ATTENTION!
It always happens.  A relatively new construction method is employed or material is applied without understanding the consequences.   YouTube has several examples of things going wrong in the construction industry.  A valuable product gets a bad rap because someone did not do his homework before adopting the methods or materials.

Foam insulation- At this time one of the greatest threats to homeowners safety is insulation contractors convincing folks they should insulate with foam in an existing dwelling. While homes insulated with foam products operate efficiently, an assessment must be made by a competent mechanical contractor.  Water heaters and furnaces whether gas, oil or propane should be of closed combustion type.  Do not allow foam insulation installed without first assessing the fuel and system design!

Existing insulation.  Should it go or should it stay?-   When your home is retrofitted with foam insulation, you are effectively adding a large room to your dwelling.  Where a home had a ventilated attic air infiltration occurred at the ceiling level via light fixture and vent fans.  Now that the attic is no longer vented, everything in the attic is effectively moved to inside the home.  You wouldn’t leave dusty insulation with all the extra’s like insects, spiders or worse, rodent droppings in your spare bedroom.   So the old insulation should go prior to the attic being foamed.   Removing the insulation also prevents air gaps in applied foam.  On a bright day a foamed attic will be totally dark with no visible light anywhere.  The only exception is indirect light from any PVC venting at the roof level.  Once the job is complete the attic will be no warmer than 5 degrees above what is in the living space.

For the contracting community, there is more to applying foam to a structure than buying an application truck, purchasing supplies and opening a business.

We will post a message in the near future with a checklist and a logic tree for having a contractor install foam in your home as retrofit or additional insulation.