Bubble foil insulation | Foil reflective bubble insulation

Foil-faced bubble wrap insulation

Bubble roll insulation will provide an equal performance as to radiant barriers and in some cases, both can be confused as being the same product. However, this is not the case. They would both look very similar in their appearance with both bein foil-faced but the main difference is the bubble insulation underneath the foil. This bubble insulation will act as a trapment for air and will slow the passage of air if not stop the passage of air through the product.

It may be worth noting the perforations may be required to be inserted into this product if it is being placed in a location with little to no ventilation in a crawlspace or roof or attic. The application in which this product is used is very much similar to the radiant barrier. See locations below and applications of this product.

Bubble insulation in your roof space

So what happens when you put a bubble wrap product into your roof. Well first of all if you do not use a bubble roll in your roof space what will happen is your shingles will get very hot on the outside from the beating sun which will, in turn, warm up the underside of the shingles. This will, in turn, heat up the OSB underneath which will also, in turn, heat up the under roof side of the OSB thus heating up the attic space. By installing the reflective bubble roll it will reflect this heat outwards thus keeping the inside room temperature at a comfortable level.

It is also possible to use a white shingle tile or a reflective tile on your roof which will perform quite well to reflect the heat outwards but will not perform as well as a bubble roll will and also a white shingle or reflective roof is not always aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

Radiant barrier can also be applied to insulation during the manufacturing process you will notice some companies such as Owens Corning / CertainTeed / Johns Manville etc all fabricate a foil-faced glass wool insulation. Other insulation types like Polyisocyanurate insulation (Polyiso / PIR) also have a foil face and again this is purely as a reflective barrier and will act similarly to bubble rolls.

Bubble reflective insulation in your attic space;

The most common application here is laying the bubble roll over the glass wool or mineral wool insulation. However, there are some precautions to take as per the Reflective Insulation Manufacturers Association International whereby they advise that perforations be installed into the reflective insulation to allow for the movement of air and vapors that may get trapped between the reflective insulation and the ceiling. This could over time cause mold builds upon the underside of the reflective insulation or the glass wool / mineral wool insulation. Perforations the size of at least 5 perms are recommended here. Another downside to this application is the buildup of dust over the reflective foil on the upside. This will over time decrease the bubble rolls performance, so maybe best to set your alarm for once every 6 months to go up and wipe off all that dust.

Another application for the bubble roll in your attic could be to the underside of your rafters. A simple staple gun and some elbow grease will get the job done in no time by stapling the bubble roll to the rafters. This is a quick and easy fix for your attic and will be very effective at reducing your heat loss and reflecting your heat back into your home.

Bubble rolls in your Walls;

Again much like with your attic it is recommended that your bubble roll can breath here to avoid any buildup of high moisture content air within the cavity space behind the bubble roll. Again the bubble roll can be stapled to the stud framing at whatever centers the stud framing is at. Again just make sure there is plenty of space for the movement of air and nothing will get trapped in behind that wall.

If you wish to use a bubble roll on your external wall then again you can vent the cavity with a breeze block or wall vents can be used to allow for the circulation of air from bottom to top. This is vital to get right so make sure when the job is finished that nothing has fallen in behind the vents or anything is blocking the airflow through them.

Bubble rolls in your Floors, Crawlspaces, and Basements;

Radiant barriers work very well for floors and crawlspaces especially when underfloor heating systems are deployed. Foil bubble insulation will prevent the warmth from passing through to the crawlspace or basement. Just like the walls and roof applications, foil bubble wrap insulation  can be stapled to the underside of the floor joists again at whatever centers the floor is already at. In this situation, however, where a crawlspace is under the floor it is not a good idea to perforate foil wrap insulation as the moisture from underneath will pass through the barrier into the underfloor void and into the living space of the home. So the bubble roll will act as a vapor barrier also.

Single Bubble and Double bubble insulation should be viewed in a similar manner as different thicknesses of insulation like glass wool or mineral wool. Double bubble insulation will, of course, give you a much great performance when compared to single bubble insulation. In most cases when it comes down to the purchase of which type of insulation you would choose it's down to how much you wish to spend on the product and its application. Both products will perform exceptionally well.