What In The World Is Closed Cell Foam Insulation?
What in the World is Closed Cell Foam Insulation?
You've heard of fiberglass insulation--but what in the world is closed cell foam insulation? It's a mouthful, but it describes something that just might help you save quite a few dollars on your home's monthly energy costs.
One of the most important parts of both building and remodelling a home is making certain that the home has proper insulation. the right insulation will ensure that you don't lose any precious heat during the winter months, or that you don't loose any cool air when it gets smoldering hot in the summer. In the process, this insulation will save you a lot of money on your utility bills.
And even though you might not be familiar with the technical name, closed cell foam insulation is one of the most popular kinds of insulation. Specifically, the kind known as Polyurethane Foam Insulation. It's available as either a rigid foam board or as a spay, expanding foam.
Polyurethane Foam Insulation has, within its cells, a low conductivity gas. It's this gas which gives the insulation an impressive "R" value of 7 to 8 per inch.
As you consider whether to use Polyurethane Foam, you should understand that with time, the gas inside of the cells will escape, allowing air to take its place. this means that the "R" value will then decrease. So, using a real-life scenario, if your insulation's original "R" value is nine, then within just a few years, the value will probably decrease to about 7. However, after that happens, the "R" value of the insulation will stabilize at its new current value, and will remain there for the rest of its life.
Let's assume that you've decided that you want to use the Polyurethane Foam insulation. Perhaps you want to use it as wall insulation. Now you just need to decide what form to buy. Most popular is the spray foam, because as a sticky liquid, it adheres, not just to itself, but to anything it touches. As a result, you can cover more of the area where you're installing the installation. You can feel confident that this spray foam will find every corner, every crack, and stick where it needs to stick in order to get the job done.
This ability of the foam to find every empty area makes the insulation not only good for walls and attics. It's also a good choice for garage door insulation (And in fact, it's featured in many garage door insulation kits).
The most popular Polyurethane Foams have one other characteristic: No chlorofluorocarbons. These are preferred because they do less damage to the ozone layer. And after all, since part of the attractiveness of making your home energy-efficient is to protect the environment, you might as well protect the ozone layer while you're at it.
So, yes, closed cell foam insulation is a phrase that's hard to remember, and many of the technical issues surrounding it are also difficult to remember. So just remember this: Polyurethane Foam Insulation is a great way to cut your energy costs, and to be kind to the environment.
