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CHARLES MAURO Posted: Oct 22, 2009 10:38 AM	SPF Application under a Beach House Hi Mason, I have a job where the home owner would like to insulate with closed cell foam the entire bottom of his house which is located on the beach on Long Island, N.Y. Some background: the house is on pilings, approximately 3 feet above the ground. The entire space is open to the elements all year long, and during high tide, some areas may have 2 to 3 inches of bay water under it. Some of the wood under the home (which includes 2x10 rafters and plywood is new, while some other parts are many years old. I performed a moisture check on the wood with a Delmhorst "TechCheck" meter and received readings as high as 16% moisture content for the new wood, and up to 29% for the old wood. The question, Is the woods moisture content too high to spray closed cell SPF on it, and if so, any suggestions on how to dry it out a little especially with the tide issue? (I assume this is not the first time a problem such as this has been experienced, especially after the major storms down south). In addition, if it can be sprayed, would it require an ignition barrier?
mason Posted: Oct 22, 2009 11:48 AM	The moisture content of wood (check with a Delmhorst to a 1/4 inch depth) should be less than 19%. As for drying out the wet wood, you might try fans against the old wood on a hot sunny day. Sometimes you can draw water out of the wood by spraying a half inch of foam on the wood then peeling it off. It might take a few applications but depending on the moisture level of the wood, it may work. (be sure to add the extra cost of the foam and check the moisture level before installing the final pass. If the space is open all the way around, your code official may designate the area as exterior space and not a crawl space (and not requiring an ignition barrier). Have them make the call before you bid the work.

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CHARLES MAURO

Posted: Oct 22, 2009 10:38 AM

SPF Application under a Beach House

Hi Mason,

I have a job where the home owner would like to insulate with closed cell foam the entire bottom of his house which is located on the beach on Long Island, N.Y. Some background: the house is on pilings, approximately 3 feet above the ground. The entire space is open to the elements all year long, and during high tide, some areas may have 2 to 3 inches of bay water under it. Some of the wood under the home (which includes 2x10 rafters and plywood is new, while some other parts are many years old. I performed a moisture check on the wood with a Delmhorst "TechCheck" meter and received readings as high as 16% moisture content for the new wood, and up to 29% for the old wood.
The question, Is the woods moisture content too high to spray closed cell SPF on it, and if so, any suggestions on how to dry it out a little especially with the tide issue? (I assume this is not the first time a problem such as this has been experienced, especially after the major storms down south). In addition, if it can be sprayed, would it require an ignition barrier?

mason

Posted: Oct 22, 2009 11:48 AM

The moisture content of wood (check with a Delmhorst to a 1/4 inch depth) should be less than 19%. As for drying out the wet wood, you might try fans against the old wood on a hot sunny day. Sometimes you can draw water out of the wood by spraying a half inch of foam on the wood then peeling it off. It might take a few applications but depending on the moisture level of the wood, it may work. (be sure to add the extra cost of the foam and check the moisture level before installing the final pass.

If the space is open all the way around, your code official may designate the area as exterior space and not a crawl space (and not requiring an ignition barrier). Have them make the call before you bid the work.

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