Icynene LD-R-50 Spray Foam Insulation

Posted May 20, 2009 06:45 by Robert

Tags: icyene, l-r-50, spray foam, open cell

This week, the team from Healthy Homes has been onsite installing the Icynene Spray foam insulation. One significant difference between spray foam and fiberglass insulation (as noted in the third floor picture) is that spray foam insulation enables the insulation of the entire building envelope and forgoes the traditional ridge and soffit vents. We are using the new Icynene LD-R-50 formula, which uses more renewable content in the form of castor oil instead of petroleum. Icynene is 100% water-blown foam insulation that minimizes air leakage for increased energy efficiency. It creates a healthier indoor environment, reduces noise, and maintains its performance with no loss of R-value over time.  Icynene also emits no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) within 30 days after installation and contains no urea formaldehyde. Installing Icynene will cost you about 3 times more than traditional fiberglass insulation; however, its return on investment can be as little as two to three years from energy savings, in addition to the nonmonetary benefits.  It has been interesting to see how many people have commented positively on the use of spray foam, from the HVAC guys to the structural engineer and even the electrician.  Also, Bill and I walked into the attic this morning after the sun was beating down for 2-3 hours and there was no temperature difference from the second floor, this is a very noticeable difference from last week.

It’s a big decision to use a product that is installed inside all of your exterior walls. When people think of foam insulation, they unfortunately think of urea-formaldehyde foam insulation (UFFI), which was installed in the 1970s and contained high levels of urea formaldehyde. We chose Icynene specifically because it has been used and extensively tested for almost 20 years and is even recommended by many health organizations for people who have severe allergies. The term Icynene is often used generically for open-cell insulation; however, different products contain different materials that are impossible for the average homeowner to understand. Many newer products have only been on the market for a few years and have limited long-term testing and may not have acceptable fire testing for your local building department. Also, while the foam itself may be not be dangerous, some companies use blowing agents which contain a high amount of VOCs.

Icynene LD-R-50 is 100% water blown and within a few hours of installation, you could barely smell any residue. The product is sprayed from a gun and expands to 100 times its size in a few seconds to fill the cavity, which is neat to watch. Once it has expanded, the installation crew use handsaws to cut the insulation to be flat with the studs for any interior walls.  If you are using Icynene, you need to make sure that all of your wires on outside walls are stapled down very well so that they stay in place when sprayed. You should also take pictures of the open walls before they are sprayed so you know where everything is located, as the foam will cover all the wires

A big thanks to the team at Healthy Homes for getting us onto their schedule after a few delays. It takes a big crew to install, cut, and clean the foam and they have been great to work with and left the house in great shape.

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