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Luke Kujacznski Posted: Aug 06, 2007 02:12 PM	The big I Mason, I am running into a lot of material produce by said company the says the ridged foam cracks. These are offical sites. They also state that 1/2 foam is a certified air barrier. What if anything is being done to counter act these misgivings? It is hard to sell ridged foam if the consumers have been reading in various places lies about our products that are coming from the coporate level. If I try and tell them these are false statements I look like I am backpeddling because I am "just an installer" and the material they have can from much higher up.
mason Posted: Aug 06, 2007 03:11 PM	Closed cell foam glues a structure together and provides some structural support, but also has some flex that normally does not allow the foam to crack in typical construction. But you can't say that closed cell foam never cracks. If there is enough movement in a building rigid foam could crack. However, it is a rare occurance in residential construction. You would typically see this in roofing applications where expansion joints were not provided where they were needed. Low density foam when tested in accordance with E 283 allows more air to pass through it than closed cell foam, But low density foam when installed between studs can significantly reduce air flow and be part of an air barrier system, The trade groups can assist you with objective information and opinions of this sort. Contact Dan Benedict at SPFA or Ryan or Laverne Dalgleish at ABAA. Contact information is available at their respective websites. Also, check out articles at RSI magazine, Modern Materials and on SPFA's website on sprayfoam applications.

Author

Comments

Luke Kujacznski

Posted: Aug 06, 2007 02:12 PM

The big I

Mason,

I am running into a lot of material produce by said company the says the ridged foam cracks. These are offical sites. They also state that 1/2 foam is a certified air barrier. What if anything is being done to counter act these misgivings? It is hard to sell ridged foam if the consumers have been reading in various places lies about our products that are coming from the coporate level. If I try and tell them these are false statements I look like I am backpeddling because I am "just an installer" and the material they have can from much higher up.

mason

Posted: Aug 06, 2007 03:11 PM

Closed cell foam glues a structure together and provides some structural support, but also has some flex that normally does not allow the foam to crack in typical construction. But you can't say that closed cell foam never cracks. If there is enough movement in a building rigid foam could crack. However, it is a rare occurance in residential construction. You would typically see this in roofing applications where expansion joints were not provided where they were needed.

Low density foam when tested in accordance with E 283 allows more air to pass through it than closed cell foam, But low density foam when installed between studs can significantly reduce air flow and be part of an air barrier system,

The trade groups can assist you with objective information and opinions of this sort. Contact Dan Benedict at SPFA or Ryan or Laverne Dalgleish at ABAA. Contact information is available at their respective websites. Also, check out articles at RSI magazine, Modern Materials and on SPFA's website on sprayfoam applications.

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