Closed cell foam - is it worth spending additional $5500?
kwoody51
10 years ago
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mrspete
10 years agoenergy_rater_la
10 years agoRelated Discussions
XPS vs. Closed cell spray foam
Comments (6)Yup That's Ohio for ya. 2 weeks ago it was subzero and today it was 60's. Go figure!!. We will be doing most of the work on the basement ourselves without a defined time-line. Some things we do plan on hiring out but for the most part are hoping to DIY. WE could probably do the XPS, particularly since we are not on a time line but have to consider the value of our time as well. My hubby travels for work a fair amount and that may prolong our installation period. We are going to call a few guys out for quotes and see what they come back with and try and do a direct cost comparison and see where we fall. We talked to a guy the other day that does the soy-based closed cell foam so I suppose we will start there. I am still confused as to whether or not to insulate the floor with XPS or put down a plastic layer product such as the DeltaFl I have heard about. My biggest concerns is to have a warm and comfortable floor. We will most likely use a combination of flooring materials including tile, engineered HW, and carpet. I have hear that a lot of people simply put down a thick pad with carpet and call it a day but I am not sure if that really is the way to go. Thanks so much for your information. I greatly appreciate it. Kristen...See MoreSpray Foam Insulation- Worth it?
Comments (3)Iceyene is simply open cell foam, however, company has created a "brand" for itself. Depending upon foam brand, open cell is about R 3 1/2 and closed cell is about R 7. Stopping air infiltration is just as or more important than R value, foam does this well. Open cell is probably not a good idea for below grade installations. Go to sprayfoam.com for forum of foam installers who regularly discuss different types of foam. Do a search for the material data safety sheet for each product, some are not as "green" as you would think. Also, check installation instructions carefully, some of these products can burn the skin, contain petrolieum, off-gass for a short period of time, and can cause installers occupational asthma if not properly masked. There are newer soy foams, however, some say they are really not yet ready for the market and shrink after being installed. To reduce costs some are putting in an inch of spray foam and wet blow cellouse on top of it. Foam works well in Chicago. Google "Airtight Drywall." Seems to be a pretty simple system to completely seal drywall from air infiltration. Everything is on-line you just have to look for it....See MoreOpen Cell Spray Foam Insulation for new Construction
Comments (59)"madpebs87 "plus then you might actually have to seal some of the holes in the ceilings." Wouldn't you do this anyway? You foam the roof deck/rafters, do nothing to the ceiling for insulation, why would you not seal all the plumbing/lighting etc holes that go up into attic? Great thread (bookmarked) giving me lots of info when i build in 3 years in coastal ga." been out of town so just getting to answer this. when the attic is vented, you absolutely want to seal all openings between living & attic space. when the attic is unvented & foam sealed, then you want air exchange between living & attic space. you can get this exchange from not sealing the openings that trades make & never seal, or seal it up tight and dedicate an exchange air pathway. problem is...seldom does anyone seal these openings, so adding a dedicated pathway is redundant. people think they built tighter than they actually did in my experience. but it is all just a guess until you blower door test to see what leakage actually exists. build tight, ventilate right, and TEST to find out what performance actually is. OP, I have to defer to folks in climates with basements, as we have too high of a water table in La. for basements. I have no hands on experience with basements, best of luck....See More2x4 vs 2x6 exterior studs with spray foam insulation. Better Option?
Comments (49)Michigan occupies building climate zones 5 - 7. Zone 5 is the warmest zone that can still comply with the R20 cavity-only requirement. It looks like Ontario has adopted similar IRC mandatory exterior insulative sheathing. We use the performance compliance path on every home, one of the many advantages to including a third party energy rater. Most raters are not keen on getting too far away from code prescriptions. For some of the prescriptions, like blower door minimums, it's cost-effective to exceed code. Most high performance builders are exceeding code with exterior insulation as code encourages risky wall strategies, hence the recommended minimum table I first posted about. Even leaky, all natural homes can have poor indoor air quality. Outdoor air ventilation is now required by current IRC codes and a smart idea for any inhabited enclosed space. It's a life-safety requirement and long overdue measure for modern homes....See Morekwoody51
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