Spray Foam Insulation Confusion!
danielj_2009
15 years ago
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mightyanvil
15 years agobungeeii
15 years agoRelated Discussions
Spray foam insulating house with no attic and with metal roof?
Comments (1)What is the roof slope/construction and location?...See MoreDeciding between blown-in or spray foam attic insulation
Comments (3)It seems to me that you should answer two questions. Do you want conditioned space in your attic? How much money are you willing to spend? Our story: In our 1/2 story remodel we have conditioned living space. It had always been living space (at least for 70 or more years of our home's 97 years). During the depression there had been vermiculite in the space above the ceiling. In the 1950's parts of it got fiberglass bats in the space above the ceiling. (It had always been finished like an after thought, pressboard walls, and even cardboard over 1xs during the depression!) When we gutted the poorly finished space, we decided to have cathedral or loft type ceilings. Our roof does not have any vented soffits, nor a ridge vent either, so we had to have spray foam insulation in order to do the cathedral ceilings and have some kind of insulation. It did cost a small fortune (in our estimation), but it is highly effective. Between that and foam backed roof sheathing we have a cold deck roof. Unless the snow load is wet/heavy, we don't have to shovel it; the entire roof melts evenly with virtually zero icicles and no ice dams. The 1/2 story space needs very little heat, there is more sound proofing to the outside than before, and this will sound odd, but the foam literally glues your house together. Kind of hard to describe. Our space has been inspected by structural engineers, don't worry! But before the foam was sprayed you'd arrive at the top of the stairs and walking in certain spots created "creaking". After the foam was installed, no more creaking. We are very satisfied with spray foam. YMMV Others who will post here clearly prefer blown in cellulose. Since I have no experience with that type of insulation, I hope they will post about it. Hope you get the information you need and end up with a space that meets your needs....See MoreNew build...to spray 1” foam insulation with batt atop or not?
Comments (5)Flash and batt is effective, but you need to be sure the foam is thick enough so that you don't form a condensing surface inside the wall. In the northeast 1" would not be enough, I don't know about VA, it might vary across the state. There are tables that will tell you the minimum thickness needed given the lowest temperatures you expect. Where we are the minimum is 2-3 in, at which point it's about a wash to just go with all foam. Another approach to consider (which may or may not make sense in a more moderate climate) is spray foam on the inside for air sealing and a rigid foam wrap on the outside to block thermal bridging across the framing members. That's been extremely effective in our house....See MoreReplace old batten insulation with spray foam?
Comments (8)@fixitupchappie I bought a palette of this (link below) from HomeDepot - free delivery plus you get to rent the machine free for one day if you buy at least 20 bags (think it's $75/day rental, not available at all centers - check locally). Machine is a bit large but on wheels, comes with 100' of hose. Need two people - one to load the hopper, one to blow. Very dusty install - use a painter's suit and good mask (like an N95). R-Factor is 3.7 per inch (fiberglass is about R2.5/in). There's a calculator on Greenfiber site (link below) for R-value and sq. feet. Lots of good comments on the HD site and many great videos on youtube. Cellulose is (IMHO) better than fiberglass - better R-value, fiberglass is a carcinogen, recycled product, doesn't support mold, keeps critters out, etc. And you just blow it on top of whatever you have. I did mine a year ago and noticeable improvement in warmth (Central Calif), also some noise reduction too. In short it's an easy though dusty DIY job, watch the videos, read reviews, and you'll soon be an expert. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Greenfiber-All-Borate-Cellulose-Blow-In-Insulation-30-lbs-36-Bags-INS765LD/300584221 https://www.greenfiber.com/homeowners...See MoreRon Natalie
15 years agodanielj_2009
15 years agomightyanvil
15 years agodanielj_2009
15 years agoRon Natalie
15 years agobungeeii
15 years agodanielj_2009
15 years agoschreibdave
15 years agonapagirl
15 years agodavid_cary
15 years agothisishishouse
15 years agomotherofboys
14 years agoemilynewhome
14 years ago
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