SUSPENDED CEILING INSULATION

Suspended ceiling insulation is normally applied beneath concrete floors. They serve many purposes in commercial and residential properties – covering up pipes and air ducts, creating space for light points and forming an aesthetically pleasing finish. Insulation can be very important in a suspended ceiling. With effective installation, the gap between this construction and the intermediate floor above can be filled with insulation material – whether you have a wooden or metal frame in place. Suspended ceilings by their nature will improve the thermal efficiency of a building, reducing the depth of the internal ceiling height, effectively trapping the warm air below. However, as most ceiling tiles are fairly porous, a proportion of this warm air will penetrate through the tiles and into the ceiling void. Installing insulation above the suspended ceiling will help to restore the warm air within the room and not into the ceiling void. You’ll need to ensure the entire suspended ceiling is covered, without gaps. That’s most easily achieved by lifting a ceiling tile, filling in the area around it, then replacing the tile, moving a few feet along the ceiling, and repeating. Given the additional thickness of thermal ceiling roll compared with some insulation boards, it’s not surprising that you can reduce heat loss even more effectively with ceiling insulation roll. To fit, the principle is exactly the same as with a regular loft, although here you’ll need to remove a series of ceiling tiles at regular intervals along a straight line, then progress from one to the next, ensuring the roll is laid straight, abutting the prior roll.

TYPES OF SUSPENDED CEILING INSULATION

INSULATING PADS | BAGGED INSULATION | INSULATION BAGS

The simplest form insulation to install above your suspended ceiling is the insulation pad. Each pad is a self-contained pillow of rock or mineral fibre encased in polythene. Suspended ceiling insulation pads are lightweight and easy to install – and they won’t cause any undue stress on your suspended ceiling. Suspended ceiling insulation pads are standard ceiling tile-sized. To work out how many you need, you need just count the tiles. There are three types available: Thermal Pads, Acoustic Pads and Flame Retardant Pads. Standard Sizes - 600x600mm or 1200X600mm and at thicknesses of 100mm, 150mm and 200mm.

INSULATING ROLL

Given the additional thickness of thermal ceiling roll compared with some insulation pads, it’s not surprising that you can reduce heat loss even more effectively with ceiling insulation roll. To fit, the principle is exactly the same as with a regular loft, however it would be quite difficult access wise. You should need to lift a tile and may pull the insulation out of alignment and leave cold spots. Also fibres can fall through any gaps and settle onto surfaces in the rooms below.

Products:
Isover Spacesaver Loft Roll
Knauf Earthwool Loft Insulation Roll 44 Combi Cut
Superglass Multi-Acoustic Partition Roll ǀ APR Insulation 
URSA 10 Diverso Loft Roll

PIR FOIL FACED BOARDS

PIR boards come in many thicknesses and provide good levels of insulation but you would have to do a large amount of cutting to get the boards shaped to the size of each tile to properly fit them. If you put strips above many tiles or full sheets across the tiles then you will struggle to get easy access again should you need to for plumbing and electrical servicing. There is also less flexibility to go over or around pipework and service ducts that are close to the ceiling tiles or grid.

Products:
15mm Xtratherm Thin-R PIR Rigid Insulation Board 
20mm Xtratherm Thin-R PIR Rigid Insulation Board
 

Video credit:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SPfeP0Aje8