Insulation

[Iceage]

Hey all and thank you again for all your help previously.

 

I once set up my garden shed for growing before but in this time I was much younger and got some free roof/insulation bats so I set my shed up with these on all walls and covered them with that white reflective plastic. Why I say I was much younger then is that I was full of energy and now I am looking for a much easier way without spending a fortune.

 

Does anyone know the best way to insulate their sheds? I want to grow again and I can still get these bats for free but I tried going to Clark Rubber to get some foam but it was really expensive for the amount I needed, I was looking at close to $300 or more just for the walls and then you have the reflective plastic to go onto that and then the rest of the set-up of course. As mentioned previously, I will do the bats again if I have to, just if anyone else has any other suggestions I would be very grateful.

 

When using these bats I did have a heater on a timer and the room never got bellow 25 degrees so this was brilliant, I at least need something to insulate as I have recently torn down all the walls and my parents have used it as storage since.

 

While having a look around today we thought of going to the box/paper bins, looking for foam matresses at the tip and even thinking of purchasing expanding foam (which I knew would not work as I had use it to block the light previously and the light shines straight through) so I really need some of your advise on how to keep the warmth in. I am not too worried about the light seeping out (small amount) as I can cover this any other way and I have a couple of Big Ugly Mastiffs in my yard along with Security Lights Galore to keep them protected. Just mainly the warmth.

 

Any help is wonderful.

 

Cheers.

 

Ice.

[mull]

Hey Iceage, I'm not real sure what your budget is, or what you meant by youthful energies, or how big your shed is either, but..

best try the cheapest grade siselation, gladiator, ecopink or the likes, first, under the iron. Then your wall batts r1.5, then gyprock which might require some battens to screw to. Then you'll be snug.

Might sound expensive but the materials aren't to bad, depending on your shed size.

You could maybe change the gyprock for cheap grade ply.

 

Going scroungey I spose you could raid foam from old couches etc, but yuck. Expanding foam is pretty expensive for what you get, but will fill holes no worries.

 

Best with it

[pipeman]

yeah rubber products are not what you're really after you want the batts or similar. Rubber is dense and will therefore tend to transmit heat.

 

If you can get the batts for free whats the problem?

 

Then I'd just run a layer of panda film inside both as a reflective surface and to hold the batts in place.

 

You could line the inside with gyprock and paint it which would be a better long term solution, but obviously more money and work up front.

[Iceage]

Thanks for the replies guys.

 

Yeah I am not much of a builder so I never thought of gyprock. I could give it a go though for sure. It's only half a average garden shed size (around 2.5m x 1.8m x 2.2m), I cut the shed in half basically with a wooden wall and made a door etc.

 

What I mean by the youthful energies was that I had all the excitement in the world to start my first grow, now I have done it before I was just looking for the quickest easiest solution. Still excited of course but kinda like your first shag I suppose. Also putting the bats vertically took a bit of work (as I said, not much of a builder), I tied them up with string and then stapled the plastic (the one I keep forgetting the name of, starts with M?) over the top. It worked a treat at the time.

 

Cheers.

[Gazza2001au]

mylar? id just buy a $50-$70 thermostat and a $15 fan heater from golo that will keep ur temps pretty good electricity wont go thru the roof id say for ur space and being winter probably $20 a month in electricity as the heater only turns on when the thermostat drops way cheaper option IMO

[Iceage]

I'm in probably one of the coldest places in Australia, it does get rather cold down there in the shed and being on a concrete slab doesn't help. I can put a sheet of something down anyway I suppose. I'd need to cut out the wind/light factor again anyway however I can do that pretty easily without another wall. I might just put something light up and go with your idea Gazza but I keep thinking the heater would be on quite often if I was to keep the room at a good growing temp. Thanks.

[Shithappens]

Clark rubber shouldnt be your spot for getting foam products

 

Im near newcastle NSW and all i did was find the builders supplier for insolation products.

 

My box is not near your size but i got for $3 a sheet of 10mm thick white foam box style foam 600 x 1400 and lined my walls with that.

 

You would need around a 20cm wide sheets a bit of liquid nails, an old hand saw and a few hours.

 

In our high tech world there is so many different ways you can go. This place offered raw material for the creation of cold rooms(foam sheets with thin alluminium on each side) from 15cm thick downwards all the way to roofing insolation and guttering.

 

HEHE was so tempted to get a cool room styled room and an air conditioner to control it.

 

but what i mean to say is forget the retailers if you can go to the wholesalers as with retailers they will charge you frieght anyway in there mark up and most wholesalers sell to public.

 

I know the pain the bats can be putting them in and cleaning up the job so i dont blame you for not going there.

 

Expandable foam from mattresses is flammable!!!!!! DONT USE IT it will turn a small fire into a toxic nightmare (so will the foam but i covered mine with 4mm particle board)

 

IF anything start raping your fruit shops for broccoli boxes to use as this is what i used first

[SukonmiSkunk]

ice age,

just use string to hold the bats in place if you still just want to use panda film.. sometimes a squirt of silicone might help too...

 

gyprock would be the go.. its fairly easy to put in, cuts with a stanley knife... and best of all can be painted for years and years worth of growing with out any issues at all....

 

but really, try the string, its cheap, just make sure youve dealt with the light leaks... use Black Silicone....