Home insulation is sought by home owners today as a number#1 home renovation project. It is the best way to reduce the money spent on home maintenance monthly. Spray foam has a successful track record and many seek to install it for lifelong benefits.

Spray foam is not only known as an insulation that stops the flow of electricity. Spray foam is popular for many other benefits it affords along with energy saving. For starters spray foam makes the house extremely sturdy to face any sort of climatic challenges. Its coating also makes your home water proof, pest free, dust free and fire resistant. Your home is set free of any molds and mildew that could creep in. Also getting spray foam installed in your house fetches you a good amount when you plan to resell your house.

All the above mentioned reasons seem to be quite tempting to get spray foam installed at your place. But have you considered which form of spray foam is ideal for your house. Let’s see the type of spray foams you can choose.

There are basically two types of spray foams available in the market – Open Cell Foam Insulation and Closed Cell Foam Insulation. The difference between the two is their physical make up and the R-value they provide. These factors make a very significant difference to the product performance, application processes and consumer cost.
Open Cell Foam is .05 lb. /cu. ft. It consists of small cells that are not completely closed. The cells are open with air fills in them. As they are loosely bound to each other due to the air pockets the structure is weak. Also they are less water resistant when compared to closed cell foam.

On the other hand closed spray foam insulation is also made of small cells like open spray foam but they are closely bound to each other with no air gaps to make the bond loose. The cells are not filled in with air but with gas that makes the foam rise and expand. This means that the foam is dense, completely water proof and sturdy too.

In order to measure the density of the spray foam you will have to weigh one cured cubic foot of foam material. The open cell foam weighs around 0.4 to 0.5 lb. /cu. ft. whereas closed cell foam has a density of 1.7 lb. /cu. ft. to 2.0 lb. /cu. ft. If you are planning for the insulation of your roof then you need to select a spray foam that gives better support and is sturdy itself. A spray foam with good density promises stronger support.

If we compare the R-value of both the types, open cell spray foam has an R-value of 3.5 per inch and closed-cell spray foams insulation on an average has an R-value of around 7.0 per inch. Open spray foam requires water as a blowing agent on the other hand close cell spray foam needs high R-value blowing agents.

Closed cell spray foam emerges as a popular choice as it is more efficient due to its denser make. It provides higher structural integrity that supports the foundation and allows complete sealing. Also its R-value is higher and gives a strong evidence of insulation ability. They are more efficient at reducing air leaks and prevent water/ moisture infiltration. So they form a better insulation option.

EcoStarFoam.com is a leading service provider for spray foam insulation. Our team of professionals use durable spray foam of various well known brands to cover every cavity in your house and make your home energy efficient. Our service is well known in New Orleans, Louisiana and surrounding area. (504) 383 – 3261

Understanding the Difference Between Open and closed Cell Foam Insulation

When getting ready to have your house insulated you may hear the terms open and closed cell foam insulation, it is important to have at least a basic understanding of what these terms mean since each type of foam insulation is better for certain applications. Open cell insulation is where the tiny cells in the foam do not completely close this means that it allows air to fill in the gaps; it is weaker and softer feeling.

The closed cell foam insulation is much denser because the cells are closed and packed together tightly; this allows for a higher R-value and a better insulation as well as a resistance to leakage of air and water vapor. Closed cell foam insulation is more expensive because it requires more material however in a situation where there are small framing sizes or where insulation is needed in the roof this is overall your best choice.  Eco Star Foam can help you decide the best type of insulation for your home as well as help you get it installed for more information visit our website.

Closed-cell foams are superior insulators than open cell spray insulators. Open-cell spray foams insulator typically have R-values of 3 to 4 per inch on other hand closed-cell spray foams can attain R-values of 5 to 8 per inch.

Closed cell spray foam is very useful at places where space is limited as a thinner layer of insulation proves equally effective in comparison with open cell spray foam.

Open-cell spray foam is porous in nature and allow water vapor to penetrate the insulation where as Closed-cell foam is non-porous in structure and does not allow moisture to penetrate, form a effectively vapor barrier.

Closed-cell foam is very strong and increase structural strength of building by reinforcing the surface where as open-cell foam is soft with little structural strength.

Open-cell spray foam requires trimming after installation, and disposal of the waste material on other hand closed-cell foam rarely requires any trimming and with produces little or no waste.

Polyurethane is a polymer. Polyurethane polymer is formed by process of step-growth polymerization. In this reaction a monomer containing at least two isocyanate functional groups reacts with other monomer containing two hydroxyl groups in the presence of a catalyst. Polyurethanes are mainly used in rigid foam insulation panels, high elasticity flexible foam seating, microcellular foam seals etc. Fully reacted polyurethane polymer is chemically inert. Spray foam is used for thermal insulation of residential and commercial buildings. It is basically of two types’ closed-cell foam and open- cell foam. Closed-cell foam are those in which all of the tiny foam cells are closed and packed together with all cells filled with gas where as in open- cell foam tiny cells of the foam are not completely closed and are broken with air filled in open spaces. The gas filled in close cells helps foam to rise and expand making it better insulator as compared to open cell foam also Closed-cell polyurethane foams are rigid and have greater material strength than open cell Polyurethane foam.

Spray foam insulation is usually defined by its density. Density is measured by weighing one solid cubic foot of foam material. There are three main types of spray foam that are installed in homes. Open cell foams when used, typically have density around 0.4 to 0.5 lb./cu. Ft and Closed cell foam for insulation applications ranges in density from 1.7 lb./cu. ft. to 2.0 lb./cu. Ft. Different densities of foams are used in various combinations of layers for  different insulation needs. Roofing applications use spray foam density around 2.8 to 3.0+ lb./cu. ft. to support traffic and loads better. Often 1 inch of two-pound foam is installed in exterior walls, which is then covered with other insulation products. Half-pound foam is the insulation which is typically found installed at the underside of roof sheathing and in exterior walls. Three-pound foam is generally installed on roofs. As the density of foam increases stronger and heavier it becomes. Many times polyurethane foams are molded into decorative interior molding and painted or stained to give wood effect. These “higher density” foams are typically in the 30 lb./cu. ft. to 40 lb./cu. ft. density range.