rmax vs thermax vs 1" vs 1.5"

[Jeremy Shaw]

Hello all!

I've read that Dow Thermax is better quality than RMax thermaseath. But, RMax is much easier to obtain (and cheaper?).

Right now I can run down to home depot and get some 1" RMax. I could also get them to special order 1.5" (I think). Or I can try to find a distributor for thermax.

Are people happy with 1" RMax (for a folding, stretch hexayurt). Or is it the worth extra time, money, and effort to get something the 1.5" RMax or even the 1.5" thermax?

- jeremy

[Dano McKagan]

I wish I had experience with Thermax.  I too have read it is awesome stuff.  I sourced it in my area (Seattle).  It was significantly more expensive per sheet than RMax, it was special order, and there was a minimum amount you had to order (I forget how much, but it was in the range of 2.5-3.5 H12s) so I'd have to get a posse together to make it worthwhile.  Was too much so I passed.

I opted for 1" RMax.  It was fine as far as construction materials go.  I suspect with good care and feeding it can last several years at the burn (though last year was pretty mild once it started).  Be careful with what and how you tape to it, the silver facing can come off pretty easy.

For the use of it... awesome, my family and I totally loved it!  And they're so BIG, we were able to house another family of 3 and still have ample space for stuff.

Good luck!

Dano!

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[Alejandro Moreno]

I used 1" R-max to build my H13.  It was perfectly fine on the playa. If you can get 1.5", your yurt will stay cooler during the day. Mine would cool down plenty at night, but by mid to late afternoon, it would definitely get warm.  The nice thing about the H13 is it gives you quite a bit of extra headroom, meaning it has more space for heat to rise above your head, instead of being forced to stay down low, where you and your bed will be.  I put one window in mine for cross breeze. But if you don't put in a 2nd window, cross breeze would require you to leave your door at least slightly open, which is an opening for dust to come in. I'd suggest you put 2 windows into your yurt, making sure you put a furnace type filter in each window hole you cut, and then tape around the edges.  As for the foil on the outside of your yurt, yes it is delicate, so buy foil tape to patch up any rips.  Make sure to build your yurt with the label side of the panels facing inward, the plain foil side outwards.  

Burn on.

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[Phil Dirt]

Keep in mind that you're building a yurt out of foam board sandwiched between paper and foil. It was never meant to provide any structural or sheer strength, so we're already pushing the envelope trying to build yurts with foam and tape. 

The foam sheets will crack or fold under pressure. They ding easily and sometimes will cave when tape is removed. With the 1" thick stock you're getting 33% less than the 1.5" and if you don't bother to bevel cut the joining edges you'll have even less structural support. 

The beauty of the yurts is that they are designed to transfer load (force) from the roof to the ground. All the sides and roof panels work together to create a structure that will withstand high winds and flying bodies. Imagine the buzz kill when you return to camp and find that your yurt's been flattened by a stumbling drunk, or cut in half by a high-speed darktard. Do yourself a favor and get the 1.5% paneling. 

PS: Proper etiquette is to build with the manufacturer's logo on the inside, but RMax is often stamped on both sides.

Phil Dirt

[Cody Firestone]

and so few people bother to cover up the logos of corporations on their GIANT  rental trucks, so I dont think anyone will mind R-max.  most would not even know what it is.

and no-one covers up liquor labels either...:-)

[Alejandro Moreno]

Covering up a giant rental truck is no easy feat, especially if you don't want to be charged for damage to a truck you do not own. Besides, the giant rental truck is often nowhere near where you're setting up your yurt, especially if you're setting up within a community of yurts. All that aside, it is also a much simpler task to simply make your yurt with the panels' logo side facing inward.  And I'm not about to carry my bottle of beer in a paper bag just to hide the label for the 15 minutes or so it takes me to quaff it down.  So let's keep things in perspective here. 

On Sun, Jul 7, 2013 at 5:45 PM, Cody Firestone <4x4...@gmail.com> wrote:

and so few people bother to cover up the logos of corporations on their GIANT  rental trucks, so I dont think anyone will mind R-max.  most would not even know what it is.

and no-one covers up liquor labels either...:-)

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[Cody Firestone]

It is SUPER EASY to cover up the logos on a rental truck.  All it takes is about a quart of water and some Playa dust and your hands.

You mix up the quart of water with playa dust to make a sloppy Playa Mud, use your hands to obscure some or all of the lettering by spreading it around.   DONE!

Clean up is as easy as washing the truck anyways.

Some people use a garden sprayer and spray water on the side of the truck and simply throw Playa Dust on it while it is wet.  But I prefer the mud with hands because you can be creative and fun with mud drawings!

It also brings out your inner 3 year old, which is awesome!

There you go!  

[hal muskat]

Also, Merry Pranksters have been known to use water based spray paints! 

[Jeremy Shaw]

I found someone who will sell me 1.5" Thermax @ $59.95/sheet -- which sounds like the prices I have heard elsewhere?

I am wondering if I should stick with the 1" RMax @ $16/sheet for my first build and then use the better material for my second build under the assumption that I am not going to get everything right the first time around? I expect to build something usable for this year on the first attempt -- but then have lots of ideas for improvements after building it and using it for a week :) Also, this year, I only need to sleep 2 in the hexayurt, but next year it could be more.

I'm also working on building a solar panel array and a swamp cooler. So, hopefully that can offset the lower R value. Obviously, I have a lot left to build, so I need to get the structure done ASAP, and saving some money on the building materials would help fund the solar.

So, as long as the 1" RMax is strong enough (which is sounds like it is) -- or can be cheaply reinforced, it sounds like a good option? I do plan to bevel the edges. And I am building a stretch hexayurt -- which is one of the smaller designs. Using the 1.5" RMax would be great too, but I have not found a source for it in Chicago yet. Big box places like Home Depot would need me to order an entire palette (something like 40-60 sheets). 

- jeremy

p.s. if you are in the Evanston/Chicago area this place can special order the Thermax panels in small quantities,

http://www.evanstonlumber.com/products/building-materials

$45.95 for 1"

$59.95 for 1.5"

- jeremy 

[Rummy Raccoon]

Hey Dano!

Where did you happen to find some around Seattle? I've been looking all over.

[Vinay Gupta (Hexayurt Shelter Project)]

I'm surprised nobody's done an R-MAX t-shirt yet...

Or some kind of hipster logo T: "bob's hexayurt tape and dayglo emporium" with a stylized role of hexayurt tape.

Maybe I should get some more sleep.

V>

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[Robert Atkins]

On Monday, July 8, 2013 6:35:02 PM UTC+2, Jeremy Shaw wrote:

So, as long as the 1" RMax is strong enough (which is sounds like it is) -- or can be cheaply reinforced, it sounds like a good option? I do plan to bevel the edges. And I am building a stretch hexayurt -- which is one of the smaller designs. Using the 1.5" RMax would be great too, but I have not found a source for it in Chicago yet. Big box places like Home Depot would need me to order an entire palette (something like 40-60 sheets). 

I made a 6' stretch from 1" RMax and it's perfectly fine. If you're confident you can pass it on to someone else for next year, it's a great prototype as you say. But if you want to sleep two people in it, I really would recommend a standard H12, the 6' stretch will sleep two people but fitting their gear in is quite an issue. Best option all up if you can spend the money would be to build a Thermax H12 right out of the gate, enlisting the help of someone who's built one before.

Cheers, Robert.

[Dano McKagan]

I don't remember, that was a couple years ago... I think it was R-Factor:

http://www.yellowpages.com/puyallup-wa/mip/r-factor-8798187?lid=8798187

I had to call around to a few places before discovering them.  If that's a bust let me know and I'll see if I have any notes.

Dano!

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[Rummy Kun]

Therm-All can order Thermax by the bundle (29) for just under $1400. Thermax seems to be superior to Rmax in that the blowing agent in Thermax is nonflammable and Rmax is. Rmax has fiber reinforcement under the foil but not mixed throughout the foam core like Thermax. Thermax is stronger. Also, both logos can be removed with acetone.