Northwest Florida Pole Barn/Shop question.

[PSDStu]

I'm putting together some final thoughts and ideas for an Enclosed 40'x50' Pole Barn/Shop that I hope to start building this spring.

One of the questions I had was would there be any benefit from installing 1/4" foil wrap insulation in the walls and above the rafters?

It gets awfully hot here in the summer and can get down into the teens for a few days in the winter and I am wondering if the insulation would/could help any of the heat build up in the barn in the summer time and maybe help keep it a little warmer in the winter.

I also wondered about ridge vents for letting some of the heat out in the summer.

There will be 4 windows installed to help with some air flow as well.

Just wondering if anyone down south had built ther pole barn/shop with insulation and if it helped any?

Thanks.

 

[EddieWalker]

Being in Florida, is it safe to assume that you get allot of humidity? I think you do, but I've never been there, so I'm just guessing. If you do, then insulating the ceiling is important to cut down condensation. I don't have metal on my walls, so I can't speak for them, but my roof is metal and when the conditions are right, it can almost seem like it's raining inside the shop because of the condensation.

Insulation will stop this if enough is used. I dont' think 1/4 inch is enough to totally stop it, but I can't say that for a fact. It's just my opinion. I think you need more, but don't know how much. I've been going over ideas to insulate my ceiling and have finally decided to use 10 inch thick fiberglass bats that are 23 inches wide. This will stop the condensation issue, and allow me to heat the shop during winter months. In summer, it gets so hot in there that during the afternoon, it's almost impossible to even be in there.

If you can afford it now, spend the money to insulate to some degree. If not, it will cost more later on, and be more complicated to get it done. I did it wrong and have had to deal with that mistake since building my shop. Hopefully I'll get to it sometime soon!!!

Eddie

 

[matt_isserstedt]

A metal building (steel skeleton, steel skin) is typically built with 3" or 4" or 6" batts. My understanding is there isn't much difference between 4" and 6" due to compression but this does stop the indoor raining.

If you look at the reflectivity ratings for the various paint colors, white has approx 25% more reflectivity of incoming solar energy than grey/galvaume. However this does not help during winter. But, with your locale, I would think you'd be more fixated on cooling costs and not heating.

Without the intent to fully insulate and control indoor temps, IMHO the next best alternative for cooling is powered ventilation under the roof. At least you can attempt to get back to ambient temperature then. However, this strategy also can induce wild humidity swings...which could be problematic depending on your equipment and useage.

There is also a product (forget exact name) but this sprays mist jets of water on the roof to promote evaporative cooling. Their product seems to have all the right ideas in mind as far as lowering temps at minimum cost, I am just not sure how the metal roofing holds up being constantly bathed in water (much more than normal precipitation).

 

[Lineman North Florida]

I'm putting together some final thoughts and ideas for an Enclosed 40'x50' Pole Barn/Shop that I hope to start building this spring.

One of the questions I had was would there be any benefit from installing 1/4" foil wrap insulation in the walls and above the rafters?

It gets awfully hot here in the summer and can get down into the teens for a few days in the winter and I am wondering if the insulation would/could help any of the heat build up in the barn in the summer time and maybe help keep it a little warmer in the winter.

I also wondered about ridge vents for letting some of the heat out in the summer.

There will be 4 windows installed to help with some air flow as well.

Just wondering if anyone down south had built ther pole barn/shop with insulation and if it helped any?

Thanks.

A little off topic but have you looked at the barn kits that are sold at Panhandle Salvage in Bonifay? I'm not sure where your located in relationship to Bonifay, but I bought a 32x60 barn kit that I put up and it turned out really nice, if interested they have a web site with lot's of pictures and prices, just a thought,good luck.