The front of my house faces west, so when the sun passes over the house, it heats up the front of the house quickly. I have kitchen cabinets and cupboards that are on that west wall. There are dishes in some and food and medicines in the others. How do I insulate the inside of the cabinets to prevent the heat of the day from getting to these cabinets?
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1You can't put medicines there. What color is the west wall?– Harper - Reinstate MonicaJul 6, 2017 at 15:00
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1food stored outside the fridge can usually take decent temperature shifts. What is the actual (measured) temp inside the cabinets?– ratchet freakJul 6, 2017 at 15:00
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What color is the west wall? It matters.– Harper - Reinstate MonicaJul 6, 2017 at 16:14
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i once had an apt next to a restaraunt and my kitchen cabinets were hot from their ovens. i slid aluminium duct scraps (long 6"-wide strips) behind the cabinet and poking out the top about 6". it wasn't visible from the floor, and while i don't have data, my cans were no longer warm to the touch... a few small holes in the rear bottom and front top will be hard to see and should allow heat to rise out of the cabinet.– dandavisJul 6, 2017 at 20:50
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1 Answer
You could add a layer of rigid insulation to the back of your cabinets, but you'd lose a couple of inches of space and you'd want to add a covering over the insulation. Plus, I doubt it'd do much (for all the effort), because the heat is already in the cabinet.
Likewise, removing the cabinets and installing insulation in the wall seems expensive...and maybe the wall is already full of insulation.
The best way to keep heat out is to prevent it from entering the wall...how about building some latticework outside and planting some vines to cover it. The trellis should be a few inches away from the wall to be most effective. (I suppose you could be really creative and build an insulated wall with latticework on it to really "protect" your wall.)
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1I was going meh until I read the suggestion to put an air-gapped "second wall" to catch all the sun, placing your wall in shade. That is the winner. There is not a better idea out there IMO. Jul 6, 2017 at 16:13
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1I'm not sure I follow the conclusion of your first paragraph. Insulation at the back of the cabinet would prevent some heat from coming in by conduction through the exterior wall. How is it already there? Jul 6, 2017 at 16:27