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InspectAPedia ® Home INSULATION INSPECTION & IMPROVEMENT ACOUSTICAL SEALANT CHOICES AIR LEAK MINIMIZATION ASBESTOS IDENTIFICATION IN BUILDINGS ATTIC VENTILATION BASEMENT CEILING VAPOR BARRIER BASEMENT HEAT LOSS BLOWN-IN INSULATION BRICK LINED WALLS BRICK VENEER WALL AIR LEAKS BUCKLED FOUNDATIONS due to INSULATION? CATHEDRAL CEILING INSULATION CATHEDRAL CEILING VENTILATION CEILINGS, DROP or SUSPENDED PANEL CRAWL SPACES DEHUMIDIFICATION PROBLEMS DEW POINT TABLE - CONDENSATION POINT DUCT INSULATION, ASBESTOS PAPER FIBERGLASS HAZARDS FIBERGLASS INSULATION FIBERGLASS PARTICLE CONTAMINATION Fiberboard Insulation Sheathing Mold FIBERGLASS INSULATION MOLD Fireproofing containing Asbestos FRAMING DETAILS for BETTER INSULATION FRAMING DETAILS for DOUBLE WALL HOUSES FRAMING METAL STUD PERFORMANCE FREEZE-PROOF A BUILDING HEAT LOSS in BUILDINGS HEAT LOSS PREVENTION PRIORITIES HEAT LOSS R U & K VALUE CALCULATION HOUSEWRAP AIR & VAPOR BARRIERS HOUSE DOCTOR, how-to be HUMIDITY LEVEL TARGET ICE DAM PREVENTION INSULATION AIR & HEAT LEAKS INDOOR AIR QUALITY & HOUSE TIGHTNESS INSULATION CHOICES INSULATION FACT SHEET- DOE INSULATION IDENTIFICATION GUIDE INSULATION INSPECTION & IMPROVEMENT INSULATION LOCATION - WHERE TO PUT IT INSULATION MOLD INSULATION R-Values & Properties LEED GREEN BUILDING CERTIFICATION LOG HOME ENERGY EFFICIENCY MOLD in FOAM INSULATION, RESISTANCE MOISTURE CONTROL in BUILDINGS NOISE / SOUND DIAGNOSIS & CURE PASCAL CALCULATIONS RADIANT BARRIERS REFLECTIVE INSULATION RIGID FOAM USE INDOORS SHEATHING, FOIL FACED - VENTS SLAB INSULATION, PASSIVE SOLAR STAINS on & in BUILDINGS, CAUSES & CURES STRAW BALE CONSTRUCTION STUCCO WALL METHODS & INSTALLATION STUCCO OVER FOAM INSULATION SWEATING (CONDENSATION) on PIPES, TANKS Thermal Expansion Cracking of Brick THERMAL IMAGING, THERMOGRAPHY THERMAL MASS in BUILDINGS THERMAL TRACKING Indicates Heat Loss TRUSS UPLIFT, ROOF VAPOR BARRIERS & CONDENSATION in BUILDINGS VENTILATION in BUILDINGS WALL CONSTRUCTION BARRIER vs CAVITY WIND WASHING INSULATION At EAVES WINTERIZE A BUILDING More Information |
Spray foam insulation product properties, installation, R-values: how to identify spray type foam insulation products: this article illustrates and describes foam spray insulation materials in buildings such as icynene® foam insulation. This document assists building buyers, owners or inspectors who need to identify foam insulation materials in buildings by simple visual inspection. 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. Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2013 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Author Daniel Friedman. Spray Icynene Foam Building Insulation Identification in buildings
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. Readers concerned about termite damage associated with foam, fiberglass, or other building insulation materials should also see TERMITE SHIELDS vs TERMITICIDE, and Insects & Foam Insulation. Also see SLAB INSULATION, PASSIVE SOLAR. Readers may want to review UFFI, the older foam insulating product that looks a lot like Icynene but has a more problematic history and which we discuss at How to Identify UFFI Foam 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. Properties of Icynene® Foam Insulation SystemsSpray foam insulation products such as icynene® foam and some polyurethane4 and isocyanurate foam insulation products have these properties:
Foam Insulation Products and Risk of Wood Destroying Insect Damage: termites, carpenter ants, etcThe following comments pertain regardless of whether the foam insulation products we are addressing are sprayed foam insulation or solid foam insulating boards or panels. Wood destroying insect effects of foam insulation: foam insulation is not an insect barrier; while these materials do not provide food for termites, they are easily penetrated by termites or carpenter ants (as are other insulating materials). For this reason our opinion is that it is bad design to bring foundation insulating foam panels up into contact with building wood framing materials unless an approved insect barrier has also been installed. What can we do to improve the insect resistance of buildings where solid foam board or foam spray foundation insulation are being applied? See our recommendations at Insects & Foam Insulation. R-values of Icynene® Foam Insulation & Polyurethane Foam Insulation
Mold Resistance of Foam Insulation Spray or Foam BoardsPlease see our main article on this topic at MOLD in Foam Insulation. Excerpts are below. Though we sometimes find fungal growth in buildings that looks a lot like our photo this substance, it would be very odd for it to appear so extensively and so uniformly as the foam insulation shown in this photo. The photos provided here are of a sprayed-on icynene foam insulation project that was completed in a crawlspace. Because the work area was tight, it was difficult for the foam spraying technician to work meticulously but s/he did a pretty nice job. Using a combination of visual inspection and smoke testing we found only two openings in the foam blanket that were permitting air movement from the crawl space up into the living space. Overall it was an effective installation.
Open-celled foam insulation compared with closed-cell foam insulation productsFoam insulation products (such as urethane foam insulation) are produced in both open-cell and closed-cell forms.
Finally, readers considering adding insulation inside or outside a basement foundation wall should see POLYSTYRENE FOAM INSULATION as well as BUCKLED FOUNDATIONS due to INSULATION? If you are insulating a crawl area not a basement, see CRAWL SPACE INSULATION RETROFIT. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Icynene Spray Foam Insulation & similar foam insulation products & proceduresQuestion: where can I get an install manual for the spray foam insulation Icynene 200Do you know where I may download an install manual for the spray foam insulation Icylene 200 for research purposes. Thank-you for your time. - J.C., Illinois 6/18/2012 Reply:I am guessing you had a typo and that for Icylene 200 you meant Icynene. The installation procedures for Icynene spray foams vary by product type and the particular installation location, such as in an unvented attic, a cathedral ceiling, crawl space, basement, &c. There are two medium density foam products with this name:
You can find installation product information for these specific products from the manufacturer, Icynene - though you'll find that the company does not post complete, detailed Icynene®installation instructions online. Most likely that is because commercial equipment and dealer training are required and the product is installed only by Icynene licensed dealers. Contact: website: www.icynene.com You'll see at that company's contact information http://www.icynene.com/contact-us that they want you to use different email links for different products. Here is an excerpt from the company's 3-Part Specification document provided at the Icynene website: EXAMINATION
PREPARATION
APPLICATION
REPAIRS
PROTECTION
Reader Follow-up: Yes, I have queries to Icynene too, but they do not seem too anxious to send a researcher info, that’s why I am looking for another source. I have contacted some installers as well. Joe Reply: Try calling their marketing people, and convince one of them that you are a serious researcher, not someone out to steal trade secrets nor make trouble for them. Reader Follow-up: A contractor contact did send me the install manual. Icylene customer service send me a nice e-mail saying that info not made avail to public. Pretty basic stuff, did not see any trade secrets, but helpful to me. I’m sure a liability issue, they don’t want some rogue get their hands on leftover components and attempt install on own. Joe. Reply: Was there a significant difference between what was in the manual and the excerpt [shown above?] Reader Follow-up: No. ... Ask a Question or Search InspectApediaQuestions & answers or comments about how to identify different types of foam building insulation materials . Ask a Question or Enter Search Terms in the InspectApedia search box just below. Technical Reviewers & ReferencesRelated Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.
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