One of my first research projects when I started at the NAHB Research
Center in 1993 was looking into a new insulation: Icynene. We were
evaluating its performance as a spray-applied, open-cavity insulation as
well as an injection foam in closed cavities. I was enamored: this
seemed to be a miracle insulation that installed itself, sealing up
tight even in the toughest and most complicated building cavities.
At about the same time, the NAHB Research Center was developing an
installation quality program for fiberglass batt insulation, notoriously
difficult to get installed right. I scoffed; we would never need that
for these foam-in-place systems!
Twenty-plus years later, it’s clear how wrong I was. What looked as
easy as point-and-shoot with the foam gun has a lot of complexity. As
insulation consultant Henri Fennell
recently said to me, “Properly installing site foam insulation is way
more challenging than fiberglass batts. It’s partly because performance
expectations are high and partly because you are actually manufacturing
onsite.”
Fennell has been injecting and spraying polyurethane foam insulation
for more than 40 years. I recently got the chance to spend quite a bit
of time with him at the Energy Center of Wisconsin’s Better Buildings, Better Business
conference. Here are Fennell’s seven top tips for ensuring that
manufactured foam insulation jobs—both injection and spray—get done
right.
Tip #1: Understand the two systems
Part of getting site-manufactured foam right is understanding how
injection and spray foam differ. Many of us have gained some exposure to
the point-and-shoot method of applying spray foam, but foam injection
also has a big place in the industry.
As Fennell explains, the level of expansion for the two is identical, but the rate
of expansion is different, as injection foam must expand slowly in
order to reduce pressure (too much pressure can blow out wall cavities).
Spray foam sets up in seconds, injection foam in minutes,” he explains,
with the expansion rate controlled by the amount and blend of catalysts
in the mix.
He adds, “While most of us may be more familiar with—and therefore more ‘comfortable’ with—spray foam, foam injection has its place, particularly in retrofit. In fact, temperature, pressure, and personal protection requirements are all easier with injection than spray foam systems.”
He adds, “While most of us may be more familiar with—and therefore more ‘comfortable’ with—spray foam, foam injection has its place, particularly in retrofit. In fact, temperature, pressure, and personal protection requirements are all easier with injection than spray foam systems.”
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