OT- Foam Insulation

Re: OT- Foam Insulation

Barry Irby

I was a builder and then a Home Inspector for over thirty years. As a builder I was very interested in super insulation. Still look at the stuff going on with interest.

You have hit on my exact objection to sprayed foam. As Inspector I wanted to be able to inspect. The termite aspect is disturbing. I am sure termites are worse here (VA) that where you are. You did not say where the house is. Locally the Termite reports are a little vague and slippery. There will be an explanation that it is visual only and only of the parts that are readily visible WITHOUT removing anything including insulation.

Some companies do ONLY termites, some do Wood Destroying Insect, and some do Wood Destroying Organisms. I have watched the Termite guys look right at rot or Powder Post Beetles and say "We got nothing to do with that". Locally the bank may have a lot to do with which service you get.

The other aspect to foam is it may also conceal roof leaks or plumbing leaks until what could have been a minor problem is a disaster.

You are in the realm of Building Science. Builders are being dragged kicking and screaming into super insulation and experimenting on their victims. The results may take years to show up and by then any warranty may have expired.

Re: OT- Foam Insulation

Mark Mandell - Gone Round In New Jersey

The house is 50years old, but has well done additions and is in pristine condition, and is on the same school bus route as Gramma's house.

I'm thinking that even if I were to have the place treated there would be no way to check. That damn foam can cover a whole boatload of problems and there's way too much of it to effectively remove.

Re: OT- Foam Insulation

Keith Newton

If you only have subtrranium termites, then there should have been treatment to the soil before the footings were poured, and documentation for that. Are you suggesting that the foam prevents the need to return into the soil?

Re: OT- Foam Insulation

Barry Irby

Doble check with the termite inspector. See if you can find one you trust. Locally the seller provides the termite inspection. Might be good to find one of your own so they are not associated with the seller.

What is the foundation? Locally it would be cinder blocks and they can be drilled and treated internally. Concrete may be the norm where you are. Don't think they can be treated internally. The block bothers me because the termites can use the interior of the blocks as a bypass to the foam.

You might be wise to spray/soak the ends of the joists right up to the foam with BoraCare. It supposedly will penetrate to the center of a 12x12" beam, so it may soak far enough to protect the ends of the joists from rot and insects. Hopefully the sill is treated wood? The band is not critical, technically it is not structural.

Din't Dodat

Mark Mandell - Gone Round In New Jersey

Around here 50 years ago.

We have clear and resent danger from carpenter ants here. Sils and joists have to be inspectable to catch the buggers. The damn foam has to come off if she wants to go forward on this house.

Re: OT- Foam Insulation

Mark Mandell - Gone Round In New Jersey

Foam has to be removed.

Check with this company  *LINK*

Dustmaker Mike

I have foamed my sill plates also. I used Tiger Foam E84 rated to do mine. I placed a piece of hard core foam in the opening and then sealed it with foam, so I didn't have to use so much per opening.

I did mine 8 years ago with no ill affect. If they used the correct product then there should not be a problem.

If you want to remove it then you must buy the house first then remove it cause I wouldn't want you removing mine(-;

Either way give them a call and see what the experts on the product have to say on removing it or keeping it.


Tiger Foam

I got in a rhubarb with an inspector

Dick Coers

Daughter was looking at an older home. The deck was nearly shot, no flashing between the house and deck. I could sink a pocketknife blade into the rim joist from outside. In the crawl space, the home inspector said he could not remove the rigid foam to inspect, "I can't remove anything that is permanently affixed". I said let me help you with that and went in and pulled back some foam and brought out a handful of rotted wood. He was pissed, but the daughter got her money back when the home owner couldn't reach an agreement on proper repair.

Re: I got in a rhubarb with an inspector

Barry Irby

In 1986 when I started in the inspection business, I found three houses with rotted band boards at deck in the first week. Went to the County Building Officials to discuss it with them. They had every excuse in the world. "Three!, we could show you thirty!", "those houses are over two years old, we got nothing to do with that.", "We just enforce the Code they Give us, not our job to make the Code better." Took a lot of years for the Code to catch up. Rotting band boards was stock in trade for me.

Knowing all that I would have either "secretly" removed a piece or two of that insulation or probed right through it. I am sure I found more than a thousand cases of rotting under doors and between the house and the deck. If I was doing two or three inspections a day, I found it every day.

No Dispute

Mark Mandell - Gone Round In New Jersey

with the insulation value.

The inability to inspect for WDO and rot is the issue. Company says it's impervious to water and pests. No doubt it is, but that quality prevents sill plates and rim joists from drying out if they get wet from either an external of internal water leak. Doesn't take too long for even PT'd plates to rot out in that situation.