# Need Advice Radiant Barrier



## Gary in WA (Mar 11, 2009)

Picture of your roof from inside would help...... cathedral or open attic. 

Your location is important for better answers.....

Gary


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## I'll do it! (May 1, 2012)

Attic is unfinished with pink insulated foam at the bottom between the ceiling joists. The house is in Long Island NY. I will add some pictures later today.


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## Gary in WA (Mar 11, 2009)

http://www.diychatroom.com/f98/how-resize-photos-post-them-here-110722/

Gary


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## pwgsx (Jul 30, 2011)

#2 - if you have a company that makes the stuff close by, they may sell seconds. I have one by me and they sell a 500ft roll for $35 bc it is wrinkled or has a edge that may not be perfect. Since they cannot sell this at normal price and they do not want to just trash it, you can pick it up cheap.


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

I'll do it! said:


> I would appreciate any advice on the questions below:
> 1. Does the attic needs to be fully or partially insulated?
> 2. What is the best and inexpensive Radiant Barrier out there?
> 3. Cons and pros
> ...




I have yet to be in an attic that had enough insulation or better yet, enough separation between conditioned and unconditioned spaces.
There are a bunch out there and they are all similar. Whether or not they are proper for your application is what remains to be seen.
Pros and Cons
Cons - they are a PITB to put up if you have trusses, they provide little benefit in certain climates, they can be a waste of money
Pros - they can help with some of the radiant heat gain in systems where insulation is at a minimum.

You pull it down and look for it. The water will just run down the back and drain out so you can find it without tearing it down from inside. On a side note, most roof leaks can be found from outside the roof.


The reality is that radiant barrier have much more application value down South where they are cooling climates. In NY, not so much. If you ventilation is proper, the natural convection of air should keep the attic relatively mild and have a properly sealed and sufficient insulation layer on the floor and ducts will negate any of the radiant heat gain from the roof deck/attic.


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