How to Install Radiant Barrier AtticFoil - Part 2

This is part two of the three videos on how to install AtticFoil brand radiant barrier. Now it's time to move on and install some radiant barrier foil. First, let's remember our two main goals: we want to cover as much area as possible and we want the air to flow freely through the attic really as though the foil is not even there. Now, before starting you are going to need some basic supplies. First I'd get a standard utility knife with some disposable blades and a staple gun that uses T50 staples and a box of either ¼" or 5/16" staples. You don't need real big staples, you're just stapling up the foil which is about as thick as a business card. I also like the Arrow brand staple gun or the Craftsman brand staple gun. Go with a front squeeze staple gun or spend a few extra dollars and buy an electric staple gun (they're relatively cheap). Here's a little trick: go ahead and tape a string or a ribbon on the utility knife and the staple gun in case you drop them into the insulation. You'll also need a good quality dust mask or a half-face respirator with a P100 filter, especially if you're working in an attic that has fiberglass insulation. Fiberglass is exactly that - it's glass fibers, and you don't want to be breathing them in. I'd also pick up a couple of clamp lights; good lighting will make the job go much easier. Tape is not required for the seams, but I'd go ahead and pick up a roll of foil air conditioning tape anyway. You may need to cut around some different penetrations in the attic and the foil tape will make it easy to kinda patch it back and make it look nice. Do not use duct tape. It will dry out and it will fall apart over time. Finally, depending on your attic, you may need some boards to move around and to stand on. I'd recommend a couple of 2x4's or 2x6's over sheets of plywood, but that's really up to you. Most likely the insulation in your attic will get compressed or trampled during installation or it may already be low to begin with. Many customers will rent an insulation blower and add a few inches of insulation after installing AtticFoil. Now it's time to staple up some AtticFoil radiant barrier. You can decide whether it's better to start at the bottom and work up or to start at the top and work your way down. Generally I think it is easier to start at the bottom. The bottom piece is usually more difficult and it's important to get it nice and level. You will need to leave a gap at the bottom of the radiant barrier foil. You want the air to be able to come into the attic from the soffit vents and either go between the foil and the roof deck, or to be drawn into the attic, below the foil. Now you might have insulation piled real high against the soffits or the eaves of your attic. That's ok, if that is the case, just start the foil a few inches above where the insulation is. You only need a 2 or 3 inch gap in order for air to flow freely. A larger gap is ok, it will just reduce the overall coverage some. If you have a really low pitch roof, you might want to staple as far down as possible and let the extra just hang down. Then use some type of a pole or poker to push [the foil] back and let it lay on top of the insulation. It doesn't really matter if it is stapled up or laying over the insulation, we just want to get a piece of foil between the roof and the insulation to reflect the heat. Another option is to run the foil all the way down and put some type of a little extra flap or skirt on top of the insulation. This works well if you want to come back later and blown in more insulation. The foil skirt will prevent the insulation from being blown into the soffits. if you do this, you're going to want to leave a 2-3" gap between the lowest run of foil and then when you start the second piece of foil. Leave a space at the bottom even if you're working over an area that has no soffit vents. Air will still be drawn between the foil and the roof from inside the attic. Both sides [of the foil] are the same - so there is not a top or bottom for the AtticFoil. Once you decide where the first piece is going, mark a line the same distance from the bottom of the rafters. An old broom handle or a PVC pipe works perfect for this. Do this on a few rafters across the attic to keep the foil straight. Trust me - it may look level, but unless you mark it up, it'll usually end up crooked. It doesn't matter if the AtticFoil is a little wrinkled or crooked. Remember: it doesn't have to be pretty to be effective. You just want to get a piece of AtticFoil radiant barrier between the hot roof and the cool insulation. Once you get the first run of AtticFoil up, you're ready to move to the second run of foil. You do not need to tape the seams since you are not trying to make the AtticFoil air tight. It actually works best to overlap the seams about an inch or two. You can butt them up against each other, but this will cause flaps to open up and does not look quite as finished. Next, I'm going to cover how to handle cross supports, blocking, hips and valleys, and roof vents.

Channel: AtticFoil Radiant Barrier Foil Insulation

Views: 81,131

Rating: 4.9492602 out of 5

Keywords: techshield, foil silver pineapple attic, bubble, rmax, reflective, cooling, radiant barrier, prodex, ventilation, attic, green energy barrier, installation, DIY, fifoil, radiant guard, shield, armafoil, aluminum, atticfoil.com, ecofoil, summer, foilwrap, tyvek, roof, foil, enerflex, savings, eshield, reflectivity, polarply, systems, temperature, heat, insulation, air, gap, 97%, save, energy, hotter, innovative, fire rating, application

Id: diEjFjGPggk

Length: 5min 31sec (331 seconds)

Published: Fri May 17 2013