortable 25ºc.

I often wonder if local architects/builders take into account seasonal sun angles.

It made a big difference when I was living in the most southern part of Australia, as we had glorious sunshine through all the windows in the late autumn to early Spring, and then the sun was more vertical, and 1 metre eaves were all that was needed.

[Daniel Boon]

the vast majority of Australians wanting a house built, want a fixed price; the architects don't get a look in (and don't know), the Builder's don't know and have to follow the BS BCA (building code of Australia) '6 star energy rating requirements' (that see energy consumption go up, due to inclusion of air-conditioners to off-set poor design and choice of building materials) ....

orientation is first priority, then design and then building material choice ...