Updated: 1/24/2022
There are different reasons as to why one might want to apply spray foam. However, there is always a right time as well. One of the most common times that people use spray foam is when they are trying to seal cracks. This can be done, to make a house look more appealing, since cracks that are not sealed, can make a house look run down.
However, some of the best DIY spray foam, or even the best expanding foam insulation, can be used to seal insects, such as cockroaches. Now, an important question to ask is as follows. Can I do my own spray foam insulation? The answer to this is yes. However, sometimes, a professional will do the most accurate job, when it comes to seals and cracks.
As such, this is where spray foam insulation installation services come in. Not only can they aid in providing a 2 part polyurethane foam insulation, but they can also do an efficient job of assessing the issue at hand, and teaching others, to seal cracks properly.
There are different reasons as to why one might want to apply spray foam. However, there is always a right time as well. One of the most common times that people use spray foam is when they are trying to seal cracks. This can be done, to make a house look more appealing, since cracks that are not sealed, can make a house look run down.
However, some of the best DIY spray foam, or even the best expanding foam insulation, can be used to seal insects, such as cockroaches. Now, an important question to ask is as follows. Can I do my own spray foam insulation? The answer to this is yes. However, sometimes, a professional will do the most accurate job, when it comes to seals and cracks.
As such, this is where spray foam insulation installation services come in. Not only can they aid in providing a 2 part polyurethane foam insulation, but they can also do an efficient job of assessing the issue at hand, and teaching others, to seal cracks properly.
Any house or public building today will have a number of utilities in place to make it a comfortable and functional place to be. The plumbing and sewage will bring in fresh water and carry away dirty water, while the electrical system keeps everything powered. Meanwhile, spray foam will be found inside the walls, and while not glamorous, spray foam has a very important job to do. The spray foam business is related to heating and air conditioning, in fact, and spay foam insulation is key to climate control inside of any building. Good spray foam will help keep warm air in the building during winter and keep cool air trapped inside during summer, so missing or thin spray foam may be an issue. If a house or building needs more insulation, a foam insulation machine can be used by a professional to add more foam. Smaller foam insulation machines and rigs can be found commercially, too. Spray foam kits are quite affordable for any homeowner who needs them. And of course, spray foam insulation equipment will be used when a house is being constructed.
The Heating and Cooling System
Spray foam makes all the difference where a home’s climate control is concerned, and good spray foam will keep the electric bill under control. Why is that? A heating and cooling utility in the home uses up a lot of power to run: nearly 54% of a house’s electricity is dedicated to HVAC work, so an overtaxed heating and cooling system will drive up the electric bill fast. Drafty windows and doors will make this worse, and thin or missing spray foam will be an issue, too. If a house has bad insulation, it will leak warm air in winter and lose its cool air in summer, and these temperature swings force the system to work overtime to compensate. And as mentioned earlier, this extra work will drive up the electric bill the entire time, and that may come as a nasty surprise for the homeowner. Countermeasures range from replacing drafty windows and doors to getting window blinds, all the way to replacing missing or thin spray foam in the walls and attic.
Putting in the Foam
A homeowner may replace their spray foam themselves in a smaller project. That homeowner can contact local spray foam distributors and get a small foam insulation machine or spray gun to use, along with the chemicals and protective gear. This can be done when the homeowner cuts open a hole in their drywall and simply blast the spray foam chemicals onto the walls inside, wherever this needs to be done. The same process can be done for the attic, since a lot of warm or cool air is lost through the attic as well as the walls.
Bigger projects call for larger foam insulation machines and professional crews who can use them. An office building or a very large home may require a whole crew of professionals, and a homeowner or building manager can look up local contractors who can do this work. Once the team is on site, they will bring over their large rigs (which may be hauled on a truck trailer) and apply spray foam wherever it is needed.
The same is true when a house or a building is under construction. Any good home will have spray foam when it is newly built, and this job may be even easier when ICFs are used to build it. For those unaware, ICFs are “insulated concrete forms.” First created by a Canadian contractor in the 1960s, these are hollow concrete bricks that snugly fit together to form durable walls for house construction. This results in ample room inside the concrete walls for pipes, electrical wires, and of course, spray foam. These houses are both durable and well insulated, which can make them a fine investment for the homeowner for years to come.
Basic safety should be observed when using a foam insulation machine. Liquid spray foam chemicals can irritate the eyes and lungs, so a user must wear protective goggles and a surgical mask or a breathing apparatus while working with these materials (until the foam dries). A full body suit might also be worn if desired.