Spray Foam Attic Insulation Problems

Spray polyurethane foam insulation of any kind uses isocyanates in 50 of the formulation even those claimed to be made with soy or other natural oils.

Spray foam attic insulation problems.

A lot of builders and homeowners are going with spray foam insulation because of the airtightness benefits but then the questioner mentioned that the spray foam contractor had intentionally left big holes to the outside by not sealing the gable vents. Problems with spray foam insulation in attics. The answer to fixing your attic insulation problems. Earlier this year i got a question about a home that had spray foam insulation in the attic.

Unfortunately good average thickness doesn t cut it. The use of spray foam attic can present many potential problems especially when it comes to the improper installation of this material within this area of your home. The real issue is the improper formulation and installation of large amounts of spray foam in homes and buildings by poorly trained unknowledgeable or even unreputable commercial installers. In fact spray foam insulation can help avoid problems like these.

Poor application of the spray foam insulation. Poor application includes off ratio spraying of the material bad odors and the lack of adhesion. A better long term solution many homeowners have found to fix their attic insulation problems has been to remove the old attic insulation and replace it with spray foam insulation. The coverage needs to be uniform because a lot of heat will go through the under insulated areas.

Spray foam installers may miss some of the air leakage sites in the attic which can lead to problems in the insulation of the attic. Placement errors during installation attics are the main spots in a home that are filled with unusual shapes gaps and spaces where air bubbles have the potential to form when you spray foam insulation. In an unvented attic scenario to limit air leakage as well as any associated condensation at the roof line a continuous air barrier is required. Incorrectly installed spray foam insulation can trap moisture in the home encouraging rot and mold problems.

Insulating with spray foam insulation at the roof line will cause moisture problems with the roof sheathing. Nothing unusual about that. The answers to your attic insulation problems can be as easy as understanding how different types of insulation work and what you need to look out for. Applying an even sheet of foam to the underside of a roof or other space can eliminate the routes that water vapor uses to leave the house.

Below we are going to list the most common problems with using spray foam insulation in your home s attic or in any area inside of your home. Over time trapped moisture can cause serious problems.