Spray Foam Crew Helps Spray Eco-Friendly Home

ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY, VA – June 28, 2011 – Ken Wells and his team from Elite Insulation & PolyPro LLC recently completed a job that involved the application of spray foam insulation into a environmentally-friendly home in eastern Virginia.

Ken Wells, of Elite Insulation & PolyPro LLC, was at the head of operations for the job. His two-man team headed to Rockbridge County last month to a provide spray foam insulation for a customer who had an environmentally-friendly house. “The house was completely off the grid,” said Wells. “We have worked with a lot of people who are thinking ‘green,’ but this was the first time we have ever sprayed a house that was running its own power.”

According to a short report written by Wells following the completion of the job, he writes that the house is powered by the use of propane through the use of copper tubes existing in the walls at lamp level. “You turn on the gas, light it, and that is your light,” wrote Wells.

Wells also adds that the owner of the home is in possession of a generator that runs completely on waste oil. “The way he [the owner] powers the generator is through the collection of waste oils,” said Wells. “The owner would drive to local restaurants and car shops and pick up the leftover oils that were set to be thrown out after the day’s use.”

The water system in the house is powered by a marine battery, which powers a water pump that will run the radiant heating system. The wood stove and fireplace also serve as sources of heat to escape from the cold during the winter. In addition, the bathrooms have composting toilets that are run with a grey water system.

Wells further adds, “The owner built the entire frame of the house using 309 pieces of eastern white pine he hand cut. That alone took about four months.”

 With the conservation of energy being the highest priority in the construction of the house, the owner wanted to use spray foam for the full insulation envelope.  This is where Wells and his team stepped in. The team filled the walls with Lapolla 500 open cell spray foam to a thickness of about 7½ inches; the cathedral ceilings were sprayed to an average thickness of 10 inches; and the basement ceiling was sprayed to a thickness of approximately 8 inches. The entire job took about four days and the team used three and one-fifth sets of Lapolla 500 open spray foam.

 “The only challenge we faced was maintaining the 10-inch average the owner wanted on the cathedral ceiling since we were working with open-cell foam,” said Wells. “Other than that, the job went smoothly.”

 About Elite Insulation & PolyPro LLC:

Elite Insulation & PolyPro LLC is a service insulation company. Elite Insulation & PolyPro LLC has over 30 years in combined experience. The company is located in Broadway, Virginia.