Perhaps you have heard about spray foam insulation, but you're not quite sure what it is or why it is so much better than other types of home insulation. It all comes down to how much you can trap with spray foam. That is, how much air you can keep in your home with your insulation. Enough air escapes each day from the average home to fill two Goodyear blimps. It's expensive air too, because you have paid to have it conditioned; either heated in the winter or cooled in the summer.



Spray foam insulation keeps more of that expensive air in your home, and keeps more unconditioned exterior air outside your home. But, how does it work?

The answer lies in how insulation works and how spray foam works better at insulating than other types of insulation. Insulation stops the transfer of heat from one side of the insulation to the other. In summer, insulation keeps heat out of your home. In winter, insulation keeps heat in your home. The more heat that insulation stops from passing through, the better the insulation. Insulation is rated according to its R-value, the higher an insulation's R-value, the better it is at stopping the transfer of heat. Spray foam insulation has a very high R-value. Indeed, one inch of spray foam insulates as well as two inches of some other types of insulation.

However, there's more to insulating your home than straightforward R-value. The most popular type of home insulation is pink fibreglass batt insulation. Available in rolls that are intended to be placed snuggly between ceiling joists and wall studs, batts provide very good insulation. The problems with batt insulation start with its inability to cover every opening in your home's roof and walls. While the rolls fit well into the structure of your home, it is simply impossible to cover every gap with the batts. Moreover, batt insulation loses significant R-value if it gets wet. Ceilings and walls can be damp places and even a small amount of moisture will reduce batt insulation's ability to stop the transfer of heat.

Solid foamboard insulation is also popular for insulating homes and businesses. Available in sizes to fit between studs and joists, or in full 4 x 8 sheets, foam board can also be cut to fit odd shaped spaces. Unlike fibreglass batt insulation, foam board is unaffected by moisture. However, just like fibreglass batts, foam board inevitably leaves gaps through which heat can pass unimpeded. Again, this means that the actual R-value of foam board insulation is less than its official rating.

One solution to the problem of covering all the gaps is to use loose fill, or cellulose insulation. Blown in cellulose does a good job of covering the gaps that might be left by batts and foam board, but there are drawbacks. Like batt insulation, cellulose fill is susceptible to water damage. Not only will moisture reduce cellulose fill's R-value, it can lead to mold and wood rot.

Then there is spray foam insulation. Sprayed in to cover every possible gap, spray foam insulation forms an air tight seal in your ceiling and walls. It is impervious to moisture and will actually improve your roof's ability to keep water out of your home by filling small gaps.

Spray foam insulation clings so tightly, it can help strengthen the structure of your home. Not only does spray foam do a better job of stopping heat from passing through, it also stops all the bad stuff in outside air from passing through. This means cleaner, healthier air inside your home. In addition to keeping out water and pollution, spray foam insulation can also make your home noticeably quieter by absorbing outside sounds.

As mentioned, spray foam insulation has the highest R-value when compared to most popular types of home insulation. With the ability to fill every gap, spray foam's R-value remains intact following application, which means the actual insulating power you receive from spray foam is even more than its R-value advantage.

While spray foam insulation costs about the same as most other types of insulation, the energy savings and increased home comfort you will experience make it your best home insulation option.

The spray foam insulation specialists at Foam Comfort can help you have all the advantages of spray foam in your home.