This is another post in my series that demonstrates the effectiveness of double bubble foil insulation. In this installment I will show how my DIY Koozie works much in the same way that EcoFoil does in a metal building. I drink a lot of water while I am at work and few weeks ago I accidentally broke my favorite tumbler. I was mourning its passing when one of my co-workers asked if I ruined it while I was “conducting one of my experiments”.
Why yes it was, I was testing the effectiveness of gravity. Anyway, I brought in my trusty 32oz. Nalgene bottle. This bottle has been with me for a long time and it is indestructible! I take it fishing, camping, and it even gets thrown in the back of the ATV when I am out helping fix fence on the farm. Not even barbed wire can take this thing down. The one thing I don’t like about it is when you fill it up with ice it sweats like crazy! I wasn’t very happy to find a huge puddle on my desk surrounding my lucky water bottle. After thinking about it and examining my broken tumbler I realized the problem. There is nothing to stop the warm humid air from condensing on the ice cold bottle. That’s when I had a brilliant idea!
I noticed some leftover reflective insulation from my DIY cooler sitting on my desk and thought, “That would make a perfect Koozie for my water bottle.” All I had to do was cut the insulation to the height of the bottle. Then I wrapped it tightly around the bottle and cut it so that I had ¼” overlap. I taped it with reflective foil tape so that it would match, because I am particular about that sort of thing. The last step was to cut a circle the size of the bottle for the bottom. I used foil tape to attach that as well.
At 7:30 the next morning I filled my bottle full of ice, then added water, and just set it on my desk to observe. I checked it routinely through the day and never did I find a single drop of condensation.
At 2:30 I opened it to take a drink and there was still quite a bit of ice and the water was cold and refreshing. I took a drink on my way home at 5:00 and although the ice was gone, the water was still cold. My coworkers thought the koozie was such a great idea that a couple of them commissioned me for a few of their own. Not only can you make them for water bottles of all sizes, but they can be fashioned to fit pop cans as well.
Reflective insulation has the same effect in metal buildings, pole barns, warehouses, and workshops. When warm moist air comes in contact with the cold metal sheeting a significant amount of condensation occurs. I have been in metal barns when it seemed as if it was raining, inside! Our double bubble insulation can be installed in a metal building in two ways:
- On new construction the insulation is laid down across the purlins prior to installing the roof sheeting. Be sure to let the product sag between the purlins, this provides an air gap that is essential.
- On existing buildings you can staple or screw the foil insulation to the framing. The space between the insulation and the sheeting creates the necessary air gap.
The reflective insulation creates what we call a thermal break. Basically what that means is that the insulation prevents the warm moist air from reaching the cold surface of the metal exterior. This is what prevents condensation. It doesn’t matter if the reflective insulation is wrapped around a water bottle, pop can, or in a building. The effect is the same: no condensation!
For more information on how to install EcoFoil in your metal building visit: call 888-349-3645 or message us via our chat feature Monday–Friday 8am–5pm CT.
