Fish Room Insulation

[alan3513]

Looking to put insulation between the shed walls/roof and the plywood walls of my new fish house. Is Loft insulation, i.e. The fibreglass stuff suitable. Would i need to use plastic sheeting on either or both sides for any moisture, Thanks in advance for any advice, Alan.

 

[micko]

Fiberglass insulation should be good yes, although it becomes less effective when wet so I would make sure any joints are sealed and cover it on the inside as well as It will work better. ( I say it should work as I've never used it for what your talking about, only used it when insulating houses)

There could possibly be something better out there, I know aeroboard works well too. Maybe someone else could suggest something else.

Good luck.

 

[tribalbrit]

Rigid insulation boards are what you need, they come in various thickness's from 25mm to 200mm depending on your timbers. king span is the one every one knows but there are cheeper ones that are just as good such as celotex. Also Jewsons do their own brand which is ok.
Dont add any polythene or you'll make it sweat, The insulation is foil backed so offers some protection or you could cover the timbers in a breathable roofing felt if you feel the need.
Try and leave a slight air gap behind the insulation to avoid any condensation.

 

[OldMan47]

If you choose to use fiberglass or mineral wool insulation, make sure you use a good vapor barrier. As you are aware, insulation loses its insulating ability when it is wet and the vapor in a fish room is quite high at all times. There should always be a moisture barrier between the fish room and the insulation to keep the insulation dry.

 

[tribalbrit]

Any membrain MUST be breathable or it WILL sweat and then your quilt insulation will be wet anyway. Use rigid board which has a greater U value than quilt insulation.
Loft insulation is not suitable... If you must use quilt insulation opt for cavity insulation which is treated to withstand a degree of moisture and then a breathable membrain such as monofoil or similar.

 

[Tolak]

Humidity is an issue in any fishroom, where there is often more space taken up by water than air. The cheapest way I've found to deal with this is a bath fan on a timer, running a couple of hours a few times daily. Sealing the top of the tanks as much as possible to reduce evaporation helps as well.

From what I've seen tanks that are heated cause more humidity issues due to condensation than rooms that are heated to tank temperature. Water vapor condenses on cooler surfaces, reducing the coolness of the surfaces reduces condensation.

 

[Socks]

Insil-theory

They sell foam,but this site has much good info on insulation,r-value,vapor barriers,ect.You may learn all the things a builder may not want you to know.

 

[alan3513]

Thanks everyone for their input, Much appreciated, Cheers, Alan.