Spray Foam Insulation - Why?

At one time, builders thought insulating the crawl space with fiberglass batting was a good practice.  Time has shown us that this is not the best idea.  It frequently comes loose and falls out of place, which is frustrating and wasteful.  It’s not insulating anything when it’s falling to the ground.
Batting absorbs and holds water, like a sponge.  Since this sponge batting is attached to your joists, beams, and subfloor, the moisture can affect these wooden pieces.  Over time, if the fiberglass batting absorbs enough water, it can become too heavy for the fasteners and fall out of place. 

Reasons to Use Spray Foam Insulation

​

1. Spray foam insulation gets into even the smallest cracks, which thoroughly blocks airflow from the outside.  This means no more drafts under your home- and no more cold floors!
2. Because the airflow is completely blocked, this eliminates one of the ways pollen gets into your home.  This is an immediate improvement in air quality, which anyone with allergies will be thrilled to hear.
3. Eliminating drafts and pollen particles will also improve your HVAC performance.  A more efficient heater/air conditioner runs less and reduces utility costs.
4. Spray foam insulation repels moisture, which eliminates a source for mold to grow.  This is another win for air quality.  Keeping moisture out also helps prevent leaks.
5. Since spray foam sets up to be a hard, dense material, it deters both insects and larger pests. Most pests don’t want to work that hard when there are more accessible spaces nearby.
6. It adheres to the surface where it is installed, no fasteners are needed.  It also conforms to the exact space it’s in.  This keeps it from deteriorating or falling.

Cons of Using Spray Foam

1. Cost - Spray Foam is More Expensive. By far, the biggest negative is its initial cost
2. The other potential problem with spray foam is its permanence.  If you decide to build an addition to your home and need to access the wall of your crawl space?  You will have to manually scrape the foam off the affected surface.  It can’t be pulled down or easily cut away.