Radiant Barrier Roof Installation

Thermal loss is a term used to describe how much heat exactly escapes your house.

Radiant barrier roof installation.

Installation methods include radiant barrier draped over the rafters applied directly to the roof sheathing stapling to the bottom of the rafters and even laying radiant barrier on top of the attic floor insulation. Much of this heat travels by conduction through the roofing materials to the attic side of the roof. Staples should be placed 14 to 18 inches apart. Some of these installation methods are preferred over others but all have sufficient research and testing to demonstrate their performance.

The radiant barrier for the roof you can find a wide variety of these materials that range in size color density and price however they have one thing in common and that is their high level of thermal loss. In an open framed attic it is generally easiest to install the strips of radiant barrier roof material across the attic perpendicular to the direction of the roof joists overlapping each run by about 2 inches. Roof sheathing installation place the skid resistant side up with the apa trademark stamp facing down and wear skid resistant shoes when installing the roof sheathing. Unroll the radiant barrier hold in place and staple to bottom of roof joists.

The first is stapling foil to the bottom of the roof rafters the second is laying it out over the existing attic ceiling insulation. Use caution to avoid damage to the radiant barrier foil surface. Install with the long dimension or strength axis of the panel across. Radiant barriers require expert installation to work effectively.

The radiant barrier should be installed in a manner to minimize dust accumulation on the reflective surface. They should be installed with the foil side facing into the attic adjacent to an open air space. For the majority of installations there are basically two different methods used to install radiant barrier foil in an attic. If dust accumulates on the foil surface it will render the radiant barrier less efficient.

If the roofing material is watertight installing the radiant barrier on top of the felt with the batten on top of it would be sufficient. In essence the foil barrier reduces convection into the attic from roofing materials that are heated by the sun. In these attic space applications there is an air space below the radiant barrier. However radiant barriers can also be installed in other ways such as having it infused with your roof decking or underneath tiles.

You must ensure the attic ventilation is not blocked. This allows the radiant barrier to remain dry while also achieving the 3 4 air space requirement. A radiant barrier can be effective with an asphalt shingle roof only when installed inside the attic either to the underside of the roof decking or to the underside of the roof rafters.