These Frequently Asked Questions may help you further research your Insulation Needs. We are adding to this list continually - so, if your question is not addressed here, please CONTACT US and ask us - we're here to answer your questions!

Where did Foam Works Insulators come from?

Foam Works Insulators, LLC is individually owned by Thomas Turner, who also owns Insulating, Inc. The Insulating Inc name has been synonymous with quality insulation for over 30 years in North Carolina. You can recognize Insulating Inc trucks by the typical yellow cabs, and Foam Works trucks by the green cabs. Thomas' companies maintain a full-time safety and quality specialist on staff in order to provide our valued employees with the very best in training.

With this background behind us, Foam Works Insulators has grown to become one of the top 25 Icynene Dealers in the world for 2008. Our promotional and marketing programs have gained us notoriety, including the Icynene Worldwide Marketing Award for 2007.

I hear a lot of conflicting information about open cell versus closed cell foams. Which one is better?

One is not necessarily "better" than the other. There are applications for which one is much better suited than the other. There are some applications in which it is a matter of opinion which type of foam should be used. For a complete list of these situations, see the document "Is Icynene Right for You?" It is our opinion that in a wood framed house that is expected to flex and move with high winds, the flexible open cell foam is better suited to move with the house. We also believe that it is important to have an insulation which will not trap moisture against wood in the event of a leak (either plumbing or weather-related).

In creating a conditioned crawlspace, closed cell foam is the product of choice. Because it locks moisture to the outside, it is not a problem to spray it against the concrete or concrete block walls in the crawl. Because the crawl walls are relatively stable in temperature, "masonry creep" from expansion and contraction of the block is very limited. For first and second floor masonry walls, spraying closed cell foam to the OUTSIDE of the block before the veneer is added is an ideal way to insulate the structure, while bringing a large mass into the heated and cooled envelope to help stabilize temperature.

When spraying foam insulation to the roof deck of my existing house, why is it necessary to remove the existing insulation from the attic floor?

When spraying to the roof deck, we are creating a "Conditioned Attic Assembly," a code-defined configuration, which requires that the attic be semi-heated and cooled. There are two ways to accomplish this: remove the insulation and vapor barrier from the ceiling below, and let the attic temperature and humidity be altered through the sheetrock and the openings for lights, fans, and other fixtures, or put enough HVAC outlets in the attic to semi-condition the area, the same way that would be done in a conditioned crawlspace.

What happens to Icynene in the event of a fire?

Icynene does not burn or add fuel to a fire. It will be consumed by the temperature of a fire that has been burning in a house for 15 minutes or so before it gets to the insulation. The Icynene will char, and eventually turn to powder, where fiberglass will char and turn to a lump of glass at the bottom of the cavity under the same fire conditions. The smoke developed by Icynene is rated at "less than 400," which makes Icynene a Class A insulation. The character of the smoke given off by Icynene is far less hazardous than that given off by the burning of most furniture and carpets.

Is it true that Icynene LDC-50 is not a "green" product, because it is made with petroleum products?

Icynene, in both the LDC-50 and LDR-50 formulas are very green products for several reasons:

• The foam is manufactured locally on site, in our truck, reducing the volume of material transported to the site by 100 times.
• Although petroleum is used to make the foam components, every day you live in the house and use the heat and air conditioning, you are severely reducing the amount of fossil fuels required to do so.
• Use of either 100% polyols, or 96.5% polyols and 3.5% castor bean oil is a far better alternative to using soy, a food crop, as 3.5% of the spray foam formula. According to the US Dept. of Agriculture's figures, it takes up to 75 gallons of fuel to plant, cultivate, harvest and transport the soybeans from four acres of land, in order to replace 7 gallons of petroleum polyols. By comparison, the castor bean is not a watered or cultivated crop, and can grow on scrap land, not stealing from food productivity.
• Icynene corporate continues to work on a method for chopping the scraps from spraying in order to efficiently reuse that byproduct as landscaping and gardening soil additive. In the meantime, we reuse what portions of the scrap we can in order to stuff holes, penetrations and receptacles before spraying.

Can this foam be left exposed in an attic or crawl which has a heat-producing appliance, such as a gas pack or gas-fired hot water heater?

YES, Icynene's report, number ESR-1826 details that the foam may be exposed in attics and crawls without an ignition barrier or thermal barrier. This is not true of all foams. See section 4.4 of the ICC reports for each foam to find out of they may be sprayed without extra precautions, or if they may be exposed in the presence of heat producing devices. ALL foams have additional conditions for being left exposed, again check section 4.4 for a list of those conditions.

Can I just paint over this foam on the ceiling of one room instead of covering it with sheetrock? I like that cloud-like appearance and want to use it for decorating purposes.

No. All insulations, no matter what type, must be separated from living spaces by an approved thermal barrier (IE: sheetrock).

Isn't my house supposed to "breathe"? How can I put an air barrier everywhere and not have problems with stale air?

In the words of one of the country's best building scientists: "Build tight, ventilate right. There is no such thing as a house that is over airsealed… just a house that is under-ventilated." In a house that is sprayed 100% with Icynene, there are considerations that must be made to ventilate properly, and to size the HVAC equipment properly. We have information for your contractors to help with this. As for ventilation, ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air conditioning Engineers) has an entire chapter in their building standards which details how to ventilate a tight building correctly. ASHRAE 62.2 is a standard which has been used successfully in tens of thousands of buildings.

The building inspector from my town is unfamiliar with your product and said he'll have to ask around about foam in houses. Will there be a problem?

Foam Works has conducted educational seminars for hundreds of building officials in North Carolina. If your local code official is not familiar with spray foam insulation, we will work with them to make sure that all of their questions are answered, so that your job will proceed smoothly.

Is foam insulation safe?

Yes. Icynene is a polyicynene foam that is water-based and gives off no harmful VOCs.

Is foam insulation accepted by the building codes?

All codes bodies accept Icynene foam.

Is foam permanent?

Icynene is a flexible foam so it will not shrink or deteriorate. It is permanent.

Does foam absorb water?

No, Icynene is hydrophobic and actually repels water.

Do you have to worry about foam around wiring?

No, Icynene is not a concern.

What about termites, mice and other vermin?

Icynene offers no food value.

Is Icynene corrosive to metals?

No. It is neither acidic nor alkaline.

Is Icynene a proven product?

Icynene has been around since 1986 and been installed in thousands of homes in the U.S..

What are the acoustic properties of this product?

As an effective air seal, it eliminates air gaps that can allow noise to pass.