Anyone know what this foil insulation is?

janmc

I saw a foil insulation recently that someone is making crazy claims about. It's not the quilt one, it's more like foil, then bubble wrap (in a rigid plastic) with a polystyrene centre. It's the same thickness as the quilted one though - around 5mm I'd guess. I heard it was the same as 8inches of Kingspan :rolleyes: but I'd like to check it out out of curiosity.

Poor Uncle Tom

.....around 5mm I'd guess. I heard it was the same as 8inches of....

Simple answer, NO.

There are some older threads (about 2 years old I think) which deal with this in detail.

BryanF

janmc wrote: »

I saw a foil insulation recently that someone is making crazy claims about. It's not the quilt one, it's more like foil, then bubble wrap (in a rigid plastic) with a polystyrene centre. It's the same thickness as the quilted one though - around 5mm I'd guess. I heard it was the same as 8inches of Kingspan :rolleyes: but I'd like to check it out out of curiosity.

I've never seen a cert that backs up any of the claims made by these type products. I recently saw a conservatory builder advertising a similar product on corkTV... I wouldn't trust it unless I saw the data to back-up the claims..

janmc

I don't plan to use it myself, don't worry! Just want to be able to dispute its claims, but I can't find it. It's not like the ecoquilt stuff and google isn't helping me in this instance. I just thought someone might know it.

Iwannahurl

<snip> perhaps?

It does seem to be controversial. Some people swear by it, others wouldn't touch it with a barge pole.

I decided against it in the end when doing my attic conversion. I just didn't feel confident, given the competing claims.

<snip>

<snip>

I settled for rigid foam between the rafters with insulated boards over, sealing all joints and cracks.

One thing I did learn about when researching my options, but could do nothing about in the end, was the important of density in insulation.

This is often forgotten, IMO. In the case of an attic conversion it's important for another reason: you don't want your attic to become an oven in hot weather (the "caravan effect").

<snip>

<snip>

janmc

That's not it - that was the one I was aware of before. This stuff doesn't have an Agrement cert either - I asked, but was told it has a cert in Germany. It's starting to bug me that I can't find it. I'm wondering if it's <snip> but the images I can find are too small to be sure.

To clarify, it's not like layers of foil & material, it has a layer of foil, then a layer of rigid plastic 'bubble wrap' type stuff, then a polystyrene foam like thing in the middle, bubble wrap and foil again on the other side.

Poor Uncle Tom

janmc wrote: »

To clarify, it's not like layers of foil & material, it has a layer of foil, then a layer of rigid plastic 'bubble wrap' type stuff, then a polystyrene foam like thing in the middle, bubble wrap and foil again on the other side.

I'm sure it's a varient on, or similar to one of the above.

As BryanF said above,

I wouldn't trust it unless I saw the data to back-up the claims..

Which just about sums it up.

Now, I will tidy up this thread, as we know the naming of Companies and Products are not allowed and it would be hypocritical of me to post away on a thread while companies/products are being named and to infract someone else on another thread for doing the same.

janmc

Mods, I'm not looking for recommendations or criticisms of the insulation so I didn't think it was an issue to name a product or to request the name. I just wondered if someone knew what it is so I could find more info! Google is no use without a name, and I've trawled through several pages of results using as many search terms as I can think of.

If the product can't be named, then this whole thread should be deleted

Poor Uncle Tom

If the product can't be named, then this whole thread should be deleted

Anyone who knows which product you are referring to can PM you the name.

Do-more

PM sent to janmc

janmc

No joy with Do-more's suggestion, so if anyone else has any ideas, please PM! The internet has never let me down before :eek:

Mellor

janmc wrote: »

Mods, I'm not looking for recommendations or criticisms of the insulation so I didn't think it was an issue to name a product or to request the name. I just wondered if someone knew what it is so I could find more info! Google is no use without a name, and I've trawled through several pages of results using as many search terms as I can think of.

If the product can't be named, then this whole thread should be deleted

They isn't much more info to give.
The product doesn't work. There lots of products and none of them work.

The claims are based on heat reflection, not conduction, which is not how it works in a house. They also require a sealed cavity with the foil standing freely. Not how its installed.

There are numourous threads about it, search here and you'l find enough. THe foil, buble wrap, foil product was discussed. i remember ripping its claims apart myself.

For a 5mm thick product to have the same resistance as 200m of kingspan, its would need a conductivity 40 times smaller. This is currectly way way lower than the lowest conductivity for any material*. It may have improved surface resistance, but not so much that it can meet these claims.



*The materials with the lowest conductivity are silica aerogels. These can be as low as 0.004 W/mK (this is the guinness record for lowest conductivity ever). Which is about 6 times as low as rigid boards like kingspan. They are being used more an more often in building applications. But it will take a long time to become widespread.

janmc

Mellor wrote: »

They isn't much more info to give.
The product doesn't work. There lots of products and none of them work.

I know they don't work. I told someone as much and told them not to use anything without an agrement cert and just to put in the 200mm King rigid insulation I suggested. But their builder has come back and said it is certified in Germany and it'll be no time before it is certified here :rolleyes:
They have since put it in their attic.

You and Poor Uncle Tom seem to be under the impression that I'm secretly promoting this product when all I wanted to know is the name so I could thoroughly debunk it!! I have since found it on this thread if anyone is curious. Oddly enough, that thread wasn't modded although you both posted on it.

muffler

janmc wrote: »

You and Poor Uncle Tom seem to be under the impression that I'm secretly promoting this product when all I wanted to know is the name so I could thoroughly debunk it!! I have since found it on this thread if anyone is curious. Oddly enough, that thread wasn't modded although you both posted on it.

If you have problems with the moderation of this forum then deal with it by PM but dont derail the thread with your snarky comments.

Warning given.

Poor Uncle Tom

janmc, we are not here to hinder you, in fact I think you will see we are here to help you.

Poor Uncle Tom wrote: »

There are some older threads (about 2 years old I think) which deal with this in detail.

Explaining that if you look, you may find.

Poor Uncle Tom wrote: »

Now, I will tidy up this thread, as we know the naming of Companies and Products are not allowed and it would be hypocritical of me to post away on a thread while companies/products are being named and to infract someone else on another thread for doing the same.

Explaining why I have to tidy the thread.

Poor Uncle Tom wrote: »

Anyone who knows which product you are referring to can PM you the name.

Asking people to contact you directly with the name.

janmc wrote: »

You and Poor Uncle Tom seem to be under the impression that I'm secretly promoting this product when all I wanted to know is the name so I could thoroughly debunk it!! I have since found it on this thread if anyone is curious. Oddly enough, that thread wasn't modded although you both posted on it.

We never suggested you were promoting the product, if we thought that you would have been banned straight away. I see you found one of the threads mentioned above.

That thread mentioned one product and that was it, this thread had mentioned several products when I tidied it up and it would likely not have stopped at that, so I removed the names and tidied the thread.

If you have any other problem with that please PM me and we can discuss it further.

Mellor

janmc wrote: »

You and Poor Uncle Tom seem to be under the impression that I'm secretly promoting this product when all I wanted to know is the name so I could thoroughly debunk it!!

If we thought that you'd ahve been banned by now.

I have since found it on this thread if anyone is curious. Oddly enough, that thread wasn't modded although you both posted on it.

That thread is almost two years old. Policies, and how they are enforced change depending on the trends of the forum. Less of the snide comments.