Things To Know About Metal Building Insulation

If you’re getting ready to buy a metal building, you’re probably wondering if it needs to be insulated. Insulation helps with two things – stabilizing the temperature on the inside and keeping moisture away. So, while not every metal building requires insulation, it is essential if you want your structure to last for years down the road.

Why Do I Need Metal Building Insulation?

Insulation helps your building maintain a comfortable temperature by keeping warm air inside during the winter months and keeps warm air out during the summer months. Not only does this help keep your building comfortable, but it plays a huge role in keeping it protected too.

Any significant difference between the outside air temperature and the air temperature inside a metal building will naturally cause water condensation to form on the metal sheets. And we all know that condensation is bad news! This can lead to unhealthy mildew and mold, along with rust and corrosion.

How Will Steel Building Insulation Protect Against Water?

Water is dangerous to steel structures. If water collects around your building’s bots and screws, then it’s just a matter of time before rust starts to form and the integrity of your steel building is compromised. Not only can water be the culprit that causes rust, but it’s also responsible for mold and mildew. That’s another thing that no business or homeowner wants to deal with. This is where good metal building insulation can come into play.

To avoid the problem with water condensation, insulation can be used as a “radiant barrier” to help reduce the transfer of heat from the inside to the outside and vice-versa. Water condensation is reduced when the interior surface of the building does not have a significant difference in temperature from the exterior surface of the metal.

Where Should I Add Insulation?

At the very least, it’s important to add insulation to the roof of your building. However, if you live in an area with more extreme weather conditions, then you will want to insulate your walls as well. This is especially important if snow piles on the side of your building. In this case, the insulation will break the steel-to-steel contact preventing rust and condensation.

How Does Condensation Happen?

Condensation happens when warm air inside your steel building comes into contact with a cold surface like your walls or roof. The mixture between the warm air and cold exterior surface causes water vapors in the warm air to condense, which allows the moisture to congregate.

How Does Insulation Work in a Metal Building?

There are several benefits to insulated metal buildings. We talked about the importance of insulating your building to control heat flow and prevent condensation, but that’s not all insulation is good for. If your building is insulated, it will also help to cut back on the noise.

Insulated steel buildings are warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. That’s because the insulation helps slow the movement of heat, which helps it stay inside the building in the winter. In the summer, it will help keep the heat outside. This will help reduce energy usage by keeping things comfortable no matter what time of year it is.

If you’re on a busy street and want to muffle the outside noise, insulation can help with that too. It can help deaden noise on the outside by absorbing reverberations inside.

What to Know Before Buying Prefab Metal Building Insulation

Do you think steel building insulation is the way to go? The experts at Metal Garage Central can help you determine the right type of insulation for your building. Or maybe you’re a do-it-yourselfer? Either way, here’s a couple of things to keep in mind before you purchase your metal building insulation:

Install a radiant barrier

This is placed between your building’s metal exterior and the insulation. A radiant barrier will help reduce the heat transfer in both directions and decrease condensation.

Determine Your R-value

The R-Value signifies the ability to resist heat transfer. The higher the R-Value, the higher the resistance level to letting hot air escape and cold air enter during the cold months. Your R-value will depend on the goals of your insulation and the location of your building.

Address Ventilation

Make sure the items in your metal building are able to breathe. You’ll want to make sure your building is properly ventilated, and the insulation you select won’t impact this.

Choose Your Type of Insulation

There are many types of insulation that can be used for metal buildings depending on the project requirements and your budget.

Here’s a look at the insulation choices:

Blanket Insulation

Blanket Insulation

This type of insulation comes in rolls or in large sheets of a certain size. It is best used for new construction to fill gaps that are of pre-determined size. When used properly, with the correct addition of batting and taping in place, this type of insulation is very effective for new steel building construction.

Loose Fill Insulation

Loose Fill Insulation

This type of insulation is better for filling places that have an irregular space that is hard to access. Most times, it is blown into small holes placed in the finished walls to fill up the interior space with insulation. Although this technique can be used for new construction, it is more commonly used to insulate existing structures.

Spray Foam Insulation

Spray Foam Insulation

This type of insulation is extremely effective, especially around pipes, ventilation ducts, and other things that cut through the insulated barrier. The spray can easily be applied to these irregular areas, and it expands to cover the gaps that might exist. This insulation technique is expensive and best reserved for use in these specialized areas where something may pass through the insulated barrier.

Rigid Board Insulation

Rigid Board Insulation

This solution is very cost-effective for covering larger areas and improvement in the R-value factor by putting up this rigid board as a barricade to prevent warmer or cooler temperature transfer. One very common use of this form of insulation is to put up a solid sheet of rigid board insulation as the first barricade for temperature resistance on the interior of a metal building.

Cheaper Installation Options

There are many types of insulation materials, even for those on a very limited budget. While you may not get much R-value factor improvements by using cheaper materials, you can at least get some benefits. Keep in mind, you’ll need to be careful about not using any flammable materials in these spaces.

For example, if you want to use sheetrock to make the interior of a metal building look smooth and have a nice foundation for an interior-painted surface, you might as well use something for insulation in the space between the metal and the interior walls. This can be bubble wrap, Styrofoam beads, or any variety of things that will help with the insulation.

The Best Metal Buildings at Metal Garage Central

Simply put – the benefits of insulating a metal building are pretty great. If you’re looking for energy-savings, climate control, and a way to prevent condensation, then metal building insulation is the way to go. At Metal Garage Central, we provide durable buildings that will last for years to come. So, you’ll want to think about the right insulation to help prolong the life of your structure. If you have any questions on insulation or if you’re looking for the best metal buildings in the industry, we are here to help! Give us a call today at 980 321-9898.