polebarn ceiling insulation

[jaysonb]

i built a 32 x 40 polebarn with roof trusses on 4 foot centers. i put up a white steel ceiling. there is bubble wrap under the steel roof. what would be my best attic insulation ? does fiberglass insulation come in 4 foot roll widths?

 

[groundcover]

You can blow in fiberglass but make sure the trusses are rated for a hanging load,you can end up with a bit of weight and some are not designed to support it.

 

[Eagleview]

I will never use insulation again . We have had fibreglass particles on the kitchen table that have found their way past the ceiling lining . I think they will find in the future that fibreglass in the lungs will be as bad as Asbestos .

We have had bush rats living in the Sarking .

Freinds of ours have Rats making homes in the Wool insulation in their house .

I have removed all my insulation and Sarking and will lay perforated battens over the existing Colorbond corrogated Iron and apply another layer of White Colorbond over the first . I will use a vented ridge cap and vent the ends of the sheets . This will cause air to move between the two sheets via convection and remove radiant heat caught between the two . It will also queiten the sound of heavy rain that keeps me awake and also stop condensation forming on the underside of the roof . Landrover used this method on their early 4X4's to keep the interior cool , it was called a "Safari Roof " .

 

[Redneck in training]

I built a 90 x 48 pole barn that we later converted to a house. We used blown insulation in the attic. It was the cheapest and easiest insulation to install. It took us I and my wife one night to do the whole house.
My attic is vented via perforated soffit panels and the open crest of the roof. There is a "dam" made of fiberglass reinforced plastic hanged over a wire stretched just above the perimeter wall preventing the insulation entering the soffit and plugging the ventilation.
We heat approximately 3600 sqft by a geothermal floor heating. We live in Iowa so it gets quite cold in the winter and our highest (January) heating bill in past four years was less 100 USD.

Features - Energy Performer - by Morton Buildings, Inc.

 

[Redneck in training]

Mice infestation was problem first year but sealing the perimeter walls around the barn, keeping the grass moved, keeping the garage of free of spilled dog food and poison bait in the attic and sticky traps in the garage took care of it. I check once a while for sign of mice in the garage and in the attic. So far I found the poison bait untuched and the sticky traps free of mice.

 

[mrutkaus]

Pressure fit/glue 4x8 sheets of any of the many kinds of foam board available between the joists? You can get the white poly foam in 5" thick pieces.

Mike

 

[BungeeII]

I'm with redneck in training. Put your soffit baffles in and blow in fiberglass. I used 2" Styrofoam to seal the space below from the attic. I cut it to fit and nailed & silicone'd them beneath the beams, between the posts. You'll want to do everything you can to seal any penetration into the attic area.

 

[jaysonb]

my building gets alot of wind, is there any chance that wind thru the soffit could blow the fiberglass toward the opposite side of the attic ?

 

[dtd24]

I really doubt wind will be your issue. What about critters taking the insulation

 

[pwl]

Icynene insulation.

 

[BungeeII]

my building gets alot of wind, is there any chance that wind thru the soffit could blow the fiberglass toward the opposite side of the attic ?

Do a search on "ventilation chute". With properly installed chutes (a.k.a. baffles), you'll keep the attic properly ventilated without disturbing the insulation.

Icynene is a good product but not for the budget conscious.

 

[PA hayseed]

Do a search on "ventilation chute". With properly installed chutes (a.k.a. baffles), you'll keep the attic properly ventilated without disturbing the insulation.

Icynene is a good product but not for the budget conscious.

Agree, spray foam is kinda expensive, but it is a great product.

You can buy foam or plastic baffles, staple or nail em up, and take a roll of fiberglass insulation to tuck between the baffle and the eave to keep the blown in insulation from being moved. They also make a piece that you can buy, that you can put between the baffle ant the eave to seal it. I just used fiberglass as it was handy. The foam baffles break easily, but flex and cost almost nothing. The plastic ones aren't too pricey. whatever you do, make sure the baffles run further than your insulation or you'll have issues.

Have fun.

 

[jaysonb]

i already have the strofoam baffles and the fiberglass between the baffle and the eave. does everyone agree that blown fiberglass is better than cellulose?

 

[Redneck in training]

Cellulose is edible to mice, Fiberglas isn't.
Make sure you have a vapor barrier under the insulation. The insulation is cheap so you can blow in about 2 or 3 feet of it for R about 30 to 40. I blew in enough to cover the air-condition ducts located on the trusses. I bought the insulation in Lowe's. They delivered it including the blowing machine for free. We (I and my wife) did the garage (about 2000 sqft) in one night and the house (about 2400 sqft) second night. While doing this we almost burned our house down due to a stupid idea of using halogen lamp in the attic. When it fell in the fiberglass the insulation immediately ignited. Fortunately when I pulled the lamp up the fire died instantly. It was freaking scary though. Therefore use fluorescent or any other cold light. The baffles should be at least 6 or better 10 inches taller than the insulation. I noticed some movement of the insulation during very windy weather but only when it was freshly blown in and still fluffed. Few weeks later the insulation settled to some degree and became somewhat firmer so it couldn't be blow by wind anymore.

 

[Redneck in training]

Cellulose is edible to mice, Fiberglas isn't.
Make sure you have a vapor barrier under the insulation. The insulation is cheap so you can blow in about 2 or 3 feet of it for R about 30 to 40. I blew in enough to cover the air-condition ducts located on the trusses. I bought the insulation in Lowe's. They delivered it including the blowing machine for free. We (I and my wife) did garage (about 2000 sqft) in one night and house (about 2400 sqft) second night. While doing this we almost burned our house down due to a stupid idea of using halogen lamp in the attic. When it fell in the fiberglass the insulation immediately ignited. Fortunately when I pulled the lamp up the fire died instantly. It was freaking scary though. Therefore use fluorescent or any other cold light. The baffles should be at least 6 or better 10 inches taller. I noticed some movement of the insulation when during very windy weather but only when it was freshly blown in fluffed. Few weeks later the insulation settled to some degree and became somewhat firmer so it can't be blow by wind anymore.