Got started clamping the east door in place to weld then the wind picked up. Had to abort the chore for the day. Talked to Chuck this morning about how he insulated his container. I forgot that he first lined the inside with radiant barrier - glad I didn't get too far with the studs. Tended the greenhouse - hottest part of the summer is just about over and stuff is still growing. Got an email a couple of weeks ago from another John Wells.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/330746514223?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649 He offered to trade a widgy for a Benita tshirt. The deal is done. 93,101,73,0,B,0
9 comments:
I think you may be wasting dollars on a radiant barrier inside the container, effectively in the conditioned space. However if you do it, be sure to leave a 3/4" air space between the shiny side of the barrier and the insulation. Plus have a path for outside air flow to vent across the radiant barrier. Personally, I would spray foam the inside in the same manner industrial builders insulate metal buildings.
barter is the best way. Nice lil tool ya got there and he got em a great shirt, dam near legendary :-)
You have a pretty nice oasis there.
I don't think radiant barrier is needed in a steel container. I believe the intended use is for stick built homes that easily allow radiant heat. I believe the steel container will do a better job at keeping out radiant heat than the foil and the foil might act as a unwanted moisture barrier.
I like RJ's idea of spraying in foam, particularly in the 'corrugations' of the wall.
Unlike those who have suggested how to insulate the container - Chuck has actually done it and the way he did it worked exceptionally well. I think I will use the $1000 worth of 2" rigid foam that was given to me over buying spray foam. For the record - I am installing 2 layers of the rigid foam within the 2x6 studs which gives me plenty off room for an air gap.
If you space the radiant barrier at least 3/4" away from the metal walls it will reflect that heat back. If you put it against the wall it transfers heat. Example: put some tin foil against a car window and it gets hot from heat transfer; put it an inch from the window and most all heat is reflected back and the foil is a lot cooler.
I have been looking at a product Prodex. See their page on how it works and how to install at http://www.insulation4less.com/Installation-Methods.aspx. With no radiant barrier the whole thing is a thermal mass absorbing the heat even into and maybe through the insulation.
Wish I had all that 2” insulation for free.
RJ is onto something about the radiant barrier. If you are furring out with 5.5" of stud space something like the 1/2" R-Matte3 with a 3/4" air space would be a good start towards the back side of the corrugations. That alone would get you an R-5.7 in your first 1.25". Then 4" of rigid PolyIso board at roughly R-6 per inch is going to make a nicely insulated wall of R-30-ish.
Hell for a DIY guy like yourself you could just invest in big commercial rolls of Aluminum foil instead of radiant barrier and spray adhesive it onto the PolyIso board and make your own Radiant Barrier.
Definitely don't knock the spray foam. It works like a charm in containers. That's what we use on all of our container builds and they've all worked flawlessly (as long as people keep the damned doors closed when the AC is on!) Hell, it's what they make insulated containers out of. It also allows us to keep a 7'6" clear interior width rather than your 6'6". Granted we only end of with a true R-11 not R-30-ish... compromise, compromise, compromise...
You definitely can't go wrong with the free rigid foam you already have on hand! It fits the ethos perfectly in every way. And a wall is a great place to store that stuff instead of the greenhouse!
How is Karl and the girls doing?
All the plants are looking good.
Love that Widgey. Might have to pick one up.
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