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Spray-On Closed-Cell Insulation

This NCFI polyurethane spray-on insulation sets up as a rigid product. It will be sprayed in to about 3 1/2 inches in depth and will provide an insulation value of R21. It is sprayed directly onto the back of the sheathing and sticks to it, swelling to 25 times its liquid volume. The foam itself is filled with microscopic bubbles. Since air molecules transport heat energy rapidly from the warm wall to the cold wall, the goal is to stop them or impede their movement with a web of cells inside the insulation. This insulation is also enhanced with Enovate, a Honeywell chemical that is added to the spray to create a new, slower, larger molecule that moves inefficiently to pick up and transfer heat. Heat transfer is therefore retarded in two ways, making for an extremely high insulation value. The foam comes as a two-part product, delivered as a liquid from two drums that mix the components through a sprayer. The liquid is sprayed at a very high pressure, about 2,000 pounds per square inch, to mix the chemical with the hardener and deliver it to the building cavity.

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Spraying in Closed-Cell Insulation Now Playing

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Spray-On Closed-Cell Insulation Now Playing

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Clip Transcript For:

Spray-On Closed-Cell Insulation

computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" The next thing there were going to be talking about is insulating this house and witnessed now is Don Schumacher from. And CFI which is the company that makes this new type of foam product that we're using. There's this is an area polyurethane insulation it's radon. In the wall cavity we've made a little bit of a mockup here of it and as you'll notice is a rigid insulation Bob villa and that's normally rigid insulation you buy in four by eight sheets yes this is sprayed actually in place in the in the wall cavity will be putting about. 33 and a half inches in the wall cavity so there were not filling out quite to the stud and today. Don't write about. 21 and so this goes sprayed right onto the backside of the sheet there's absolutely and it sticks to the -- yes it is what a wonderful adhesive resolve all your things are but then what it swells up to -- yes it'll it'll expand about. It 20/20 five times its original liquid volume but isn't the same as who. Partly -- aside any rate I was very proud -- that -- less that is a big word Bob it's it's very somewhere that's a slightly different chemistry but it's essentially the same sort because the Polly ice aboard your familiar with is also a closed cell insulation OK mine the superior insulation qualities okay. I want to see what's in the truck can we go up there sure. OK well. Now there -- up here though let's talk a little bit more about the actual actual foam. I mean is is it. What's the structure like if you look at it close up if -- closes a bunch of Microsoft microscopic bubbles actually and it. The way insulation works at a reduced to just take your cavity."

" Here and have your exterior exterior sheathing and your wallboard in there. That actually would provide some degree of insulation because you have a -- not much you'd have a gap there between say the warm -- in your in your house in the wintertime in the colder outside right. But what would happen there is the air molecules that are inside this cavity. Bounce back and forth between the two walls -- carry very quickly they carry the energy from the inside the house to the outside where it's cold right. And so people put insulation in there in the walls to retard that movement of molecules. Of air that the transfer the heat from one multi the other right. Now the beauty of this insulation is. It has these microscopic cells in -- so those. Gas molecules don't even have the opportunity to travel all the way across the gap of the wall they're trapped they're trapped within those small bubbles and what's even better is Honeywell provides with that provides -- of this new chemical. It's called enovate. And it's different an air let me explain that it's it's a little bit goofy -- I'll try to try to explain it. Terrorism really relates -- little molecule and -- it can bounce around inside those cells. And goes -- yeah I go over and grab the energy of the heat and quickly transfer it outside where you don't want it to go this well enovate is this big huge lumbering molecule -- well we try not to use that word but yes it's a very large molecule and it. It kind of lumber is a long and it comes over here it tries to pick up the heat energy giant it and it doesn't -- don't have to -- little bit but does little Madonna and so it. Lumber is Robin guess what. Before it gets to the other cavity. It's stopped by the cell walls and so it's got a pass that energy through another cell on does that millions of times targeted tour retard the process of moving heat through the how. -- how do you make it notes in order to pump it into how what comes in and in these chemical drums Bob and they are liquid in these drums there's actually two components that come together and are mixed through a spray gun markets took part epoxy except delicate parts I kinda and so you don't get one as a resin and one as a hard in this one over here would essentially just be the hardness and then what is -- sophisticated machinery I'm looking at over here well it's really not as complicated as it looks for those that are. Used to using a -- what. It is a series of two pumps that create very high pressure up to two or 3000 pounds per square inch away in the hallways. And that causes the two chemicals to mix together to gun head which will be sing later yeah and spray out to apply to the walls got."

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Here's another great tip from BobVila.com. How much insulation does your home need and where? It depends on your climate and the energy costs in your area. The basic principle is that you want to keep heat energy from doing what it does best: dissipating to colder areas. The best way is to trap a layer of air next to the heat source. In new framing, sprayed-on polyurethane foam, fiberglass or cellulose do a good job of providing this layer before the drywall goes up. If you re retrofitting your insulation, you can still spray in cellulose through holes cut from the interior or the exterior. To find out what insulation will work best in your home, you ll want to know the recommended insulation r-values in your area. R-value is the measure of a material s resistance to heat flow. The higher the value, the more effective it is. To see the recommended insulation r-values and cost estimates in your ZIP code, visit the Department of Energy s web site. Even a small draft can make your insulation less effective. Seal any gaps around electrical outlets, ducts, windows and doors with foam sealants, caulking or weatherstripping. The most important area to insulate is your attic. Make sure you ve got at least the attic floor insulated with blown-in or batt insulation to your area s recommended r-value, and consider insulating the roof and attic walls as well. This can provide a fully insulated buffer zone to keep heat where you want it and keep the lid on your energy costs. Find out more at BobVila.com: The ultimate home improvement web site! BobVila.com 2008

Insulation to Conserve Heat and Reduce Noise

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