Looking for ways to make your home more energy efficient in those hot Chapel Hill summers? Sealing your attic with spray foam insulation is one of the most effective ways to do this!
Insulation provides thermal resistance to convective and conductive heat flow. Conductive is the heat that moves through materials, such as your roof, wood in your attic, and sheetrock in your ceiling. Convective heat flow is how heat circulates through your homes, such as how warm air rises and cool air sinks. Insulating your attic blocks the natural movement of heat flowing into cooler parts of your home. This means a more comfortable living space and lower AC bills.
What is Spray Foam Insulation Exactly?
Spray foam insulation is a fairly new material commonly made from organic compounds used to make polymers. When the liquid polyol and liquid isocyanate combine and are sprayed, the liquids become a foam that can expand up to sixty times the size of the liquid. Foam insulation can be sprayed directly onto walls, between studs, and even into small gaps around electrical outlets, or where walls meet floors, windows, and doors. The result is heavy-duty, long-lasting insulation and a near-impenetrable seal against air and water. It’s nearly twice as effective as fiberglass or cellulose insulation.
The Benefits of Attic Foam Insulation
The number one benefit of spray insulation in your attic is the improvement you’ll see in the efficiency of your home’s HVAC system. By sealing air leaks and drafts and reducing heat conduction from your attic to your living areas, your HVAC unit doesn’t need to work as hard to regulate the temperature inside your home. That means lower energy bills with no decrease in comfort.
More benefits of spray foam insulation include:
- This type of insulation prevents mold and mildew growth by hindering moisture transfer
- Its rigid texture benefits your attic’s structural integrity
- Insects and pests do not feed on spray foam insulation, meaning there is no chance of infestations
- Spray foam insulation does not move or shift over time
- There are no allergens, dust, or particles to aggravate breathing or cause allergic reactions
- Spray foam insulation is more eco-friendly than fiberglass or cellulose insulation
Insulation Effectiveness and R-Values
Every type of insulation is given an R-value rating that shows its effectiveness. The higher the R-value, the more effective the insulation is. For example, fiberglass batts have an R-value of 3.5 and cellulose has a value of 4.0. Our spray foam insulation has an R-value of 7.0, making it twice as effective at stopping heat flow into your attic than fiberglass!
How We Install Attic Foam Insulation
The first step in installing attic foam insulation is removing any old insulation. After the old insulation is removed, our technicians will run a long hose to your attic that is connected to the two containers of liquid that make up the foam. As the techs begin spraying your attic walls, eaves, and flooring (optional), the foam sticks to nearly every material, including wood, masonry, and metal, and expands dramatically. This creates an airtight, water-resistant barrier.
After it reaches its maximum size, the foam dries and sets quickly. Once it solidifies, the techs trim excess foam and clean up the attic. The installation process is quick, but due to the mixing of chemicals and special equipment needed to spray it, it must be installed by a professional insulation company.
Why Attic “Breathing” is a Myth
Using spray foam in the attic seals up all open spaces, even the smallest cracks, and crevices, including ventilation spaces.
You may have heard that ventilation in attics (letting your attic “breathe”) protects your home by keeping air circulating, preventing moisture from building up in the winter and allowing heat to escape in the summer. This isn’t completely true.
The truth is that it’s only necessary to let build-up of moisture and hot air escape when it’s entering through cracks and voids in the roof. When moisture and excess heat can’t build-up, you don’t need to worry or let your attic “breathe”. With spray foam insulation, moisture and heat don’t have a chance to build up.
Contact Your Attic Foam Insulation Experts in Chapel Hill Today!
If you’d like to learn more about insulating your attic to create a more comfortable, energy-efficient home, make Crawl Space and Basement Technologies your first choice! Call us at (919) 847-7072 or fill out our online form to schedule a no-obligation estimate today!
