I’ve been an energy auditor for 25 years in Michigan. All the expressed concepts and practices expressed by the presenter are 100% accurate and factual. I simply tell everyone that “Foam kills 8 birds with one stone”!
During the lumber price spike, we went from going with 2x6 for the exterior walls to 2x4 and completely filled the cavity with closed cell. Saved on the total cost, got the insulation, and added strength.
Another great video. The basement of our house that was built in 1916 was sprayed with closed cell 3 weeks ago. The walls are concrete. There was a lot of leakage in our rim joists. Now there’s a huge difference in temperature. It used to be cold down there. Now its nice and toasty. Im glad I went with spray. Your videos convinced me of that. The guy has been in the business since 1977 and knows what he’s doing. He said it should pay itself off in 5 years. I would have hired you if you were in the US. Time to expand.
In my garage I had 2 inch closed cell sprayed in 2x4 wall and 4 in under roof. I'm in Denver . I have a 30 Amp electric heater and set on low it keeps garage above 50 degrees for less than20 dollars a month and that's with shop tools and lights. Love the foam , it's worth the $4,000 for insulation in 24x32 garage. Spend the extra money.
Well it's me again ... your vids are popping up a lot! Superb job on educational video here ... Impressed with the sound levels too and the voice over. Awwesome hope you have a great weekend.
My house was built in the early 50's and has plenty of cold spots. I looked into doing spray foam but found it too costly for my budget. Opening up the walls is the right way to go but I'm afraid to find the unexpected.
Do you recommend venting above a vaulted/cathedral ceiling where the under belly of the roof has been spray foamed? This is for a new 4 season cottage in Canada so we are going to be dealing with very hot and very cold temps throughout the year. Thanks
The joist ends do not get insulated or protected from moisture when you close cell them. Closed cell on the outside could solve, but blow grade to protect the foam.
My understanding is that you shouldnt insulate the inside of a concrete foundation, because if theres a water management failure, like failed gutter, or improper soil grading, and pooling water near the foundation that'll freeze in the winter, it'll cause frost heave on the foundation. Maybe its different in the south, but here (PA) insulation is usually applied to the exterior of the foundation.
That is not accurate. We are in some of the coldest climate in North America & Building code since 2010 is mandatory to have a basement insulated. 99.999% are done from the inside.
I guess my only hangs up are that I'm not sure whether to use open or closed cell... Spraying insulation on the inside of a basement that doesn't have insulation on the outside (where soil frost level is 26" deep) I'm worried about holding/cutting off the vapor and having the basement walls crack, and encapsulating the underside roof decking may cause roof rot on the decking... IDK... I almost need a time machine so I can see 20 years into the future to see how this stuff holds up.
Mr. Jones the part you're not understanding is the tighter you get at home the more air leakage you get through the fewer holes when your house is under negative pressure is all about positive and negative pressure in your home which is a heating and ventilation issue not an insulation issue
Rafter rot in our 100 year old home’s attic…..seems to be a humidity control problem during the cold canadian months eventhough our attic has 6-8 inches of spray foam the roof….if had to do over, would not spray foam
@@SprayJones ok. Do you have brand names for either solutions ? What about mechanical means of controlling humidity ? Air exchanger ? Thanks for the exchange.
Big fan of spray foam something you didn't mention.. I saw a concrete co. spray foam 2" directly on ground, then poured over. Something I'm not sure is directly on bottom of Roof sheathing. If you have a leak will not know and alot of damage can happen. Thoughts?
I have always talked my customers into closed cell foam any opportunity I can get. It is a great solution for everything you mentioned in this video. My question would be do you recommend a foil vapor barrier between the roof sheathing and the insulation? Thanks for the video.
No you do not. SPF - closed cell- properly installed is a stand alone product when caulking is used to fill gaps the foam cannot get into. Thanks for your good word on the foam!
I have a 10 x 20 wooden shed with the spray on vapor barrier of the silver stuff and I’ve already insulated the walls with fiberglass because I couldn’t get Rockwall and put the plastic six mill vapor barrier over it and taped it with a special red tape. I put rafter baffles up to the ridge vent but left the ridge vent exposed on the inside. Now I’m considering spray foam to rip the baffles off the ceiling or leave them I’m so confused. I also will be living in it full-time in the south but there’s lots of humidity. It’s a barn loft so I want everything to be expose so I can use the loft for my altar and a spare bed
Have to remodel a bathroom and took some sheet rock off the wall. To my surprise I have a few spaces that had no insulation in exterior wall. It was stucco, wire, and seem like vapor barrier, studs than sheet rock. Empty wall spaces seems like very poor construction. Home was built in 1992 in Las Vegas would spray foam be a better choice in this hot climate?
Great points as always. Appreciate the content. BEST. Can you clarify the below. 1. Do you recommend rafter vents baffle for air circulation beneath the roof seathing and insulate under the baffle? If not how will there be moisture or condensation beneath the roof seathing. 2. If the basement contains cinder blocks, applying foam insulation, will it not make the cinder blocks moist due to water from outside? For concrete foundations, I see very bad waterproofing on the outside. How will this affect if we do foam insulation from inside to the basement walls.
1. I have a whole playlist on vaulted unvented roofs where the science is explained in great detail. So please watch. 2. Cinderblocks, well you need to stop the water from the outside for sure, but then apply the foam on the inside to seal all the joints and back up the block with rigid support.
Mike thanks for all the great information. Where can I find Documents or literature stating or certifying that 2 inch close cell performs better than an R 38 traditional material. I am trying to convince a inspector the how air seal is more important than just the r value.
If he is stuck on R value alone you cannot. The foam will be an R 13 and the R38 is just that. So if he has to satisfy a number you either hit the value or find a loop hole to avoid it, like vaulted ceiling values vs flat ceiling values, or you get a building envelope engineer to write your values and seal it. I will be having a resource center on our web site soon for research reports.
Hi there, Looks like you do great great work and all it top quality stuff! Question? I’m dealing with a 100 year old house, live in Massachusetts. outside walls are 2x4 and I’m in the process of renovating the whole first floor, took out the blow in insulation and I want to go with foam of course. Should I use closed or open cell in the outside walls ? Also what should I use in the ceiling insulation. The whole floor is gutted out, floors walls ceiling. Thx in advance
In the crawlspace, instead of spraying the underside framing of the upper the floor, I’m looking to spray the concrete block walls, and the slab to reduce humidity and coldness. It would then be somewhat of a heated space because the crawlspace is partially raised and it’s ceiling is on par with the height of my basement ceiling which shares a drop ceiling that allows warmed air into the crawlspace. Anything wrong with that idea ?
I plan on doing a metal roof with zip OSB sheathing. And close cell spray foam insulation underneath on the inside. Do you recommend having a ventilated roof and ceiling off the attic completely with the spray foam?
@@SprayJones I meant to say that I’ve seen some give their opinions to do a ventilated roof only and it closed off attic that’s not ventilated to prevent rodents from getting in. And maintain controlled air conditioning. The thought on the ventilated roof was to prevent condensation from leaking into the attic.
Concrete block can have foam inside. Since they are staggered it is an issue to get all the way to the bottom unless you fill sequentially as you lay so may courses of blocks.
Block cmu wall foam injection? Had a guy try to sell that to me instead of lining the inside with the reflective foam board. It wont be a balanced insulation because the foam wont always reach everywhere and there are solid columns of concrete in the cmu. He claimed it was a higher r-value than the foam board.
If you seal (spray foam) the porous concrete basement or crawlspace foundation walls, won't that just stop water infiltration only right up that point? So essentially water will seep from the exterior thru the concrete and have no where to go, stopping at that spray foam barrier. Couldn't that actually cause water entrapment in the foundation wall & therefore cause serious erosion/ cracking issues?
Waterproofing is always needed on the exterior no one is saying to forgo that. What the SPF does on the inside is a bonus and helps double up the protection.
@@SprayJones ok thanks for your reply, just curious b/c a lot of existing homes/ foundation walls are buried below grade & have no exterior vapor barrier/ Kilz and if they did, the dirt likely already degraded it. I'm just concerned the water would somehow get trapped right up to the SPF & just saturate /never leave?
Here in Virginia we have to leave a termite Gap near the seal plate. In that instance spraying in the joints bays wether basement or crawl space might not be possible. Have you come across this?
Great videos!! I’ve recently decided that I want to get into the spray foam business her in Texas. I have been doing my research and scheduled some training with BASF but you as a professional with 15+ years in the industry, would you have any advice for a beginner, how to start, what certificates to carry, any advice really. This is an open question for anyone who is in the Spray Foam Industry. Thank you all in advance.
@@SprayJones so who did it first? You realize there's gotta be someone who learned without working for someone right? I really like your videos but everytime this question comes up you answer the same thing which I get why but disagree. People can learn, are they going to make mistakes? Yes of course, just like you did I'm sure. I think there is a way to get into the business gradually without working for someone else firdt
@@201francois When CUFCA started in Canada in 1985 they certified the already existing SPF installation companies that wanted to be the first certified accounts. Then the only way to get into the SPF certified business was to be apprenticed with 2000 hours of verified spray time before you could write your tests bu one of them. No avenue existed for cold start ups. In 2005 the industry deregulated in Canada because of requests for growth, and a flood of installers hit the market just as you suggested. With it, a flood of BS problems have skyrocketed. Hence this channel is now out to get back to the knowledge and teaching aspect that has been lost. The old methods had merits and I do not endorse the fumble around ways. Do you apply this logic to flying a plane? Being an electrician? Some things you just don't want to learn the hard way.
@@SprayJones depends on the industry but since I know aviation I'll talk on that. The answer is yes. You take a course then you have your license and you fly. Sure you don't fly the 747 right away unless it's your own but you can still fly as a commercial pilot as soon as the courses are done. Same thing for a lawyer, an optometrist, a mechanic, so on so forth. Could the industry go back to better training? Probably. But one guy can certainly learn and grow as it goes. As I said, I know where you are coming from and I know you are mad because instead to just sell a product you have to deconstruct the myths then sell but I just sincerely believe a smart person can learn anything with the right approach. Yours is just different than mine.
@@201francois I do not deny that a smart person can, and they have. We learn ongoing, of course we do. It takes more than book smarts to be great at this line of work. I have been around very stupid engineers that could not figure out the envelope, but we could. However, the percentages out there suggest that we cannot structure it in a cold start method to protect everyone involved. Plus most people are romantic about spraying foam but find out they hate it. So why not apprentice first before investing. I keep educating the masses so that we can work. I have had more issues created for us by newbies versus any other factor other than financing or weather. So yes I am biased. I believe in apprenticeships and mandatory accredited training and inspections.
So it seems u never had issues with 1.5” ... idk I’m always a bit worried and spray 2” min since I’m scared it would not be enough thermal break but ur 10 times longer in business! I enjoy the videos lots of good information!! And of course I like to watch u Guys spraying that butters cheers
When spraying an attic to make it a conditioned space, are you required to cover the foam with a fire rated product like a fire paint or something else?
Do you reccomend any company in the salt lake city area? I have an old barn im trying to turn into a sculpture studio. Needs to be warm for models without huge energy output. Worried about the condensation thing but the average humidity hear is really low.
Hello there, your business only serves the Canadian providence, I'm in the lower 48 I would not have a second guess in contracting your company for the project.
I understand that foaming under a roof deck with shingles will cause them to fail in a relatively short time frame. Several videos on here dealing with this problem and virtually all manufacturers will not guarantee their shingles when installed on such roofs. What's the deal?
@@SprayJones - Very good video. I watched it entirely. I still question whether it should be used because there are other, equally well researched and presented videos showing just the opposite. Dang, even construction techniques seem to be becoming polar opposites.
@@SprayJones - No need to get snippy. It's just that nobody really seems to know and people on both sides have evidence to back their claims. I'm not saying either is correct and it's not me that is confused if there are opposing points of view or if you think I'm confused, then you haven't listened to the people with the opposing viewpoint.
If I am wanting to add spray foam to the rafters but I already have ventilation in the attic due to the insulation originally being batting on the floor, is that a problem?
You have to convert the attic from vented to non-vented. So if SPF it to the roof deck no vents are used, close them off. But ONLY if you can properly get things sealed so you won't have condensation.
I hope you read old video comments, I was considering adding foam to the basement. Would it help to prepare the issues? I have plaster and paint over cinder block all and the joists have been there for 120 years and are dingy looking. I have an older masonry brick house. Do you all recommend spraying those? The walls in my home are very cold in the winter. I assume from what i can see that it was filler with some kind of fluff but its all sank over time. I've seen mixed things on if its possible with masonry homes.
1. Yes you can spray masonry homes. Biggest commercial brick building in town was done by us. I will do a video about it because the building envelope specialist bitch slapped the architect in a letter about his reluctance to use SPF. 2. Clean up the walls. I have a video on "what can SPF stick to". Check it out.
@@SprayJones Thats good to know, I've seen so many people claiming that the brick wicks so much moisture it will cause it to become brittle over time. I just want heating bill under 200 lol.
Do I need to spray foam on the out side of the gable wall and between my neighbor joint wall?Do I need no left the gable wall for the foam to breathe,Or to seal the gable wall to max the performance of the insulation?
Is that closed cell in the attic? Also, is it ok to apply 2” to the top side of the crawl space and rim joist (totally isolating that space from the house above) as opposed to the walls/rim joist?
You should be sealing penetrations before spray foaming. You shouldn’t be relying on spray foam to seal penetrations. Seal the penetrations correctly first then use spray foam for insulation.
DOES THE SPRAY FOAM IN THE UNDERSIDE OF THE ROOF ADD ANY STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY? I'M LOOKING AT SHED TO HOME PROJECT AND THE SHED DOESN'T USE RAFTERS. THANKS FOR THE HELP
Hey just recently found your channel and love the videos. I have watched several of them so far but as another RU-vidr I have to ask what microphone you use? On my stereo I’m hearing a lot of plosives which is often indicative of the microphone being too close to your mouth, or needing a plosives screen, or even the wrong microphone which I did for years. I switched to a cardiod lav microphone and it greatly improved the sound. Also, which is better for sound dampening,, open cell or closed cell? my RU-vid channel is doing well and I plan on building a 4000 square-foot shop/office and then a custom home in the next couple of years and I love spray foam. Thanks for the info
You are watching older videos. I now have a better mic and a pop filter. It has been a process creating, editing and improving. Some of the older vids are hard to watch, I recently deleted 25 of the oldest and roughest. So hence my goal to do 25 vids in 90 - 100 days. Choose SPF for the thermals and correct match for your environment first. Then look at the acoustic last. I will be doing a video on comparing the two late on.
@@SprayJones I guess you could pull ALL the shingles off every time it rains to see if it’s leaking on to the boards or sheeting under the shingles. With spray foam you’d have NO IDEA it was leaking
You don't need roof ventilation here in Michigan if you have metal or clay roof. Asphalt shingles DO NEED VENTILATION. You do need ventilation in your spray foamed house then where does the moisture go??????????????? That's why code requires ventilation. What he says is misleading. Take a shower where's the moisture go? Boil some water where's the moisture go? You may not need roof ventilation but then you need mechanical ventilation by code. If your vent fans can't pull fresh air how does it vent? Spray foam is great but it can be miss used. Spay foam against something that condenses will never dry out. Just trying to set things straight. I don't want to have to rip out another spray foamed basement. Hows a basement suppose to dry behind spray foam? It don't. What happens in basement is masonry condenses right at spray foam. It's sealed from coming in. But it's sealed from leaving too. 22000$ to rip out spray foamed basement and try to stop the mold and mildew. You don't need ventilation just never shower or breath in your house so moisture won't be a problem venting it out.
Watch the 4 part series on non-vented roofs.... or not I don't care. We deal with people that get the physics of what the foam can do. You are not listening...
I live in Atlanta. I've been thinking of 2 spray foam projects. Which should I do first? Spray foam crawl space foundation wall, with foam board rim joist (for termite inspection). Or should I spray foam my roof? Which would yield the biggest energy benefit? I've heard that spray adds strength to a structure. Our home was built in 1921 and does not have a subfloor. Joist are spaced 20" - 30" apart. Our hardwood cherry floor is all 8' lengths. Would spray foam from underneath stiffen the floor. Or would it expand and come through the cracks into the living space? Thanks
When you minimize the holes in your home you maximize the amount of air through the remaining holes you're the remaining holes under negative pressure duh
If you could possibly eliminate every hole on a house you are in one dangerous a** house that is a mechanical home relying totally on your ventilation system no system nothing to do with insulation except except negative A house with no leakage is A Dangerou's home fires burn differently in these homes
John, get educated before you type. Do you fly in an airplane? How much air leakage is there at 37,000 feet? How does a pool room at a hotel deal with envelope in Alaska?
My house was built in the early 50's and has plenty of cold spots. I looked into doing spray foam but found it too costly for my budget. Opening up the walls is the right way to go but I'm afraid to find the unexpected.
@@briansusewitt8475 Nothing in the walls but I air sealed all the ceiling penetrations and added blown-in cellulose to the attic. The results are effective but not perfect.
You can get cellulose or something similar blown into your wall cavities. This would require 2 or 3 inch holes to be drilled for every stud cavity, which could be done from either the inside or outside. This requires repair to get the holes covered and finished over again of course, but this would be A LOT less disruptive and costly than stripping down to studs to get foam sprayed in there. Yes, foam would get you better air sealing and R per inch, but it's a lot more work and expense. Personally, I would only do foam if I was already planning to do a 'down to the studs' renovation on a house for other reasons.
So my question for inside roof applications is how are roof repairs dealt with? Many people discover that it's time to repair their roofs when they start leaking. It would appear that with a closed cell application that roof damage would almost never be discovered or seen until the roof had visibly degraded to the point that it needs replacing.. At that time a waterproof under barrier could conceal potentially years of damage to the plywood roof sheathing.. And since the system bonds itself to the plywood and trusses/rafters it would make replacing or repairing that damage problematic. Just curious if that is an issue and how is it dealt with as that is one of the concerns we have before moving forward with a retrofit/spray application in our own attic..
Hey Spray, I love your videos. Rim joists -- is it ok to spray foam into a rim joist bay that has a metal rim joist hanger, like for a dropped down design? Will the spray foam adhere to the metal or degrade it over time? Thanks
UP next in "Blow in Insulation Steve's" video. They discuss 7 places that need insulation in your home. These 6 and one more not mentioned............... so your house does not become a torch in case of a fire.
You mention the roof decking with no air flow...in my area you need an R49 ceiling. I’m going for an R60. With 2x4 truss top cords if you do 3.5” of closed cell are you passing code at only R24.5? I thought you mentioned closed cell vs other types aren’t 1:1 so a ceiling my not need a R49 to pass. But now you are heating and cooling that attic. Mines over 12,000 cubic feet. Seems like a lot of area to heat and cool.
1. Specs are different for vaulted/cathedral ceiling. The foam is installed to those standards NOT the flat ceiling spec for blow in. 2. All our install have been engineered and stamped. They are on file with the permit office in each jurisdiction. It is to that standard that we install and they inspect to which is NOT a fibrous spec. 3. Go watch my video on "does it cost more to heat this way" 4. You are still talking about R value like you are buying a used car. The number is meaningless because you are measuring 1/3 of the heat loss equation under perfect lab conditions. Convective loss has far more to do with insulating than conduction.
Most of the pictures with 2x4 showed 2-inch spray foam? Is there a limit meaning can you fill the entire space (3.5-inch spray foam) or are there other issues?
Thanks for the information. With 2x4 walls.. if u use 2 " of foam do u need to fill the 1.5" air cavity before the sheet rock is installed? I'm in central California valley.
Jay Bietz the void really means nothing.. the foam is not only a insulation but a sealant (closed cell) so the void you are worried about is nothing at all but a little extra space (almost like putting left overs in a tuba-ware container.. and having that little void between the food and the lid.. it’s nothing at all lol)
Love your channel trying to learn more about spray foam I’m looking to insulate a 2 x 4 renovation full house , But when I speak to contractors what I’m being told is a house needs to breathe that spray foam closes it up what are my options and is that true
Can I put fiberglass bats over the spray foam to help with insulation in my ceiling? I can't afford to completely fill the 2x6 rafters and the fiberglass is already purchased
Hi Spray Jones, Quick question; I have an older farmhouse recently gutted and renovated. I went with batt insulation when I put her back together. My house is framed out if old growth barn wood. My Contractor said that we could not use spray foam because wood needs to breathe and that it could begin to rot if we used spray foam. How do you spray older homes like mine? Thanks !
Nice video! Hopefully you can give me some wise advice! I just had open cell installed in the floor joists of my modular home. The crawl space is still exposed to outdoor elements because it only has plastic vented "underpinning" or "skirting". It does have 6 mil plastic on the ground but it's not in the best shape. Under the plastic is dirt and the bottom of the insulation averages between 2.5 and 3 feet from the ground. What would be the next steps to create an efficient insulation system? Should I install a tyvek type material against the foam and joists to prevent moisture from rising into the open cell? Should I attempt to encapsulate the crawlspace and try to make it air tight? Should I be more concerned with installing new plastic on the ground? Thanks in advance!
@@sapulpaorganics5402 You think I am rude for not answering. There are variables that change it. Slope, travel, time of the year, I have a buyers guide to pricing video coming out and it may shed some light on what it takes to arrive at a price.
