Installing insulation on a metal building Any tips

[600SL]

I have done this before and it was very difficult especially the roof. Now 10 years later at age 66, I am building a steel building and tomorrow I will start insulating the roof. The building is steel with steel purlins and essentially a non walk-able 4 pitch PBR roof on top of 6" insulation. It will be on a 39' x 30' x 11' building. I am limited to myself and one other helper to do this job. I also have acess to a Geini lift. Any tips would be appreciated. The insulation comes in 6' wide by 35' rolls. The first picture is of my new garage. The second picture shows the insulation as it was being installed on my previous garage. One question I have is PBR seals. Are they really necessary if I am crushing down 6" of insulation down onto the eve beam?

 

[My Old Tools]

Seals can go in after the sheets if you need to. They are foam and can be "stuffed". My roof is 6/12 pitch. I didn't do it myself but they got it insulated and screwed down. I did have another 8" of insulation added to the under side of the roof with strapping, and it is absolutely worth it to stop radiant heat gain through the roof.

 

[jthorn8]

Seals can go in after the sheets if you need to. They are foam and can be "stuffed". My roof is 6/12 pitch. I didn't do it myself but they got it insulated and screwed down. I did have another 8" of insulation added to the under side of the roof with strapping, and it is absolutely worth it to stop radiant heat gain through the roof.

Hi, I was wondering what kind of climate you are in. I am in North Carolina, in the summer it gets to 90's for a few weeks and in the winter it don't stay below freezing more than a couple days at a time. I am putting up my 40x60x-16 red iron building now, and I bought R19, 6" insulation, but I am debating going with the strap system like you say you have and trying to see if it is worth the difference, probably 7 grand difference if I can sell what I got. I do plan to heat and cool it and figure now is the time to do it the way is best. Thanks for your time.

 

[My Old Tools]

We are hot in the summer and humid. We had 20-30 days over 100 this summer. Had -12 two winters ago. Average winter temps are above freezing with a few freezing days on each big cold front. Most of your heat definitely comes through the roof. You can see the strapping in this photo.

 

[Max78]

I used strong magnets to help hold the insulation in place while I secured the panels over the insulation. Worked great but my helpers didn't tighten the insulation in all areas so I got some drooping in areas where friends helped. Other than that it sucked.

 

[coltonq23]

Seals can go in after the sheets if you need to. They are foam and can be "stuffed". My roof is 6/12 pitch. I didn't do it myself but they got it insulated and screwed down. I did have another 8" of insulation added to the under side of the roof with strapping, and it is absolutely worth it to stop radiant heat gain through the roof.

is it okay to put it on top of the white vinyl insulation that already has the vapor barrier on the roof ? its okay to stack more on top?

 

[My Old Tools]

Mine is added on top and have had no issues in 6 years. First couple of years were no HVAC, then I added a MrCool and still no issues.

 

[coltonq23]

Mine is added on top and have had no issues in 6 years. First couple of years were no HVAC, then I added a MrCool and still no issues.

whats on the walls? also is the electric bill much more the the mr.cool?

 

[My Old Tools]

Walls and roof are single layer 4" roll with plastic backing, then the roof was strapped inside and 8" plastic backed ws added. The MrCool is pretty economical for me. I only run it when I'm in the shop. It cools it down reasonably fast.

 

[coltonq23]

Walls and roof are single layer 4" roll with plastic backing, then the roof was strapped inside and 8" plastic backed ws added. The MrCool is pretty economical for me. I only run it when I'm in the shop. It cools it down reasonably fast.

nice !!!! thank you!! I can't decide on ac lol I have four large roll ups.

 

[My Old Tools]

nice !!!! thank you!! I can't decide on ac lol I have four large roll ups.

I don't know your location, but here, the first time I ran it, it sucked a ton of moisture out of the shop over 2 days.

 

[coltonq23]

in alvin tx near houston tx

 

[nadogail]

When I worked at a local Ship Yard, the fiber glass insulation mats were held to the Steel Bulkheads buy fasteners threaded onto the studs that were spot welded in place.

Spot Weld guns are very easy to use, unfortunately they are not cheap.

There were also studs with bases that were glued to the steel bulkheads. I last worked in the shipyard about 40 years ago.

 

[My Old Tools]

in alvin tx near houston tx

I'm near Tyler. Getting the humidity down is better than the cooling in our area.