Exposed Spray Foam Insulation In Basement

But the spray foam is still exposed to the attic and needs an ignition barrier.

Exposed spray foam insulation in basement.

In some cases explanation. Most ceilings are made of 1 2 drywall. Open cell spray foam has a higher expansion ratio of 100 1 than closed cell and is a great thermal and sound insulator. In addition foam in place insulation is blown into walls or other cavities where it then hardens.

Currently leaning towards closed cell spray foam to r20 same in the joist bays. Many spray foam manufacturers test their spray foam systems with an intumescent coating in place of the ignition barrier. Therefore your basement will stop the outside air from accessing the interiors of the building. Instead it can be injected poured or sprayed.

Despite the name spray foam insulation isn t exclusively sprayed. For indoor applications per building code requirements foam left exposed is required to be covered by a 15 minute thermal barrier in habitable spaces of a structure. Instead it is. Spray foam insulation essentially functions by starting as a liquid before hardening into a solid mass after drying.

Open cell foam has an r value of roughly 3 9 per inch. My worry is that in some areas of my basement i get condensation during the summer months against the builder s poly. However most building codes allow the installation of unprotected rigid foam in a crawlspace that has no open connection to a basement as long as the foam has passed alternative testing procedures. Since the spray foam is energy efficient you can correctly use it as an air sealing solution.

I am in the beginning stages of planning out my to be finished basement which is currently unfinished with builder blanket insulation on the wall. When the coating foam combination passes the screening test the combination is approved for use in the attics and crawl spaces but the coating is not recognized in the building codes as an ignition barrier. For unoccupied space or that of which is being used for equipment servicing the above does not apply. Dow styrofoam and owens corning foamular are two products that pass the burn test and can be left unprotected in an isolated crawlspace.

Spray foam is applied by a high pressure applicator gun directly to the area being insulated. The foam rapidly cures and adheres in place. Indeed the foam can fit crevices gaps and wall cavities. If you ve got spray foam insulation in an attic for example it s probably already separated from the living space by a thermal barrier.