More BS* + Beer
This episode of the BS* + Beer Show includes guest co-host Dan Kolbert and featured guest Henri Fennell talking broadly about “How to Get Spray Foam Right.” Henri has returned to answer audience questions generated during his last appearance on the show. He collected them from the chat box and created a presentation of responses—so the information is wide-ranging.
Henri talks about how often he sees spray foam failures and at what point they show up—he says all failures are due to improper installation, no matter when they manifest. He explains the causes and effects of “thermal shock,” describes taped seams between rigid foam boards as “temporary air-sealing,” and gives a brief history of spray foam blowing agents.
He also explains why open-cell spray foam is rarely a problem solver (hint: vapor retarder), and notes the one situation where it does make good sense. The hybrid roof method gets dissected, we hear of two techniques for insulating rafter cavities, and there are some tips for quick-and-dirty field testing of spray foam installations—plus much more. Enjoy the show…
Bio
Henri Fennell is a building enclosure specialist and architect with over 40 years of experience in energy conservation design, products, and services. His work with polyurethane foam materials began with energy-efficient demonstration projects during the energy crisis of the 1970s. His background includes positions as a practicing architect, a building enclosure contractor, and a building envelope remediation and commissioning consultant. Since the early 1980s he has been involved in the design and construction of what are now called micro-load buildings, including a net-zero energy research structure in Antarctica.
The BS* + Beer Show schedule
The next show is on September 5 from 6-7 p.m. ET.
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Kiley Jacques is senior editor at Green Building Advisor.
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5 Comments
OK, all failures are due to installation mistakes. Will any installers provide a serious guarantee, backed by insurance, that will fix the problem if it occurs, up to and including a gut rehab if that's what's needed to get rid of the smell? While paying for another place for the residents to stay?
Charlie, your question is probably rhetorical, but not that I know of.
I found it interesting that although we decided to focus not on, "is spray foam good or bad," but "how to do spray foam right," many viewers came to the same conclusion--it's so difficult to install perfectly every time that it's not worth the risk except in cases where nothing else will reasonably work.
Spray foam problems in Britain: https://www.theguardian.com/money/article/2024/aug/12/they-encouraged-us-to-insulate-our-home-now-its-unmortgageable
Please stop with spray foam. No bueno.
I use as little of it as possible, but I design a lot of renovations and work on old homes where it can do things that other types of insulation can't. Our idea for this 2-show series was that if you have to do it, you might as well do it right.
It was interesting in the first episode, where Henri, who is pro-foam, was explaining the necessary steps to get it right and the potential downsides if not done right, many people in the chat box decided for themselves that it was too complicated to use.
It's an amazing material, AND we should use as little of it as possible.
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