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This page 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.

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.

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Spray Icynene Foam Building Insulation Identification in Buildings

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 Systems

Spray foam insulation products such as icynene® foam and some polyurethane4 and isocyanurate foam insulation products have these properties:

• Air seal: providing a very good air leakage seal (provided the spray is carefully applied)
• Dimensional stability: this product does not shrink or settle (see Cellulose loose fill insulation and Urea Formaldehyde Foam Insulation UFFI). At How to Make a Sure Distinction Among UFFI, Icynene, and Latex Foam Insulations we demonstrate a compression test of this material to show its elasticity.
• Fire safety protection: foam insulation products can be hazardous in a building fire and in general must be protected from direct exposure in occupied spaces (such as covering with drywall) in order to assure that potentially dangerous gases are not released into the living area during a fire. See the industry's fire safety guidelines for details, an example of which is provided in this fire safety bulletin from the polyurethanes industry.
• Icynene® foam and other water-borne foam insulation systems use a water-based solvent, not formaldehyde, or other chemicals associated with prior problem-foam products such as CFCs and HCFCs. Initial foam curing occurs in minutes. When these foams have fully cured (about a month) no VOCs should be detected associated with these foam products. See  Urea Formaldehyde Foam Insulation UFFI for an example of an earlier set of problems with UFFI.
• Insulating in irregularly shaped areas where cutting fiberglass batts would be labor intensive
• Insulating in hard-to-access building areas - a spray wand can be inserted into tight spaces to release the expanding foam product which will expand to fill the odd-shaped space.
• Moisture resistance and mold growth resistance
• R-value stability in urethane or polyurethane foam insulations - see URETHANE FOAM Deterioration, Outgassing for details. R-values of icynene are discussed below.
• Structural properties: some foam products are strong enough to actually add strength to the building structure; some building products use a wood-foam laminate to produce insulated building panels, for example for use in un-vented cathedral ceiling/roof structures.
• Sound transmission resistance: spray foam insulation products, by filling building spaces completely and by the properties of both open and closed cell foams, resist sound transmission in buildings
• Wind leakage resistance: both open cell foams and closed cell foam insulation products lose less of their R-value when exposed to wind than do some other insulating products such as fiberglass batts. Spray Foam Systems asserts that the R-value of urethane foam (this is not an Icynene® product) drops from R 19 to R 18 while fiberglass batt insulating drops from R19 to R7 (presuming these are both applied in a 6" thickness). U.S. Department of Energy studies cite air infiltration in buildings as responsible for 40% of the energy lost in homes (surely varying depending on tightness of construction, house age, etc.)

Foam Insulation Products and Risk of Wood Destroying Insect Damage: termites, carpenter ants, etc.

The 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

• The poured-in formula for icynene® foam insulation has an R-value of R-4 per inch.
• The spray-formula of icynene® foam insulation has an R-value of R-3.6 per inch. In new construction often this product is sprayed between joists or studs, allowed to expand and cure, and then trimmed flush with the wood framing surfaces. This smooth application merits the full R-value claimed. If the spray is applied unevenly the R-value of the insulation blanket for the building may vary.
• Spray polyurethane foam has an aged R-value of about R-6 per inch (varies by formula)
• See URETHANE FOAM Deterioration, Outgassing for details about the R-value stability of urethane or polyurethane foam insulation.

Mold Resistance of Foam Insulation Spray or Foam Boards

Sprayed icynene® foam insulation is not mold though a few people taking a quick look where yellow foam insulation product has oozed out of a building sill or attic top plate people have mistaken this insulation product for mold.

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. Also see Mold Growth Resistance of Foam Insulation.

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.

• See How to Make a Sure Distinction Among UFFI, Icynene, and Latex Foam Insulations for more detail on the identification of these individual foam insulation products in the field
• See  Mold in Fiberglass Insulation and  Mold in Foam Insulation for details about mold problems in building insulation.
• See INSULATION INSPECTION & IMPROVEMENT for details about foam and other building insulation types;
• See FIBERGLASS HAZARDS for a discussion of mold problems in fiberglass insulation;
• See Mold On Foam Insulation for a discussion of when and why we find mold growth on foam insulating materials like foam board and air handler foam insulating board.

Open-celled foam insulation compared with closed-cell foam insulation products

Foam insulation products (such as urethane foam insulation) are produced in both open-cell and closed-cell forms.

• Closed cell insulating foam, as it cures, forms bubbles or tiny cells that have solid un-broken cell walls (mostly), making this insulating material harder and resistant to moisture up-take. Closed cell foam provides more R-value per inch than open-cell foams and is the product of choice if the insulation is likely to be exposed to high moisture or to water.
• Open cell insulating foam, as it cures, forms cell walls (from tiny bubbles) which are broken, permitting air to fill the cells, and typically having a density of .5 to .75 pounds per cubic foot. In our opinion an open celled foam is less resistant to moisture uptake than a closed cell foam, giving closed cell products and advantage where moisture is a concern in buildings.
  
  This product is often used to protect items in shipping. Open-cell foam insulation should not be used below-grade such as below a concrete slab or outside of buried foundation walls. Open celled spray or poured-in insulating foams may be better at permitting building moisture to escape during new construction.

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ASBESTOS IDENTIFICATION IN BUILDINGS

INSULATION INSPECTION & IMPROVEMENT
Insulation Material Identification Guide
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
  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
HEAT LOSS CALCULATIONS
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
Table of Properties of Insulating Materials
IDENTIFICATION of ASBESTOS in BUILDINGS
ROT, FUNGUS, TERMITES
  TERMITE SHIELDS vs TERMITICIDE

• Icynene Corporation maintains a website with information about Icynene® foam insulation products, applications, etc. and is located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada Tel: 905.363.4040 Toll Free: 800.758.7325
• Icynene Foam Insulation Spray MSDS
• Icynene Foam Insulation Pour formula MSDS
• Spray Foam Systems (urethane foam insulation products)
• API Alliance for the Polyurethanes Industry Fire Safety Guidelines for Use of Rigid Polyurethane and Polyisocyanurate foam Insulation in building Construction (.pdf file)

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

• Our recommended books about building design, inspection, and repair, and about indoor environment testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore.
• ...

More Information on Building Diagnostic Inspections and Repairs

• Asbestos: How to find and recognize asbestos in Buildings - visual inspection methods, list of common asbestos-containing materials
• Asbestos HVAC Ducts and Flues field identification photos and guide
• Fiberglass: Indoor Air Quality Investigations: Health Concerns About Airborne Fiberglass: Fiberglass in Indoor Air from HVAC ducts, and Building Insulation
• Enviro-Scare: Electric Power Lines, Electromagnetic Fields, Cancer Risk, & "Enviro-Scare" - The Normal Curve Cycle of Public Fear of Environmental Issues
• Dust from the World Trade Center collapse following the 9/11/01 attack: the lower floors of this building contained spray-on fire-proofing asbestos materials.
• Asbestos Information Links: Asbestos Detection, Testing, Recognition, Hazards, Field Photos, and Information Sources, including health-related links such as legal services and information about mesothelioma and other cancers.
• Asbestos Identification and Testing References
• Asbestos Identification, Walter C.McCrone, McCrone Research Institute, Chicago, IL.1987 ISBN 0-904962-11-3. Dr. McCrone literally "wrote the book" on asbestos identification procedures which formed the basis for current work by asbestos identification laboratories.
• Stanton, .F., et al., National Bureau of Standards Special Publication 506: 143-151
• Pott, F., Staub-Reinhalf Luft 38, 486-490 (1978) cited by McCrone

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