Sprayed Polyurethane Foam insulation
We’re going to be building a new home here (stick built on site) in Maine in the Spring of 2005.
Insulation of the structure is important, and we’re exploring the possiblity of having “sprayed on polyurethane foam” applied for the insulation.
Does anyone have experience with this material? Pro’s & cons? Long term concerns (for the structure)? Etc…
Thanks for your input.
Replies
I'm in Maine too and that is my first choice for insulation, when the customers can afford the best.
Added to the fact you get fine R-value and infiltration control is theat it is also a vapour barrier which is important here. The only concern is that the product used has borates to hinder carpenter ants. another benefit is how quiet it will make the house
I'm in the midcoast region and can recommend a couple installers for this area
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Hi Piffin,
Thanks for your reply. I live north of Portland. Can you suggest some reputable sprayed polyurethane foam applicators?
Corbond is what I think of as best. In this are, it is thru Viking Lumber 800-244-5211. they can probably refer you to the right guy down there or tell you if they travel that far.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Just finished spraying a house in westrn Maryland. I will use it whenever I can for a customer, and I will be using it for my son's home in Fl next year. Purchased mine from FOMO foam.
Can you give more details on how it went (spraying) and did you save any money
by doing it yourself? I believe I've seen there web site were you can buy the foam
in bulk, was wondering how you figured how much you needed.
In figuring the amount needed, the containers come in bd ft amounts. I used the 600 bd ft two part. Each inch is R-7. Take your total wall area, subtract the window/door openings as well as the headers. The application went very well, just make sure that you have your work area clutter free. The foam sets in 60 sec (and this includes the foam in the nozzle). I found that I could put on about an inch and a half at a time. I never got a $ on having someone else spray it on, sort of do everything myself.
Is the sprayer a specialized unit or can you use some more common paint sprayer or. . . .?
It's two liquids that mix at the nozzle. Where they mix, they convert to foam immediately.G Courter, just fyi, in our application, ya don't do more than 1/2" at a time. An inch and a half would distort the air form and create ridges that would telegraph through to the finish coatings.
I try to get less than an inch, but have found that 1 1/2 is the max. FYI, I use the foam for the layer next to the exterior sheeting, then I use Astro_foil for the inside layer. I am less concerned with the telegraphing ridges on additional layers.
Polyurethane foam is one thing you DON'T want to DIY. Polyurethanes are made by reacting isocyanates with polyols. Isocyanates are extremely hazardous materials to just about everyone and can cause life-threatening allergic sensitization reactions in some people- so severe that a trace 2nd exposure can kill you before you get to the hospital. A cartridge respirator is pretty much useless for this stuff- you need supplied air. They do pre-react the isocyanate with some polyol to reduce the hazard, but it's still dangerous stuff in the wrong hands.
Leave the hazardous sh*t to other people. Life's short enough as it is.
I agree. I always recommend using professionals on the houses I design. First, the safety gear is important and diy's are more likely to skimp. Second, the equip (guns, hoses, pumps) are not cheap. And third, for my application, skill matters, and no one will have the requisite skill their first time out, or second...
The tanks that I use http://www.fomofoam.com come with the hoses and the mixing nozzles.
Thanks for that link. I often wouldlike to foam when the job is too small for my regular installer crew. What would you say the cost is / bd ft sans labour? get good coverage?
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Fomofoam comes in 300 and 600 board foot containers. They cost about $320 & $630 respectivly. Time is not that big of a $ especially on a small job. The last job I did was 600 bdft and it took me 3 one hour sessions. The big thing is to get your working area clean, and don't cover more than an inch in each pass. The containers come in two tanks with the hoses, mixing gun and 6 tips (three flat and two cone). To get the maximum out of the tanks they need to be at 70+ degrees, and this is the temp of the tanks, not the surronding area. Just to get the R value, I use 2" of foam and one layer of Astro-foil taped on the studs. This gives me a R-21 in a 2x4 wall. I get the positive sealing of the foam and the reflective properties of the Astro-foil.
>To get the maximum out of the tanks they need to be at 70+ degrees, and this is the temp of the tanks, not the surronding area.Just to add another perspective, commercial applicators will often use heated hoses to achieve the same effect. Allows spraying in a wider range of weather. Adding in a nuance of my application, achieving a perfect, and perfectly smooth, bond between the foam and air form is really important, be/c imperfections will show on the exterior. So beyond the issues you face with studded applications, we also have to make sure that there is no dirt and no moisture on the form we spray against. That means no condensation, which often means waiting till the sun has been out long enough to burn it off. And once started, the foaming will often continue through the day and night till done, lest there's an opportunity for condensation to form between layers, and lead to future blistering/delamination.
They also sell much smaller units at this site.http://www.betterfoam.com/one/1ComponentStraw1.html#2kBut it cost 2 - 3 times as much per bd ft.
I did a friends place and the foam worked great but it was a little pricey. 1200 square foot attic r40 and it was almost 3 grand. It didn't take too long but if you want to watch while they spray you must wear a respirator. A friend of mine had his entire house done and says it was money well spent.