Insulate Your Metal Building

[OldracerJones]

Built my 30 x 50 metal building last spring. Yesterday the temp dropped to 29 degrees so I went to check how well the fiberglass insulation worked. The temp inside the building was 46 degrees. In North Texas that may be good enough to never have to turn any heaters on.

 

[Bib Overalls]

You might be good for a short cold snap but a longer chill will eventually cold soak your steel structure, your concrete floor, and your contents. When the outside temperature rises the insulation will retain the cold. You are usually better off (cost wise) to maintain a set temperature. Heating up a cold soaked structure and contents takes a lot of BTUs.

 

[SaddleBronc]

Agree with both posts. I have the sprayed polyurethane foam (closed cell) in my shop (as well as my home), and in southern Oklahoma I've never measured a sub-30degree temp inside, even with outside temps in the teens.

However, I still treat the toilets and traps for periods where I won't be checking in and I know there may be extended cold snaps.

Another benefit of the sprayed polyurethane is the sound deadening factor. We had a nickel-sized hailstorm shortly after the shop was built, before insulation. The noise was incredible. We've had several hailstorms since the insulation went in, and it's an order of magnitude quieter. Even windy days are much less noisy in my insulated shop than in my uninsulated barn.

 

[Tim The Tool Man]

You might be good for a short cold snap but a longer chill will eventually cold soak your steel structure, your concrete floor, and your contents. When the outside temperature rises the insulation will retain the cold. You are usually better off (cost wise) to maintain a set temperature. Heating up a cold soaked structure and contents takes a lot of BTUs.

Not totally correct. if you use your shop every day and go through heat up, freeze down cycles daily then yes maintaining temps at a level of say 50* is the most efficient way to go. On the other hand if you use the shop on an irregular schedule, say once every week or so then letting it cool all the way down between uses is going to be more economical. "Heating up a cold soaked structure and contents takes a lot of BTUs" but not nearly as many as it would to maintain the building at a constant temp. over an extended period of time.

I live in PA where it gets pretty cold in the winter. I use my building most mornings and every weekend. I only maintain a constant heat source (electric baseboard set to 40*) in my bathroom to prevent frozen pipes. I use my ceiling mounted propane heater to take the initial chill out of the air and maintain a comfortable temp. while I work in the shop. I also fire up my wood stove at the same time. It has been four years since my last propane fill up and I am still at 70 some odd percent full on my shop tank. Were I to maintain a constant temp. in the building, I'd have gone through at least four or five tanks by now.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Indeed, for rapid cold snaps that warm right back up, it works well. My 60x60 steel building stays at least 10 degrees warmer than the outside when the temps fall. The slab and objects inside are warm and keep the air warm. Long cold spells are different, after about 24 to 36 hours, the place is beginning to get cold soaked.

Of course, I now have a heater that is real cheap to operate.

Charles

 

[Falcon67]

Here it was 50 on Sunday with a 20 MPH north wind, 28 Sunday night, yesterday high 48, 24 last night. My stick shed was 60 yesterday morning, 60 when I got home and 58 this morning. No heat running. For R13 all around, I call it good. I ran the 5kW heater for a bit Sunday night and I was keeping all 960 sq/ft at 68. The other good thing is that even with the mexi-blanket pocket door, I can get the 12x24 work room at shirt sleeve temp in about 15 minutes.

 

[Ggg]

Does anybody who lives in an area that actually gets cold for a length of time have any input on insulating a metal building? How about preventing condensation? No offense meant to the previous posters, but TX, GA, AR, OK are not places I would consider consistently cold climates in the winter.

 

[nosnerd]

cold and damp...come to canada lol..it just snowed 12 inches......

 

[kbs2244]

What you guys are describing is called “thermal lag.”
It is the time it takes for things to down to or up the surrounding air temp.
A building full of stuff, the heavier the better, will stay at the previous temp longer, but it will take longer to get back to the original temp also.

Some of your solar homes will have south facing windows for the sun to shine onto bare, dark colored concrete floors.
The concrete heats up and the radiates heat back when the air cools off at night.