|
Questions
on Insulation comparisons
- What
is Blanket or Batt type insulation and how does it compare?
- What
is the performance difference between Batt type insulation and Supertherm?
- How
is using BTU meter guns more effective in finding "R" rating
than comparing W/mK or other standard heat transmission figures normally
used for Batt installations?
Blanket
Type Insulation - this is Fibreglass or rock wool
For blanket
type insulation the insulation or thermal conductivity is based on a
minimum of 75mm (3 inches) up to 150mm (6 inches) thickness. To try
and use the same W/mK is not correct because of the large differences
in thickness required.
From now on, the main point of insulation is based purely on BTU conduction
of heat or Heat Flow. This is the measurement used by the energy companies
to judge if a material is stopping heat conduction. Heat Flow is the
main characteristic that they are concerned with. The comparison of
W/Mk is not important between Batt insulation materials and coatings,
the most important factor is--does the material stop Heat Flow which
is blocking BTU heat flow and how effective is it in blocking the BTU
heat flow.
Supertherm is much better than the Batt type insulation materials
in blocking BTU Heat Flow.
For example: Using our Heat Flow BTU engineering guns, we measured a
roof with fiberglass inside of the roof and another roof coated with
Supertherm.
Two
different readings are made with the BTU gun
1. BTU
reading is taken on the interior wall to find the ambient heat load
inside the building. Then a reading is taken on the roof interior surface
to find the amount of BTU heat flow coming through the roof. You subtract
the ambient BTU load from the BTU Heat Flow coming through the interior
of the roof to find the BTU Heat Flow per sq. ft. per hour.
2. BTU
surface heat measurement on the surface of the exterior of the roof
and the interior of the roof to show the difference in the surface measurement
of BTU heat on the surface to find the amount of BTU heat transmission
from exterior to interior side of the roof.
a. The
fiberglass roof showed BTU conduction of 4.8 BTU per sq. ft. per hour.
The top of their roof was 202°F (94.4°C) and interior side
was 155°F (68.3°C), which is a blockage of 47 BTU units of
heat transmissions.
b. The Supertherm roof showed BTU conduction of 4.3 BTU per
sq. ft per hour.
The top of our roof was 202°F (94.4°C) (because the heat is
being thrown back to the atmosphere and records hotter above the coating
surface than is the metal roof) and the interior side was 142°F
(61.1°C) , which is a blockage of 60 units of heat transmission.
Therefore:
In BTU blockage of Heat Flow Blockage of Heat unit transmission:
Supertherm
4.3/sq. ft. per hour 202 - 142 = 60 BTU transmission
Fiberglass (Low E) 4.8 sq. ft. per hour 202 - 155 = 47 BTU transmission
Performance Comparison 12% better (Low E) vs. 28% better (Supertherm)
Which
do you want?
Supertherm outperformed the Batt Type Insulation.
This
BTU testing was performed on a Major Distribution center in Texas.
The readings
on the Supertherm when plotted on the Omega R value chart give
an R 18 rating. Low E plotted to an R 11. BTU readings are the backbone
of insulation measurements. Reflectivity, emmissivity and visual light
bounce cannot relate to heat transfer and BTU Heat Flow. Measurement
standards and calculations used to evaluate Batt type insulation material
cannot be used with ceramic insulation coatings because the Batt is
calculated to absorb heat and ceramics repel heat.
Batt or Blanket type insulation is designed to absorb and load with
heat during the day. The reason that this type of insulation material
must be so thick is because as the day progresses, the heat absorbs
into the material, the thickness must be thick enough to absorb and
hold the heat before the heat is able to penetrate totally through the
material and come to the inside of the building. As heat builds up during
the day, the heat absorbs into the Batt and migrates through and comes
into the building in the afternoon. When this happens, the heat that
has been absorbed into the Batt is hotter than the heat inside the building.
The trapped heat inside the building cannot get out of the building
because it cannot migrate through the Batt until late at night when
the Batt material cools down and then the trapped heat inside the building
can migrate back through the Batt to be released back into the atmosphere
late into the night.
The
Batt is inefficient because any moisture or humidity as little as 2%
of humidity can reduce the insulation ability of the Batt by 35%.
If a Batt is rated to be a R-19 and 2% of moisture enters the Batt,
which is normal within the first month of installation, the efficiency
is reduced to R 12. The more humidity that is absorbed the more the
efficiency is reduced.
The Supertherm is never affected by moisture or humidity after
it is applied and cured. Supertherm does not absorb heat. It
is not designed to absorb heat and therefore this is why we do not need
thickness. You only need thickness if the material is designed to absorb
heat. Since the ceramics repels heat from the surface of the coating,
no heat is ever absorbed and it limits the migration of any heat through
the coating. When the sun goes down in the afternoon, the building can
quickly cool down because no heat has been absorbed and is being held
in the building as in the case of the fiberglass which does absorb and
holds heat. This quick cooling allows the Air conditioning units to
shut down faster and save energy on a daily basis.
|
