|
Why insulate with foam
insulation? It's a good question. And in these days of
soaring energy costs and uncertain supplies, there is an
obvious answer. We believe you should harness the
insulating power of foam insulation. Not only is it a wise decision, but it is also
practical to accomplish with a 21st Century
state-of-the-art sprayed foam insulation called Spray
Foam Insulation. You already know how well foam
insulates. Think about the effectiveness of some common
foam products that we use on a regular basis:
 |
The Foam Coffee Cup...
..Just 1/8" of Foam
With An R-value Of Less Than One.
Go to your favorite fast food restaurant or 7-11
store and buy a cup of coffee. Hold the foam cup in
one hand and pour yourself a cup of steaming hot
coffee with the other hand. Go ahead...you won't
burn your hand. The foam cup will only be warm to
the touch. In fact, if the foam was a bit thicker,
it is doubtful if you could feel whether the coffee
was hot or cold. Only the steam would give it away.
In this example, we think you'll agree that just
1/8" of foam is a pretty effective insulator.
|
|
 |
..Just 1/2" of Foam
With An R-value Of Only About Two.
This is the classic example of the insulating power
of foam and a great illustration of the importance
of air sealing the area you want to heat or cool.
Consider your experience with a foam picnic chest.
You can learn a great deal about insulating your
house from its' performance. You buy one at the
local drug store or Wal-Mart for a couple of
dollars, and you entrust it to keep your beverages
cold for the weekend. Put in the drinks and a bag of
ice on Saturday morning, and put the lid down tight,
and it's pretty likely that you'll still have ice
left on Sunday night. (Whether or not there are
drinks left is another question!) You have just
proved the insulating power of about a half inch of
foam with a relatively low R-value (resistance to
heat flow) of only about an R-2. (Frankly, if your
house was as efficient as this foam picnic chest,
you'd be ecstatic!)
|
Q. Which is More
Important, Obtaining a Higher
R-Value or Stopping
Air
Infiltration?
This is an extremely
important question. Let's say, for example, that you put
in the sodas and the ice in the foam picnic chest above,
but didn't put the lid down tight. The ice would only
last a few hours at best, and your drinks would probably
be lukewarm (or hot) by mid-day on Saturday. What
happened? The R-value didn't change...it's still an R-2!
So why did the ice melt? Because you allowed air to leak
into the picnic chest.
What should we learn from
this example? The efficiency of the picnic chest does
depend on the insulating power of the foam (its
R-value), but its insulating ability is somewhat
irrelevant if you don't also control air infiltration
The answer to the riddle,
in our example, is that CONTROLLING
AIR INFILTRATION HAD
MORE TO DO WITH KEEPING THE DRINKS COLD THAN THE
R-VALUE
DID!
What does all this have to
do with your new house? The same is true for your
home or building, and we believe that your experience with a foam
picnic chest is the most convincing argument that you
should insulate with foam.
Why? Because foam not only
insulates extremely well, but it will also stop
air
infiltration far better than fiberglass products.
Now that you are gaining
an appreciation for the benefits of foam, let's see how
applying it in your home can make it so much more
efficient? You've just seen how well 1/8" of foam
insulates. And you've seen a dramatic example of how
well 1/2" of foam can both insulate and
air seal. But
here's the good news. In your home, we propose foam from
seven to eleven times thicker than the foam in a picnic
chest. Imagine the efficiency you can achieve with that
much foam, both to insulate it and to prevent excess
air
infiltration. The result? A home that will be more
comfortable and efficient and affordable to operate. And
a home well prepared to cope with the energy
uncertainties we are certain to face in the years to
come.
See our
FAQs page for
some questions we've been asked about Spray Foam
Insulation.
All Tech Industries' spray foam is a two component, modified polyurethane product. It is a proven polymer having been used in foam products since the early 50's.
Spray foam insulation is a modern, environmentally friendly product. It has been recognized by the Canadian Government's Eco-Choice program and is recognized in this country as a "green spec" product (
77 k).
All Tech Industries' is installed by certified contractors utilizing
state of the art
equipment. The product is applied at high temperatures to obtain optimum cure and expansion characteristics. The foam is sprayed as a liquid and expands about 120 time its liquid volume to fill in wall cavities, wrapping around wires, plumbing fixtures and sealing cracks and crevices that are impossible to insulate with conventional products
(videos).
All Tech Industries' foam does not contain CFC's or HCFC's, which have traditionally been used as "blowing agents". The old blowing process often entrapped gas in the tiny cell structures, which often led to performance failures. When these gases escaped or off-gased, the chemical and physical characteristics of the foam
insulation would change often causing a reduction in effective thermal
and acoustic values.
All Tech Industries' maintains it original thermal performance and its chemical and physical structures remain the same throughout time.
In summary,
All Tech Industries' is a one step product that
air seals and insulates a structure allowing us to control the passage of air through controlled entry and exit points. This allows us to effectively control the quality, temperature and humidity of the air within our homes and offices.
Click on the
the images listed under
Thermal in the
Navigation
Menu
or Navigation Bar to see more details about
thermal insulations.
If you don't see your solution listed,
contact an All Tech Industries
engineer today (989-826-9999) for a deeper discussion
about your insulation requirements.
|
