Spray Foam Attic

Using spray foam insulation in an attic is a popular energy saving project.

Spray foam attic.

Consumers are often told by spray foam contractors to do the rafters. It s important you spray foam attic rafters only if you need to. If you re not do the attic floor. When spray foam is installed on the underside of the roof deck the attic space is insulated from heat that otherwise would be entering the attic.

If you re using the attic for living space then you need to insulate the rafters. The building envelope should completely surround the conditioned space and the insulation needs to be in contact with the air barrier. You should never do this. The pros and cons of spray foam insulation can include the following.

With these benefits of spray foam there are also cons that can be created in the environment as well. Even if there is moisture in your attic from a leaking plumbing line a swamp cooler or a similar issue the spray foam insulation will deter the growth of organics in your home. You ll also see another safety hazard and code violation. Spray foam comes in two flavors open cell and closed cell and provides both parts of the building envelope the insulation and the air barrier.

The attic you see in the photo here is a different home but it does have one feature in common besides the spray foam. Installing insulation attics one of the high tech insulation products being utilized these days is a foam spray product called icynene which is a foam that starts as two liquid components a and b if you will that are heated up and sent through two hoses and meet at a tip of a gun where the magic begins. Open cell spray foam insulation can expand up to 100 times its original size to fill every nook and cranny in the cavity where it is applied. Spray foam attic insulation is used primarily to act as a barrier to limit air movement and reduce the amount of energy loss that homes experience during the season changes.

Sealing the top of the house keeps the air you paid to heat and cool inside your home. It is made from inert polymers that do not become a food source for mold mildew or fungi when it becomes wet. The installer sprayed foam directly on the metal flues. In typical construction and climates building code tables can be followed when using spf as an insulation and air seal.

The two products most often used in an unvented attic assembly are medium and low density sprayed polyurethane foam spf. It s quick and easy to do. If you look closely you ll see two exhaust flues on the left side.