Spray Foam Contractor Training
To become a certified spray foam installer, all operatives must undergo a specific training program at the manufacturers training facility. Then, they are subject to on site audits for ongoing conformity.
All our operatives have attended extensive training sessions with Huntsman Building Solutions, the new home of Icynene. They have been trained on all aspects of spray foam insulation. From application of the different types of foam, health and safety, equipment maintenance and theory-based training. All to learn more about spray foam insulation products.
Specifying Spray Foam Insulation For New Builds & Extensions
Training is not limited to install staff alone. Our office staff have a wealth of knowledge too. Covering different types of spray foam, from their usages and different specifications to calculating U values.
It’s not enough to know how to spray foam insulation, we need to know so much more. Every house is different so we need to have a good understanding of suitability of each project. We have to consider how spray foam will interact with other building components. U value calculations and condensation risk analysis reports need to be produced for each project. New build properties and extensions will all have different target U values, and each property will have a different make up of materials. These differences will impact on U values and how they are calculated.
Building Projects
We can assist with your building project right from the start. We can calculate U values and provide all the required information for building control to pass off your insulation works before we commence the installation. All our insulation installs come with a 25-year warranty on completion.
Retro Fit Insulation
We can also specify insulation for a retro fit project, be it underfloor or roof insulation you require. Most retro fit projects won’t need to meet the same specification as a new build or extension. They will still need to be assessed for suitability. As with new builds not every house is the same. A balanced approach should be taken when assessing suitability of your home for retro fit insulation. We can gather information from you on the phone or by email in the first instance and move on to a full site survey later, should it be required.
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The Importance of Airtightness in a Building Envelope
What do we mean by airtightness?
Many people get confused and think that if somethings airtight it’s going to trap moisture and cause materials to sweat, especially where spray foam insulation is concerned.
Put simply, something that’s airtight has the ability to stop mass transfer of air. Which does not always mean stopping the ability to pass moisture vapour (breathe) if the product is breathable.
Air movement around poorly fitted insulation boards via convection will lose far more heat at a much faster rate than through heat loss via conduction of an airtight material.
If you were to leave your fridge door open just a small amount it would soon stop cooling things down. As little as a 5% gap around an insulation board can equate to a 50% loss in thermal efficiency.
Air leakage control is essential for improving
- Indoor air quality
- Limiting heat losses due to convection and mass transfer
- Avoiding mould growth
- Limiting airborne noise from the outside
- Improving effective U value
U Value
The U value of a building can be greatly reduced if the insulation product is not fitted correctly. We have seen countless times where an insulated boards are fitted in a vaulted ceiling and a hole is cut in the middle of the board for lighting. That hole goes directly through to a cold ventilated space above and will greatly reduce the U value of that section. This is due to the heat lost via convection through the hole. It will also allow cold air to push into the building from the outside.
Open cell spray foam insulation is an insulator and air barrier material all in one. It expands 100x to fill every gap and stops heat loss through air leakage, convection, and mass transfer. It’s a fully breathable product that will allow moisture vapour diffusion allowing materials in contact to continue to breathe.
Airtightness is key to a building’s energy efficiency; you can have all the insulation in the world but if you leave the front door open its always going to be cold. Control air leakage and you will be well on your way to achieving an energy efficient home.
Spray foam insulation is a key component in achieving an airtight building envelope.
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Insulating Barn Conversions and Traditional Stone-Built Properties
Over the past 6 years we’ve been building a small portfolio of barn conversions and older stone properties that we have solved insulation problems for. Although historically a smaller part of our total portfolio, in more recent years we’ve seen an increase in demand on this type of work for us.
Typical Barn Construction
Barn conversions and stone built properties are often complex shaped structures. These are notoriously difficult to insulate and can be very cold if not insulated correctly.
The nature of the walls on these types of buildings means there is rarely a straight wall. This poses issues for traditional forms of insulation which struggle to get a good seal and eliminate cold spots.
Using spray foam to insulate walls of a barn, it is advisable to build a timber stud frame inside the property. This should be stood off from the wall by about 50mm. This way we can spray foam directly to the brick work and between the frame. The foam will also lap behind the stud and eliminate any cold bridging from the walls. It should be finished off with a vapour control layer prior to plasterboard, Although insulated plasterboard can be used if you require a lower U value. Walls below ground level should be protected with some sort of tanking membrane prior to spraying with foam.
The top of the wall plate, where roof and wall meet often pose issues. When insulating with foam we spray to the top of the wall plate and create a seamless bond right the way up onto the roof. This gives a uniform seal from wall to roof that eliminates air leakage and cold spots.
Common Barn Roof Construction
Typically barn roofs will have a couple of larger roof beams as well as some smaller ones. Clients generally like to keep the larger ones on show for aesthetic reasons and to maintain that old barn look. The smaller roof joists are in many cases only 70mm deep, these will require a counter batten fitted in order to take an adequate amount of foam between them, usually a further 3×2 batten is sufficient allowing us to apply 140mm of foam between joists. When used in conjunction with an insulated plasterboard over the face, a U value of around 0.18 is easily achievable.
Varying depths of foam will alter the overall U value. There are numerous ways we can achieve your required U values, either increasing the depth of counter batten and depth of foam or by increasing the depth of insulated board over the face of the foam.
When it comes to insulating a barn conversion or similar type building, we have a wealth of knowledge and past experience to help you right from the planning stage. We can provide U value calculations based on a variety of scenarios to meet your needs. We know its never a one size fits all with this type of building. We will work with you to figure out how to achieve the best thermal envelope for the building in question.
Wildlife in Barns
Bats can be an issue for barn conversions. Often, old style bitchimen felt must be maintained. This is so that bats don’t get their claws stuck which they can do in a modern breathable felt. Where a none breathable bitchimen type felt is used, a suitable vapour control layer must be used prior to plasterboard.
We have also come across some barns that have to have a specific section of the roof void sectioned for nesting of barn owls. Open cell foam helps with soundproofing and can be helpful in maintaining a quiet environment. Both owl & human can co exist in relative peace.
Exposed Locations
The location of a lot of barn conversions can be in exposed areas susceptible to high wind. The air sealing nature of spray foam and its ability to seal all gaps will prevent air infiltration and heat loss. This will give a much more comfortable environment within the property.
One of the many benefits of spray foam is its noise reduction qualities, including from external elements such as rain.
Windows, Doors and Reveals
As the pictures show, a number of the windows have curves which poses an impossible task to insulate for other materials. Spray foam however, can follow the shape of even the most complex structure allowing you to get a full bond of insulation. With an expansion rate of 100x, the foam will fill all small gaps within the building envelope in the hardest to reach areas. Open cell foam remains soft and flexible and is easy to trim to suit odd shapes.
Ventilation
The more airtight a building becomes, the greater the need for mechanical ventilation. Modern forms of ventilation such as MVHR (mechanical ventilated heat recovery), work well in conjunction with spray foam insulation. MVHR can provide a fresh source of outdoor air while retaining 80% of the heat from within the home. It does this by recycling it over a heat exchanger and putting it back into fresh air from the outside.
Summary
If you are about to undertake a barn conversion or similar type of project and are unsure of how to create an energy efficient building envelope that is comfortable to live in and doesn’t cost the earth to heat, get in contact with us and we can assist with all your insulation needs. We can assist from planning through to install and will offer honest sound advice that meets your needs.
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