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Another Spray Foam???

Last Post 20 Jul 2009 07:50 PM by Alton. 4 Replies.

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sgo70

Basic Member

Posts:125

18 Jul 2009 10:26 AM
I'm sure I read this somewhere but I can't find it. I was gonna use XPS to insulate the exterior of my foundation but after pricing it out I can get it sprayed with .5lb or 2lb for less cost. I imagine the 2lb would be better and I can't see why it couldn't be used but I thought I'd better ask the pro's. Thanks, Sean

TheEnergyGroup User is Offline

New Member

Posts:5

18 Jul 2009 05:58 PM
Yes closed cell is correct. Let me know if I can assist. Scott V. [email protected]

Alton

Veteran Member

Posts:2164

18 Jul 2009 09:49 PM
sgo70, When you mentioned spraying insulation onto the foundation wall I assume you were talking about using polyurethane. I also assume the foundation wall is above grade. Am I right? If the foundation wall is below grade, then I have been told by the experts that polyurethane should not be used below grade.

Residential Designer & Construction Technology Consultant -- E-mail: Alton at Auburn dot Edu Use email format with @ and period . 334 826-3979

Dana1

Senior Member

Posts:6991

20 Jul 2009 04:12 PM
Half pound foam would be crushed by the backfill pressure and saturate with water in soil-contact conditions. 2lb foam can work, but 3lb foam is more rugged. But is 2lb foam really cheaper/better than borate-loaded EPS? Alton: I'd be curious to know more detail about the polyurethane-below-grade caveat. (If it makes a difference you can get closed cell 2 & 3lb foams as polyisocyanurate instead.) The spray-polyurethane folks seem to think it's great for below-grade exterior applications (but you can't always trust the industry hype, eh? ;-) ) Still: http://www.sprayfoam.org/downloads/pdf/AY%20140%20Subgrade.pdf

Alton

Veteran Member

Posts:2164

20 Jul 2009 07:50 PM
Dana1, In our meeting we were talking about using regular closed cell polyurethane below grade in the Southeast (termite country). I was told to use EPS with Perform Guard instead. Thank you for the referenced pdf.

Residential Designer & Construction Technology Consultant -- E-mail: Alton at Auburn dot Edu Use email format with @ and period . 334 826-3979