New Insulation: WOW!

[richg]

Gang,

Over the years I have been plagued by mold and frost in my attic despite copious amounts of fiberglass batt insulation, soffit and ridge vents. A pro suggested early on that air leaks were the culprit. Over Thanksgiving weekend, me and some buds tore out all of the fiberglass and sealed all the leaks with gun foam. Over top of that went one inch of spray foam, and over that went 18 inches of blown cellulose. It is flipping amazing how much different the house is, as the P61 kicks on rarely but the house is actually warmer. Further, the house is much more quiet. Come on Old Man Winter, hit me with your best shot! Just goes to show how important insulation and conservation is. Oh yes, you heard it here first: assuming the finances line up, in the spring I am starting a commercial spray foam insulation business. That stuff is just nuts.

 

[kinsmanstoves]

Gang,

Over the years I have been plagued by mold and frost in my attic despite copious amounts of fiberglass batt insulation, soffit and ridge vents. A pro suggested early on that air leaks were the culprit. Over Thanksgiving weekend, me and some buds tore out all of the fiberglass and sealed all the leaks with gun foam. Over top of that went one inch of spray foam, and over that went 18 inches of blown cellulose. It is flipping amazing how much different the house is, as the P61 kicks on rarely but the house is actually warmer. Further, the house is much more quiet. Come on Old Man Winter, hit me with your best shot! Just goes to show how important insulation and conservation is. Oh yes, you heard it here first: assuming the finances line up, in the spring I am starting a commercial spray foam insulation business. That stuff is just nuts.

Heard nothing but good things on the spray foam. It also helps the house by sealing the plywood to the studs.

Eric

 

[Xena]

Awesome! Don't suppose you took any before/during/after pictures?

 

[kast]

Was this DIY spray foam?

 

[j00fek]

i woud love to to spray foam when i redo the house, but itll cost a fortune

 

[MACHINE1]

I have been doing spray foam in my house as well. Haven't done enough to really tell if it will make a huge difference but I'm hoping. My old farm house only has 3 inches of space in the wall cavity and from what I understand the product I'm using gives me R 18.85 at that depth. I'm using spraymax coatings http://soythane.com/ It is quite easy to spray. I was going to pay an installer but after getting the quote from them I decided to do it myself. They did not account for windows and they wanted to charge me $100 for fuel. With the kit I bought I can do half my house (on my schedule not theirs) and I spent just less then $700 more then the quote I got for 2 rooms from them. Compared to fiberglass it is more expensive but it depends on what your doing. I got more R value in the same amount of space and it is a green alternative.

 

[j00fek]

I have been doing spray foam in my house as well. Haven't done enough to really tell if it will make a huge difference but I'm hoping. My old farm house only has 3 inches of space in the wall cavity and from what I understand the product I'm using gives me R 18.85 at that depth. I'm using spraymax coatings http://soythane.com/ It is quite easy to spray. I was going to pay an installer but after getting the quote from them I decided to do it myself. They did not account for windows and they wanted to charge me $100 for fuel. With the kit I bought I can do half my house (on my schedule not theirs) and I spent just less then $700 more then the quote I got for 2 rooms from them. Compared to fiberglass it is more expensive but it depends on what your doing. I got more R value in the same amount of space and it is a green alternative.

great link, iv been looking for somthing like this for a while. how is the ease of spraying? and do they provide poointers as in how much to spray in the areas for full coverage?

 

[MACHINE1]

It sprays really easy. They send a dvd with the kit that actually is pretty much the same as the video on the web-site. I did not find it very helpful. I called and asked questions over the phone and got all the help I needed. The owner answered both times I called, he did mention that they were in the process of having the dvd redone and I mentioned a few things he should add. He was appreciative of the advice and commented that after doing it for so many years it's hard to think of everything a beginner might need to know.

 

[richg]

Zeta,

Here's an attic air leak before we nailed it. The foam you see is from a bathroom remodel I did three years ago. As to the foam itself, I used the Soythane stuff as well. Worked pretty well, but the gun is a b!tch to use in tight spaces.

 

[Ductape]

Can this stuff be sprayed into the wall cavities in my 130+ yr old house by making small holes on the OUTSIDE of my house? I always see this stuff sprayed into walls in new construction, with no sheetrock up yet. My house is balloon framed, and i'd think it would be fairly easy if it can be inserted via tube of some sort.

 

[MACHINE1]

No you have to have the walls opened up. That's why I'm doing it one room at a time. I also have to remove the R-11 and blown in cellulose before I can spray. I didn't have to do any tight spaces but I can see how that would be a pain. The gun is a bit unwieldy. I'm also curious to see how well the garage floor coating works. I'm trying to convince a guy at work who just built a garage to let me do his (so far I've been unsuccessful).

 

[Ductape]

This is more or less what i'm looking for. I'd like to keep my old plaster walls........ and as much of my old growth clapboards as possible.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ9AnnwP-sE&feature=related

 

[Xena]

Ductape this place may sell what you're looking for.

http://www.tigerfoam.com/affiliates.php

"Fill Existing Wall Cavities with our Slow Rise Cavity Fill Formula"