OUR OFFICE
Nestled in the idyllic Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, Irasburg is a small town with just over a thousand residents. For us, it’s home. From here, we service homes and businesses throughout Vermont, New Hampshire and Northern New York.
FREQUENT QUESTIONS
We’ve been at this a while, so we’ve had the chance to answer a lot of questions. Below you’ll find a selection of frequently asked questions and answers. If you don’t find an answer you’re looking for, give us a call or include it when you request an estimate.
Initially, spray foam insulation does put off gas and odor. Spray foam is an inert cellular plastic that is manufactured on-site by trained contractors. Like all plastics, there is an odor during manufacturing. The majority of this “off-gassing” period lasts about 24-hours; a period during which the manufacturer suggests occupants should vacate the area. After 24 hours, the spray foam becomes fully cured and occupants are permitted to re-enter. Some people with an acute sense of smell may notice a slight odor for a short time after curing, especially with open-cell foam, but this is normal.
We suggest that you give at least 24 hours to let your home air out. Perhaps you can stay with friends or family for a night. NP Foam offers the option to rent a property for the night – we have a home, newly renovated and freshly decorated for people to stay in. Let us know if this is something you’d be interested in.
Closed-cell (CC) foam does not absorb sound as well as open-cell (OC) foam. CC foam does reflect sound, but it does a good job keeping the exterior sounds out of the home and the interior sounds in. However, where sound absorption or limiting sound transference is a high priority (such as between apartment buildings), OC foam is preferable.
No! CC foam is highly water-resistant! If it were placed on the water it would float on it rather than absorbing it.
This question comes up a lot and is often misunderstood. Inert building materials don’t really need to breathe but occupants in the home do! Seal tight and ventilate right! Rather than let a leaky home bring in unregulated amounts of outside air along with pollen, dust, odors, moisture, pollutants and other contaminants, seal up the house with foam and let an air exchanger ventilate the house. With an air exchanger, you are also allowed to recover your heat or cooling from the stale air that is exhausted from the interior and pre-heat or pre-cool that fresh air that is coming in.
What about the roof, it needs to breathe, it needs to be vented, right? The fact is, we started to vent roofs because the typical fiberglass insulation didn’t do what it was supposed to do. It doesn’t stop warm, moist air from passing through it. Roofs are normally vented to release this warm, moist air that passes freely through the fiberglass to the outside before it has a chance to condense to the underside of the cold roof sheathing (in our northern climate). With closed cell foam being both an air barrier and a class II vapor retarder, there is no chance of warm moist air passing through the foam and ever contacting the cold sheathing! CC foam is an air barrier. In these volatile northern climates, it is recommended to seal a home up to stop drafts and then to install a heat recovery air exchanger which will remove stale, dusty, and humid air outside and bring in cleaner and fresher air while removing excess moisture.
No! Modern-day spray foam does not contain any urea-formaldehyde.
Yes! The products we use are environmentally safe. There are no ozone-depleting chemicals in the insulation and no solvents are released into the atmosphere during application.
No! Once the foam has set it becomes a solid – an inert cellular plastic – it will not change form.
No! At NP Foam we work to ensure that our work is done right from start to finish – including a thorough cleanup. Whether we are working in someone’s home, or helping other contractors on a job site, we understand the importance of leaving the site clean.
No! Spray foam is non-corrosive; It is neutral, being neither acidic nor alkaline, and therefore ideal for metal construction, and compatible with all common, modern building materials, such as, but not limited to; pex tubing, wiring, pvc, cpvc, wood, concrete, brass, and just about everything you can think of!
No! For mold to grow, two things are needed: moisture and a food source. Spray foam does not retain water, prevents condensation in the building envelope and is inert; thus it does not allow things like mold or bacteria to grow.
Spray foam offers no food value and is extremely dense. While it is possible that a rodent or insect could chew through it, it is very unlikely and far less suitable for them when compared to traditional fiberglass insulation.
Closed-cell foam is combustible just like wood. To protect it, it is required that we cover it with a thermal barrier like sheetrock or, when it is left unfinished, to cover it with a thermal barrier paint.
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