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INTERIORS of BUILDINGS ASBESTOS FLOORING HAZARD REDUCTION ASBESTOS IDENTIFICATION IN BUILDINGS ASBESTOS: Photo Guide to Materials / Products ATTIC LEAKS, CONDENSATION & ATTIC MOLD BLOWER DOORS & AIR INFILTRATION BLOWER FAN OPERATION & TESTING CRAWL SPACES CRAWL SPACE DRYOUT PROCEDURES CRAWL SPACE GROUND COVERS CRAWL SPACE INSULATION RETROFIT CRAWL SPACE SAFETY ADVICE CRAWL SPACE VAPOR BARRIER CRAWLSPACE MOLD ADVICE MOLD CLEANUP by MEDIA BLASTING MOLD ON DIRT FLOORS ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS HEAT LOSS CALCULATIONS HUMIDITY LEVEL TARGET ICE DAM PREVENTION INSULATION IDENTIFICATION GUIDE ASBESTOS-FREE INSULATION MATERIALS ASBESTOS IDENTIFICATION IN BUILDINGS Asbestos Pipe Insulation Balsam Wool Batt Insulation Cellulose loose fill insulation Ceramic Insulation Concrete insulation, light-weight Cotton Insulating Batts 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 on Fiberboard Insulating Sheathing MOLD PREVENTION MOLD PREVENTION AFTER FLOODING Mold in Foam Insulation Paper Duct Insulation Perlite Insulation PHENOLIC FOAM INSULATION POLYISOCYANURATE FOAM INSULATION POLYISOCYANURATE FOAM BELOW SLABS POLYSTYRENE FOAM INSULATION RADIANT BARRIERS RIGID FOAM USE INDOORS SUPER HI-R INSULATION Urea Formaldehyde Foam Insulation UFFI URETHANE FOAM Deterioration, Outgassing VERMICULITE INSULATION INSULATION INSPECTION & IMPROVEMENT INSULATION LOCATION in BUILDINGS - WHERE TO INSULATE BLOWN-IN INSULATION INSULATION CHOICES INSULATION FACT SHEET- DOE INSULATION LOCATION & QUANTITY for ATTICS INSULATION LOCATION for BASEMENT FLOORS INSULATION LOCATION for BASEMENT WALLS INSULATION LOCATION for BRICK or BLOCK WALL CAVITY INSULATION LOCATION for BRICK VENEER WALLS INSULATION LOCATION for CAPES, CRAWLSPACES INSULATION LOCATION for CATHEDRAL CEILINGS INSULATION LOCATION for GREENHOUSE or SOLARIUM INSULATION LOCATION for PASSIVE SOLAR FLOOR SLAB INSULATION LOCATION & EXTENT for SLABS INSULATION LOCATION for SOUND CONTROL INSULATION LOCATION for SWIMMING, INDOOR INSULATION MOLD 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 Plumbing Water Septic Roofing Inspection & Repair 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 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 2010 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use page top links to major topics or use links at the left of each page to navigate within topics and documents at this website. Green links show where you are in a document series or at this 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 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
From 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.
For more about crawl space insulation, see CRAWL SPACE INSULATION RETROFIT. . ... Technical Reviewers & References
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