Spray foam insulation

Have any of you used spray foam insulation instead of the traditional fiber glass insulation for your homes?

 

I have been doing research and the consensus seems to be that when done right, spray foam is rather superior to traditional fiberglass / cellulose material.

 

Anyone have experience with spray foam? Your thoughts on it?

 

Thanks.

I'd rather have fiber glass insulation just because being an electrician, fishing a wall with spray foam is impossible. If you ever want to mount a TV on the wall or need another receptacle you cant put one in.

Fadi,

 

I used this in my basement because I was losing too much heat in the winter months, cut down on my energy costs drastically.

 

I can PM you the company I used.

I'd rather have fiber glass insulation just because being an electrician, fishing a wall with spray foam is impossible. If you ever want to mount a TV on the wall or need another receptacle you cant put one in.

I never thought of that. Thanks for the pointer.

 

Being that this is a brand new construction, I am hoping there isn't much fishing to take place since I am setting up everything from the get go, but you never know in the future.

 

Fadi,

 

I used this in my basement because I was losing too much heat in the winter months, cut down on my energy costs drastically.

 

I can PM you the company I used.

Got your PM. It's the same exact company I got a quote from, lol.

 

Thanks!

Yeah the new building code here calls for a certain thinness of insulation. You have to use 2x6 studs to make it happen unless you do the spray foam throughout so alot of guys have been doing that. I know you probably have an idea of what you want in every room, but there's always something to fish! Lol

Darrin,

 

Any distinct smell from the foam at all? This is one thing I am mostly worried about.

 

Within my research I am learning that spray foam is generated by mixing chemicals right prior to application, and if not done correctly it can emit a strong, chemical-like smell throughout the house. This can lead to health hazards, etc.

 

Have you noticed any smell at all after that company spray foamed your basement?

I'd rather have fiber glass insulation just because being an electrician, fishing a wall with spray foam is impossible. If you ever want to mount a TV on the wall or need another receptacle you cant put one in.

 

 

Good point, I only did spray foam on the outer over hangs in the basement.

 

 

Yeah the new building code here calls for a certain thinness of insulation. You have to use 2x6 studs to make it happen unless you do the spray foam throughout so alot of guys have been doing that. I know you probably have an idea of what you want in every room, but there's always something to fish! Lol

 

Yup, we are using 2x6 lumber here as well, and yes, you are most likely correct there will be something to fish later on, lol. Thanks again.

They did caution me that you may not be able to sleep at the house the night they do the install. Mine aired out fine with the windows in the basement open. Keep in mind that i only did the basement and the smell went away after a couple days.

 

I would recommend your kids to sleep somewhere else for a couple nights after they spray just to be safe.

No problem! Any other questions or anything feel free to ask.

They did caution me that you may not be able to sleep at the house the night they do the install. Mine aired out fine with the windows in the basement open. Keep in mind that i only did the basement and the smell went away after a couple days.

 

I would recommend your kids to sleep somewhere else for a couple nights after they spray just to be safe.

I am not so worried about short term effects, more long term. Being a new construction, we won't be moved in until 60 days or so after the insulation job is completed.

Spray foam is superior 100%, much more efficient, better R value (R6 per inch), generally applied after all rough in is done. More expensive though. I batt all of my new homes, final house will be sprayed.

I used fiberglass in the walls but did open cell foam in the attic along the rafters. Day and night difference on the cooling. Attic stays cool (relatively speaking) all summer long.

 

I'd use it in the wall too if I had to do it again. You likely don't need to fill the entire wall cavity to get the same r value as the fiberglass so fishing wires in the future may not necessarily be a problem.

Combination of spray foam on the gaps, joints etc and fiberglass seems to be the best bet and the method I will use when building soon. Keeps drafts/bugs out more efficiently as well.

I run one of 3 certification organizations for Spray Foam insulation in Canada. (www.foamexperts.ca). We're ISO accredited for installer certification and field inspections. Don't laugh at the site too much, our graphic designed passed away leaving us temporarily in the lurch.

 

We essentially do installer certification and inspections for any foam supplied by Bayer Material Science, Lapolla, Elastochem Specialty Chemicals or Gaco Western.

 

If you PM your info I could give you some project-specific tips, but generally:

 

1) The overwhelming majority of complaints about spray foam is when it is installed at pass thicknesses greater than 2" / 50mm, or passes are applied too quickly in succession. This creates a situation where the foam can scorch and burn as it cures, creating the fowl odour that is widely report. The practice is most common with less experience sprayers who are in a rush to finish a job. The odour will never really dissipate and can't be cleaned or removed, the foam itself must be scrapped off and removed.

 

Good practice is to spray a 2" pass on each section a day, then come back and add additional layers after it has cooled.

 

2) Spraying in very cold temperatures using poorly maintained equipment can lead to an off-ratio condition, leaving raw chemical in the installation. This is less likely in southern climates but we do see it occasionally up here. An discoloured material on the wall is a cause for concern.

 

3) From a building science / value perspective, there is a huge value in 2" of medium density / 2 lb spray foam. At 2" thickness, you get a vapour and air barrier that is unparalleled. Beyond 2" it is somewhat of a case of diminishing returns, I wouldn't go beyond what is required for minimum code for insulation in your area when using spray foam.

 

4) There is a 24 hour period where there can be no occupancy in the building. The best spray foam contractors use minimum 3000 cfm exhaust fans in each work area to exhaust fumes directly outside. Using this setup, you could walk into a room that had been sprayed 1 hour later and not notice a smell.

 

Hope this provides some assistance,

 

Adam

Thanks for the post, Adam.

FWIW, in the house that we are building right now, our builder sprayed all inner roofs, ceilings, exterior walls, etc' and then combined that with layers of traditional insulation. He basically double bagged it.

Some installers use hybrid installations of spray foam and traditional insulation materials. The big problem here is if you have 2" of spray foam, then fibreglass and a vapour barrier, you end up with two vapour barriers and a pocket of moisture. This can lead to long term problems of mold of moisture.

 

Adam

 

 

We have it.... We also had a major water leak last year... The ef4 tornado that came through in '12 missed the house, but evidently did enough damage that the coronado stone developed a leak. (The hail that went with it was as large as softballs and was powerful enough to tear right through entire roofs like hot knives through butter, and even killed a guy who took one to the head. We think it hit the side of the house and cracked the stones).

 

 

Had to rip it all off one side of the house... Once inside, the still saturated, rotten wood that had to be replaced didnt really surprise us.... what did surprise everybody (including the contractor) was the bone fcuking dry spray foam insulation.... Fiberglass would have been a wet, soppy, moldy mess..... The spray foam was good as new and didnt need to be replaced.