mobile signal and foil backed insulation

A

avoca

Registered User
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We're in the middle of a renovation at the minute and have noticed that our mobile phone signal inside the house is very low to having no coverage at all. Once outside there is full coverage. I did a search on the web and found some UK sites saying that foil backed insulation can reflect the signal and result in low coverage. We've put in lots of foil backed insulation. Has oneone come across this problem and do you know whether it is possible to get a booster to strengthen the signal? thanks
 
The foil-backed insulation plays havoc with mobile, DECT phones and Wifi, to the point of it being unusable if not in the next room.

SSE
 
Most insualtion is foil backed. The foil disentegrates after 6 months I'm told (by an insulation expert) So your signal issues should improve over time.
 
sfag said:
Most insualtion is foil backed. The foil disentegrates after 6 months I'm told (by an insulation expert) So your signal issues should improve over time.
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Any evidence to back this up? I've found insulation that has been outside for 2 years and it looked perfectly fine, if a little grubby. I've seen Kingspan that has been in walls for years and it's as rigid as it always was. There's some degassing, true.

Your "expert" didn't sell a product like blown-in polystyrene to counter the "disintegration" did he/she?

SSE
 
sse said:
The foil-backed insulation plays havoc with mobile, DECT phones and Wifi, to the point of it being unusable if not in the next room.
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On the plus side it keeps our harmful radiation from pylons, phone masts, microwaves etc....
 
sfag said:
The foil disentegrates after 6 months I'm told (by an insulation expert)
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Complete waffle! Your foil insulation will still be around long after you're gone!
 
sse said:
The foil-backed insulation plays havoc with mobile, DECT phones and Wifi, to the point of it being unusable if not in the next room.

SSE
Click to expand...

On the plus side, 'they' won't be able to read your brain waves
 
Guys. You are getting a little carried away there.

The foil on modern insualtion does not provide thermal benefits. Its stuff under the foil that provides the insualtion.
Some brands modern effective insualtion has no foil at all.
My Roof has extruded insualtion which sits on top of the roof held down by stones. No foil there.

The person was a Kingspan insulation consultant - the expert that sales people refer to. They said that people think the foil serves some purpose but if you were to open up a cavity wall the fouild would be gone after 6 months.

Think about it. If tin foil was any good for insulation there would be no insualtion industry.

There you have it.

I've looked at that link. Any insualtion that refers to "Reflective Foil works all year round" as a benefit is running out of good things to say about their product. You gotta laugh.

I think we should start a thread of modern misconceptions in the bilding industry.
 
sfag said:
The foil on modern insualtion does not provide thermal benefits. Its stuff under the foil that provides the insualtion.
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Don't think anyone said the foil provided thermal insulation. You are right it's the stuff under the foil. The foil on the outside is purely reflective.
It does however have an effect on the phone signal which was what the original post was about.

sfag said:
Some brands modern effective insualtion has no foil at all. My Roof has extruded insualtion which sits on top of the roof held down by stones. No foil there.
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Correct, lots of insulation doesn't have foil.


If the foil was useless and was going to disintegrate, why would Kingspan put it on their products in the first place? Foil is not cheap and they'd save a fortune by not using it.
Are they (and all the other manufacturers) trying to deceive the public? Surely not!
 
Foil does not have insulation properties but it does have reflective qualities. All the elements work together to give a rating.
Is there any chance you could source some data to back up your statement.

I think we should have a thread about conspiracy theories in the construction industry
 
"Don't think anyone said the foil provided thermal insulation. You are right it's the stuff under the foil. The foil on the outside is purely reflective.
It does however have an effect on the phone signal which was what the original post was about"
- yes and I awsered it by saying after a while your problem will go way - if its down to the foil that is.
 
"If the foil was useless and was going to disintegrate, why would Kingspan put it on their products in the first place? Foil is not cheap and they'd save a fortune by not using it.
Are they (and all the other manufacturers) trying to deceive the public? Surely not!"

I dont know. Probably public perception pleasing
The older insulation from kingspan didnt have it.
At a guess its merely marketing. I'd say it is cheap. Its very crumbly, very thin stuff. More so than cooking foil. its presence is token. Prehaps it helps with the binding.
If foil did anyting useful they'ed make it thicker and stronger.
 
If foil did anyting useful they'ed make it thicker and stronger.
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Does it not reflect Infrared radiation? It doesn't need to be thicker or stronger, only needs to be reflective.

It probably does nothing for convective heat transfer but helps for heat transfer via radiation.
 
The foil on insulation does seve a purpose and most certainly does NOT disintegrate. I have taken down foil backed plasterboard twenty years old on many an occasion and it was as good as the day it was put up.
Foil backed insulation used between rafter in a loft conversion for example reflects heat on a hot summers day. Consider the fact that slates can heat up to 80 odd degrees or more from the sun, the foil backing works excellently in reflecting heat and keeps the room cool, compare this to a rafter insulated with rockwool, on a hot day the room in the loft would be unbearably stifleingly hot. This also works to a lesser degree in reverse during winter.
 
We live in a Dormer and thank God for the foil insulation, Our upstirs is very comfortable in the Summer. I was in a dormer last summer , obviously no foil used in roofing and I could not believe the heat that had built up during the day, I was convinced that some sort of heating was on. The owner explained to me that during the summer they switched to the down stair bedroom as they could not sleep in the overpowering heat up stairs.

And yes we have very little coverage on our mobile phones in our house, we have found a few places where I know I have a signal and we place them there.


Secman
 
Is your phone 3g. I used to have good reception (have foil in all three floors above my head, and in the walls. Switch to a 3g signal and now reception is crap.
Could be that.
 
i'm on Vodafone, OH on O2, no diference, both signals crap in foil wrapped house !


Secman
 
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