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INTERIORS of BUILDINGS ASBESTOS IDENTIFICATION IN BUILDINGS ASBESTOS: Photo Guide to Materials / Products ATTIC LEAKS, CONDENSATION & ATTIC MOLD BLOWER DOORS & AIR INFILTRATION ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS HEAT LOSS CALCULATIONS HUMIDITY LEVEL TARGET ICE DAM PREVENTION INSULATION & VENTILATION INSPECTION & IMPROVEMENT Insulation Material Identification Guide Asbestos Identification in Buildings Asbestos Pipe Insulation Asbestos-Free Insulation Materials Balsam Wool Batt Insulation Cotton Insulating Batts Cellulose loose fill insulation Concrete insulation, light-weight Fiberglass Insulation Foam Board Insulation Foam Insulation Types - Visual Id Homasote & Other Insulating Board Icynene Foam Spray Insulation Icynene Spray Foam R-values of Icynene® vs. Polyurethane Foam Mold Resistance of Foam Insulation Open-celled vs. Closed-cell Foam Insulation Insects & Foam Insulation Mineral Wool - Rock Wool Insulation Mold in Fiberglass Insulation Mold in Foam Insulation Paper Duct Insulation Perlite Insulation POLYISOCYANURATE FOAM INSULATION POLYSTYRENE FOAM INSULATION RADIANT BARRIERS RIGID FOAM USE INDOORS Urea Formaldehyde Foam Insulation UFFI URETHANE FOAM Deterioration, Outgassing Vermiculite Insulation INSULATION LOCATION for BASEMENTS INSULATION LOCATION for CAPES, CRAWLSPACES INSULATION for GREENHOUSE or SOLARIUM INSULATION MATERIAL IDENTIFICATION GUIDE INSULATION R-Values & Properties ASBESTOS: Photo Guide to Materials / Products Mold Growth Resistance of Foam Insulation ROT, FUNGUS, TERMITES TERMITE SHIELDS vs TERMITICIDE More Information InspectAPedia ® Home & Site Map Air Conditioning & Heat Pumps Bookstore Electrical Environment Exteriors Heating Home Inspection Insulate Ventilate Interiors Plumbing Water Septic Roofing Structure Accuracy & Privacy Policies Contact Us |
This article discusses polyurethane foam insulation outgassing, the initial degradation in the R-value of foam insulation, and other properties. Our photo (page top) shows icynene foam insulation that oozed into an attic space after being blown onto the building gable-end wall. Fiberglass insulation is also visible at the left foreground. Readers should see INSULATION & VENTILATION INSPECTION & IMPROVEMENT and Icynene Foam Spray Insulation. If you are having trouble determining what type of foam insulation product has been installed in a building, see How to Make a Sure Distinction Among UFFI, Icynene, and Latex Foam Insulations for more detail on the identification of these products in the field. And we discuss the reduced risk of mold where icynene is in crawl spaces at Mold risk in Icynene Foam Insulation. See Urea Formaldehyde Foam Insulation UFFI for an example of an earlier set of problems with UFFI. © Copyright 2009 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website. Q&A: Rate of Outgassing of Foam Insulation; relationship between thermal performance of foam insulation and time degradationThe link to the original Q&A article in PDF form immediately below is followed by an expanded/updated online version of this article.
The question-and-answer article below paraphrases, quotes-from, updates, and comments an original article, (see links just above) from Solar Age Magazine and written by Steven Bliss. Polyurethane Foam R-Value Loss MechanismsQuestion: Thank you for an excellent article on building insulation materials (Solar Age, "Building it Right", 11/83, also see our complete guide to insulation at INSULATION & VENTILATION INSPECTION & IMPROVEMENT). Of all the areas in the field of energy-efficient materials and construction, none is so fraught with misinformation as insulation. After many inquiries to manufacturers and extruders of rigid foam insulation products I have been unable to find accurate information as to the rate of outgassing in foam building insulation, or the relationship between thermal performance of foam insulation and time. Have you found any better information than I have? -- Michael Luttrell, Napa CA Answer: Polyurethane foams lose R-value by two mechanisms: air infiltrating the foam and fluorocarbon gas diffusing out of the foam insulation. Immediately after manufacture, polyurethane foam increases in conductivity quite rapidly. The rate of increase in foam insulating board conductivity (which is equivalent to a loss in the foam insulating board's R-value) ultimately stabilizes at a plateau level, which can remain unchanged after more than 10 years. Since most of the change in foam insulating board R-value occurs in the first two to two-and-a-half years, manufacturers of residential foam insulating products are required to publish a two-year aged R-value. The rate and degree of R-value drift in foam insulating board depends on many factors such as foam cell size, closed cell foam content, foam board material thickness, and foam board density. The main factors, though, are the permeance of the foam board facing and how well it is bonded to the foam itself. Metal foam insulating board facings bonded to the wet foam at the time of manufacture (generally aluminum foil) appear to yield the highest R-values. Through extensive testing at independent laboratories, Celotex Corp. has established that its foil-faced Thermax™ foam board insulation remains stable at about R-7.2 per inch at 75 degF mean temperature for at least five years of aging. In its bulletin U108, the Urethane Division of the Society of the Plastics Industry lists the stabilized R-value for unfaced foam insulating board or those with gas-permeable facings at R5.6 to R 6.2 per inch of thickness. Consult with the manufacturers for information on specific foam insulating board products. More Details about Polyurethane, Urethane, and Icynene Foam Insulation Products
Fom our detailed article at Icynene Foam Spray Insulation: Icynene® foam insulation (and similar products) is a spray-in-place, injected through openings, or pour-in expanding-foam insulation product. Other water borne foam spray insulation products, including some latex-foams, are available.
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11/05/2009 - 01/07/2006 - InspectApedia.com/Energy/Polyurethane_Insulation.htm - © 2009 - 1988 Copyright Daniel Friedman All Rights Reserved - InspectAPedia® is a Registered U.S. Trademark