| "Spray polyurethane foam insulation can be applied to a home under construction and will not only insulate, but will also reduce air leakage in the building envelope." US Department of Energy Insulation Fact Sheet, August 1997 "Spray polyurethane foam alone can provide an air and water-tight barrier." US Department of Commerce brochure, NISTIR4821 |
| Frequently Asked Questions |
| Q, What Types of foam do you spray? A, We spray open and closed cell foams. Our goal is to find the best and most cost effective product and system for each project. This requires knowledge, experience and more than one product. Q, What is the cost difference in foam vs fiberglass? A, This is a question that is ask mostly by spec home contractors. Most home owners have done a bit of leg work and know that the comparison of cost can be offset by smaller HVAC systems and in some cases a smaller stud package. However, if the house is insulated in the same method (walls and blown ceiling) it would cost 1.5 - 2 times more and run 40-50% more efficient. If the insulation method changes to a total foam envelop the square footage increase in some case's as much as 2 time and the cost may be as much as 4 times more. However, the efficiency of this method is as high as 50% with open cell foam and 70% with closed cell foam. We believe that a payback of our insulation should be less than 5 years. Q, What is the difference in Open cell and closed cell foam? A, There several differences but the two main differences are, 1- Open cell is about 1/3 less efficient than closed cell. 2- Open cell is not a moisture/ vapor barrier (should never be installed outdoors or in a crawl space, never never in a crawl space.) where as closed cell can be installed as a roofing material, industrial tank insulation or perfect vapor barrier for that moldy musky crawl space (I'm sure you can since my frustration with company's installing open cell in the crawls. Do not let tis happen to you! Open cell foam does allow moisture to penetrate and mold will grow in the moist materials. This is a big NO NO but, companies that offer only one spray system will try to sell it as the perfect fix for all. That is just not the case, in foams, car, medicines or most anything else you care to think up. I am not trying to sell Foam Plus with this soap box runaway, I just simply want you the customer to be educated and don't get sold by someone driven by the dollar. I would rather see fiberglass bat installed in a crawl than open cell foam. Sure, fiberglass bats is a joke in this area also but you could at the least waste less money and take it out easier.) Q, What will happen if my house catches on fire? A, Foam is not going to keep your house from burning down. Foam Plus uses only class 1 rated (E84 approved) materials. This is the rating that all insulations must have to be installed in a residential or commercial structure. The fact is, I have never gone to a home that was burning or just burnt and seen any insulation of any kind. It all melts or burns away. ( Foam Plus does offer fire rated coatings that will give more time to the victim of a house fire) |
| INSULATION |
| Home Performance |
| Q. How much can I cave by air sealing my home? A. It depends on the amount of leakage you have. Our audit system would give you a improvement range that we would meet. We on average can improve newer homes (2000 - 2007) by 30%. Q. What if my house gets to tight? A. There is no such thing as to tight. Our job is to improve the envelope of the home (decrease air flow) and balance the HVAC system. The myth of a to tight home really has nothing to do with the limited air leaking in the home. It normally has every thing to do with the HVAC system being to large and/or not balanced. Q. Why does my crawl space smell so bad when it has vents? A. Crawl spaces can be very tricky. There are no 2 crawls alike therefor no one system will work on all crawls( We're not baking cookies here). Some crawls just need more air movement. Others my need a full drainage system complete with fresh air and vapor barriers. Just because it has vents doesn't mean it has proper ventilation. Q. Why should I pay for an audit when my energy company gives them free? A. I'm going to answer this one with a question. How do you want to benefit by the audit? This one goes back to two old sayings. "You get what you pay for" or "you don't let the fox guard the hen house". |
| Heat and Air |
| Q. Why does one room feel colder than another? A. Because it is. Most systems are installed wrong. Duct design was never entered into the plan. That means the system is not balanced. When a system is unbalanced this mean more air will come from one duct than the another. One room may be getting 40% of the units capacity. This would leave the rest of the rooms starving for air. Normally the farthest from the system starves. Q. Why does my unit run so long? A. In most case's it just needs to be serviced. Low freon will cause the unit not to cool. A dirty blower fan will also reduce the amount of air being circulated through the ducts. |