I've seen people on the Holmes on Homes TV show on TLC use a blue spray on foam insulation that looks like Great Stuff. Someone in my town is a dealer for something called Icynene. Is that the same thing that they're using on TV? What is the cost of that compared to standard fiberglass insulation? What is the R value? Has anyone worked with this? Thanks.

Pat

Insta-Insulation

Is that the stuff that you are talking about?

The 2 you mention are similar, spray applied insulation is better than batt insulation because it fills the cavity expanding rapidly sealing everything and completely eliminating voids and channels for air movement within the walls. Fiberglass insulation must be cut and fitted where obstacles exist and seals to nothing, it just sits in the wall cavity providing maximum performance only through the center of the batt, leaking air around it and through it. The R value depands on how thick they apply it.

I do believe that is it ChihuahuaMomma. :-) Does anyone know how the cost of this compares to fiberglass insulation? The BASF web page says that you "may not need a vapor barrier under certain conditions"... How do I know if my installer is performing under "certain conditions"? Thanks.

Pat

The spray applied is more expensive, but worth it. Some manufacturers say no vapor barrier is required, but your building inspector may tell you differently.

Yeah, I guess only my local installer can tell me that. As I'm reading more about the Icynene and the Walltite I see that there is an "open cell" and a "closed cell"... <sigh> And you know if you call your local installer, whatever they're spraying is the best. I wonder how long it'll be before they're saying this stuff causes cancer. :-)

Read this, open vs closed cell. I believe you would want closed cell.

Open Vs Closed Cell Foam Insulation : Polyurethane Vs Icynene : Spray & Green Insulation : Envirofoaminsulation.com

I'll take a stab at answering your question for I am an installer. To put aside any perceived bias - I install both open and closed cell foam. As pointed out above, there is both open and closed cell foam - the difference being that closed cell does not breath - at all. It is a recognized air barrier and vapor barrier in Canada. Open cell is a great deal less dense, does allow air and moisture to pass through it to a limited extent and while it is a recognized vapor barrier in the U.S. it is not in Canada.

The blue foam that you see used on Holmes on Homes is made by BASF, it is a 2lb, closed cell foam. It is no longer in use and has been replaced by a purple product and the prefix "Eco" as it now meets the montreal protocol which requires the use of a blowing agent that does not negatively affect the ozone layer. The R value of the new material is 5 per inch. It is good product. While I have access to it, I generally install a material made by Demilec. I feel that they lead the industry with the polarfoam 7300 Soya or Heat Lok Soya materials which are 2 lb soya based, closed cell products. With this you get an air barrier, vapor barrier and the highest thermal resistant material available on the market (R value of 6 per inch) in a single application. I spray plenty of open cell foam in unique applications (retrofits to old homes with little to no existing insulation in the walls, for sound proofing and such), but stand behind the soya based product as it is made with recylced plastic bottles and soya bean oil and was the first material on the market to exceed the Montreal protocol.

If you would like to know more about us, we can be found at
www.ecologicfoam.com by calling
604 488-4009 or by checking out our blog at:
http://blog.ecologicfoam.com/2010/05/14/ecologic-on-site-vancouver-bc

Wish you the best and feel free to write with any questions.

Manaway,

Are you located in Montreal? I just purchased a semi-detached in house Montreal which was built in 1882. The interior walls are all lath and plaster with no insulation on the exterior. Exterior of the house is brick on wood frame. I am currently in the process of gutting the kitchen and am looking at insulation options for the exterior kitchen walls (with plaster & lath) removed as well as insulation for the rest of the house without removal of the lath & plaster. These spray foams sound like a good solution and look like they could be used with minimal impact to the existing plaster & lath walls.

What do you think?

Thanks,
Chris

I am sorry, but we do not currently serve Montreal. We have offices in Vancouver and Winnipeg and serve all of Western Canada but have not grown into Ontario or Quebec yet.

What you are looking for is an installer who will use a pour foam - this is the same as spray foam but the formulation has been slowed down enough so that the material will not react instantly - this allows it to be poured into wall cavities and to reach the bottom of those cavities before it reacts - at which point it grows to fill the wall - as you say, with minimal impact on the existing walls.

As outlined here, the process is completed through small holes at the top of the wall cavity (or alternatively both top and midway) EcoLogic Foam - Services For Homeowners

Hope this proves helpful and best of luck with your project.

Sincerely,

Mark Nelson
1-888-880-8420

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Further question...

What is the fire resistance of these foams? My family is the most important thing to me. I know some cellulose insulation has fire retardants added. I've seen some spray foam is rated as fire resistant. How does this compare to other insulations?

My name is dominick I am a spray foam sprayer in new england. And reading through these post I see one thing that is not coming up. Yes 2lb foam is a better insulation compared to open cell and fiberglass. I don't believe that it should be sprayed in any roof line. Since it is a moisture barrier and hold up to 40 psi of water. You will never know if your roof is leaking or where it is leaking from. My company does not like spraying closed cell in a roof for this reason. You would have to replace your whole roof just for one leak. That is my only concern about any product that I spray and icyenine product does not give you the right r value that you need when applied. The best for closed cell is heatlock soy bean and for open cell is agerbalance which has a better r value that super seal 500