Vaulted Ceiling-how to insulate.

[chiangrai]

I have a hexagonal room with 8ft high walls and then a 4ft high vaulted ceiling on top.

It's a new house so I just had the ceiling put up quick and cheap untill I decided what I wanted.It's made from a very thin bamboo sheet-good called "maai at Lampoon"I don't know if anybody has seen it but it's about 2mm thin and doesn't insulate at all but looks nice and natural.

But I am not insulating for the same reasons as most people in Thailand.I live in the mountains and have a charcoal burning stove that has to be lit every evening in the cool season.So I am insulating to keep the heat in and not to keep the heat out although that might be good as well.

So I had the ceiling put up to see haw it worked with the stove and I realized that the stove was using too much charcoal and that the ceiling needed to be brought down a few feet and backed with something more substantial.

So I'm gong to get some Thai guys in to take it down,put up some fiberboard or "dry wall/plaster board" maybe with some insulation behind that and then put the bamboo sheeting over it to make it pretty.

The roof is 6mm large concrete tiles.Each side of the hexagon is 8ft.

So,how should I do it............

1-what's the best sheet-good to put up for price and insulation.......drywall,ply-board or

fiberboard and how thick.

2-I saw 2 kinds of insulation in Homepro.Neither of them looked any good.Are there any kinds of insulation that would suit this job on sale in Thailand.

What would you do................

[bankruatsteve]

So, you are more concerned about the cold season than the hot? Yeah, I suppose lowering the ceiling with gypsum (sheetrock, plaster board, whatever) and putting insulation bats on top would help. What would I do? Nothing. Assuming you had a high ceiling for a reason - keep it.

[chiangrai]

The high ceiling is for aesthetics only but it has ti go because it makes the stove use too much fuel.The room has 2 pairs of double doors so it's cool in summer.

I suppose I will have to just look around the big stores and see what sheet goods give the best value.

What are insulation bats.

There was 2 types of insulation in homepro.One was the fiberglass rools that we have in Europe but thy were very thin,The other was like a foam layer about 1/2 inch thick with foil on one side..

Any one know which is best.

[wpcoe]

Any way to install a ceiling fan? Most are reversible, meaning you can change the direction of the spin for hot/cold weather. Both directions will circulate the air to not have the warm air on the ceiling, but the reversed direction keeps from blowing the air directly down on you but rather more of an indirect flow along the walls.

[aussiandrew]

The insulation material fibre glass get the thickest one possible and make sure there are no gaps when having it installed.

Don't cover the lights Fitting.

This should ensure not heat escapes through the ceiling.

Ensure you still have adequate ventilation when using coal fire heaters because of the potentional fumes.

[fredge45]

Min 15cm foil backed fiberglass insulation behind your wallboard. Yes, keep it away from behind embedded light fixtures.

The idea of the reversible ceiling fan is excellent. This will break up the stratification of the hot air caught in the high ceiling and direct it down the walls to give a more even heat in the room.

[Paul944]

Depending what you want to spend.

Aluminium frame, not wood because of termites. Mounted so it can hold the plaster plates. Those are heavy.

gypsum plaster plates. Preferably moister resistant. Those are more expensive and probably not really necessary except above a bathroom.

a damp screen, just a plastic layer above the plates.

10 cm or more glass or stonewool isolation. Just lay it on top of the plaster plates. Glasswool can have an aluminium damp layer attached this is the bottom side. Tape should be used to close the gaps. If glasswool gets wet it looses it isolation value. You get a kind of rot so the isolation value will not be resorted after drying.

Stonewool is more expensive as glasswool. It advantages are, more fire resistance and more sound proof. It is also heavier.

Normally a ceiling like this has a 1 cm gap between the walls to allow expanding and shrinking. A decorative small border of gypsum can close this gap.

If you want ceiling fans you have to prepare the mounts in the ceiling frame. the plaster plates will not support a fan for long. The mount should support about 40 kg.

If you want builtin ceiling lights do not install bulbs with a high wattage.

[chiangrai]

This is all good advice guys,thanks a lot.

I will have to talk to my builder and see what he can do.

One thing I am still wondering about is how to fix the insulation on the sloping sides of

the vaulted ceiling.

[sometimewoodworker]

I live in the mountains and have a charcoal burning stove that has to be lit every evening in the cool season

Just be very careful about ventilation as if you don't have enough you will get CO production & it can kill.

Personally I would not be using that kind of heating.

Edited July 17, 2016 by sometimewoodworker

[chiangrai]

I burn the charcoal in a western style stove with a chimney pipe.

It seems o.k. but I'm open to suggestions.

Electricity is too expensive when you need it 5 hours a day.