Need Reflectix for cozy

[Hoosier T]

Posting here instead of Swap. I just need a small amount of reflectix to make a cozy for my Toaks 550. Anyone have some they could help me out with?

 

 

[Jordo _99]

If I had some left I’d ship it out to you (I’m in Omaha so we’re probably pretty close)…but here’s what I’d do in your shoes.

Go go down to the local dollar store or WalMart and buy the cheapest sun shade (the shiny ones are almost always reflectix and I have a strong suspicion the “cool ones” just have an extra layer of fabric over top.

The cheapest ones I’ve ever seen are just raw reflectix with bias tape sewn around the edges for aesthetics. If you can’t find it locally, this is the same kind of product as to what I’m talking about but for an RV:

——————–

Another thought…if you’re a homeowner, you may have other ways to justify buying a roll:

1. wrapping your water heater in it (I did it the week I moved in…supposedly saves $20-30 a year)
2. Additional insulation for your attic/crawlspace (what it’s designed for)

[Matthew / BPL]

I think I have a couple small rectangles left. I can check tonight if someone else doesn’t have some for you.

[Hoosier T]

Thanks, Matt but don’t sweat it. Jordo inspired me to look more closely and I’ve decided to just order 25′ off Amazon for $16. I’ll have plenty lying around for other project. Should have looked more before posting this, had no idea I could get that much for that cheap.

[Matthew / BPL]

Cool. Sounds good.

[Pedestrian]

It’s been about 5 years since I last bought any but I just went to the local hardware store and they sold me whatever length I needed from their roll. I’ll have to check and see if I can still get it.

I’ve used it for cozies and and as an additional sleeping pad layer for camping in the snow – provides decent insulation for the weight though bulky.

[Steve B]

Why reflectix?  The insulation value of it is not much (it is filled mostly with air), and the reflective aspect only reflects radiant heat (which needs an air gap between it and the item radianting).

Closed cell foam is a much better insulator for conductive heat loss.

[Greg Mihalik]

^^^

Close cell foam might get you R-3 per inch (depending on density). So 1/4″ would get you R-.75

Reflectix is maybe R-1.1

That said, I prefer a double layer of 1/8″ foam (contact cement and offset seams) over Reflectix and foil tape.

 

 

 

[Steve B]

The R-1.1 of reflectix is with an air gap, or no air gap?

[Greg Mihalik]

1.1 is with a air gap.

On a cozy I’d guess that 50% would be air gapped.

[J R]

I had a sun shade that I cut up for cozies and such, and when I ran out and got a roll of brand-name Reflectix I found that the sun shade is an imitation of Reflectix, it’s not the real thing. The brand-name Reflectix is noticeably thicker than the sun-shade material and thus it insulates better. The difference is in the height of the bubbles, there doesn’t seem to be thicker or extra material.

But…I also found with the roll that you lose almost an inch of the width because it is designed to be stapled into place so to help with that the manufacturer perforates and thus deflates the air bubbles for almost an inch of the width on one side. So for example in my case I got a 16″ x 25′ roll, but the usable width for insulation is only a bit over 15″.

[Monte Masterson]

Dutchware has Reflrctix for $1.25 a foot (36″ wide). Reasonable USPS shipping..

[J R]

“It is 12 inches wide and sold by the foot.”

[Author]

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