Just had new construction basement spray foamed. How does it look?
jhouse2023
9 months ago
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Candace
9 months agojhouse2023
9 months agoRelated Discussions
Is spray foam a good idea for my new build?
Comments (15)jridh...this is why spray foam has sheetrock between it and the living space. and yes, burning foam produces a gas as it burns. thus the need for fire rated sheetrock. OP putting the foam sheating on the exterior is the best investment for foam for walls. proper nailing pattern, seams taped and any holes sealed prior to cladding install. the foam sheating can go on top of housewrap, and if you chose foil/foam board and have brick cladding..you get a radiant barrier for exterior of walls with 3/4' air space between brick & foil. air sealing doesn't just happen. even with sheetrock & plywood sheating,,,air will find its way in through any small gap & hole. to air seal you have to caulk areas like sole plates to slabs & subfloors, seal wire & plumbing penetrations and any holes into the house from both attic and ambinet. however...if builder has limited time for foam in walls or conventional..it is doubtful that he will be on board with adding foam sheathing to extrior walls. when you add to depth of walls...window and door framing/finishing changes. this is why I didn't recommend this, for your situation. itrw...the builder isn't going to spend time to make this happen properly. the last thing you need is improperly flashed windows & doors due to last minute add on of foam sheathing. usually people who use sheathing on exterior of walls go into framing with this in mind..not an add on later. although ithis is the best use of $$ for added insulation & air sealing qualities. of walls. it iis in the planning stages that foam sheathing is discussed...not once walls are ready for insulation. as your doors & windows are in place & flashed...I don't think it will reasonably happen now. what people need to think about is...the sun hits one wall at a time. but it hits the roof all day...every day. this is a better place to put the foam. if you have hvac equipment..ductwork, in attic and holes in the sheetrock ceiling..recessed lights oversized cuts for supply vents & bath fans...it is difficult to get these areas sealed properly. great stuff in a can is oten used..but it doesn't seal as well as people think..nor does it last. other things like kneewalls in the attic..changes of ceiling heights are also problematic. while they are usually insulated..they are not air sealed and allow attic temps to enter the house. over the years we have used the same foil/foam sheating to air seal knee walls & upstairs walls shared with attics to stop the air movement & temp gain. it is a tough install, thus another reason that the foamed roofline is so popular. this install will cover all of the builder/trades errors, allowing easier & affordable utility costs & smaller sized hvac systems. this late in the game...stick with air sealing walls insulate conventionally & insist upon air tight drywall aproach through out the house. and easy way to get it done is for sheetrock installers to install as if no moldings were being used. this will make sure that sheetrock is taped & floated behind ceiling moldings. closing leakage from attic into the house that is otherwise hidden behind crown moldings. google air tight drywall approach (ada) to better understand why this is an important part of the performance of your walls. best of luck....See MoreNow a basement spray foam insulation question
Comments (9)Ha! Diaper.. Thanks for that link Worthy. Its a great one for sure. The physics are certainly not the same though. From a strictly building science point of view, insulation is best on the exterior which keeps the dew points high (walls warm) and reduces thermal bridging. It also brings the thermal mass inside the conditioned space which definitely boosts energy performance. From the link; "Exterior insulation best location from physics perspective, has practical problems with protection, thermal bridging and insects." Iam surprised they are taking this newer stance of recommending insulation to Interior. Their main issue is the most surprising to me right now.. Protection: Exterior basement insulation is not exposed very long during the building process and not particularly vulnerable once its up in my opinion. Once its backfilled, what sort of damage will it incur? What am I missing here? Thermal bridging: Ive always thought thermal bridging is usually less and was very surprised to see that one researcher found the brickledge location to be a major issue. If no brickledge, no issue as I see it. Even with a brickledge, a first course of foamglass would be ideal but realize the logistics and possible price increase is questionable. Insects: Tough to argue with this one down south. There are insect resistant foams available. Best practice leaves a gap before wood framing which is a fairly challenging detail to get right in the field and of course this leaves a significant thermal bridge if not accounted for from the Interior. This is another reason I love pre-cast concrete panels for basements because I dont have a choice in the matter, they only come with Insulation on the interior. Still, if pre-cast panels werent available and there was no brickledge I would probably spray foam to the exterior if the price was right and treat for termites which is required anyway. While I dont think the inspection strip would account for nearly the heat loss of a brickledge its probably significant enough to follow BSCs advice if building in termite country which is ever expanding these days....See MoreSpray Foam(hard foam) or Radiant Barrier to Attic Ceiling
Comments (2)There is no question that you will see a benefit from having the attic sealed with spray foam... the question is it worth the cost? From a study: FSEC-CR-1220-00 http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/en/publications/html/FSEC-CR-1220-00-es/ "Roof and attic thermal performance exert a powerful influence on cooling energy use in Florida homes. Unshaded residential roofs are heated by solar radiation causing high afternoon attic air temperatures. The large influence on cooling is due to increased ceiling heat transfer as well as heat gains to the duct systems which are typically located in the attic space (Figure E-1)." My summary: Sealed attic construction as promoted by spray-foam installers is not as big a benefit in primarily cooling climates as they promote. If you start with black asphalt shingles, switching to white asphalt will save 4% the spray foam sealed attic will save 9%. White metal, however can save 20-23%! So do you need a new roof? The selection there can surpass any savings you would get from a sealed attic. Of course, if your ducts are leaking, having them sealed would be smart as well, no matter which path you take. Andy Here is a link that might be useful: Comparative Evaluation of the Impact of Roofing Systems on Residential Cooling Energy Demand in Florida...See Morespray foam basement - any benefit to fill cracks and waterproof?
Comments (7)Exterior foam insulation is great in theory. But as Building Science Corp. says in "Understanding Foundations," "Unfortunately, exterior foundation insulation can have significant application problems that often make it impractical to employ. The first is the difficulty in protecting the insulation layer during the construction process and subsequently during its useful service life. The cost of a protection layer often is more expensive than the insulation itself. The second is insect control. Exterior insulation can be an "insect interstate" that provides a direct pathway into the structure. Poisoning the insulation or the soil is often the only viable approach with exterior insulation as barriers ("termite shields") have proven problematic (Lstiburek, 2004). Third is the problem of thermal bridging when brick veneers are used (Figure 5). There is no known practical cost effective solution to the thermal bridging brick veneer problem when exterior basement insulation is used. The heat loss is so severe as to almost negate the insulation layer (Timusk, 1981)" It's essential to fix leaks before insulating. Just what is "excessive hydrostatic pressure"? Basement leaks usually don't get better; they get worse. That said, ccspf is a great product for insulating the inside of the foundation. I've used Walltite by BASF on basements, as well as garage ceilings and other hard-to-reach spots. There is no logic to spacing the basement framing an inch away from the wall. I have the walls sprayed, then the carpenters build the wall as tight to the insulation as they can. You can add fibrous insulation between the studs if you want to increase the R Value at a lower cost than using more ccspf....See Moreworthy
9 months agolast modified: 9 months agojhouse2023
9 months agolast modified: 9 months agojhouse2023
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9 months agolast modified: 9 months agoCandace
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9 months agolast modified: 9 months agojhouse2023
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9 months agolast modified: 9 months agojhouse2023
9 months agoJason
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