So you’ve made the decision to insulate your home or replace existing insulation in your home. If you’re looking for a type of insulation to use spray foam insulation or spray polyurethane foam (SPF) is a versatile alternative to traditional building insulation materials.
How exactly does spray foam work? The combination of chemicals in spray foam, polyurethane and isocyanate react with one another to harden and this harden layer of foam provides a layer of protection for whatever you’re covering.
- It saves money by saving energy.
- It works great as an insulator, sealing all sorts of exposed cracks and crannies.
- It helps get rid of mold since it’s water resistant
- It has a long life-span and saves families money by lasting for years and years.
- It is environmentally friendly and helps reduce energy consumption while protecting against mold and moisture.
When it comes to type of spray foam insulation, picking the right one for your needs can be a little tricky. Two of the most common types are open cell and closed cell insulation. The difference between the two of them is the cells that make up the spray foam itself.
- Open cell foam is left open on purpose, which results in insulation that’s softer and more flexible.
- Closed cell foam has cells that are pressed together or “closed,” to keep out air and moisture. This results in foam that’s more stable and more rigid. It is also more dense than open cell foam.
Depending on what your goals are for insulation, you can purchased closed cell spray foam kits if you’re going to try and install insulation yourself. If that’s the case and you’re not sure what to get, get some advice on the best closed cell spray foam kits to choose from.
Of course you can skip the closed cell spray foam kits and hiring a contractor to install whichever type of insulation you’re looking for may be your best bet. If you’re not a handy person, closed cell spray foam kits may be totally foreign to you.
Contractors looking for spray foam rigs can by them new or used, but used SPF equipment should be treated with some caution before buying anything. It’s true that used equipment can come at a discounted price and look good as new after some refurbishing, it’s important to check how the old equipment is, how often it’s been used, the repair history of the equipment and how it has held up from so much use.
Spray foam insulation and spray foam equipment like a spray foam gun can have numerous benefits to contractors and homeowners alike, especially when it comes to saving money on your energy bills. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that having proper insulation and eliminating air leaks can cut energy bills by up to 20%. With HVAC use and employment rates on the rise, spray foam insulation could do wonders in making a house perform at its best.
While spray foam is insulation can be extremely useful, there are always other options available. Generally speaking there are four main types of insulation: foam-in-place, rigid foam, rolls and batts and loose-fill. When it comes to installing insulation, a staple gun is one of the most useful tools in your arsenal.
With a staple gun, you can be sure your insulation is going to hold. If you’re installing underfloor insulation, a staple gun will hold the insulation securely to the floor and help ensure that rodents, bugs and other nusances aren’t going to get in it.
If you’re installing underfloor insulation, you’re potentially putting yourself at risk of being electrocuted. An electric staple gun is a better and much safer because it’s double insulated. To amp up the safety even more, use an electric staple gun with a residual current device (RCD), which will be a sort of kill switch if something goes wrong during the installation process.
Whichever way you install insulation, go about it safely and make sure you have the tools you need at hand and make sure you’re putting in the right insulation for your needs.
