Spray foam insulation

[GSM]

Has anyone ever had any issues with spray foam insulation they have done or had done? I had the ceiling / trusses of my shop sprayed last fall and have a couple of places where it is cracking/pulling away from itself and the boards. I have contacted the company and they are working with me but looking for any other info as well. They are thinking water is getting in somehow, but I don't believe so. I had the building up for 2 years prior without the ceiling done and never had any water or evidence of any water getting in.

 

[guywhofishes]

Thermal expansion/contraction of the structure?

Pics might help.

 

[guywhofishes]

https://www.amazon.com/sspa/click?i...d=553270&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

 

[LBrandt]

My bets with GWF on what is causing the cracks. LB

 

[BrokenBackJack]

They did spray it with closed cell?

 

[muzzyhunter]

Could be the surface temperature was a little cold,when it was sprayed,it will pull away then.

 

[riverview]

when i had my crawl space done it was in the 40s and some pulled away from the studs, have a friend that is having the same trouble with a ceiling on frosty mornings he has 4 or 5 rafter spaces that never frost up.

 

[espringers]

are we talking spray foam between rafters/trusses that are actually in contact with what i assume is a metal roof? assuming so and if so... i may be mistaken here... but, depending on the rafter spacing, prep and application, spray foam between roof trusses/rafters on a metal roof can be sketchy. yes it is allowed. but, i know there are extra steps and things to consider when doing it. i did the walls of my steel garage when i first put it up and paused before doing the roof in order to do some reading. i never did finish the job on the roof panels. not necessarily because it couldn't be done or i couldn't do it. mostly cause i just never got back to it. but, i do remember there were some additional things to consider.

 

[Bearce]

When I had my building done, they sprayed directly to the steel paneling, but it required them to pretreat it with a sticky tacky substance before they could foam it. They say there is enough oil residue from the steel paneling from manufacturing that won't allow the adhesion of the foam.

 

[GSM]

Yes, it is closed cell foam. It is wood frame construction, so it isn't sprayed on metal. Yes, between the trusses.

 

[Jm1986]

Could be the surface temperature was a little cold,when it was sprayed,it will pull away then.

Bingo. It’s been a while since ive done it but if I remember correctly on a cold day the interior of the building has to be a warmed up to dry the moisture from the frost that melts along the edges otherwise the foam will pull away when it starts to get warm out. OR it’s just a natural part of the curing process foam goes through when it hardens, it hardens and gets tight and could eventually cause a few cracks
Most likely in your situation there was some moisture on the metal surface and the results are starting to show at this point when it’s really starting to get warm out. Also where the cracks are forming the company should be able to come and do a quick spray and fill them in

 

[zoops]

So is this stuff worth the price over fiberglass batts, etc? Recommended pros in bisman?

 

[woodduck30]

So is this stuff worth the price over fiberglass batts, etc? Recommended pros in bisman?

If you are going to live in your house for 15 plus years it would probably be worth it. Most of your heat will be lost through the attic and windows. Sound deadening would be the biggest advantage in my opinion. It would quiet down those 60 mph wind gusts.

 

[muzzyhunter]

Spray foam is expensive,compared to blow in or batts,R value is about 5 per inch,maybe slightly more,personally I would use it for air sealing and blow cellulose over top,to achieve an r value of 50 in an attic you would need to spray close to 10" thick,one area I would look to foam is the rim joist,if you were to pull back the fiberglass batts poked in the pockets during cold winter months,I would guess you would have frost behind them.
Not a fan of batts,a quick thermal scan of an attic with batts will show you the heat loss through all the gaps and cracks.

 

[riverview]

If you are going to live in your house for 15 plus years it would probably be worth it. Most of your heat will be lost through the attic and windows. Sound deadening would be the biggest advantage in my opinion. It would quiet down those 60 mph wind gusts.

I question the sound deadening my whole house has 4 inches with tounge and groove wood interior and i can hear everything outside. one of the bedroom i finished last i put fiberglass batts on top of the foam and its a noticeable difference.

 

[eyexer]

Inches to R value is a vague way to represent spray foam. It performs far greater than the R value leads you to think. Here is a chart of performance value of foam

 

[Retired Educator]

I'm not sure any one type of insulation is the only way to go. A few years ago on a remodel the owners hired a firm to spray foam insulation. It was a new and "in the learning stage" of spraying insulation. When they finished and left we found many gaps that they appeared to think the expansion would fill in. Spent quite a bit of time moving around with cans of spray foam to fill in the gaps.

Perhaps it was inexperience in training and learning, or perhaps it was just someone who didn't care as long as they got paid. Properly used, spray foam is effective. It's the same as bats in the walls, or spraying blow in insulation in attics. All of them can have gaps if not properly installed.

 

[riverview]

ive seen spray foam pull away from rafters and joists, dont know if it was temp or improper application. Ive had 4 buildings done and in one crawl space it pulled away from a few studs. the installer thought it was cold temps.

 

[eyexer]

They have to shoot a different foam when temps get cold. It doesn’t spray as well for the most part but it allows you to do it