Prepping Soffits For Spray Foam In Attic

Verify that all attic floor penetrations can be adequately sealed with spray foam insulation.

Prepping soffits for spray foam in attic. But how well does this process of encapsulating the attic actually work. Hot air doesn t get formed. They also need to seal off areas of air leakage to the outdoors. Sealed attics should not have any type of attic ventilation connecting it to the outside.

The photo above shows the scar from a power attic ventilator installed in a spray foam attic but i ve heard of several cases where roofers installed or tried to ridge vents. Here in the southeastern us open cell is most often the spray foam of choice. Since ccspf is a vapour retarder some believe it cannot be used in warm humid climates as it prevents water vapour from going in and out of the assembly. Provide additional air sealing measures such as sealants or rigid foam blocking of large holes as needed.

Install ventilation baffles essentially plastic or foam vents into the eaves by pulling the existing insulation away from the roof positioning the new vent chute so the bottom extends six inches into the overhang and stapling it into place. It s also how we ensure we leave the site better than when we started a job. When you contract with kc spray foam for your spray on insulation needs this step is included in our price quote. And you avoid wood rot and mold.

Normally in occupied areas all spray foam must be covered by a 15 minute thermal barrier such as thick drywall per code requirements in irc section 316 4 and ibc section 2603 4. Gable vents and soffits are the big culprits here. It s how we protect the job site from overspray. An attic that s brought inside the building enclosure is a beautiful thing.

This is most often done with spray polyurethane foam spf insulation either open cell or closed cell. In a proper spray foam job a contractor doesn t just spray foam all over the top of your attic and go home. Don t let your attic suck power attic ventilators are a. Otherwise humidity will quickly creep into your attic.

The prep work ahead of a sprayed insulation job is an important step. So are other gaps and cracks that let in outdoor air. Closed cell spray foam has a perm rating of approximately 1 5 to 3 0 per 25 mm 1 in and an r value of approximately 1 05 per 25 mm 6 0 per 1 in. Remove any existing insulation debris and dust and prepare the attic floor for spray foam insulation.

Intumescent coatings are not always needed to coat spray foam in the attic in order to meet code thermal barrier requirements.