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I live close to Phoenix (AZ) where as summer temperature can go as high as 115 degrees and sometimes even higher. My house has a south facing slump block(Masonry_Slump) wall (28ft X 8ft) that turns into a heat sink as the outside temperature reaches 90 degrees. There is no insulation or drywall whatsoever on the inside. I as looking ideas that can be applied to the outside of the wall so as to reduce the amount of heat that penerates the wall? Thanks!
Out of curiosity, why are you looking at something for the outside of the wall? I'm thinking you'd want to preserve the look of the outside, and put insulation on the inside.
I guess I don't really have much for suggestions, other than that I think I personally would lean toward insulating and sheeting the inside.
Location: Visitation between Wal-Mart & Home Depot
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Brick is a terrible insulator. It's like a sieve for heat that is always transferring in the wrong direction.
Do you have any windows on that wall? Treating or replacing the windows will make an enormous difference immediately. I think that some people will actually clad their houses with a foam-under-foil barrier then stucco over the whole thing (seen some done to look like adobe). Seems to work fairly well.
If you don't mind having the ugliest house in Arizona you could always paint the brick with a radiant barrier, but that would really be hideous and it's debatable how effective it would actually be.
There may not be an acceptable, effective and inexpensive solution here...
Cecilia_Rose, thanks very much. I reviewed the online docs on "Trombe wall" and "solar chimney" but it seem a bit too complex and possibly very expensive.
jimboburnsy, I do have a window which I have insulated it well enough and as such it is not much of a concern. I like your idea of "foam-under-foil barrier then stucco" and wondering how is it done. Do I first create and attach a wooden frame to the wall then then attach the foam and foil? What goes next before applying the stucco?
The slump block is indeed hollow on the inside and years ago I had a contractor inject foam into the blocks but that did not help much. I feel applying reflective paint will have the same effect.
Please let me know if have any other ideas? Thanks very much for your responses.
Do you have any landscape options to cut the amount of sun that reaches the house? Around here people use trees to do that but not much grows in Arizona.
Anything to keep the sun from hitting that wall... not sure of mesquite type shrubs would do it because who knows if they could survive in the desert. Maybe some tall cactuses to partially shade it? Keeping the sunlight from hitting the wall is probably your best bet, without changing up any attribute of the wall itself by adding insulation or anything else.
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