Insulation 101

Before buying any heat shield, exhaust wrap, header pipe wrap, or other insulation it is imperative to educate yourself about the product and the application. The following information is intended to be a guide to help you decide which product is best for your application. We can provide you all the technical data for the product, but ultimately it is up to you to pick the best heat shield or insulator for your application.

First things first, do your homework. Decide if you have a conductive heat issue or a radiant heat issue. Conductive heat transmits heat from the heat source to a component by direct contact. Conductive heat is a little more difficult to manage. If you have such an application you can try using a heat insulator product to act as a gasket to help minimize the transfer of conductive heat from component to component.

Radiant heat is heat that radiates from a heat source to a component that is not in contact with the heat source; instead it sits at a distance. Example: an exhaust pipe 1" away from a floor pan radiates heat up to the floor pan.

Check your temperature ratings for your application(s). If you have access to an infrared temperature gun use it. Shoot the areas you need protected and measure the temperatures of the heat source and the component you would like to be protected. In addition, measure the distance between the component you want to protect and the heat source. By doing this you will find the correct solution to your problem, the first time, saving you time and money. For example , you would not buy a pair of cylinder heads or an intake manifold without finding the correct application; do not do the same thing with thermal insulation. We at Heatshield do not want you to waste your money buying the wrong product. Therefore we will do everything within our ability to help you get the right product, at the right price, with the best service.

Heat Insulators- Most insulators available on the market are comprised of fiberglass, which is good for 1000°F of continuous direct heat. Fiberglass wraps can have special coatings applied to them such as "Vermiculite", which allows the fiberglass to take 1200°F of continuous direct contact. Some other wraps are misleading labeled as 2000°F. The 2000°F number on a fiberglass exhaust wrap is the maximum temperature a fiberglass exhaust heat wrap can withstand for less than 30 seconds; anything beyond that temperature or period of time will cook fiberglass exhaust wraps; fiberglass header wrap get brittle and fall apart when this happens. That means you have exceeded the 1200°F continual operating temperature, the chemical makeup of the material has changed, and begun to crystallize. For these applications we highly recommend our Inferno Wrap or our Heatshield Armor product. Have you ever had a basalt (volcanic rock) wrap get brittle and fall apart? Much like the fiberglass exhaust wraps, the volcanic rock exhaust wraps cannot sustain 1800°F continuous, instead they are designed to sustain operating temperatures of 1200°F and take brief intervals of 2000°F for 30 seconds or less. Anyone selling you a volcanic rock wrap telling you it can take 1800°F, is just looking to get your money, not solve your problem.

Heat Shield Thermal Barriers- Heat shield barriers act as a thermal barrier to stop radiant heat. The most common type of radiant barrier is aluminum combined with a fiberglass, silica, or ceramic insulation. Be leery of an advertised aluminum heat shield barriers that have a rating to 2000°F (or higher). Aluminum melts at 1120°F. If you had a 2000°F heat source 2" away with a lot of air flow, an aluminized barrier still might work. Air gaps and air flow are huge factors when using a heat shield barrier. With the right combination of an aluminized barrier, air gap, and air flow, most aluminized fiberglass barriers are capable of reflect over 90% of radiant heat away. If you are under 1" or have some direct contact points, these aluminized barriers are only good for temperatures of 500°F, and might only stop 70% or less of the radiant heat. Basalt is another good product for reflecting radiant heat away. While basalt may not reflect as much heat as the aluminized heat barriers, they function more efficiently when you have an area of 1" or less. Products like our Lava Mat can sustain the 1200°F continuous and actually stop more heat than an aluminized product in the less than 1" environments.

**ALERT** Buyer Beware of gold heat shield barriers! 90% of the gold heat shield barriers have no textile combined with the Mylar foil. In fact, if you were to peel them apart, you would find a vinyl sticker behind the gold. If you have to have gold insulation, please seek some out that has a fiberglass or other textile component to it. In most cases you could put and adhesive backing on aluminum foil and get close to the same results as the gold, and save yourself a boat load of money.

Remember, measure twice, cut once! Whether you use our products or another company's, we would like to see you get the problem solved the first time. So there you go, you are now ready to conquer your hot problems. Please visit the rest of our site for some very cool solutions!