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I have been considering getting my house insulated with the spray foam insulation. However, I wanted to get some honest opinions about the effectiveness of it with a house of my vintage.
My house was built in 1950 and it is 1 and a half stories, roughly 2200 square feet. There is no attic, and the upstairs is directly under the roof. There is insulation on the floor of the crawlspace on either side of the upstairs walls, but there is no insulation in the walls themselves. The house is made from brick and block construction, and there is brick cladding on the outside. This results in very thick, solid walls, but they hold a lot of heat in the summer and get cold in the winter. I have included a picture of the walls from the inside from when I gutted my kitchen.
All of the walls on the interior are plasterboard on wooden furring strips, and at the top they curve into the ceiling, which is plaster. I believe the style is called "cove" ceilings. I can imagine that any significant drilling into the plaster would require very expensive repairs.
I was reading the website for the installer in my area, USAinsulation, and their website says that for brick houses they generally drill through the mortar on the outside and spray the foam into the frame of the house. However, my house has 6 inches+ of cinder blocks behind the brick, so I question whether this method will be effective. They are pros and I trust that they know what they are doing, but I certainly don't want hundreds of holes drilled through the cinder block all around my house. It seems to me that they could get into the crawlspace on the second floor and pump the insulation down into the first floor walls from there, but I cannot tell for sure because I would have to tear through insulation to get a look.
Anyway, I am going to get a quote this summer after the school year is over, but I wanted to see if anyone had experience with the spray foam, especially in a house of similar construction.
For "brick on block" construction there are poor results for attempting to insulate with spray foam, blown insulation is similarly ineffective. The best solution is generally to add batts of mineral wool or solid foam boards when interior walls are opened up during remodel, but even that has to be done VERY CAREFULLY as anything that makes the EXTERIOR more susceptible to hard freeze (by overly isolating the warming effect of heat leaking through from inside...) greatly increases risks of MAJOR damage to the home...
I would strongly recommend finding a qualified energy audit firm and have them pinpoint sources of AIR LEAKAGE so that you can focus on air-sealing with appropriate products -- that will be best return on investment and safest for the type construction you have.
There's a difference between spray IN insulation an spray ON insulation. A big difference. With spray ON insulation there's a difference between open and closed cell type.
Close cell spray ON insulation - if applied properly - is absolutely fantastic. But it has to be done right. It is also very expensive.
Before you make a decision, do your research. Get everything in detailed writing. Research other options, like fiberglass insulation with vapor barrier (a more tradition, cheaper route).
There's a difference between spray IN insulation an spray ON insulation. A big difference. With spray ON insulation there's a difference between open and closed cell type.
Close cell spray ON insulation - if applied properly - is absolutely fantastic. But it has to be done right. It is also very expensive.
Before you make a decision, do your research. Get everything in detailed writing. Research other options, like fiberglass insulation with vapor barrier (a more tradition, cheaper route).
There are lots of studies of what happens when even the "proper type" of spray insulation is not applied in a way that is effective -- the theory that closed cell is a more effective barrier to migration of water vapor is not shown to be true in situations where water penetrates the exterior cladding and then damage is caused by re-freezing. The other situation, where a on open celled spray foam is chosen for its theoretical ability to allow moisture to migrate is also not borne out by study of what happens when the typically wet weather is followed by a cold snap -- the freeze / thaw cycle again shows its destructiveness...
I am not going to disagree that there are plenty benefits in new construction and even many appropriate ways for retrofits / remodels to benefit from spray foam but it is NOT always the right solution. The OP can check out the studies that the US Department of Energy and other respected sources have made available and decide...
I am not going to disagree that there are plenty benefits in new construction and even many appropriate ways for retrofits / remodels to benefit from spray foam but it is NOT always the right solution.
Absolutely.
There actually can be many serious problems with spray on/in foam insulation. And though options are nice to have, it might not be a very good idea for the commercial stuff to be available - off the shelf - for ANYBODY to buy at Home Depot, etc.
I'm currently in the middle of a basement bathroom remodel. I'll be using the fiberglass & vapor barrier method of insulation rather than foam. It just makes more sense for this project.
We have open cell foam in parts of our house (ICYNENE). It is terrific. Obviously it does a lt more good on the ceiling than in the walls. Foam is sprayed on the underside of the roof sheeting , so it works fine in homes with no attic, but you have to remove the drywall to spray it on, or use the minimally expansive foam.
Foam is nt only an excellent insulator, it also has some wonderful sound deadening qualities. The bid advantage of foam, it is expands into every crevice and corner, completely blocking air infiltration. This is much more critical than R value in real world application. That is why irrespective of R- value foam keeps the house warmer/cooler. Cellulose is next best because it also fairly wells fills all the crevices and corners and batt is the least effective.
We have open cell foam in parts of our house (ICYNENE). It is terrific. Obviously it does a lot more good on the ceiling than in the walls. Foam is sprayed on the underside of the roof sheeting , so it works fine in homes with no attic, but you have to remove the drywall to spray it on, or use the minimally expansive foam.
We actually have all types of insulation in our house except closed cell (Icynene, batt, cellulose, roack wool, air). Air is a terrible insulator and we had to replace it with foam or cellulose. We tried to keep pat for use only on interior or semi interior walls. All of the attics have ICYNENE.
Foam is not only an excellent insulator, it also has some wonderful sound deadening qualities. The bid advantage of foam, is that it expands into every crevice and corner, completely blocking air infiltration. This is much more critical than R value in real world application. That is why irrespective of R- value foam keeps the house warmer/cooler. Cellulose is next best because it also fairly wells fills all the crevices and corners and batt is the least effective.
Adding foam inside your walls will likely help some, and it is great for sound deadening, but you need it under the roof to have a significant impact. Cellulouse is maybe 50% more than Bat. Open Cell foam costs about 3 times the cost of Bat (twice the cost of cellulose). Closed cell foam is 2-3 times the cost of open cell. Closed cell usually consists of a 1" layer with batt, cellulose, or even open cell foam behind it.
For "brick on block" construction there are poor results for attempting to insulate with spray foam, blown insulation is similarly ineffective. The best solution is generally to add batts of mineral wool or solid foam boards when interior walls are opened up during remodel, but even that has to be done VERY CAREFULLY as anything that makes the EXTERIOR more susceptible to hard freeze (by overly isolating the warming effect of heat leaking through from inside...) greatly increases risks of MAJOR damage to the home...
I would strongly recommend finding a qualified energy audit firm and have them pinpoint sources of AIR LEAKAGE so that you can focus on air-sealing with appropriate products -- that will be best return on investment and safest for the type construction you have.
This^^^
Major problems are almost a given with adding insulation to the interior side of the wall structure. Trying to insulate the block wall cavities is hit or miss at best. And with the one wall section you showed in the pic, the wall would have to be "Swiss cheesed" to insulate it- all those rows of brick between the courses of block probably isolate each section.
But, if your willing to part with the brick veneer, the house could be practically "super insulated".
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The research is mixed...
