Problems With Foam Insulation In New Orleans? Surgi's Can Help.

While foam insulation has been touted as the solution to high utility bills and as a major step on the path of "green living", new reports are showing problems that can jeopardize your health and the value of your home.  This report is a different look at foam, its value and its costs.

Proper Design of HVAC System for Spray Foam Homes This downloadable report by Icenene is a comprehensive guide to foam insulation.

Surgi's has air conditioned hundreds of foam-insulated homes in the last 10 years. During that time we have consulted numerous times on problems associated with improper sizing of air conditioning systems.  We have also heard rumors of roof damage, roof leak problems and other foam-related issues.

Our position on foam is that homeowner should only deal with a properly trained and certified insulation company.  Recognize that a home is a system that includes includes walls, windows, roofs, insulation, appliances and occupants.  A change in any of these components changes the air conditioning required for the home.  If your foam contractor does not recommend that a new "heat load" be calculated to adequately size the air conditioning system, they are positioning you for future problems.

Let's look at the potential problems associated with foam insulation:

1. Foam can ruin your roof by causing roofing materials to overheat
2. Closed cell foam can hide roof leaks until major damage has occurred
3. Foam can provide a path for termites to invade your home unnoticed
4. Foam off-gassing can cause severe health problems in sensitive individuals
5. Foam insulation dramatically increases the humidity level in your home
6. There is no protocol for removing improperly installed foam
7. The ingredients of foam are not natural or non-toxic

The following links go into great depth to give you answers to your questions before you install foam insulation in your home:

Foam Insulation Can Mask Termite Damage (Click to view video)

Spray-on insulation a highway for termites, experts warn

Homeowner facing $20k repair bill after termites chewed through supporting beam.

Homes not insulated properly are vulnerable to moisture build-up and insect infestation.

Spray foam insultaion can make some homes unlivable

Touted as green option, spray foam insulation can lead to off-gassing and health problems

Renovation Horror Story   A video documentary. Tom Harrington reveals the risks of spray foam insulation, a popular treatment that's driven one family from its home.

Quick Safety Tips for Spray Polyurethane Foam Users (EPA).  For a period of time after installation, foam can cause adverse health effects.

Canadian Urethane Foam Contractors Association  Frequently asked questions about the use of foam insulation.

Call Surgi's BEFORE you foam.  Our initial consultation is free and it may save you unnecessary problems in the future.

Need a new system?  Surgi's can help.  Need a healthier, more comfortable life?  We can change the way you feel about your home. 

Call 469-4232 for a free estimate today!

While you are researching try the following articles on Surgi's website:

The Perfect Air Conditioning System

Air Conditioning Systems Prevent Colds and Allergies By Lowering Humidity And Filtering Allergens

Electronic Air Cleaners and Ultra-Violet Treatment can be added to any system to dramatically reduce incidence of illness in your home.

"Controlling the spread of cold and flu viruses in public places is rather difficult, but this does not have to be the case in your own home. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention contend that one of the best ways to stop the spread of bacteria from one person to the next is simply by washing your hands. Families that faithfully follow that practice still continue to pass cold and flu viruses to one another like wildfire. 

Why? Because the air the family is breathing, along with airborne germs and viruses, is continuously being spread to every room in the house through the home’s heating (and air conditioning) system."

In this respect, your home is like an airplane, only worse.  Airplanes have a percentage of outside air introduced to the cabin.  As air is distributed it is circulated through a HEPA filter to remove germs and allergens.  

You home, on the other hand, rarely has fresh air introduced to the system and typically uses a 1" pleated filter which is good for protecting your air conditioning system but has questionable benefits regarding your family's health.

To further complicate matters, we continue to caulk cracks, insulate and seal doors and windows to eliminate air leaks, increasing the concentration of unhealthy material in our air.

Solutions?

• If your home has more air conditioning than it requires, you can introduce a small amount of fresh air to the system with a duct from the outside.  This would help to replenish the fresh air in the home and help to dilute pollutants.
• The addition of an Electronic Air Cleaner (EAC) cleans air almost as well as a HEPA filter and is compatible with all air conditioning systems.   EAC's are most useful in filtering out allergens including pollen, smoke and cooking odors.
• Ultra-Violet lights come in two forms, less expensive ones keep biological growth (mold and algae) from forming inside your air conditioning system.  The other is excellent at killing germs. 
• Ventilating Dehumidifiers bring in outside air and dehumidify it before it circulates in your home.  These systems can operate with your system or by themselves.  They serve two purposes...introducing fresh air to the home and dehumidifying the whole house which increases comfort and lowers the incidence of mold growth.

You don't have to be sick.  Surgi's offers free consulting to help homeowners overcome illness caused by sick houses.  Sometimes just a small adjustment your air conditioning system can make a big difference in the health of your home.  Sometimes the solution is more involved.  Let us help you understand your problem.

Click Here To Schedule A Free Consultation Online or Call 469-4232 for a free consult today!

While you are researching try the following articles on Surgi's website and the web:

The Perfect Air Conditioning System

*UV air purifier, high-efficiency air filter help stop spread of flu  

Presented by ASI Hastings Heating, Air & Solar

Humidity In South Louisiana - The End of Comfort.

We live with it and joke about it, but, humidity is the main reason for colds, allergies, high utility bills, moldy homes and general discomfort in New Orleans.

It's when you let the humidity level inside your home remain at a high level that problems begin.  Consider the facts:

Principal Sources of Higher Humidity

Occupants

Adding only  four to six pints of water to the air raises the relative humidity in a 1,000-square-foot home from 15 to 60 percent, assuming the temperature is constant. 

• One person’s breathing produces 1/4 cup of water an hour. (Your breath contains hundreds of droplets of invisible water vapor; you see them when you breathe on cold glass.) 

• Cooking for a family of four produces approximately five pints of water in 24 hours. 

• Showering puts 1/2 pint of water into the air and bathing puts 1/8 pint of water into the air.  Center Point Energy

Infiltration

The sum of all outside air that penetrates a house is sometimes referred to as air exchanges per hour.

To get an idea of what your home's air change rate might be, consider that a tight, well sealed newly constructed home usually achieves 0.6 air changes per hour or less. A reasonably tight, well constructed older home typically has an air change rate of about 1 per hour (which is the equivalent of 1/2 ton of air conditioning in the average home).   A somewhat loose older home with no storm windows and caulk missing in spots has an air change rate of about 2. A fairly loose, drafty house with no caulk or weatherstripping and entrances used might have an air change rate as high as 4, and a very drafty (raised or) dilapidated house might have an air change rate of as high as 8. 

The primary drivers of infiltration in buildings are stack effect, wind effect, combustion effect, exterior ducts, unbalanced supply and return air and exhaust fans.  These effects are discussed below:  

• Stack effect occurs when warm air rises and pressurizes the upper part of a room or building.  As this pressurized air leaks out the top, cool air is drawn into the lower part of the room or building.
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• Wind effect occurs as air moves over the top of the building.  The moving air increases the pressure on the windward side of the building creating a negative pressure on the leeward side.  This pressure difference between the windward and leeward sides of the building drives infiltration.  
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• Combustion effect occurs when combustion devices such as furnaces use indoor air for combustion, and then expel exhaust gasses through stacks to the outdoors. Air must leak into the building to make up the air lost through the exhaust stack.
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• Exterior ducts.  In warm climates it is common to run air supply ducts through unconditioned spaces such as attics.  Air supply ducts are rarely tightly sealed and typically leak air.  Air leaked from supply ducts into unconditioned spaces is replaced through infiltration.
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• Unbalanced Supply & Return Air.  Furnaces and air conditioners supply conditioned air to rooms and draw return air back to the furnace or air conditioner.  When supply and return ducts are not located in the same room, rooms with supply ducts are over-pressurized and rooms with return ducts are under-pressurized.  These pressure differences increase air infiltration.
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• Kitchen Hoods and Clothes Dryers.  Kitchen hoods are sized based upon the btu's of heat produced.  Usually this is between 250 and 400 cubic feet of air per minute (cfm).  Bathroom ventilation fans typically produce between 200 and 250 cfm.  Each can instantly create negative pressure in the home.
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• Raised Homes. In homes built on crawl spaces, evaporation of moisture from the earth is a major source of household humidity. The high levels of humidity in crawl spaces can be a problem in both summer and winter. Foul odors in the home or crawl space, mold and mildew growth in the interior of the home (especially in closets) and growth of fungi in the crawl space itself are signs of the problem. 

Solutions

Vent humidity produced inside the home by occupants whenever possible.  All bathroom vents should have a timer to prevent them from running unnecessarily.

Maximize the dehumidification of your air conditioning system.  Variable speed furnaces and air handlers and two stage condensers were designed to increase dehumidification by increasing run time while saving on electricity.

Install a humidistat.  Some air conditioning thermostats contain a dehumidification function called a humidistat.  A humidistat will increase run time of an air conditioner if a preset humidity level is unmet.

Seal and insulate ducts.  Duct systems should be leak free.  This is rarely the case but is well worth the expense.

Weatherstrip windows and doors.  Windows and doors are a major source of infiltration.  They should be made leak free.

Moisture barrier under a raised home.  Covering the crawl space ground with a vapor retarder (polyethylene or heavy plastic sheets) is crucial in preventing moisture problems in crawl space homes.

Install a stand-alone, whole house dehumidifier.  Dehumidifiers installed with your air conditioner only work when the air conditioner is running.  A stand alone system works whenever the humidity in your home is too high, including those times of the year when air conditioning is unnecessary.

Pressurize the house.  When everything else fails or is impractical due to cost, consider adding a stand alone economizer/dehumidifier.  This type of system will measure the pressure inside the home and increase it to prevent infiltration due to negative pressure.  In this system, outside air is cooled and dehumidified and introduced into the home whenever the inside pressure calls for it.  This system is a must for raised homes if humidity is a problem.

References:

1. Clemson University, "Moisture: Build to Keep It Out of Homes In Warm, Humid Climates"
2. University of Dayton, "Infiltration"
3. David Darling, "Air Exchanges"
4. Michigan State University Extension Services, "Moisture Problems In The Home"

The problems noted in this post are not unique to the "problem" house.  They exist in all homes to a greater or lesser degree.  You don't have to address each one but anything you do will have a positive impact on your comfort, your health and your utility bills.  Surgi's can help you put together a humidity plan to attack your problems.  You'll be surprised at the difference.

Need a new system?  Surgi's can help.  Need a healthier, more comfortable life?  We can change the way you feel about your home. 

Call 469-4232 for a free estimate today!

While you are researching try the following articles on Surgi's website:

The Perfect Air Conditioning System