Common Questions About Spray Foam Insulation
When learning about spray foam insulation, there are numerous questions and facts that you should be aware of before investing time and money into this type of project.
Firstly, spray foam can be a miracle worker for your property, residential or commercial. Its thermal performance is one of the best available on the market when compared to other insulation products, so it is definitely something you should consider.
We will begin to address some fundamental questions such as:
- Is it right for your home or property?
- What are the different types of spray foam?
- Is it safe?
- Can I apply it?
Is Spray Foam Insulation Right for you?
Luckily, this insulation product is highly versatile and can be used to insulate your walls, roofs and floor areas, making it a highly sought-after product on the market. Additionally, this product packs a strong punch in a smaller amount of material used. What do we mean by that?
Spacious Reasons
Commonly, homeowners do not like to insulate their loft areas for spacious reasons. Traditional insulation requires 270mm of thickness, likely higher than the joists, which makes it difficult/impossible to lay boards on top.
However, spray foam insulation is a lot more effective at less thickness. For example, only 100mm of spray foam is equivalent to 170mm of a traditional insulant, such as mineral wool. Therefore, you will be able to insulate your loft and use it for storage purposes.
Location
Alternatively, spray foam can be a great product for homes situated in flood-prone areas. This product is waterproof and breathable, allowing you to benefit from the insulating effects, despite your property’s location.
Can I Apply Spray Foam Insulation?
To correctly and safely apply spray foam to your property, you will need to hire a certified professional to do so. The installer should have their certification with BBA (British Board of Agrement) which verifies the installers competence.
Additionally, the installation must meet all building and manufacturer requirements on top of all safety regulations. Therefore, we advise to hire a professional rather than attempting to use spray foam yourself.
EcoSprayFoam-Systems is on the board of the National Insulation Association (NIA) and certified with BBA and KIWA, to make sure that we provide the highest quality service for our customers.
What are the Different Types of Spray Foam?
Spray foam comes in two main forms, open-cell and closed-cell, they consist of different properties that can be best applied depending on your property in question.
Open-Cell
Open-Cell spray foam is highly expandable and can fill all nooks and crannies in your property. This form is extremely good for soundproofing areas as it reduces airflow. The thermal performance of open-cell is not as good as closed-cell spray foam, yet it is still at a decent level.
Closed-Cell
This form of spray foam is more rigid and dense, which extremely high thermal performance. Due to its solid composition, it can also support structures of your property (yet we do not recommend you use it solely for structural repairs). Before applying closed-cell spray foam, your room should be well insulated because it also acts as a barrier to moisture, so you will need ventilated areas to prevent the build-up of condensation.
Is Spray Foam Safe?
If carried out by a professional, this product is safe to use, and it is also composed of recycled water bottles (from some manufacturers). However, the handling of the equipment can be dangerous, as the product is formed on-site.
By hiring a trained professional, you can ask any and all questions concerning this product and they will be able to put any doubts at ease if you have them.
