The Spray Foam Insulation Problem Nobody's Talking About

Comments · 2.7K

• SK

  @SkillBuilder · 3 years ago · pinned

  🔻DIY Spray Foam Insulation ~ Is it a Good Idea?🔻 <br><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HP3Rt3EQrw">https://youtu.be/7HP3Rt3EQrw?si=EVqNxaU6cOb0z9As</a>

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• RO

  @robk1310 · 4 years ago

  This must be a UK issue. No mortgage company in the USA ever asks about spray foam.

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• KA

  @Katya5cat · 4 years ago

  Some years ago we added a bathroom in our 180 year old brick farmhouse. When it came to insulation we decided on using spray foam. The chief reason for doing so was the number of rodents in the attic and walls. We were concerned about another space that the mice would have free reign at hence the foam. I did all the spraying myself. I used large kits that came with a 2 part foam in 2 pressurized tanks of chemicals. I suited up in coveralls, gloves, hood, face shield and HALF FACE respirator. The spraying went quite well using 2 kits to complete the job. when I got to the end of the first kit of tanks it spewed gases out without any foam forming. I completed the job with a second kit. To my surprise the house was filled with a fog. Well as it turned out it was only in my corneas. With a trip to the ER I came home with foggy vision and told by the ER doctor to seek specialist help in the morning. To my delight the fog had disappeared and my vision restored. So my advice is to let professionals do the work or use FULL FACE respirators.

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• HA

  @Harold_Shand · 4 years ago

  &quot;A professional coming in and spraying the inside of your loft....&quot;<br><br>Very optimistic there Roger with the use of the word &apos;professional&apos;.

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• SU

  @sualtam9509 · 2 years ago

  Another point is the disposal. This polyurethane is harzadous waste. If it sticks to timber, slates etc. you have to dispose those materials as harzadous too, increasing costs massively.

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• MA

  @Maffy-h · 2 years ago

  As a builder with 40 years of experience, I&apos;d never touch the stuff or advise anyone to have it

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• CO

  @codyc4555 · 4 years ago

  As someone who has been in the foam insulation industry for 15 years, I see all these problems all the time. I do not even touch remodels if the &nbsp;HVAC is not being adjusted properly to figure for proper ventilation. I love foam, but a house needs to be built for foam. I do not typically like using it for remodels, and where we live remodelers are not typically intelligent enough to understand air tightness and moisture control and most foam companies are just as bad. They just know how to paint walls, cabinetry, and flooring. Spraying foam directly against the roof with close cell to water proof is the most ignorant thing I&apos;ve seen other companies do. The roof is incredibly difficult to remove like you said. I believe that 70% of the foam insulation companies have no idea what they are doing and do not properly get their guys trained. They rely on equipment sensors to tell them if the foam is correct which is often too late. An applicator should be able to see it on the wall instantly and know. I also believe foam is sprayed half as thick as it should be. I sprayed my personal house to and R-42 in foam which was about 11.5 inches. I can run my house on an ERV for over half the year in Texas. I only kick on my air conditioning in the summers and winters at the extreme points.

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• IK

  @iketheranter9126 · 3 years ago

  I worked for the man that invented this product. I&apos;m glad you detailed the many possible drawbacks with this material. I was in the manufacturing side but was also required to understand the different applications which required different product mixes. <br>Personally I have always had concerns with long term degradation and off gassing. Everything breaks down over time. <br>Also, moisture build up or leaks can be a real problem. Running wires or piping after the initial construction is also a problem. <br>I think you covered it all quite well.<br>Btw, this material was discovered by accident. The company was called Flexible Products which specialized in flexable adhesives. The inventor and his brother were experimenting with a new formula for quite a while looking for a stronger, construction type adhesive. One morning they came back after a late night in the lab of what they thought was a failure and this huge foam blob was covering the table they had been using.<br>Years later, he sold out to DOW chemical and generously paid his long term employees large severance/ profit sharing checks and he retired.<br>Unfortunately, &nbsp;a short few months later, he passed away at a golf course on Tybee Island.<br>He was a good, kind, generous man and everytime I see this product, &nbsp;I think about him.<br>Thanks for your time.

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• BH

  @bhavyeshgirijitendraguiri386 · 3 years ago

  Hello, I deeply regret not conducting thorough research prior to opting for spray foam insulation. Approximately a year ago, I spent nearly £8,000 in the UK to insulate my loft. However, now I am unable to remortgage or sell my property due to this insulation. As a result, my only option left is to spend an additional £9,000 to have the insulation removed.<br><br>Prior to getting the insulation done, I did not hear of any negative experiences, and no insulation company in the UK warned me about potential issues. This has put me in a very difficult situation.

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• GO

  @gordonbruce93 · 3 years ago

  A well balanced presentation Roger, the biggest issue in our opinion, is when something does go wrong !! it is a nightmare to locate and assess the full extent.

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• GN

  @gnuthad · 4 years ago

  One benefit of spray foam which I didn&apos;t see/hear mentioned is that a thinner layer of spray foam provides a similar level of insulation to thicker fibreglass insulation.

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• KU

  @KurtBendl · 4 years ago

  I had spray foam professionally done after a rehab of a 115 year old home. I gutted the attic “apartment”, repaired the weighted window pulls, ran all the electrical and CAT-6, added a proper adjustable vent, then spray foam in the rafters and walls up there, drywall, carpet. It went from the most uncomfortable room in the house to where the kids and I spent most of our time. Also sprayed a barrier around the skirt of the house which was exposed and accessible above the sandstone blocks in the basement. This house is in the southeastern US, where it’s hot and miserable in the summers, and grey and damp in the winters. Spray foam is <i>the</i> best investment in energy savings and comfort I’ve ever made!

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