Pretty much the title. It get quite hot here in Europe.
If you have single pane windows, the foil needs to be on the outside of the window or you run the risk of shattering the glass. If it’s a double of triple pane you can place it on the inside.
I’ve had old double glass shatter as well after putting them on the inside. Best to just always put them outside.
That is a fantastic tip I would have never considered but yeah, that’s gonna be a big temperature differential!
Very good to know, thanks
Why is there only a risk of shattering with a single pane window?
More panes = more mass. More mass = lower average temperature. Lower average temperature = less chance of sudden cracks or shattering
Hmm, but don’t you think that over the entire day they’d heat up to the same temp? Sure, more mass, but that just means it’ll take longer to heat up to the same temp as the single pane. And I assume the day is long enough.
Sudden shatter happens when something is heated or cooled so quickly that parts of it expand or constrict at different rates. Since the larger thermal mass of the thicker glass will spread the heat more, it won’t heat up as quickly, thus reducing the chance of a sudden shatter. It may well reach the same temperature, but doing so over a longer period is still safer
You can buy solar reflective film kits that let light in but reflect out 99% of infrared energy.
Sometimes you want to keep ALL the energy out. The films also act to trap thermal energy in too.
I’ve personally used superfoil, it keeps all the light energy out. 42°C outside, in a double glazed UK home, and I still didn’t need the Aircon until mid afternoon.
But that costs money :,(
Foam core and aluminum foil is free?
I mean, comparatively.
I found it the foam in the attic, probably left there by my aunt, and the foil was just there in the kitchen.
It’s significantly cheaper than buying a special purpose product.
Depends on the country. Look for Gila window film. It’s expensive, but paid for itself in one summer.
Any link to one of these? Not sure what to look for.
I would make sure to secure the panels somehow so they don’t get blown away by wind, and maybe check that the reflection doesn’t cause a hazard, e.g. to passing traffic.
Aluminium foil has a shiny side and a dull side too so make sure you use the shinier side for a bit more efficiency.
It can’t hurt. Make sure the aluminum isnt reflecting sunlight in high concentration onto anything in close proximity as this could create a fire hazard. It looks rather matte though so you should be fine.
As long as it’s not across the whole ceiling of a bar.
It’s a bit off topic, but damn. If you got a nickle for every time a double digit number of people were killed by that exact scenario, you’d have more than one nickle, which is ridiculous.
How does it kill people? Falling? That’s scary.
Massive flammability of the foam. If it starts in one place, and it’s ordinary, non-flame-retardant foam, the whole ceiling will be burning aggressively within seconds. (Flammable claddings have caused other issues, like the Grenfell tower fire, but bar ceiling + small flame specifically happens over and over again)
It happened in Thailand at the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao bar this summer, set off by a failing AC unit, ~30 dead ~70 injured. And in Switzerland at the Crans-Montana bar this winter, set off by a sparkler lifted too high up, 41 dead 115 injured.
If it was just this year, maybe it’s a coincidence, but it was huge news back in 2003, when it was one of the first disasters widely filmed. That was in America at The Station nightclub, set off by band pyrotechnics, 100 people dead 230 injured.
Foil is electrically conductive, many cheap insulation installers in Australia were killed or shocked nailing foil insulation into ceiling spaces by driving nails through live wires (or still touching foil while a previously dead circuit became live) after a government stimulus program which subsidised insulation
Interesting, although not quite as devastating as the mass casualty events I’m talking about.
Here, fibreglass is the standard choice, and absolutely required for a space to be livable to a modern standard. Is anyone trying that in Australia?
Yeah, fibreglass batts are the standard here. Foil was installed as a scam
Oh, I see. They were literally selling, like, ordinary foil as insulation but cheaper, and then managed to kill themselves, because they’re not actual tradies and didn’t follow basic safety rules.
Sorry if that was a stupid question. I know Australian and North American buildings are pretty similar, but if you live in the tropics building a thin-walled container with no room for insulation is an actual option. So, it was hard to be sure.
Hmm. What kind of wood is the common one for construction? It’s probably not pine or fir like here.
common construction here is structural pine, clad in brick and roofed with tiles
Edit to add: the second most common construction is double brick walls (brick structure clad in bricks) with tile roof
Tiles are mostly concrete, sometimes clay
If I rebuild my place (it’s pretty worn out) it’ll have insulated concrete form walls, and probably concrete tile roof
This was the program pushed by the politician/lead singer of rock band Midnight Oil?
It was Kevin Rudd’s policy, he copped some slack for it when people died. Kevin Rudd was known as Kevin 07 as he won the prime minister position in 2007, just in time for the GFC. And it was good in that it improved the economy, bad in that it encouraged a lot of insulation scams
Thank you, that is terrifying! I have things I would like to hang on the wall but my nice stud finder lights up a little in its electric meter in some of the areas I want, and I don’t trust anything when it comes to messing with that.
Here’s more ideas to cool the house
The foam itself is quite reflective. And would look more like curtains than a crack house.
What is the hot glue gun for? That’ll melt the foam…
Works like a charm. I’ve done this on all my windows and I’m waiting for the police to break down my door. It looks sus af but I don’t care because it’s cool at least.
I don’t understand the on-top part.
It is a good idea to cover windows when it is really hot outside. Made sure you are allowing your attic to properly ventilate. So providing that covering the windows doesn’t interfere with that you will be fine.
Also there is no need to use Tinfoil. A white surface will have the same effect.
Ahh got it, they’ll work fine.
Could get condensation when it gets colder in the autumn.
Reflective side out, and on the outside this should work. Aluminum foil or a thermal blanket would also work and are lighter
I do this with “reflective bubble insulation” brand: Reflectix with a spray adhesive.
Unfortunately it looks like a reflective surface work best with an air gap so directly against the window might not be doing much. But certainly the insulation will.
I think superfoil is the generic name (or possibly another brand).
I used suction cups, with thumb screw threads to attach them. Just poke a hole and push it through on each corner. It also holds it slightly clear of the glass. Suction cups also mean you can apply it either inside the glass, or outside (better, but harder).
That’s a great (and cheap) solution!
