Agricultural buildings play an important role in the functioning of modern-day society. They provide shelter for livestock and storage for food, supplies, and equipment. From animal barns and poultry houses—to sheds, silos, and greenhouses, there are many specialty structures used today that help a farm’s operations run smoothly.
When putting up a new farm building, it’s important to consider whether or not to insulate the structure, what type of agricultural insulation to use, and the method of installation.
Why Insulate Farm Buildings?
There are many factors to consider when deciding whether farm insulation is required. Some farm buildings are simple sheds that shield equipment from the elements and do not require insulation. Other structures require some degree of thermal protection for food storage, indoor grow operations, or farm animal health.
Farm Animal Health
Dairy cattle, for example, may require insulated housing in extreme climates in order to boost milk production. Poultry is also susceptible to extreme temperatures and requires some level of temperature-controlled housing in cold climates. Humidity and ventilation are also important to consider with animal housing.
Thermal Comfort
Insulated farm buildings can contribute to thermal comfort for both workers and livestock while also reducing heating and cooling costs in conditioned spaces.
Temperature-controlled spaces can be used for food storage and processing and to keep animal feed in an optimal environment.
Safe Food Storage
Both animal feed and crops for human consumption require careful and thoughtful storage. Providing a temperature-controlled environment for farm food storage ensures that food will not spoil prematurely or be damaged by extreme temperatures or condensation. High-quality insulation helps farmers reduce energy costs in their food storage structures.
Types of Agricultural Insulation
As with all buildings, there are several options when it comes to farm building insulation. Boards, batts, spray, and blown-in insulation are all used on agricultural structures.
Agricultural spray foam insulation is one option that is sometimes used on farm buildings because it is foam-in-place and can conform to any irregularly shaped ceiling, wall, or cavity space. However, it should be avoided in parts of the structure where farm animals can reach and disturb the insulation.
A common type of poultry farm insulation is called poultry curtain insulation. It is not so much an insulation, but more of a windbreak and moisture barrier provided by reinforced polyethylene sheeting. Some states have recommendations on R-value requirements for poultry houses. In Mississippi, R-12 is recommended on ceilings and R-8 on exterior walls for poultry farm insulation in order to keep the birds healthy and comfortable while also conserving energy.
Other types of agricultural building insulation are used in equipment and food storage buildings. For example, polycarbonate panels are used in greenhouses, and agricultural insulated metal panels can be used as both the wall and insulation in farm storage buildings.
Continuous Insulation
Regardless of the type of insulation chosen, it’s best practice to choose continuous insulation. Continuous insulation is material that is installed in a constant thickness across the entire surface, including the roof and exterior walls. Continuous insulation reduces heat loss and improves energy efficiency, thereby reducing heating and cooling costs.
Agricultural insulated metal panels and rigid board insulation are two examples of insulation that constitute “continuous insulation.” Fiberglass batts, on the other hand, are not continuous since they must be stapled to studs and the insulating material is interrupted by another material (such as wood studs). This reduces the effectiveness of the insulation since heat can escape through the more conductive material due to thermal bridging.
Polyiso for Agricultural Building Insulation
As mentioned above, continuous rigid board insulation is an ideal farm insulation material for agricultural structures. Products such as Rmax TSX-8510 come in modular sizes of varying thicknesses in order to achieve the desired R-value for various climate zones and meet code requirements specific to different types of agricultural structures.
Typical installation of Rmax TSX-8510 requires mechanical fastening of modular boards to the structural members, including studs, rafters, and trusses. The facers are durable reinforced aluminum and the joints can be taped with Rmax R-SEAL 3000 for an airtight seal. TSX-8510 is available in thickness ranging from ½” up to 4-½” and provides R-3.2 up to R-31 of thermal insulating power in a single layer.
Specialty insulation is often designed and manufactured specifically for agricultural buildings. This includes insulation for silos, dairy farms, food storage, industrial tanks, pole barns, and more.
Provide Comfort with Rmax Thermal Insulation
Farmers have a tough job that requires a lot of specialized equipment to get the job done. Make the job a little more comfortable by using the right insulation in your farm buildings.
Reach out to the insulation experts at Rmax today to help you plan and design the insulation layout for your new or old farm and agriculture buildings so that you can focus on operating your farm!