Insulating your home in Thailand

**dirtydog** · 29-04-2006, 05:51 PM

Now insulation I aint an expert on, but I really hate going into peoples houses that are hotter inside than outside, ie the low end bungalows with very little space between the roof and ceiling.

So the first thing you need is as high a roof as you can afford to give you more attic space, you also need to vent the roof, either with a couple of those stainless steel spinner things which are only a couple of thousand baht each, or vents in the walls for the attic area, next up you need to insulate that area, the foil lined fiberglass are rolls are the quickest and easiest, to buy them works out at a costing of about 100baht per square meter, these you just chuck ontop of your ceiling.

Next up we shall have the old sprayed on insulation foam, this is for the more high end customer

**dirtydog** · 29-04-2006, 06:11 PM

The spray on foam insulation is pretty damn good, but at the price they charge is it worth it or not is a good question, I think nowadays you wont get much change out of 500baht per square meter, this is sprayed directly on the underneath of the roof tiles, some low end roof tiles you can't really expect much more than a 10 years life span, and cos this stuff is semi flexible it is a right bastard to get a roof tile up, so if your roof ever needs changing it turns out to be a major job.

In Pattaya they have 2 companies that do this spray on foam insulation and both seem pretty much the same, ie big lorry and oneday to do the job.

Next week we shall discuss insulation blocks for your walls

**ChiangMai noon** · 29-04-2006, 06:13 PM

I'm glad you brought this up, I have been trying to decide between insulation and more air-con.
Does the insulation actually work and keep the place nice and cool?

100 baht a sq metre sounds allright if it works.

**Thetyim** · 29-04-2006, 06:18 PM

Originally Posted by ChiangMai noon

Does the insulation actually work and keep the place nice and cool?

Worked for me, I am happy with ours.

**dirtydog** · 29-04-2006, 06:21 PM

it works, but also I would have thought that by the very nature of insulation it would also retain heat for longer, if you don't normally use aircon I feel that all insulation will do is change the daily times of when the ceiling gets hot, ie it will take longer for it to get hot, but in the evenings would take longer to get cool.

**ChiangMai noon** · 29-04-2006, 06:24 PM

Oh...
So does that mean I should get it or not??

I only have aircon in our bedroom, the rest of the house gets terribly ot.

Starting to get cooler up here now, so i'll probably have about 8 months to think about it anyway.

**dirtydog** · 29-04-2006, 06:25 PM

Defineately chuck it on top of any aircon rooms

**lom** · 29-04-2006, 06:57 PM

I have that aluminium foil wrapped fiberglass on top of my ceiling, and have yet to find out if it makes much difference or not..

Thermodynamic says that hot air strives upwards, insulating the ceiling will block that.
Furthermore, material in most ceilings have a low K (heat transfer factor)
acting as insulation itself.

I find it more logical to insulate under the roof tiles to stop heat from getting into the attic. And , as DD mentioned, vent the attic.

**friscofrankie** · 29-04-2006, 07:10 PM

Attics get hot, sun beatin down on 'em all day.. The are inthere will be hotter 'n hell. The Thais been leavin' the ceiling in an open beam configuration with good cross vetilation up high and broad over hangs for a couple a centuries. This works.
Putting a vent-fan in the attic works too. If you vent and insulate the ceiling (not the roof) think it's the best of both worlds. Those that like aircon might get better results with this type of insulation.
I dislike aircon and with good coss flow ventilation and broad overhangs would be comfortable. Kinda like the heat

**hillbilly** · 29-04-2006, 07:15 PM

Something should work. Still not quiet there yet.
My electric bill last month was B3,600.

**Airportwo** · 29-04-2006, 07:50 PM

I got the foam spray on stuff, it does the job for sure, check the price now though - imagine being "oil" based product price will have risen substatially from 500 Baht m2
Be cheap to set up to do this, it's just two chemicals, two Bbl pumps and a mixing chamber with a spray gun on the end.

**weescotsguy66** · 29-04-2006, 08:09 PM

Try using Superblock for insulation purposes, I have 4 air-cons in a relative small house 3 bedrooms and lounge.. And my bills are only 2,000 baht

Costs 25 baht for Superblock and 7 baht for normal breeze block but in the long run it pays for Superblock

**charlie** · 30-04-2006, 03:31 PM

Originally Posted by weescotsguy66

Try using Superblock for insulation purposes, I have 4 air-cons in a relative small house 3 bedrooms and lounge.. And my bills are only 2,000 baht

Costs 25 baht for Superblock and 7 baht for normal breeze block but in the long run it pays for Superblock

are those the white non-hollowed blocks?

**Curious George** · 01-05-2006, 05:38 AM

Originally Posted by dirtydog

...So the first thing you need is as high a roof as you can afford to give you more attic space, you also need to vent the roof, either with a couple of those stainless steel spinner things which are only a couple of thousand baht each, or vents in the walls for the attic area...

Originally Posted by friscofrankie

...Putting a vent-fan in the attic works too....

My house in Florida is over 20 years old. It has a ventilated soffit, plus gable vents. Originally, it had a powered vent on the roof. Almost every other year, I had to replace the fan motor that had 'cooked' due to the attic heat. Roofing in Florida lasts only a few years, even if guaranteed for 20 or more. The sun cooks the shingles until they curl and break apart.

I recently had my roof redone, and the roofer said he was not too pleased to keep the old power vent. His main contention was that "any hole that you cut into the roof is eventualy going to leak". He installed a ridge vent, instead.

The attic and general house temperature has improved, even though the ventilation is now only passive.

I don't know whether this idea can be useful in Thailand, but it may be possible with new construction. Here is more info about ridge vents from a manufacturer:
http://www.airvent.com/homeowner/pro...dgeVents.shtml

**Dougal** · 01-05-2006, 04:24 PM

I have seen a few roofs in Thailand with a water spray system that every so often squirts water over the surface.

Although not insulation, it's purpose is the same to cool the house - but by the evaporation of the water.

Has anyone tried this and if they have have they found it effective?

**buadhai** · 29-04-2006, 11:20 PM

Originally Posted by dirtydog

it works, but also I would have thought that by the very nature of insulation it would also retain heat for longer, if you don't normally use aircon I feel that all insulation will do is change the daily times of when the ceiling gets hot, ie it will take longer for it to get hot, but in the evenings would take longer to get cool.

Spot on. Exactly what we discovered. Insulation lowers the air con bill, but the room is actually hotter when you don't air con. But, our attic is not well ventilated which I believe would make a large difference.

**Eliminator** · 30-04-2006, 07:59 AM

Check out Cool or Cosy, it's a cellulose fibre insulation, works great and bugs can't live in it. Better than any foam or fiberglass and safer than both. It's a spray on application. Check out http://www.buildata.com.au/coolcosy/default.htm for more information. Just give Steven a call, nice bloke.

**Thetyim** · 30-04-2006, 11:37 AM

In Uk you can buy aerosol cans of expanding foam insulation. I have seen it used for installing window frames and even fixing a car body to the chassis. It is very strong.

So you could bring some over and do it yourself

I used to buy a case of it at 2 quid a can, but that was a long time ago.

**Airportwo** · 30-04-2006, 02:20 PM

I bought some here in Pattaya, 600 Baht a can - German and Fckin crap

what pissed me off more was I bought 6 cans of the Crap!

Originally Posted by Thetyim

In Uk you can buy aerosol cans of expanding foam insulation. I have seen it used for installing window frames and even fixing a car body to the chassis. It is very strong. So you could bring some over and do it yourself I used to buy a case of it at 2 quid a can, but that was a long time ago.

**aging one** · 01-05-2006, 04:32 PM

My roof is very thick say over 1/2 inch tiles, I dont see how the water could work. But at the same time we put in a patio with these red bricks I had never seen before. They cost 7 baht apiece. The wife said they would be cool and I thought she was nuts.

Well she wasnt if you hose them down a couple of times a day they are at least 5 degrees C less than the air temperature and these bring down the overall heat on the side of our house where the patio is. Its almost like they are off the space shuttle, I really dont see how they do it. But I do like it. I had a party out there saturday and everyone was very surprised as to how cool they are.

My 16 year old dog rarely goes anywhere else since we put it in.

So the roof thing might well work.

Further inspection those are either 1 inch tiles or just under at 2 centimers.

Dog will find this soon!!

**Marmite the Dog** · 01-05-2006, 09:38 PM

Originally Posted by aging one

My roof is very thick say over 1/2 inch tiles, I dont see how the water could work. But at the same time we put in a patio with these red bricks I had never seen before. They cost 7 baht apiece. The wife said they would be cool and I thought she was nuts.

Well she wasnt if you hose them down a couple of times a day they are at least 5 degrees C less than the air temperature and these bring down the overall heat on the side of our house where the patio is. Its almost like they are off the space shuttle, I really dont see how they do it. But I do like it. I had a party out there saturday and everyone was very surprised as to how cool they are.

My 16 year old dog rarely goes anywhere else since we put it in.

So the roof thing might well work.

Further inspection those are either 1 inch tiles or just under at 2 centimers.

Dog will find this soon!!

I want those bricks on the roof patio of my new pad. I hope my contractor knows what they are.

**Airportwo** · 01-05-2006, 04:43 PM

For sure this would work, but - yes quite - there are so many Butt's -
Explain them ALL to us please DD?
Cheers

Originally Posted by Dougal

I have seen a few roofs in Thailand with a water spray system that every so often squirts water over the surface.

**dirtydog** · 01-05-2006, 05:19 PM

Originally Posted by Airportwo

Explain them ALL to us please DD?

I was hoping that someone with a bit more knowledge on the subject would explain them to all of us

**hillbilly** · 01-05-2006, 06:33 PM

Originally Posted by dirtydog

Originally Posted by Airportwo

Explain them ALL to us please DD?

I was hoping that someone with a bit more knowledge on the subject would explain them to all of us

Well, I do not have the smarts to explain this subject. But, just today I was visiting a semi-floating market near BKK.. It is hard to tell by the photo but this shop uses a sprinkling system on the roof. One can see the constant patter of water hitting the river as it falls from the roof. The staff said it really keeps the inside cooler. I will say that although today was very hot, the eating area was rather cool.

**Whiteshiva** · 02-05-2006, 09:23 AM

Originally Posted by hillbilly

Originally Posted by dirtydog

Originally Posted by Airportwo

Explain them ALL to us please DD?

I was hoping that someone with a bit more knowledge on the subject would explain them to all of us

Well, I do not have the smarts to explain this subject. But, just today I was visiting a semi-floating market near BKK.. It is hard to tell by the photo but this shop uses a sprinkling system on the roof. One can see the constant patter of water hitting the river as it falls from the roof. The staff said it really keeps the inside cooler. I will say that although today was very hot, the eating area was rather cool.

In purely thermodynamic terms, some of the water evaporates, and this removes heat from the surroundings. Much like boiling water, which basically is rapid evaporation, and requires energy (electricity).

The opposite effect can be observed when moisture in the air condenses on your beer bottle. The condensation gives off heat, which heats up your drink. In fact, a cold drink will heat up quicker in a moist environment than in a dry environment for that very reason.

Getting back to evaporation, the water spray coolers one sees around open air restaurants and bar areas basically atomizes the water (very small droplets), giving it a huge surface area, and thus speeds evaporation. This evaporation takes heat from the air, and voila - cold air.

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