Insulating Paint Additive, Personal Test Review

[resilientg]

Well i asked a little while ago "Who's used insulating paint".

Now i can say that i have.

I made a few photos and tried in on a few different materials as i was as dubious of it as the next guy, or girl for that matter.

My results show that it does work to some degree, and found that in general i could get about three degrees difference in temperature.

Now that was just on some thin aluminum that was also going to be affected by the ambient air temperature, but still, its shows that there is a difference.

So in my thinking, in my theory, once i paint my hull and deck, both of which are already foam insulated inside as well, that external temperature difference should provide quite a difference to the internal boat temps.

Anyway here's the pic's,

01 The test pieces, same size and thickness of aluminum, one just normal finish, one paint with normal white paint, one with Insulladd mixed in.

02 The paint that i used, i just used normal white paint as i couldn't be stuffed mixing up my two pack, even used the same type of brushes, and tried to get the total coats and paint thickness the same on both painted samples.

03 Normal paint consistency

04 Paint and Insulladd consistency, its a bit thicker and gooey, but once its on its not bad, i wouldn't use it in a top coat mind you, but in your first two layers of primer or undercoat then it would be perfect.

05 The temperature difference, i used two identical thermometers, and even swapped them over in case one wasn't calibrated as well as the other

Shown here (1.5 degrees difference) is just after i moved the samples on to the seat of my dinghy so the thermometers may not have adjusted fully, and the place where i put the sample was pretty hot prior to putting the samples there, but in general i would see anywhere from 1+ degrees to about 4+ degrees diifference in temperature as i moved them around to different spots.

So will i use this stuff, sure, why not, even if its only a few degrees different, its isn't any harder to use than normal paint, just mix it in and paint, and its not that expensive.

Its not good for spraying i have been told unless you remove all the strainers from your equipment, but if you do that then you can spray it.

From what i have researched if you use it both inside and out you get the maximum benefits, but for me its only going on the outside of my hull, top and bottom.

Now my next test will be to use it on the inside of my freezer to see if it helps my freezer stay colder, which would be an added bonus.

So there you go, make up your own mind, and if anyone has any questions feel free to ask as i will answer what i can.

Cheers

Matthew

[sailful]

I have seen where insulating paint was used in a building to "insulate" ducting where asbestos had been removed. My conclusion was that insulating paint has the same "R" factor as regular paint but a much higher "$" factor.

[resilientg]

The stuff im using isn't expensive, its about $70 AU for enough to add to around 10 liters of paint.

And as shown above, it works.

Matthew

[DeepFrz]

The difference may be in the reflective difference of the two test pieces. One looks like a flatter white than the other with dirty fingerprints on it...

[LakeSuperior]

A small change in the solar reflectance can cause large temperature difference. Put a couple coats of the normal paint on both samples and retest.

Switching the sensors was a good idea.

[David M]

It's too bad it does not have an R rating which would quantify its effectiveness as an insulator.

[resilientg]

Originally Posted by LakeSuperior

A small change in the solar reflectance can cause large temperature difference. Put a couple coats of the normal paint on both samples and retest.

Switching the sensors was a good idea.

Repainting them was another good idea, thanks

So i repainted them both with straight paint over the top, still get a temperature difference with the insulated additive one being the cooler, the paints still wet and the difference is only 2 degrees, but it shows a difference.

It would be nice to have a box to put these into as im certain that the difference is somewhat being nullified by the passing air, because when i put the each samples unpainted side on my cheeks, you can feel a definite difference.

As for the "R" value, maybe it cant be done as there are two many variables to be considered when you ask the average layman to mix the paint himself? Compared to finished insulation product like glass bats, or foam etc


Matthew