Air Structure Insulation System

To reduce heating and cooling bills, as well as to make your dome environmentally friendly, we recommend that you consider insulating your air structure if it will be up year around.

Reflective Foil, Double-Bubble Insulation

Always with an eye to innovation, The Farley Group makes use of reflective bubble pack insulation for our domes. Constructed with two layers of bubble pack sandwiched between two layers of reflective foil, our insulation system uses the principles of radiant heat transfer rather than the traditional insulating principles that are based on conductive and convective heat transfer.

Unlike mass insulation such as fibre glass, reflective insulation's effectiveness is measured in emittance or 'E' values ranging from 1 to 0, rather than the 'R' values commonly referred to for traditional insulation systems. Because of this, it's difficult to compare the systems directly since the two technologies operate on different insulating principles. Having said that, the 'E' values evident in reflective insulation can be said to provide the same insulating efficiencies as a fibre glass system rated as R10-R12, which is typically the rating given to fibre glass insulating systems installed in an air-supported structure.

For more information on reflective foil insulation and the science behind it, you can learn more from these sources:

- Understanding and Using Reflective Insulation & Radiant Barriers (RIMA)
- Supplier Product Information (TVM Building Products)
- Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ (TVM Building Products)

I've heard reflective insulation isn't as good as fibre glass?

Although our competitors sometimes challenge the quality of reflective insulation, we stand behind the product, and point customers to the many successful projects we've undertaken over the last 10 years. It's hard to argue the performance of reflective insulation when one can see first hand 'live' case studies of this insulation system in use. We can also provide customers with technical third-party data that backup our assertions of reflective insulation's effectiveness.

From our experience, we have found that reflective insulation performs just as well as fibre glass in an air-structure application. We can still offer a fibre glass system if that is what the customer prefers, but we have found several advantages to using reflective insulation over fibre glass in an air-supported structure including:

Advantages of Reflective Foil VS Fibre Glass

Moisture
Reflective foil insulation is unaffected by moisture, and controls condensation. Fibre glass tends to absorb moisture, acting like a 'sponge'. Once wet, fibre glass loses its insulating ability. Wet fibre glass also becomes heavy, and you run the risk of it coming loose from its attachments, and falling to the ground within the wall panels of the dome, leaving no insulation coverage whatsoever.

Resistance to Moulds, Fungi & Bacteria
Since foil doesn't absorb water, it does not promote growth of fungi, moulds or bacteria which can cause significant public health hazards.

Panel Coverage
Regardless of the manufacturer, domes are constructed by welding panels of fabric together, usually in 56" or 71" widths. This creates seams between the panels which aren't possible to cover with insulation of any type, however the thinness of foil insulation allows for better coverage, making the gap between seams as small as possible. By using fibre glass - which could be 2" to 4" thick, this can leave a large gap between where the insulation blanket ends, and the seam begins. Click here for an illustration of the 'gap' that we refer too here.

Ease of Installation
Since the rolls of reflective insulation are light and thin, installation time is shorter, and a much simpler process. As well, unlike fibre glass, installers don't have to worry about breathing in particles or having skin irritation for those that are prone to reactions from handling fibre glass.

Class 1 / Class A Fire Rating
Much like the fabric we use for our domes, reflective foil bubble pack insulation won't support a flame, and therefore adheres to the highest fire rating requirements. It will melt and burn if exposed to a direct flame, but will not support a flame on its own. It has been tested and meets the ASTM E84 standard testing requirements.

To view our insulation brochure which briefly explains reflective insulation technology, you can download the following file:

- Farley Insulation System (Adobe Acrobat, 73kb)