Floor Insulation in Iowa

Posted on June 2, 2016 by iowasprayfoam

Floor Insulation

Floor insulation in your Iowa home can help keep your Iowa home more comfortable and also reduce your energy costs. Most people underestimate the importance of floor insulation. It can keep your entire home more energy efficient and keep your energy costs down. Approximately 25% of heat is lost if your floors are not insulated. The Department of Energy
recommends floor insulation to save on energy costs.

Floor Insulation Solutions in Iowa

Iowa Spray Foam Insulators, LLC uses spray foam insulation for floor insulation in Iowa. We use the best products available for floor insulation. These products include Sealection500 and Heatlok Soy 200.

The Sealection500 is an open cell spray foam that will not sag settle, deteriorate or Floor insulation in Iowa decompose. The Heatlok Soy200 is a closed cell spray foam insulation. The difference between open cell and closed cell is the closed cells are filled with a gas that makes the foam rise and expand. Open cell spray foam is a semi-rigid 1/2 pound per cubic feet spray foam that is low density.

Foam spray insulation for your floors in Iowa will create an effective thermal barrier. It will provide a resistance of moisture penetration and will give your home long-term R-values that are superior to other types of insulation for your floors. Other benefits of floor insulation in Iowa are:

Quieter home
Saves energy costs
Increases home comfort
Reduces risk of moisture damage
Helps guard against pipe freezing

Contact Iowa Spray Foam Insulators, LLC for all of your floor insulation needs in Iowa.

Pole Barn and Post Frame Building Spray Foam Insulation in Iowa

Posted on June 9, 2015 by iowasprayfoam

Benefits of Pole Barn & Post Frame Building Spray Foam Insulation

Spray foam insulation is possibly one of the most valuable investments you could make for your home, business, storage, or barn. Pole barns and post frame buildings are no exception. There are so many benefits to insulating these structures, and with spray foam insulation you will receive so many more advantages than with other types of insulation, such as fiberglass insulation. Some of these benefits include:

Noise Reduction – our spray foam reduces noise pollution such as wind and storms.
Decreased Energy Costs – your energy costs will decrease because our spray foam is such high quality.
Pest Prevention – insects and rodents can not nest in spray foam like they can in other insulation.
Moisture Elimination – spray foam insulation is water resistant, which eliminates the possibility of mold and mildew growth.
Bulk Reduction – spray foam insulation is much less bulky than other insulation options such as fiberglass.

These are all benefits you will receive you choose spray foam insulation from Iowa Spray Foam. Needless to say, this insulation option is top quality. While these may be slightly more expensive than other insulation options, it is definitely worth it. You will save money in the long run, it is just the original cost that can be daunting.

Types of Spray Foam Insulation for Pole Barn & Post Frame Buildings

We here at Iowa Spray Foam offer two main types of spray foam insulation. They both have their benefits and downfalls, but they are both better than other options. We can help you choose which one will be best for your specific structure that you want to insulate. The two types that we offer include:

Open Cell Spray Foam – this option is lighter and less dense, but it takes up more space. It costs less than closed cell spray foam.

Closed Cell Spray Foam – closed cell spray foam is more dense, but takes up less space. It costs more, but has the added benefit of being water resistant.

Contact us today to learn more about our insulation options or for a FREE estimate. We want to hear from you so you can have peace of mind. Our team of professionals is experienced and knowledgeable in all areas of insulation. Give us a call today!

Air Sealing New Homes

Posted on October 22, 2014 by iowasprayfoam

Air Sealing a New Home

According to the Department of Energy, 40% of heat loss in a building is due to air leakage. If this is not reason enough to air seal a new home, let’s consider another idea: air leakage is air movement. Air movement carries moisture. Moisture fuels mold growth. So if you stop the air movement (the air leakage), you greatly reduce the chance for mold growth in the walls of your home.

How to Air Seal

There are many avenues you can take when considering air sealing a home. There are a few low-cost things you can do to start air sealing your home. A simple step like caulking double studs and top and bottom wall plates is a great place to start. Great skill nor expensive tools are necessary to complete this project: all that is needed is a caulking gun and a step ladder.

Keep in mind that it can take several cases of caulk to air seal a home depending on the size and how the house was framed. This is a project that anyone can do, including a prospective home buyer who is looking to save some cash. For great results, you must pay great attention to detail. This video has great ideas as to how to air seal your walls:

Window Sealing

The next step in this project would be to seal all protrusions in the exterior walls. This includes electrical boxes, plumbing, and AC lines. Any other protrusions should be sealed up and a great way to do this is with canned spray foam you can find at your local hardware store or lumber yard.

Most quality windows are sealed very well. However, when installed in a rough opening of the wall there can be a gap up to an inch. This area also needs to be air sealed. It is important to be careful when sealing these areas up because the window manufacturers have specifications as to how it should be done, and it varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. You can seal these gaps with caulking or canned spray foam.

When using canned spray foam around windows and doors, it is extremely important to utilize the proper type. There are two kinds of canned spray foam: minimal expanding (or door and window) and regular expanding. When working with windows you definitely want to use the minimal expanding canned spray foam. Using the regular expanding spray foam can cause the window frame to bow which leads to wedging the window shut, damaging it. Another important tip when using canned spray foam: be patient. Use a small amount and allow it to expand. Make several short passes and wait between applications to allow it to expand fully. Failing to do so results in using too much product and having to trim it off, resulting in wasted material.

Ceiling Sealing

The best time to seal the ceiling is after the drywall is hung. Once again, any protrusions through the ceiling needs to be air sealed (including electrical boxes, wiring, can lights, duct work, etc.). Also don’t forget bulk head areas over cabinets or chases. Canned spray foam can work well for most of these areas. It might also be required to use a foam board to cover the protruding area and then to seal around it.

For more air sealing tips, you can download this book from Green Builder Magazine.

Spray foam insulation is also an air seal. Choosing Iowa Spray Foam to install open or closed cell spray foam in your new home can seal up many of these areas mentioned in this blog and more. Open or closed cell spray foam insulation finds all of the cracks and gaps the wall or ceiling areas may have. Give Iowa Spray Foam a call and let us show you how to stop up to 40% of the heat loss in your new home.