On Jan 9, 11:08*pm, BlinnPR wrote:
Has anybody on the list blown in closed cell foam insulation
themselves. *Any recommendations on products, who sells it or where I
can get the equipment.

TIA,
Steven

I did this, very recently. I got the two 60 pound cylinders, $600 or
so, and dragged them around a crawlspace. Exhausting.

My advice:
First, realize that Handi-Foam and Tiger Foam and some others are the
SAME company, SAME product, different prices
(Handi Foam is inexplicably higher). If you live in Jersey, you order
Tiger Foam, and pick it up (out of some employee's garage- no
kidding!) to avoid huge ship charge. Perhaps Hand-Foam allows the
same for you in Ohio.

Second, install is nowhere near as carefree as the video suggests.
The product must be heated to a specified range and should be kept at
that range (try that in a 3 foot crawlspace). The nozzles must be
changed every couple of minutes, or if you stop for more than 30
seconds or so (check with Tiger Foam for details). Even then, the
spray goes everywhere, unless you are only doing a neat open joist.
Wear throwaway clothes, rubber latex gloves, hood, goggles, mask (if
in confined area- aren't they always). The big tanks are HEAVY until
emptied. The job is dirty, and in tight airspaces, is potentially
hazardous to your health.

Third, many local codes theoretically require you cover the foam with
a fire resistant cover. In other words, spray foam and your house
now violates code: a dirty little secret of both the open and closed
cell foam industries. The Tiger foam I used has some fire resistance
rating, but it does not meet my local code. My code has one standard
for foam in rim joists, and a higher standard for foam in open areas,
say, undersides of flooring.

Fourth, think HARD about where you are going to spray, to get the most
for your money. FIND where air infiltrates first, because this is
where you want to go first with the spray. Calculate if you want the
bigger tanks ($600), which are way more cost effective than the
smaller "packs". Borrow/buy a $30 infrared heat gun to spot invisible
air leaks. Don't spray this expensive stuff where it won't do any
good.

BUT, I am glad I did it. I sprayed my rim joists, air leaky stone
foundation, and my uninsulated ducts, and some undersides of flooring,
and there has been a big improvement in the heat in the remote reaches
of the house. Smell for one day, but none thereafter. I really tried
everything else to no avail, so this was the only thing left to do.
In fact, it would be neat to do all flooring undersides, to cut out
mold and mildew smell in bedrooms from the crawl, but the code issues
keep me from doing this. When I go to sell, I don't want some guy
demanding thousands of dollars to "remediate" code violations.

Good luck, DPA