Buddy had his new construction sprayed in (I don't know if open or closed cell) and it wound up cooking his shingled roof in 6 years. Insurance didn't pay and the roofer told him the only thing that would hold up is a tin roof.

Has anyone heard of this?

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Posted by Jester

Baton Rouge

Member since Feb 2006

34710 posts

Posted on 6/21/19 at 8:18 am to beenHADdat

quote:
Is spray foam the best?

No. Spray foam is a quality product, but you need to make sure your builder knows how to design around using it (combustion air/venting) and the spray foam installer is actually truly qualified. You can actually create rot conditions in your structural members if not installed properly, and properly is a very narrow band in our climate. As for the installer, improper mixtures of the reactants can cause problems from excessive curing heat and reduced performance.

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Posted by Chuker

St George, Louisiana

Member since Nov 2015

7544 posts

Posted on 6/21/19 at 8:32 am to Jester

quote:
wound up cooking his shingled roof in 6 years

I think this belief has been dispelled. There was a test done between two identical roofs, one with spray foam and one traditional. The difference in shingle temp was negligible.

quote:
Spray foam is a quality product, but you need to make sure your builder knows how to design around using it

So many builders don't take the time to understand how to properly utilize it. Its to the point that I'd recommend to joe homeowner just not using it at all simply because the chances of finding a builder that would screw things up is higher than comfortable. That has nothing to do with it being a bad insulation and everything to do with being cautious.

Fiberglass (or preferrably rockwool) is still a satisfactory insulator if basic care is taken. The two biggest are a tight building envelope and fitment of the batts between framing members.

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Posted by slapahoe