Roof Insulation Installer Onto Suspended Ceiling in Chiang Mai

[Naam]

1 hour ago, simoh1490 said:

In my house the steel is connected to the pillars, just as you suggest, in between the pillars is brick infill which is built right up close to the steel spans hence heat transfers from the steel to the brick and spreads downwards through the walls. My suggestion was that Q-Con block replace the top two or so courses of brick to help prevent the heat transfer.

that makes sense but in theory only as the potential heat transfer is as mentioned negligible. i am commenting from a professional perspective because thermo-physics was a part of my studies. but even 'eggsburts' like me had their fair share of surprises. many rainy seasons ago i took a job in Nigeria. our future home was under construction. the Mrs and me were making derogatory remarks pertaining to "bushman" architecture and engineering. little did we know!

 

the house was a master piece as far as energy savings was concerned. no attic insulation but a raised highly polished aluminium roof enabling highly efficient attic ventilation and radiation reflection, all windows 1m recessed, 2.5cm layered cardboard ceilings on a wooden structure, walls hollow concrete blocks. my conservative estimate to cool the 60m² living room to 26ºC at an ambient temp of 36ºC was 36,000 btu/h.

 

it turned out that a single 12,000 btu/h aircon in the dining room (open to the living area) could do the job! the two main aircons (each 18,000 btu/h) were used only once in a while in "winter" when extremely hot winds blew from the Sahara. important was also the placement of the rather lengthy house (morning sun bedrooms, afternoon sun garage and workshop).

Edited April 18, 2017 by Naam
koreckted tcherman krammar

[sfokevin]

Given you don't want to make huge structural changes - I would recommend an exhaust fan to help remove the hot air from the attic space - install a couple in the ceiling in the bathrooms or in the hallway in the top floor (not in an air conditioned space) mine are in the bathrooms and I just wired them to the existing lights in the ceiling which are low watt bulbs... Amorn sells a nice unit for about 800 baht... also look at how the sun hits your house:roof... plant shade trees or a row of tall bamboo to stop the sun

[KhonKaenKowboy]

I had great luck with a thermostatically controlled attic fan..for about 3000...just make sure it has ample fresh air to pull through from the opposite side.  A pair of spinners on top were good..you will vet more jet noise...I would also do an inexpensive radiant barrier on the underside of the tiles.  The foam spray is overhyped, and I believe if you have it entirely sealed, you will be conditions ing the air in it, too.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 4/15/2017 at 1:36 PM, canthai55 said:

If I was to build a house here, I would cover the outside with 6" styrofoam, cover that with mesh, and stucco over top. Use White roof tiles. Spray the roof tiles in the attic with PU foam to 6" . Powervent the Attic, and ensure roof overhangs stop direct sunlight from striking the building - ala standard Australian practice. Deep well would provide cool water, pumped thru the building to aid in temperature regulation if necessary. Electric baseboard supplemental heat for the cold season. Energy costs would be surprisingly low I believe. Stop the heat from entering, or leaving as the season may be.

It's a rental house, so while your post is interesting of no use to the OP.

 

To the OP- are your AC units rated for the area being cooled?

If too low will not do the job. I had one in the bed room that worked fine without insulation.

I'd suggest the cheapest option would be a large fan in the roof, though house being rented would need permission to make a roof opening for the air to exit.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 4/18/2017 at 8:17 PM, HaleySabai said:

Those are all good points,Rumak. The heat source is obviously from above but the source of radiate heat is often in 3D. When the temps hit 38c + in CM there is very little natural cool air to circulate around a structure.

Even the correct positioning of windows can have a dramatic effect towards the effort of ventilating a space. Sash windows are well known to have positive effects.

In my next build I'm going to employ Q-Con blocks and a metal roof with attached foil insulation.

 

 

 

When the temps hit 38c + in CM there is very little natural cool air to circulate around a structure.

Correct. Many a time I've been outside the house under shade, but it has been like being inside an oven that is turned on. The air was so hot even in the shade I could feel the heat in my lungs from breathing.

One thing the locals did was to spray water onto the roof. The evaporation cooled the house. OK if able to pay the water bill for spraying all day.

[KhonKaenKowboy]

I would say that the insulation encapsulated in the foil is meant to be attached to the underside of the roof itself, as that is intended to be a radiant barrier.  Example.  Look at top floor of Pantip Plaza...material that resembles foil wrapped insulation is attached to the underside of the flat roof.  Was not hot up there last month.  OTOH, the top floor of my condo is five degrees C hotter than the lower floors..in the hallways.  Both are ventilated the same way...but the radiant heat on the top floor is brutal.  A ceiling fan is your friend...but the Thais are reluctant players of this game.  If I set a/c on 26 with lowest fan and ceiling fan on low...I need a blanket.

[Dazinoz]

On 20/4/2017 at 10:07 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

It's a rental house, so while your post is interesting of no use to the OP.

 

To the OP- are your AC units rated for the area being cooled?

If too low will not do the job. I had one in the bed room that worked fine without insulation.

I'd suggest the cheapest option would be a large fan in the roof, though house being rented would need permission to make a roof opening for the air to exit.

There is no AC in the main lounge/dinning area only in the 2 bedrooms which cool adequately. You can see where there was a split AC unit in the area but for some reason was removed. I had a 9000BTU portable and very under rated. I sold itv  and bought a 12000BTU which handle the job much better. But it seems the fan solution might be best. Owner is reasonably happy for improvements as long as they don't have to pay anything.

[Dazinoz]

On 20/4/2017 at 2:09 PM, KhonKaenKowboy said:

  A ceiling fan is your friend...but the Thais are reluctant players of this game.  If I set a/c on 26 with lowest fan and ceiling fan on low...I need a blanket.

The semi enclosed kitchen attached to the back of the house is even hotter. See pic for my "ceiling fan". Did that to help blow some of the heat out. Using laser temp gun at around 1pm on hot day the insulation measured about 52C with no fan on. Turn on fan and drops to around 44C or less. Still hot but makes room cooler.

 

This proved it worked so bought a couple exhaust fans to blow each direction. und them with a bit wire so can remove easily if and when I leave.

[KhonKaenKowboy]

The lady who sold me the pair of spinners told me a 5-10c reduction in attic temp....about what you got...but those run on wind.....and you will notice a much faster cool down after sunset, that you don't get when it is 60 in the attic.