Spray Foam Insulation: What Happens When It Gets Wet?
If you have a new home, one of the essential things that you must consider is insulating your house. When it comes to this process, it is given that you are giving consideration to the cold in winter and the heat in summer. But the power of insulation doesn’t end there. There is wide variety of benefits that insulation can provide to your home. So more than just temperature regulation that certainly affects your energy bill, insulation is also an effective prevention against moisture. Additionally, insulation materials have also the ability to reduce noise. Hence, you no longer have to worry if you have neighbors who love to party all night long. If you have a family member who has respiratory diseases, he or she will be safe with the help of insulation as this material has also the ability to prevent pollens and allergens to get through your walls. With all of these benefits of insulation, you must be convinced that it is a necessity for your home. However, despite these spray foam insulation these benefits, you may also have some questions about insulation. One and the most common of such questions is how spray foam reacts with moisture. Or in simplified question, what will happen if your spray foam insulation gets wet?
There are several myths and theories about spray foams and their relationship and reaction with water. But in this article, we are not going through these myths. Instead, we will only go through the facts to keep you informed. First and foremost, let us go straight directly to the question of what happens if the foam gets wet. Will it still dry properly? Technically speaking, open cell spray insulation which is a type of spray foam will definitely get dry totally after getting wet. But if the amount of water is tremendous, it may affect the shape of the spray foam but the dryness will still occur. Consequently, once it dry out, it will also fill in the imperfection of the shape. If a spray foam is made from polyurethane, it will still dry effectively without affecting its original shape after getting wet. This is because this type of spray foam insulation is made with water resistant materials. On the other hand, single component foam is likely to change its form or shape after getting wet. But it will still dry.
But what about surfaces that are wet? Does spray foam insulation have the ability to penetrate surfaces that get wet? Will its ability to trap water cause decay or mold? Actually, this is one of they misconceptions about spray foams. But the truth and reality is that spray foam is generally used in several and different places where there is a consideration for water like underside of rood decks. Thus, there is no record of spray foam causing damage to wood even if the surface gets wet. Instead, spray foam seals any crevices or cracks and repels the water allowing it to protect the wood effectively.
Additionally, in cold climates, spray foam supports in keeping the rook deck cold and therefore preventing the damming of ice. In warm climates, one of the main concerns of customers is the vapor and humidity. They consider such concerns as potential water problems. But in reality, the closed cell composition of spray foam insulation allows the material to control the flow of, moisture vapor because it divides the outside and inside temperatures. So even if the wood is when, when spray foam insulation is applied, the lumber will still dry more slowly. Lastly, with the high spray foam insulation r-value, the material has strong resistant to water and will certainly make the surface still dry after getting wet.
Ultimately, when it comes to insulating your house, water should not be a problem or issue. Yes, there are several misconception about spray foam insulation especially in the aspect of water and moisture. But with the special and unique abilities of this insulating material, you can guarantee that it can provide you wide variety of benefits. One of those is its ability to make the surface of the wood still dry after getting wet by water.