Introduction of the Product: 3:52 Caution for Contractors: 11:23 Dangers of Field-Fab As Opposed to Pre-Fab: 12:05 Indoor Air Report: 14:24 Remediation: 20:42 21 minutes distilled down into roughly 90 seconds. The rest is just a bunch of "you won't believe what happens next". You're welcome.
As a plumber I just got done diagnosing a leak at a house which crawlspace was coated with this foam. Long story short: The foam concealed a leak and created massive amounts of long-term leaking, dry rot damage. Total foolishness to spray this on pipes and wires which may be serviced later.
THANK YOU!!! I totally thought that when I first saw a video of workers applying this crap, spraying it over all the wiring & the water & drain pipes! I feel sorry for the electricians &/or plumbers who then have to rewrite or fix or even reroute a pipe later on, after the foam applications! I cringed.
Common sense says use Batt Fiberglass insulation. Glass is about as safe as it gets as Zero outgassing. Sure there are sharp glass if you get it on your skin, but simply don't roll around in it!
We had spray foam added to our attic last year, smell was gone in two days. We are in the very hot sunny south and it made a big difference in our cooling bill. Done right it works and worth the payback over time. Choose your contractor wisely.
Foam is great for reaching a high level of insulation in a small space, and spray foam can assist with installing in tricky areas like attics. But spray foam is not always the best option despite what some home improvement channels might advertise. Many (not all) homes can be insulated equally as well for less money and less risk using fiberglass, mineral-wool, cellulose, or even rigid-foam board.
@@izaacmp True that fiberglass insulation is basically the same R value per inch as spray foam, but spray foam adds an air seal which is another layer of energy efficiency the other products can’t compete with.
@@maxmeier532 I’ve never heard this argument before. Insulation is insulation, but a well sealed home is far superior to a leaky one. Anyone who has lived in an leaky home can attest that they are not as comfortable. Air sealing also helps to prevent moisture and mold in the structure. A well sealed home is recommended not only by spray foam manufacturers (hmm, go figure), but also by the DOE and every building science article out there. Spray foam or not, air sealing is important. People can do whatever they want, but to save energy (and money) and have a healthier home for life, air sealing up front is highly recommended.
@@billwilljulz There will be a vapour barrier like 6 mil or more impervious plastic below the fiberglass in an attic so that's an air seal. We had our headers and basement walls foamed and that's the most useful place for foaming and air leak sealing IMO. We were advised to leave for a few hours, left all windows open (summertime) and suffered no ill effects at all. Loving the basement work and how much BTUs we'll save next winter plus looks way better than the sandstone, cement blocks and poured concrete walls now underneath the foam. Make sure to get the sealant sprayed over the foam to protect it and for esthetics.
House was built in 1987. Never finished..I removed the old r11 from the unfinished exterior walls and called TX Energy to apply spray foam. Originally, the attic was vented with soffit vents and gable vented fan. I sealed up the attic. TX Energy came and sprayed all exterior walls, under the floor joists in the downstairs ceiling, and under the rafters in the attic. There is a temp difference of 2 degrees from upstairs and attic . When it's 108 outside, it's a cool 74 upstairs with the thermostat set at 72 In Winter,, it's 28 outside and 72 inside. Spray foam rocks when installed properly.
GKAtascosa I must say, I'm partial to fiberglass insulation myself. If it ain't broken, don't fix it. Fiberglass has been the industry standard for years, and that's what I stuck with.
I should given more details about why I removed the old R11 fiberglass insulation. It was old..for one. Vapor/ Paper barrier had holes in it..Two, had a bunch of little pink lizards and eggs shells all in it. Three, I wanted a tight house. I got what I paid for and should pay for itself in energy savings in 2 years.
I personally believe that the installation company should totally be liable for the whole reconstruction and removal process of the foam not to mention the health damage misplacement of the family and hardships. clearly they mix there own blends and it's not regulated in pre packaging/ containers that are pressurized which takes the manufacture out of the equation. Pay up company! You guys messed up and you know it. own up.
Cole Bell - Correct. I'm sure there would be a Law firm out there who would do a "No Win No Fee" class action against this (these) companies (or possibly the house insurer).
I have a good friend who has been a professional contractor his whole life, since the 70's, and one thing he feels strongly about, is that if you ever let someone onto your property to do any kind of work, large or small, you should ALWAYS get someone who is licensed, bonded and insured, otherwise don't do it. And this guy does not give out advice to people about anything... he's real "whatever", but he will tell people this without them asking. LOL... it's like a grandma spouting out a few pieces of advice to her pregnant daughter in law, like "take a nap whenever you can, cuz you never know when you'll be up all night!" or the like... the daughter didn't ask for it, but as a seasoned mother, you can't help but make sure people know something important like that.
IDK. 15,000 spray foams went just fine but 15,001st turns them into mutants? The guy said they needed to remove 1% of the foam, why didn't they atleast try that and see if it worked before they waked the whole roof off? I think these people might just be flakes.
It's called "out-gassing" and most homeowners are ignorant about it. When the foam is first applied 98% of out-gassing happens in the first 24-hrs. Then about 2% continues to leak over several years (below EPA levels). People should stay away from using foam in a remodel or retrofit. Installers need clear access to the areas to be sprayed and that is not possible just doing an attic.
I construct steel home's and buildings, we have used spray foam in quite a few of our projects without incident for year's now. I feel it was definitely on the installer for not following one or more of the steps on proper installation guidelines.
There is always those companies that do Bad business, Thats' why you gotta do your homework . But we would be in court and they would be paying for that removal.
Look at all those bubbels inside the foam! This is an indication for not enough ventilation.. foam needs sun and ventilation to curate otherwise nasty trimethylamine compound fishy smell will escape the foam into the building.
There's a good chance that it could have been installer error, but I'd also like to point out that there is a chance that there was a problem with the foam machine. Both are possible, and I've seen both cause issues. Hell, I've even seen a guy put $15,000 of open cell foam in a ceiling that wasn't even bid for it
This is what you watch in the middle of the night when you should be sleeping Edit: lmao this crazy, 2 years later I have over 2k likes and I created a chain in comments, I love it.
I've seen instances where people put spray foam up in between the rafters. I personally think this is a terrible idea because if you have a leak in your roof you won't know about it for years until the entire roof deck is rotted out.
It actually blisters the shingle with the trapped heat on the surface. If you read the fine print warranty disclaimers on shingle they say they will not warranty a roof with spray foam under the roof deck.
Formaldehyde is a big indication that the company is using old foam insulation chemicals to get rid of the old stock. By law in a lot of places they almost got shut down by the EPA for off gassing back about 20 years ago until they came up with the nontoxic formula they use now. But unscrupulous companies still mix some in to get rid of the old stock without having to get rid of hazmat fees.
William Kennison this is very helpful to know. Would this new formula be able to cause any of the same side effects? My contractor is saying they use the new formula however we still have odor and started to get sick. We moved out ASAP and am meeting with the company tomorrow.
There is no such a thing as a NONE toxic formula. The new stuff may be less toxic. Any unnatural material will be toxic to some extent. We should not mess with nature but to live in Harmony with it.
Lee Huff reminds me of a documentary I watched not too long ago regarding the toxicity and exposure to flame retardant materials in home furnishing during combustion. And thusly, I respect and commend what you do for us, if you’re coming from that standpoint. It was really saddening to see the proportion of firefighters dying early from all the carcinogens and if I recall correctly, the impunity of the manufacturers when trying to hold them accountable was disgusting.
The foam we have now is not even close to the foam we used a few years ago. Also, you air seal a house that good, it greatly reduced the rate at which the fire spreads.
@@trump-wj2nx Are you f#@£ing kidding ??? Spray foam insulation is basically solidified gasoline!! Once it begins to burn it produces huge amounts of toxic soot smoke, which will begin to burn uncontrollably/flashover within a minute or so, of the foam igniting.
The various foams available vary so much, from ones that are almost fireproof to foams that burn like gasoline, that it's hard to generalize. Some actually survive fires that burn the sheathing off the wall, but of course, being resistant to burning doesn't mean there are no toxic fumes. People need to know the pros and cons of what they are using before coating a house with it.
WOW, the thickness of the foam in the "after removal" video of the Canadians home revealed the HACK job the installer preformed. Grossly over sprayed, this was extremely to thick!!! It pisses me off that the Installer did not own up. Jerks like that give the product and installers bad names. Yes this was an installation nightmare. I own and operate Solid Ground LLC we use polyurethane foam to lift and level concrete as well as seal and support concrete culverts and underground pipe joints. The Polyurethane foam is 100 % Hydrophobic {fancy word for waterproof} as well as providing rigid support for the pipes. Its is imperative to never spray Polyurethane Foam to quickly, Why? Because you need to let each pass of the gun completely set before you add another layer. Also you need to make sure the mixing chamber is providing the tightest pattern that lays down the thinnest layer of foam. I use a 4242 chamber in my Graco guns. Finally, you need to be patient and WAIT allow for each sequential application to setup and complete its chemical reaction and seal the bond. If you do not wait you will apply it to thick and a heating reaction will occur. I am happy the family has a new roof. Please do not call the Foam guys you used, they suck...
im looking at spraying my basement (rim joists). i was told to spray fast as the gun needs to be cleaned and changed if you wait longer than 20 seconds before spraying. i was told the gun trigger must be pulled all the way or not at all, dont do little bits. and i was told to spray 3-4 inches deep for an R value thats worth having. after doing research ive found the exact opposite instructions to all these points. i feel there is a definite lack of proper training/education on these products i have a foam pack 620 that im gonna use tomorrow i think, see how it goes
There is another factor that wasn't mentioned: attic ventilation. There should be soffit vents in the attic space that bring air from outside and vent it out the top - with a smaller vent. Heat rises, and if the attic ventilation had been proper it would accelerate the curing time of the foam and allow those gases to escape upward and outward. Many homes in Canada do not have this venting because of the cold - but without it, you not only have this kind of problem, but you will also have moisture problems.
Yeah I bought 5 tanks of closed cell and I did 3 inches at a time of the attic. Starting with the roofing deck mad the rafters. I let two weeks in between worth of cure time in between each 3 inch layer and didn't do too too much at once. I had ridge vents installed on a new roof a few months before I did it. I also installed 4 attic vents that I custom made with leuvers that were 2 feet by 2 feet and I put screen on the back and siliconed them and installed in the square cutout I framed in. I also put two attic fans in that turn on based on temp and or humidity. The cost of both fans and the controller and sensors (6 sensors total) was under $400 because I am good. Lol I used two stainless fans that I got used from a commercial cookie factory and the motors I just cleaned up and I pressed two new bearings in each fan. They each will move 2,000 cfm on high and is only 28 inches. I have a 15kw solar system I built from scratch and they run off of them l but I will admit they pull some energy and they are not that efficient compared to some. They are for a cookie factory. They still smelled like cookies when I first got them. But I also used 6 foot long spray wands for the foam and drove the wand down in between the walls where the old insulation still lay and I just let it ride. I filled the walls and let it cure. Them I got under the house in between the joists with 3 inches at a time then again waited 2 weeks to cure or 3 if it was closed like the attic. I went back and put another 3 inches down on the attic and the joists in the crawlspace. Then one more 3 inch layer. After 3 more weeks I shaved the foam flush and boarded up the floor joists under the house in the crawl spaceb and then covered with 5 mill plastic doubled up and used a stapler to pin it down everywhere and then added slats on all the joists where I stapled the 5 mil plastic. Then I taped the slats and edges and sprayed bedliner on the doubled up 5 mil plastic that was drawn thout (tight) and then put a very thick bead of liquid nails heavy duty on the slats and covered those with galvanized steel that is just a hair wider than the slats. The liquid nails overflowed a bit and made a nice even bead on either side of the metal strips. When it was all dry, I had to use sticks to prop up the galvanized steel and it was a pain, I drilled holes into the steel and through to the joists and I put 2 inch roofing tacks every 6 inches on the metal and drew it all in and then sprayed everything with a thick sealer that is the equivalent of flex seal or red guard but clear. It is for general stuff and made for marine use. But you can spray it light and it actually comes out and atomizes and is fluffy almost and will almost foam out of the gun because you spray it on a very high pressure to get this consistency. I used a lot of hardener to the point it was about dry when I went back to where I started 10 minutes earlier and the curing process was about finished. Lol My crawl space is tight now. My attic is half done. I have two more tanks to do and was in the attic spraying today. I did all the spaces on top of the ceiling today and hit the drywall with a thick 5 inches because I am getting tired of foaming. I used one tank today and will use the last two tomorrow. I hate that attic now. The crawlspace was better than the attic. So small and the roofing tacks are insane because I have not sprayed in some spots so there is still plenty of nails to poke you when you walk around the spot with no foam. But I will be done tomorrow and wish me luck. I am foaming around the wires for the solar kit I installed and I literally just cut pieces of that round column form for concrete to make the posts for foundation footers and deck footers and I cut a slit in them and put them over the wiring and set the wires inside the tubes that I cut to size. Then I am just spray foaming around the columns so there is a bulkhead of sorts that the wiring goes through instead of foaming the wires in and encapsulating them. It is all I got right now. I am beat and tired of thinking. So tired.
Wife's grandparents had this done to the underside of their roof. They were persuaded it was a good idea and I remember saying at the time that wooden roof trusses need to breathe. After a couple of years this bad smell fell about the house and tbh the family thought it was the smell of 'old people'. The grandparents couldn't smell it as they lived there 24/7. The whole roof had to be replaced as the timbers in the roof had turned rotten.
For starters, I work in an industrial plant that manufactures polyurethane cooler and freezer walls. Needless to say I am familiar with the Poly/ISO make up. We go to great lengths to make sure we are working safely with these products. The chemicals and the application equipment are calibrated and checked several times a day. We have ours formulated for a 1:1 ratio. These chemicals are regularly tested when being delivered, in our storage and at point of use. Many factors come into play to achieve proper formulation. Temperature or environment is likely the most critical for us. Our formulation has been known to reach temperatures of °220f while curing. We also maintain a ambiant atmosphere temp of °125 for 45 minutes during the curing process. My point is this... There are many variables that have to be within range for this chemical reaction to properly create an good end product. We have never received a batch of raw materials that was not good. All errors were done within our facility due to equipment failure or human error. You can say that it is an exact science. I can only believe that that the installers of the foam had their mixture off or possibly found cheap materials. I insulated my own attic with left over test materials 3 years ago and could not be happier with the results. I tested my results for the closed cell foam and achieved an r45 value for 6in for joist. Besides, with all of the demand for residential foam insulation, the chemical manufactures have been tweaking the formulation. These products are not even the same as they were 6 years ago when this video was made.
Back in the 1980s, my husband and I signed a purchase & sale to buy a little house of our dreams. Thank God we had a great home inspector of our own. The house had a slightly fishy smell. Turns out, it was insulated with UFFI, urea formaldehyde foam insulation. Countless companies discovered the more formaldehyde they used, the faster the reaction happened, and the faster the job could be done. We walked away from the house.
Ok, she's worn two different types of filters on this video. The purples are North 7580-P100 HEPA and don't protect against chemical vapor but do capture acidic fumes. The magenta stripe yellow are 3M 7093C P100 nuisance organic vapor/acid gas. If they use a tumble dryer in the house, that's the vector of toxicity that would result in the child's rashes since tumble dryers are wet cloth air filters that collect everything out of the air - they're almost as efficient as HEPA. So in Florida the whole family was let stay inside the house? Wow. Horrible and completely illegal, the stuff is flammable.
As a spray foam contractor in Wisconsin, here's my advice if you want spray foam in the form of GENERAL guidelines: 1) Never allow a contractor to spray foam when it's too cold or too warm outside (this includes at least 12 hours post application.) Not below 40 degrees (in most cases) and not above 80 degrees Fahrenheit outside temp. (in most cases). Spray foam CAN be applied correctly outside of these parameters if it applied from inside a temperature controlled space and if a skim coat is applied (about 1/2") before the thicker coats are applied. 2) All foam should be applied in layers, no matter what the manufacturer allows. It is best to first apply a skim coat of 1/2 inch, wait 10 minutes then a 2" coat, wait 10 minutes then another 2" and so on. Foam needs time to cure and off-gas. 3) Make sure contractor has incorporated into their proportioner (Spray foam machine) an automatic shutoff should the mix of chemicals be incorrect. The two chemicals should be a 50/50 mix. Most newer spray foam rigs have this feature built in to the machine. 4) In winter, the foam truck should be heated to about 70 degrees fahrenheit 24/7 and in the summer, the rig should never be allowed to exceed about 85 degrees fahrenheit, 24/7. 5) Make sure the contractor tells you to leave the house for at least 24 hours after the work is completed and requires you to vacate the home during the application, animals included of course. If she or he does not bring this up, it is a red flag that that person is not paying attention to a VERY important detail. If that detail is missed, what smaller but also important details will be missed or what important procedures will not be followed? 6) There is seldom any reason to spray foam in open/accessible attics. You can safely and cheaply accomplish the exact same results of attic spray foam (for open attics) with a combination of air sealing the air leaks and blowing cellulose. The only time (in open, accessible attics) you may need to consider spray foam is when heating and cooling systems and duct work for them resides in the open attic. Spray foam is a valuable tool for weatherizing homes and in certain situations, it is by far the best choice and should be considered but research your contractor.
@rdbuchli good comment BUT why are the "professionals" putting the burden on consumers? This is why consumers get fed up and end up supporting regulated industries, because industry professionals won't put the burden on themselves for doing things right. Get a license and/or certified, or -- dare I say it -- get your work inspected/audited by a 3rd party. IF you would regulate yourselves, consumers as voting citizens wouldn't support having the Big Bro government look over your shoulder. So don't burden us consumers with details about the spray foam process. You mean well but undermine the value of your profession. If we homeowners should know details like this, then we'd just DIY! and not hire professionals!! See?
@@vap0rtranz Good question. The answer is that while most insulation contractors are indeed professionals, some do not show professionalism before during and after the job. To be fair, mistakes can happen to any contractor as well. All industries and contractors have this problem as we all well know so I would suggest only to do your research for any professional in any field you hire. That's one place where the internet shines in my opinion.
So, in Florida we have hurricanes. It was suggested to me that spray foam can be used not only as insulation, but as a way to bond the plywood to the trusses. Thus making your roof stronger in case a cat 5 monster comes knocking. Your thoughts? Oh, and what about fire retarding? Foam in general is lousy at that. I know there are different types, but the ones rated better must be a lot more expensive?
It seems like a lot of people stay home during and after...my husband works for one and it seems like the people are at home when they work and when they leave.
If they told me they didn’t smell anything, i’d say sure. I’ll put on a mask, and have a nice long chat with them in the bedroom where the chemicals are the strongest
I thought the same thing. "Oh you have a headache? Joint pain? Oh are your sinuses on fire? Oh do you want to remove it now? No? Ok let's stay a little longer. Hello? Oh is it hard to breathe? Hello?" -- Just let them feel what they've wrought.
@@dawnv3436 The real issue with spray foam is it seals a structure air tight, so if the building isnt built withe correct type of ventilation that draws fresh air through year round, you will just keep breathing the same contaminated air, along with the exhaled viruses and bacteria, because you created a "sick house".
@Daddy Dollaz The house that I'm restoring had the basement foam, I had go an open the door for the guys until they say it was sabe but still for my opinion too tick.... Guess you what I mean too tick ( 5 in Freaking pipes can't be seen )
A similar spray foam insulation was used in Victoria, Australia in the late 1970s & was quickly banned after people suffered similar reactions to these people. Also several people died after the foam emitted deadly toxic fumes during house fires.
I work for a spray foam company I have never once seen foam sprayed on the sheet rock in the attic we always spray on the ceiling and side walls. That was weird for me to see all that foam on the sheet rock
i was saying the same thing, i've sprayed it before and it was never sprayed on the drywall itself, only when spraying in interior walls. we'd hang one side then spray. but it was always on the decking. and it was new houses never did do retrofitting with foam
that's what I asked! why wasn't this sprayed on the roof deck? maybe the ceiling drywall is that bad batch from China back in 2004? and the spray foam mixed with that, causing the smell.
Sealing the upper faces of timber ceiling joists with foam is not a good idea. It will still absorb moisture vapour from below, but not be able to lose it into the attic space. Damp wood will swell, potentially cracking ceilings and more seriously it may well rot over time.
This is why you do your research on who you have come in. Cheaper is not better! Personally if I had any spray foam going in my house, I would request an experienced installer and ask for photos of previous work.
CBC has to decide what kind of show they want to portray. The music makes it sound like one of those Just For Laughs gag shows and takes away from the seriousness of the subject matter. Then again CBC are not known for quality these days. The only thing worse is the other Canadian networks pushing their corporate agenda. Dun dun dunnnn!
I never wanted this stuff in my house because I can't imagine trying to run a wire through the wall once its done. You should never do anything to your house that cannot be easily undone.
Craig Bartlett that doesnt even make sense cause they don’t cover them up for one and second it isn’t gonna make a difference cause if u have any sort of insulation your gonna have to still go through it with the wire and third it’s actually easier to push a wire through oak than anything else.. obviously you’ve never had any experience with it so maybe don’t make up dumb ideas.. everybody uses foam nowadays, it’s the only way to go as far as insulation..
I was a telecom guy for 16 years. Dealing with spray foam homes is a nightmare. It was usually a 50+ year old home they had the basement sprayed. I would replace old telecom wires and it was really sketchy drilling in spots where power wires run and you cant see them or move them because of a big glob of foam covering everything.
@@Tom-xy7mx I have owned several houses over the years and never have I had to "replace a cable." The only thing I've done is add stuff that wasn't there to begin with. Flex conduit and raceways are only useful in one residential application: multimedia, where the cables change every 5 to 10 years due to technology improvements. There is absolutely no need to conduit your entire home. Talk about overkill, and added cost. Geesh.
@@famouspotato3617 lol wut? you must have 0 experience if your are spouting this. spray foam is a hard product, fiber glass isn't. you can easily fish a wire through fiberglass but if the space between the studs is entirely filled with foam you are going to have a much harder time. and yes, they DO cover the wires. also, pushing wires through oak? what does that even mean?
I learned a lot about spray foam after working with it for years the main 2 causes of foam problems is spraying to much foam at a time especially when it is cold and the dreaded crossover. Crossover occurs when the 2 different parts of the liquid foam is not mixed at a 50/50 ratio as it leaves the end of the sprayer. Their are a couple of things that can cause this which I will not get into much detail because I could write a book on problems with spray foam. The main problem I have seen that is the worst case scenario is when the two lines caring the two different liquids end up with different pressures allowing one part of the liquid to enter across the interior chamber of the gun and go up the other line. This will cause a restriction of the one line. A technician will clean out the mess in the gun and continue on spraying. Now because of the restriction on one line the foam is not mixed at the 50/50 ratio when it is sprayed thus it will never cure properly and will out gas for years. The proper thing to do is to replace the 10 to 20 feet of hose which is called a whip line to restore equal pressure to both sides. The whip line is like a extra section of garden hose that can be unscrewed and thrown away. When a crossover occurs it usually doesn't travel any further past the whip line which leaves the rest of the line in good condition. So proper cleaning of the spray gun and replacing the whip line will put you back into business. The foam also has to be heated in cold weather to a certain temperature before spraying for a good cure. One last thing, when foam is stored it needs to be stored above a certain temperature so the properties of the chemicals don't break down.
good detail but old man Bernie Bloom said it simply: "you're manufacturing this foam inside the home ... when it doesn't work and you're inside the house ..." you fill in the blanks
We live in Georgia and had spray foam installed under our roof over twenty years ago with no issues. It lowered the temperature in the attic thirty degrees in the summer.
To be completely fair... even with the air test results the symptoms she claimed are ultra unusual. Also, they acutally should go back with a spray foam... just not the same one. They should go back with an Icynene foam... its probably the safest option and unlike polyuathane foam that takes a day to well over a week to clean out.... Icynene has an exclusion period of only 2 hours.
They should’ve just sued the company for neglect or liable or deliberately covering it up after the company said it was fine for the second time and after that guy came out and did all those test
The company said they offered to fix what was wrong by removing the bad section that was off gassing and reapplying hence the issue would be fixed as long as it was reapplied correctly. Say you get new gas pipes for your whole house and one fitting is leaking are you seriously gonna expect the company to rip out everything and redo or just replace the leaking fitting as long as issue is fixed after that
It's interesting to watch content like this that is obviously meant for TV broadcast. Many of us are now spoiled by short, no-drama, no filler RUclips videos. When we watch these TV programs we immediately think "why are they dragging this out so long".
It sounds like the ambient air temp is critical at time of installation as well as thickness of the first pass as stated. I can imagine if attic temps are too high, the foam would cure on the edges but not the "interior". As far as insulating flat (not vaulted) ceilings go, blown-in cellulose is a good option in my opinion.
Taco Pro my father owns a spray foam business in Kansas and i have helped him for about 5 years just for reference It is the fact of that they sprayed it too thick without letting it off gas and this is a story of closed cell foam not open cell btw and temp only makes it cure quicker it curing doesn't cure from inside just quicker but when u spray too thick it traps the curing gasses inside its self that's why this happened also if spray too cold if just doesn't really work well Also a too thick of a single pass can self combust since the chemical reactions heat up it traps it own heat until it catches on fire Open cell foam kn the other hand has no limit on the thickness of a single pass
There are so many bad industrial hygiene practices going on here, it makes me want to scream. The samplers in the cans are not properly deployed. The samplers are not designed to detect isocyanates. The "air expert" who is clearly not a CIH sniffs the foam - instead of wafting vapors. Really sad. They talk nothing about ventilating the area after application. And the magenta respirator cartridges the family in Canada uses are the wrong kind for those hazards!
A Very Nice Guy The video is about sprayfoam and the health problems it causes when it’s not applied properly. So, when the “air expert” just starts sniffing poorly applied sprayfoam it’s not a good sign.
Spencer Pizzani , Yeah the air quality expert was the biggest crook in this video, just like all of them are!! What about all the Black mold?? You all are absolutely pseudo science crooks!
Spencer Pizzani what should I look for in a air quality expert or is there a place where I can find certified experts? I had my attic sprayed unaware of any of these stories or side effects prior and once I was back in my home started forming all the said symptoms. Only recently researching and seeing that this is all the cause of improper mixing/application.
I’ve worked as a roofer for a company that foam insulated the roofs of customers homes I can’t remember the exact compound of chemicals but one of the ingredients was cyanide We weren’t allowed to be anywhere near the spraying when it was being done. As for the home owner I’m sure they were allowed to stay home. I always said it was a good insulator keeps your house nice and cosy but there’s always a downside. Toxic poisoning being one
“There was nothing to tell us that we shouldn’t have been in the house” a good rule of thumb, if the people spraying the foam are wearing hazmat suits, maybe you shouldn’t be there. Anytime you see someone in a hazmat suit, just ask yourself, should I be wearing one of those too? I feel bad for these people but there were a few clues.
Why are the doors and windows of the Francescini house closed in good weather? All of them should be open to let the gases out. The outgassing doesn't last forever. One bad job after 15,000 installations? Sheesh, you'd hope your doctor and dentist had such a good track record.
***** The doors and window are shut because they're trying to artificially boost the percentages of any gases that may be there. The list of chemicals in the air didn't match those in the foam at all. Why's that? Off gassing of the glues in the wood in the furniture, the carpets, the foam in the bed, the plastic in everything, etc. They have a problem but not all the foam's problem, I'm thinking.
+Linda Rossi In a normal situation no one leaves their windows and doors open all the time. what they are doing is natural. opening all their windows and doors is artificially removing the gas making it seem as if there is no problem. Also the chemicals could have mixed when they where spraying and created new chemicals that the company is not aware of.
MrPepsicola123 "... the chemicals could have mixed when they where spraying and created new chemicals that the company is not aware of." That's sort of like having a duckling hatching out of a chicken egg. It makes no sense. When the two components of urethane foam-in-place insulation are mixed, the results are fully known and predictable, regardless of the ratios.
***** There are variables that are not available within labs and unexpected, maby the roof had some chemicals already in it. maby the wood was special.
They don't spray the Wiring & Pipes in but around. If the Homeowner needs more Pipes later they cut away the Foam to male room. It cuts away like Styrofoam.
Brad Smith So how do you snake electrical wire from A to B if the entire house is spray foamed? Are you telling me I have to cut out the entire piece of sheetrock??
It isnt for all home types. My present home has almost no wires in the attic, just for the air and cooler. If i would have had the spray foam it couldnt be done over those two wires. Not a problem. This home has blown in insulation in the lid and rock wool in the walls. My other home had blown in insulation, a paper ptoduct in the walls and a foil faced in the gables. As great as foam is, its not a good choice for all homes. You have to think ahead!
I'll tell you all something else: That spray insulation hides termite damage as well! I can't speak for Canada but along the US Gulf Coast termites are almost everywhere, especially the Formosan termites. If they get into your house they can eat the wood under that spray insulation. More often than not you wont find the damage until years later and by then it could cost you several thousands to fix.
This stuff perfect if installed in brand new builds by a highly recommended genuine expert who knows exactly what to do avoiding unnecessary coverage of piping, wiring and anything else. Never put it into older homes always use alternative types of insulation.
The point was to overdramatize it - to make it appear a more pervasive problem than it is, and thereby make them more important in reporting on it. Yawn.
July 2021 CBC: Please do a follow up video for customers to carefully choose the right company to do their spray foam project. Keep it focused and brief with 'ten steps to follow before choosing your spray foam (or any other important company, project) company.
I would actually really appreciate that! Ive been looking into spray foam, it can be a great option for bus conversions and rvs, because it can add strength to the structure, and conform to the shape of the vehicle, but ive seen so many diy kits and even people who say “get a professional “ dont tell you what to look for. that really worries me tbh
You will never again run any wires or tubing through this these walls. Imagine the repair bill to replace some wires? Much better ways to seal a residence. I have 2in of insulation on the outside, under the siding.
Spray foam insulation was used in thousands of houses in Australia. Then people started dying including installers. It was found to be carcinogenic, specially when it started to break down as it aged. It's second only to asbestos as the silent killer in building construction. We are in the middle of remediating or demolishing affected houses and buildings where it was used, specially in Canberra. The costs will reach hundreds of millions of dollars for which the government is picking up the tab. It was the government which approved its use in the first place.
Are you sure about that? I haven't read anything like that here in Australia. Perhaps you are referring to Urea-formaldehyde foam. In the 1970’s the use of Urea-formaldehyde foam insulation was prevalent and it took a decade for people to realise it remained hazardous after application. So I imagine there are still some cases of removal of that stuff. The spray foam in this video is not and has never included formaldehyde. It is polyurethane product created by two materials; isocyanate and polyol resin. Once cured it is non-toxic. The problem highlighted by this video is that it may not cure if applied incorrectly.
I know this was 3 years ago so any updates? Seems you could make a effective product that you could have lab tested to make sure it's safe and have endless opportunities with this stuff.
I live here in south Texas and I've warned countless people about this. We have extreme humidity and I've seen too many people suffer from this crap. Personally I recommend Rockwool, excellent product.
@@timothykeith1367 yeah it doesn’t rot on account of being pure spun rock, doesn’t burn, doesn’t get used by criters, etc. But it is really energy intensive to produce.
We had the same problem with a strong fish smell. Luckily we had a very good builder. They tore out all the spray foam insulation that a subcontractor had just installed. A very tedious job. Then they resprayed with a correctly mixed product. That fixed the issue.
@@pting66 For the peace of mind it makes a lot of sense to be decisive and take the roof off. If you want a 100% job, that is the only option. And it's your house. You and the family spend a lot of time in there.
@@maxmeier532. Yes but should be unnecessary. They should be able to remove enough that it will no longer pose a problem. I was thinking of some kind of media blasting.
People: have terrible health problems from just being _near_ the foam Camera guy: *touches foam with bare hands, sniff it right up to his nose multiple times, rolls around in foam*
The thing about spray foam, the really bad side effects come from prolonged exposure. The two big side effects that I make sure people are aware of, during the installation process, are developing asthma and neurological damage. What is immediately noticeable with uncured/improperly cured foam is that you'll get a splitting headache within 15 minutes, strained eyes, breathing may be labored, ect.
I normally love the Canadian version of these show and I use them in my business classes...this one was highly emotional and could have benefited from more investigation. I wonder if the original mixtures were not good or was there a problem with the new house (new houses can have problems with other materials). After some extensive soul-searching and research I elected to have a company remove the fiberglass insulation from my crawl space (sagging/falling and gross) and had them spray the perimeter joists and wall area which was less than 2 feet; I also had them spray the joists of the attached basement. That coupled with replacing the single pane basement glass has had a remarkable impact on my energy savings. The smell was noticeable only for the first day and dissipated after 24 hours as the contractor stated (we left every window in the house open for a few days to be sure). A year later and we couldn't be more pleased. The basement holds heat better with no drafts and less bugs. My wife commented the wood stove in the basement does a much better job. The basement has been transformed from a cold, gross eyesore to a valid place for my workshop. In short, pick the company carefully (my guys had a professional setup and they came across as super knowledgeable).
This could’ve easily been a 10 minute video. It wasn’t really informative and most of it consisted of repeating the same exact thing 20 different ways.
Great video and information. I am in the roofing business and I have seen several homes sprayed with spray foam insulation. I often thought that the spray foam would cause the shingles to prematurely deteriorate but I never realize that people are getting sick from Spray foam insulation.
We had our house spray foam insulated over 15 years ago here in NE Ohio, and the foam caused damage to our in wall electrical wiring and phone wiring! All of a sudden, after the foam was sprayed, several outlets would not work, and the phone lines in some rooms stopped working. The company paid for an electrician to come in and re-wire or bypass some of the outlets. To this day, I hope to god that they re-wired up to proper code standards. Thankfully, the same company did not spray foam the attic space, but they put in 'blown insulation', which has not caused any smells or chemical leeching.
I believe in total communication between parents and their children. We have one child who is now 18. My wife and I have had some really complicated issues most of her life. We sit her down and explain everything when things go right or wrong. We just let her know mommy and daddy will always keep her safe and with everything she needs. She's now 18. A graduate of high school with a GPA of 4.8 with a full ride to a great University. I know this is not the topic at hand but I felt compelled to say that. Back to the video.
ha, i was curious about someone who made this vid about themselves but I like your selections. You're interesting, I'm latching on so I can scour your collection. :)
My home was built in 1945. I was offered home spray insulation and I refused quickly on the spot. I was told about all the benefits and still declined. I run 4 window units not all at the same time but surprisingly the house stays rather cool in the summer. Living in south Texas the winters are rather short but it can get cold. Either way my average electric bill in the summer is 145 dollars 55 in the spring and fall about 150 if the winter is colder than expected.
Ten years of doing this, never had ANY issues like this. Though I've never installed more than an inch at a time. That, I'm under the impression is where this went wrong. Don't know what product this contractor was using(there are many, many types of SPF) but the products that I've used work really well and are easy to install due to the canalization to slow the reaction giving the foam more time to properly react without excessive exothermic reactions. Like they said in the beginning, like learning chemistry as much as anything. Sad to see any job go south and the foam definitely needed to come out. I would have pulled the dry wall (ceiling) off the rafters and mechanically removed what foam was on the trusses and if the contractor had done this day one, the home owner probably would be ok with this rather than decapitating his house. And maybe could have come to believe in the foam again. Bad contractor decision. Not bad contractor, just didn't handle the fuck up well or soon enough.
Robert Palmore Smart move installing one inch at a time. Especially if you allow like 30 to 45 minutes per layer (easy to do really and the job will be done in only a few minutes longer than 1.5 inch lifts). I agree with you on what should have been done, however, the refusal to accept responsibility and take action means that the contractor has no say in any planned recovery or method of recovery and is still responsible under law. However I disagree about the contractor. The fact that he refused to acknowledge his bad work and even now refused to acknowldege the physical harm he has caused (which is even described in health warnings in journals and MSDS's) because he failed to address the issue makes him just that "A BAD CONTRACTOR". At this point he can't deny responsibility for the physical harm caused to the family either. Remember that the exotherm caused a change to include formaldehyde which was a guaranteed non-component of his advertisement and sale. Misrepresentation and or failure to remove the product which violated his advertisement again proves he is a bad contractor.
Robert Palmore Whats the difference with this foam method and using foam boards with bottle urethane foam to seal the sides? I mean in insulation efficiency vise? I mean sure spraying foam is faster and it will seal all the holes, but personally i still like to work with traditional stone wool or styrofoam boards. New house all ready has plenty other chemicals floating around until it vents those out and settles. Also for future renovation that foam it pain the ass remove.
When foam is sprayed in place, you get 100% adhesion and 100% air barrier as well as if the foam is installed in 2 inches or more, you get 100% moisture barrier. Also sprayed in place with the 100% adhesion will help deaden sound as well as add structural strength. As far as insulation value, if your using urethane board and sealing it, same. Urethane has around 7 R per inch. Different manufacturers have slightly different ratings. Polystyrene (foam cooler stuff) it's around R 5 per inch. Hope this answers your question.
Robert Palmore Thanks for the info. Personally i think 100% adhesion and moisture barrier is a bad thing.. its kinda good when it gives some structural strength, but stopping building from moving naturally and making it total bubble.. no thanks. If i were to do insulation job with this, i would put plastic or something other stuff first and then cut tops of the beams open, so structure can breath and insulation can be removed more easy when and if its needed. Kinda depends from intended use, but in living apartment.. i would not use it, but in special cases. Even roof insulation installation, from below can be done much more easy with standard board UT and with less mess. I take spaying like everywhere its messy job? I heard those R ratings take only in count one way of heat transfer, so for cant be trusted.. personally i notice those have been little shady, thought i'm not insulation expert, but tiler expert.
A house can be too tight. The best thing is to make it as tight as possible and then use an air heat exchange to ventilate without the loss of heat. I've always done every job like it was going to be installed forever. Messy is putting it politely. Coveralls, head cover, full face respirator with tear offs and gloves. Worth it though. A fell by the name David South who is with www.monolithic.com wrote an article called the R Fairy Tale. Just like you say, the R values are a bit shady. In the real world, Foam's insulating performance is much better than in a lab. Like I will put R 21 (3 inches) in Foam against R 35 (10 inches) of glass any day all day.
One other thing · In the UK, a cable surrounded with thermal insulation must be derating to 50% of its free-air current . If the foam is sprayed over the installed electrics like that it must be even more as it can't get rid of the heat at all?
This may have been mentioned in the more than 5 thousand comments but you can sandblast the material off. It's similar to asbestos removal. Wet it, bag it, sand blast the remnants on all structures.
@@alexiapepicelli1626 I wasn’t referring to sandblasting asbestos. I was referring to sandblasting the leftover spray foam. The similarities I was referring to are only the fact that with asbestos you have to wet it, and then bag it. You must also wear protective clothing and an N95 mask. I’m sorry you misunderstood.
Why would you use this stuff to insulate your entire home. You should only use it to seal small gaps to stop drafts. Use removable insulation for most of your installation. If you can remove the installation easily then you can easily add new plumbing and wires.
I'm glad this is what my builder did. Spray foam around the basement headers, garage drops, and windows. The rest of the house is removable insulation.
Spray foam is to be used for new construction only, these company’s are rolling the dice with peoples health at stake. I was a spray foam contractor and never installed into a retrofit situation.
Just use mineral wool ffs. Great for insulating, no way of messing this up (besides less efficiency if done wrong), is insulating much better than foam and can't burn.
I work with this everyday, after a few minutes it sets up 96%. It’s all the the way cured in 24 hours. Whoever sprayed it probably sprayed bad foam, maybe due to spraying it too fast to where it doesn’t set up correctly. That’s what I’ve learned. Also maybe it didn’t get aired out correctly, but when we scrap foam after a day or two the foam smells a little bit, but nothing bad. Also it’s great for helping the stability of the house
Typical of north american programming - this video is 21 Minutes long and has about 6 minutes of actual footage. The rest is talking about what you're going to see, and repeating what you've already seen. Plus heap loads of dramatisation of basic facts.
+Art Vanden Berg Lol, you obviously don't know how hockey and football times work. The time is interrupted for faceoffs, goals/ tds, penalties, etc (just how it is). Even though soccer keeps going, stoppage time is added on at the end. Also, they are all different sports, so it's an apples and oranges argument Also, the stations are paid by companies to run their commercials. It's how the TV stations make money. Same with radio stations. Other countries run it differently, so again, an apples and oranges argument
+SpiderElectron This is just awful to watch, I mean, there are snippets of info scattered across the entire 21 minutes; for a second they say that the smell may come from a wrong mixture of chemicals and show the lab, the other second they are back to the interview for a minute...
In my opinion a good alternative would be using mineral wool (Rockwool) and covering that with a vapor lock. It requires more work though. But removing that kind of insulation and detecting a roof leak is much easier.
Not to mention that the rock wall won't Lose its insulatory value when it gets wet so after you let it dry out you can just replace it right back where it was taken out
christopher stimpson Kind of shows you how really none that toxic it is. Considering that there are tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of applications and they were able to find these three families this is a classic case of hypochondriacs. Noticed that in every situation the woman is a complainer.
They admitted on camera that they could be in the house with fans going and windows open. All they needed to do was add some vents and an attic fan or two to blow the stagnate air out of the attic. Taking the roof was overeacting and not very smart financially in my opinion. And really if insulation is being applied like this on a horizontal surface there should be plastic barrier put down first. If it's not code, it should be done anyway. Anyone with common sense can figure that out.
Having the attic ventilated I sure would of helped. Most do because it reduces ac cost. Putting plastic down first also sounds like a good idea. I think I would have tried ventilating the attic first.
Halfway thru an I'm noticing that these installs look totally unprofessional, like they just sprayed over every item in a dirty, dusty, cluttered attic. I wonder if they bothered removing the boxed Christmas decorations or just sprayed right over them.
I appreciate the report NOT slandering the company in question, but instead, just sticking with the facts. I am so tired of others and how they love to sensationalize and slander people, good job ;) You've convinced me to use fiberglass, besides, its actually cheaper even with vapor barrier and other prep, also when it comes time to replace the roof, if wood needs to be replaced, spray foam increases the cost to replace wood.
I've never heard of the off gassing. Nice to know. I contacted a company to do my shop. I wanted the slopped roof done 10" thick. They said over the phone they will not do thick foaming. Only a thin coat is needed. Guess they knew what they were talking about.
Everything off-gasses. The question is what, what amount and for how long. It's a nobrainer that these spray foams need ingridients known human irritants to even be processable. Those plasticisers, regardless which are used, most are based on or related to crude oil products, are just one ingredient that is problematic.
"Get a removal guarantee in writing"... I do not know ONE SINGLE spray-foam company that would ever give anyone a guarantee that they will remove the foam if something goes wrong. The labor cost to remove foam from an entire house is ridiculous. Also, there are too many chemical things that can go wrong along the entire chain, from manufacture to storage before application to temperature of side A and side B before and during application. Some plural component machines are even known to give false temperature readings. This is an industry that is still in its infancy really... and people need to really need to be better-informed before deciding on spray-foam. The reason they decide on it is usually because the R-value is way better than anything else out there... WAY BETTER... however, with that said... you can get pre-manufactured blue-boards, which have a similar R-value and install them manually, just cut them to fit, then spray around them with spray-foam cans. This will take longer and be more tedious, but it is safer. I think what happens is the spray-applicator tries to go to fast and does not allow the product to CURE, which is not to be confused with DRYING. If you do not allow each layer to cure, then the product cannot off-gas properly. This situation leads to these problems quite often. Bottom line is be informed... and for contractors in a competitive industry like this... make sure you charge enough to do the job correctly so you do not run into problems down the road. In my opinion, there are WAY too many spray-foam contractors that think you can just buy a machine and some spray-foam and go to work. You need to understand the science of the material and all of the systems of the industry first!!!! The U.S. needs TRADE SCHOOLS!!!! Have you ever heard of this kind of thing happening in Germany? Holland? Norway? Denmark? No... because you have to go to school and learn every facet of this before you get a license. Years of school... not months! And after you finish school, you get a well-paid job, with medical insurance and paid vacation and much more... When is America going to learn from Europe?
Do you know what happens to those bad contractors??? They don't continue their bad work anymore because they go out of business due to poor work history. Free market for a reason. I agree have a certification for a chemical process... But that can be instructed in about a month of training. Not years of training for a person to swing a hammer. Trade schools are great... Licensed only markets are not. What? You afraid the untrained new guy is gonna make you look bad? No of course not. But people know they get what they pay for.
I know things like this happens every now and then, it's very unfortunate. But I think mineral wool such as rockwool might be a better option for insulation.
the foam is made of 2 component material. one part is polyol and the other is isocyaninate. they make polyureathane foam. polyol is fish oil and the isocyaniate you don't to know. The material is mixed by blasting the chemicals together called impingement mixing. several things must happen in order for it to mix. and the seem to have happened. the fish smell is the polyol and it sounds like it has rotten. being that it is Canada I would go back on the installer and the chemical makers. I sprayed a lot of it and it sounds like it didn't mix well. off gassing usually accure after two weeks,
Every time I see North American homes I shocked by the cheap construction methods - OSB joists, thin framing, light weight shingles. The houses look nice enough, but the building technology is very, very poor compared to what's available in other developed countries. That isocyanite product is downright dangerous. It's unacceptable in other countries- BASF make a much more stable insulation but it's not as cheap.
Cheap american homes? I was thinking the same thing 12 years ago, whenever moved from east Europe to Canada. Now I learned to appreciate the walls that doesn't accumulate heat and allow quick/cheap modifications. In case of zombie apocalypse is good to have a concrete building, but for residential needs the criteria is different. I only added steel roof and fire extinguishing system to my wooden house (aside of the multiple modifications, flowing my family development).
and thy have tornados ther hahaha al that wood is gone in 20 sec hahaha and if you see the prizes thy ask for that flimsy building you wil be shockt here in holland we use concrete and fuking stone
They weren't lying they couldn't smell anything. They no longer have a sense of smell after spraying that sheet a few years, sinus get burned out.
good point
The contractor guy did allude to this in the video.
If the nose don't smell sh*t - you must acquit!
I used to haul pool bleach around Florida filling poly tanks at pool supply stores after awhile you never even smell it anymore. Now I have no smell.
I've been spraying foam for 12 years and still smell it everytime I install it
Introduction of the Product: 3:52
Caution for Contractors: 11:23
Dangers of Field-Fab As Opposed to Pre-Fab: 12:05
Indoor Air Report: 14:24
Remediation: 20:42
21 minutes distilled down into roughly 90 seconds. The rest is just a bunch of "you won't believe what happens next". You're welcome.
Thanks
Omg thank u!
thank you! you're amazing!
thx
The drama should have started with, "It was a dark and stormy night."
As a plumber I just got done diagnosing a leak at a house which crawlspace was coated with this foam. Long story short: The foam concealed a leak and created massive amounts of long-term leaking, dry rot damage. Total foolishness to spray this on pipes and wires which may be serviced later.
THANK YOU!!! I totally thought that when I first saw a video of workers applying this crap, spraying it over all the wiring & the water & drain pipes!
I feel sorry for the electricians &/or plumbers who then have to rewrite or fix or even reroute a pipe later on, after the foam applications! I cringed.
*rewire, not rewrite*
yeah, an installer i spoke with says that industry standard is NOT to install close cell foam in those environments. same with roofs.....
Benjamin Wise close cell or closed cell? there is a difference.
Common sense says use Batt Fiberglass insulation. Glass is about as safe as it gets as Zero outgassing. Sure there are sharp glass if you get it on your skin, but simply don't roll around in it!
We had spray foam added to our attic last year, smell was gone in two days. We are in the very hot sunny south and it made a big difference in our cooling bill. Done right it works and worth the payback over time. Choose your contractor wisely.
Foam is great for reaching a high level of insulation in a small space, and spray foam can assist with installing in tricky areas like attics. But spray foam is not always the best option despite what some home improvement channels might advertise. Many (not all) homes can be insulated equally as well for less money and less risk using fiberglass, mineral-wool, cellulose, or even rigid-foam board.
@@izaacmp True that fiberglass insulation is basically the same R value per inch as spray foam, but spray foam adds an air seal which is another layer of energy efficiency the other products can’t compete with.
@@billwilljulz There is absolutely no need for airseal and the proposed added efficiency is just marketing.
@@maxmeier532 I’ve never heard this argument before. Insulation is insulation, but a well sealed home is far superior to a leaky one. Anyone who has lived in an leaky home can attest that they are not as comfortable. Air sealing also helps to prevent moisture and mold in the structure. A well sealed home is recommended not only by spray foam manufacturers (hmm, go figure), but also by the DOE and every building science article out there. Spray foam or not, air sealing is important. People can do whatever they want, but to save energy (and money) and have a healthier home for life, air sealing up front is highly recommended.
@@billwilljulz There will be a vapour barrier like 6 mil or more impervious plastic below the fiberglass in an attic so that's an air seal. We had our headers and basement walls foamed and that's the most useful place for foaming and air leak sealing IMO. We were advised to leave for a few hours, left all windows open (summertime) and suffered no ill effects at all. Loving the basement work and how much BTUs we'll save next winter plus looks way better than the sandstone, cement blocks and poured concrete walls now underneath the foam. Make sure to get the sealant sprayed over the foam to protect it and for esthetics.
wish this show had more info and less emotion
info don't sell emotions sell haven't you ever watch CNN?
@@walterheater8096 sad but true.
@@walterheater8096 1) Liberals involved. Jes like CNN, eh?
2) IF IT BLEEDS, IT LEADS.....
anastasia46, yeah, they could have given us all the important facts in about 3 minutes.
CBC is all about the FEAR...
House was built in 1987. Never finished..I removed the old r11 from the unfinished exterior walls and called TX Energy to apply spray foam.
Originally, the attic was vented with soffit vents and gable vented fan. I sealed up the attic. TX Energy came and sprayed all exterior walls, under the floor joists in the downstairs ceiling, and under the rafters in the attic. There is a temp difference of 2 degrees from upstairs and attic . When it's 108 outside, it's a cool 74 upstairs with the thermostat set at 72 In Winter,, it's 28 outside and 72 inside. Spray foam rocks when installed properly.
GKAtascosa I must say, I'm partial to fiberglass insulation myself. If it ain't broken, don't fix it. Fiberglass has been the industry standard for years, and that's what I stuck with.
I should given more details about why I removed the old R11 fiberglass insulation. It was old..for one. Vapor/ Paper barrier had holes in it..Two, had a bunch of little pink lizards and eggs shells all in it.
Three, I wanted a tight house. I got what I paid for and should pay for itself in energy savings in 2 years.
Doesn’t sealing the attic lead to potential rot?
@@robertt9342 IT's on open celled foam. Excess moisture can still pass thru.
I personally believe that the installation company should totally be liable for the whole reconstruction and removal process of the foam not to mention the health damage misplacement of the family and hardships. clearly they mix there own blends and it's not regulated in pre packaging/ containers that are pressurized which takes the manufacture out of the equation. Pay up company! You guys messed up and you know it. own up.
Cole Bell - Correct. I'm sure there would be a Law firm out there who would do a "No Win No Fee" class action against this (these) companies (or possibly the house insurer).
They do hold their responsibility,at least the company I work for
That's why you have to be licensed and insured
I have a good friend who has been a professional contractor his whole life, since the 70's, and one thing he feels strongly about, is that if you ever let someone onto your property to do any kind of work, large or small, you should ALWAYS get someone who is licensed, bonded and insured, otherwise don't do it. And this guy does not give out advice to people about anything... he's real "whatever", but he will tell people this without them asking. LOL... it's like a grandma spouting out a few pieces of advice to her pregnant daughter in law, like "take a nap whenever you can, cuz you never know when you'll be up all night!" or the like... the daughter didn't ask for it, but as a seasoned mother, you can't help but make sure people know something important like that.
IDK. 15,000 spray foams went just fine but 15,001st turns them into mutants? The guy said they needed to remove 1% of the foam, why didn't they atleast try that and see if it worked before they waked the whole roof off? I think these people might just be flakes.
It's called "out-gassing" and most homeowners are ignorant about it. When the foam is first applied 98% of out-gassing happens in the first 24-hrs. Then about 2% continues to leak over several years (below EPA levels). People should stay away from using foam in a remodel or retrofit. Installers need clear access to the areas to be sprayed and that is not possible just doing an attic.
So they are worried about the chemicals in the air but still store food in the house
Yeah, i know, theyre crafzy
Yes, the stuff floating in our air, like Aluminum, Barium from chemtrail are probably much more harful in the long run.
And she is wearing a HEPA filtered respirator and not an organic vapor (black filters) one...
Christian L she wears a mask too..drama
😂😪
I construct steel home's and buildings, we have used spray foam in quite a few of our projects without incident for year's now. I feel it was definitely on the installer for not following one or more of the steps on proper installation guidelines.
There is always those companies that do Bad business, Thats' why you gotta do your homework . But we would be in court and they would be paying for that removal.
Yup, my dad installs it for a living. Never had a problem.
Look at all those bubbels inside the foam! This is an indication for not enough ventilation.. foam needs sun and ventilation to curate otherwise nasty trimethylamine compound fishy smell will escape the foam into the building.
There's a good chance that it could have been installer error, but I'd also like to point out that there is a chance that there was a problem with the foam machine. Both are possible, and I've seen both cause issues. Hell, I've even seen a guy put $15,000 of open cell foam in a ceiling that wasn't even bid for it
@@mattcrandall5045 wow..big oops
This is what you watch in the middle of the night when you should be sleeping
Edit: lmao this crazy, 2 years later I have over 2k likes and I created a chain in comments, I love it.
4:24 am
2:26 pm
1:40 AM here.... Yup.
12:12 AM -word
3:51 am
I've seen instances where people put spray foam up in between the rafters. I personally think this is a terrible idea because if you have a leak in your roof you won't know about it for years until the entire roof deck is rotted out.
That's only closed cell foa..
It actually blisters the shingle with the trapped heat on the surface. If you read the fine print warranty disclaimers on shingle they say they will not warranty a roof with spray foam under the roof deck.
I do mold restoration and I see that all the time. And insurance companies don't like to pay to remove it
I have a shop with spray foam against the roof sheathing from the bottom. It was built in 1989 and there have been no problems.
I was thinking of doing this lol this makes perfect sense I didn’t think about it thanks for saving me money
Formaldehyde is a big indication that the company is using old foam insulation chemicals to get rid of the old stock. By law in a lot of places they almost got shut down by the EPA for off gassing back about 20 years ago until they came up with the nontoxic formula they use now. But unscrupulous companies still mix some in to get rid of the old stock without having to get rid of hazmat fees.
William Kennison this is very helpful to know. Would this new formula be able to cause any of the same side effects? My contractor is saying they use the new formula however we still have odor and started to get sick. We moved out ASAP and am meeting with the company tomorrow.
There is no such a thing as a NONE toxic formula.
The new stuff may be less toxic.
Any unnatural material will be toxic to some extent.
We should not mess with nature but to live in Harmony with it.
@@PeaceNLiebe Any updates in this?
EPA? What's that? Was that like a government agency?
@Tom Cho: Before Trump, that was the Environmental Protection Agency. Now, it's the Everyone Pollute Agency.
I don't like it from a firefighting standpoint. More toxic smoke, thus less time for the occupants to escape.
Lee Huff reminds me of a documentary I watched not too long ago regarding the toxicity and exposure to flame retardant materials in home furnishing during combustion. And thusly, I respect and commend what you do for us, if you’re coming from that standpoint. It was really saddening to see the proportion of firefighters dying early from all the carcinogens and if I recall correctly, the impunity of the manufacturers when trying to hold them accountable was disgusting.
The foam we have now is not even close to the foam we used a few years ago. Also, you air seal a house that good, it greatly reduced the rate at which the fire spreads.
@@trump-wj2nx Seriously??? Keep flipping burgers and let adults talk
@@trump-wj2nx Are you f#@£ing kidding ??? Spray foam insulation is basically solidified gasoline!!
Once it begins to burn it produces huge amounts of toxic soot smoke, which will begin to burn uncontrollably/flashover within a minute or so, of the foam igniting.
The various foams available vary so much, from ones that are almost fireproof to foams that burn like gasoline, that it's hard to generalize. Some actually survive fires that burn the sheathing off the wall, but of course, being resistant to burning doesn't mean there are no toxic fumes. People need to know the pros and cons of what they are using before coating a house with it.
WOW, the thickness of the foam in the "after removal" video of the Canadians home revealed the HACK job the installer preformed. Grossly over sprayed, this was extremely to thick!!! It pisses me off that the Installer did not own up. Jerks like that give the product and installers bad names. Yes this was an installation nightmare. I own and operate Solid Ground LLC we use polyurethane foam to lift and level concrete as well as seal and support concrete culverts and underground pipe joints. The Polyurethane foam is 100 % Hydrophobic {fancy word for waterproof} as well as providing rigid support for the pipes.
Its is imperative to never spray Polyurethane Foam to quickly, Why? Because you need to let each pass of the gun completely set before you add another layer. Also you need to make sure the mixing chamber is providing the tightest pattern that lays down the thinnest layer of foam. I use a 4242 chamber in my Graco guns. Finally, you need to be patient and WAIT allow for each sequential application to setup and complete its chemical reaction and seal the bond. If you do not wait you will apply it to thick and a heating reaction will occur. I am happy the family has a new roof. Please do not call the Foam guys you used, they suck...
i figured it was the tip, but doubted it was a heat issue with the installer overheating the mixture. more like a pinched tube or unclean tip
Bill Williams Were are you from billy?
Spraying in a ditch is different then spraying in an attic. In a ditch you have no R factor.
Wasn't too thick. Was down in on coat instead of three layers or even 4 layers in an attic
im looking at spraying my basement (rim joists). i was told to spray fast as the gun needs to be cleaned and changed if you wait longer than 20 seconds before spraying. i was told the gun trigger must be pulled all the way or not at all, dont do little bits. and i was told to spray 3-4 inches deep for an R value thats worth having.
after doing research ive found the exact opposite instructions to all these points. i feel there is a definite lack of proper training/education on these products
i have a foam pack 620 that im gonna use tomorrow i think, see how it goes
There is another factor that wasn't mentioned: attic ventilation.
There should be soffit vents in the attic space that bring air from outside and vent it out the top - with a smaller vent.
Heat rises, and if the attic ventilation had been proper it would accelerate the curing time of the foam and allow those gases to escape upward and outward.
Many homes in Canada do not have this venting because of the cold - but without it, you not only have this kind of problem, but you will also have moisture problems.
Yes when you use foam on the ceiling, instead of the correct roof line then it needs to be ventilated
Exactly what I was thinking.
False building science. Once can deal with moisture without having to ventilate to the outside. I see someone has never heard of a "dehumidifier".
@@basketballjones6782 Funny, he didn't mention that either.
Yeah I bought 5 tanks of closed cell and I did 3 inches at a time of the attic. Starting with the roofing deck mad the rafters. I let two weeks in between worth of cure time in between each 3 inch layer and didn't do too too much at once. I had ridge vents installed on a new roof a few months before I did it. I also installed 4 attic vents that I custom made with leuvers that were 2 feet by 2 feet and I put screen on the back and siliconed them and installed in the square cutout I framed in. I also put two attic fans in that turn on based on temp and or humidity. The cost of both fans and the controller and sensors (6 sensors total) was under $400 because I am good. Lol
I used two stainless fans that I got used from a commercial cookie factory and the motors I just cleaned up and I pressed two new bearings in each fan.
They each will move 2,000 cfm on high and is only 28 inches. I have a 15kw solar system I built from scratch and they run off of them l but I will admit they pull some energy and they are not that efficient compared to some. They are for a cookie factory. They still smelled like cookies when I first got them. But I also used 6 foot long spray wands for the foam and drove the wand down in between the walls where the old insulation still lay and I just let it ride. I filled the walls and let it cure. Them I got under the house in between the joists with 3 inches at a time then again waited 2 weeks to cure or 3 if it was closed like the attic. I went back and put another 3 inches down on the attic and the joists in the crawlspace. Then one more 3 inch layer. After 3 more weeks I shaved the foam flush and boarded up the floor joists under the house in the crawl spaceb and then covered with 5 mill plastic doubled up and used a stapler to pin it down everywhere and then added slats on all the joists where I stapled the 5 mil plastic. Then I taped the slats and edges and sprayed bedliner on the doubled up 5 mil plastic that was drawn thout (tight) and then put a very thick bead of liquid nails heavy duty on the slats and covered those with galvanized steel that is just a hair wider than the slats. The liquid nails overflowed a bit and made a nice even bead on either side of the metal strips.
When it was all dry, I had to use sticks to prop up the galvanized steel and it was a pain, I drilled holes into the steel and through to the joists and I put 2 inch roofing tacks every 6 inches on the metal and drew it all in and then sprayed everything with a thick sealer that is the equivalent of flex seal or red guard but clear. It is for general stuff and made for marine use. But you can spray it light and it actually comes out and atomizes and is fluffy almost and will almost foam out of the gun because you spray it on a very high pressure to get this consistency. I used a lot of hardener to the point it was about dry when I went back to where I started 10 minutes earlier and the curing process was about finished. Lol
My crawl space is tight now.
My attic is half done. I have two more tanks to do and was in the attic spraying today. I did all the spaces on top of the ceiling today and hit the drywall with a thick 5 inches because I am getting tired of foaming. I used one tank today and will use the last two tomorrow. I hate that attic now. The crawlspace was better than the attic. So small and the roofing tacks are insane because I have not sprayed in some spots so there is still plenty of nails to poke you when you walk around the spot with no foam. But I will be done tomorrow and wish me luck. I am foaming around the wires for the solar kit I installed and I literally just cut pieces of that round column form for concrete to make the posts for foundation footers and deck footers and I cut a slit in them and put them over the wiring and set the wires inside the tubes that I cut to size. Then I am just spray foaming around the columns so there is a bulkhead of sorts that the wiring goes through instead of foaming the wires in and encapsulating them. It is all I got right now. I am beat and tired of thinking. So tired.
Wife's grandparents had this done to the underside of their roof. They were persuaded it was a good idea and I remember saying at the time that wooden roof trusses need to breathe. After a couple of years this bad smell fell about the house and tbh the family thought it was the smell of 'old people'. The grandparents couldn't smell it as they lived there 24/7. The whole roof had to be replaced as the timbers in the roof had turned rotten.
For starters, I work in an industrial plant that manufactures polyurethane cooler and freezer walls. Needless to say I am familiar with the Poly/ISO make up. We go to great lengths to make sure we are working safely with these products. The chemicals and the application equipment are calibrated and checked several times a day. We have ours formulated for a 1:1 ratio. These chemicals are regularly tested when being delivered, in our storage and at point of use. Many factors come into play to achieve proper formulation. Temperature or environment is likely the most critical for us. Our formulation has been known to reach temperatures of °220f while curing. We also maintain a ambiant atmosphere temp of °125 for 45 minutes during the curing process.
My point is this... There are many variables that have to be within range for this chemical reaction to properly create an good end product. We have never received a batch of raw materials that was not good. All errors were done within our facility due to equipment failure or human error. You can say that it is an exact science. I can only believe that that the installers of the foam had their mixture off or possibly found cheap materials. I insulated my own attic with left over test materials 3 years ago and could not be happier with the results. I tested my results for the closed cell foam and achieved an r45 value for 6in for joist.
Besides, with all of the demand for residential foam insulation, the chemical manufactures have been tweaking the formulation. These products are not even the same as they were 6 years ago when this video was made.
Spray foam insulation is murder bro.
I would rather use insulation that has zero risks upon application and can be easily removed. Thanks.
Those chemicals need to be mixed to the exact specs otherwise you're gonna have a problem. It could be inexperienced or lazy installers.
Back in the 1980s, my husband and I signed a purchase & sale to buy a little house of our dreams. Thank God we had a great home inspector of our own. The house had a slightly fishy smell. Turns out, it was insulated with UFFI, urea formaldehyde foam insulation. Countless companies discovered the more formaldehyde they used, the faster the reaction happened, and the faster the job could be done. We walked away from the house.
Ok, she's worn two different types of filters on this video.
The purples are North 7580-P100 HEPA and don't protect against chemical vapor but do capture acidic fumes. The magenta stripe yellow are 3M 7093C P100 nuisance organic vapor/acid gas. If they use a tumble dryer in the house, that's the vector of toxicity that would result in the child's rashes since tumble dryers are wet cloth air filters that collect everything out of the air - they're almost as efficient as HEPA.
So in Florida the whole family was let stay inside the house? Wow. Horrible and completely illegal, the stuff is flammable.
I'm gonna stay with rock wool! Been using that for industrial-grade ovens and furnaces for years, and has proven to be efficient!
As a spray foam contractor in Wisconsin, here's my advice if you want spray foam in the form of GENERAL guidelines:
1) Never allow a contractor to spray foam when it's too cold or too warm outside (this includes at least 12 hours post application.) Not below 40 degrees (in most cases) and not above 80 degrees Fahrenheit outside temp. (in most cases). Spray foam CAN be applied correctly outside of these parameters if it applied from inside a temperature controlled space and if a skim coat is applied (about 1/2") before the thicker coats are applied.
2) All foam should be applied in layers, no matter what the manufacturer allows. It is best to first apply a skim coat of 1/2 inch, wait 10 minutes then a 2" coat, wait 10 minutes then another 2" and so on. Foam needs time to cure and off-gas.
3) Make sure contractor has incorporated into their proportioner (Spray foam machine) an automatic shutoff should the mix of chemicals be incorrect. The two chemicals should be a 50/50 mix. Most newer spray foam rigs have this feature built in to the machine.
4) In winter, the foam truck should be heated to about 70 degrees fahrenheit 24/7 and in the summer, the rig should never be allowed to exceed about 85 degrees fahrenheit, 24/7.
5) Make sure the contractor tells you to leave the house for at least 24 hours after the work is completed and requires you to vacate the home during the application, animals included of course. If she or he does not bring this up, it is a red flag that that person is not paying attention to a VERY important detail. If that detail is missed, what smaller but also important details will be missed or what important procedures will not be followed?
6) There is seldom any reason to spray foam in open/accessible attics. You can safely and cheaply accomplish the exact same results of attic spray foam (for open attics) with a combination of air sealing the air leaks and blowing cellulose. The only time (in open, accessible attics) you may need to consider spray foam is when heating and cooling systems and duct work for them resides in the open attic.
Spray foam is a valuable tool for weatherizing homes and in certain situations, it is by far the best choice and should be considered but research your contractor.
Very articulate thank you for your comment
@rdbuchli good comment BUT why are the "professionals" putting the burden on consumers? This is why consumers get fed up and end up supporting regulated industries, because industry professionals won't put the burden on themselves for doing things right. Get a license and/or certified, or -- dare I say it -- get your work inspected/audited by a 3rd party. IF you would regulate yourselves, consumers as voting citizens wouldn't support having the Big Bro government look over your shoulder. So don't burden us consumers with details about the spray foam process. You mean well but undermine the value of your profession. If we homeowners should know details like this, then we'd just DIY! and not hire professionals!! See?
@@vap0rtranz Good question. The answer is that while most insulation contractors are indeed professionals, some do not show professionalism before during and after the job. To be fair, mistakes can happen to any contractor as well. All industries and contractors have this problem as we all well know so I would suggest only to do your research for any professional in any field you hire. That's one place where the internet shines in my opinion.
So, in Florida we have hurricanes. It was suggested to me that spray foam can be used not only as insulation, but as a way to bond the plywood to the trusses. Thus making your roof stronger in case a cat 5 monster comes knocking. Your thoughts? Oh, and what about fire retarding? Foam in general is lousy at that. I know there are different types, but the ones rated better must be a lot more expensive?
It seems like a lot of people stay home during and after...my husband works for one and it seems like the people are at home when they work and when they leave.
Stick with Fiberglass, Wool Rock, Newspaper and Cotton fiber products. Safer easier to clean and fix.
They also make a gypsum based spray insulation. I would never fill my walls with spray foam, God help you if you ever get an electrical fire.
Probably the 20th time this video has been recommended to me. FINE, I'll watch it.
RoboticusMusic I know. I’ll see the same video recommended for weeks. With all the billions of videos...
I don't even own a home, but it was recommended to me.
Hit the three little dots on the right or the video. Then click "not interested."
+RoboticusMusic >> So.... did you enjoy it? lol
Click the little vertical dots near the video's thumbnail, click not interested.
I think ive seen that old man talking about russian roulette 6 times :/
Yeah lol
his favorite game
this comment is like playing Russian Roulette
Every 3rd like results in someone dying
10 years of spraying foam in maine and never had these problems
If they told me they didn’t smell anything, i’d say sure. I’ll put on a mask, and have a nice long chat with them in the bedroom where the chemicals are the strongest
I thought the same thing. "Oh you have a headache? Joint pain? Oh are your sinuses on fire? Oh do you want to remove it now? No? Ok let's stay a little longer. Hello? Oh is it hard to breathe? Hello?" -- Just let them feel what they've wrought.
@@dawnv3436 they're probably numb to it
Daddy Dollaz does it contain methyl di isocyanate or MDI or di isocyanate or isocyanate
@@dawnv3436 The real issue with spray foam is it seals a structure air tight, so if the building isnt built withe correct type of ventilation that draws fresh air through year round, you will just keep breathing the same contaminated air, along with the exhaled viruses and bacteria, because you created a "sick house".
@Daddy Dollaz
The house that I'm restoring had the basement foam, I had go an open the door for the guys until they say it was sabe but still for my opinion too tick.... Guess you what I mean too tick ( 5 in Freaking pipes can't be seen )
A similar spray foam insulation was used in Victoria, Australia in the late 1970s & was quickly banned after people suffered similar reactions to these people. Also several people died after the foam emitted deadly toxic fumes during house fires.
I work for a spray foam company I have never once seen foam sprayed on the sheet rock in the attic we always spray on the ceiling and side walls. That was weird for me to see all that foam on the sheet rock
i was saying the same thing, i've sprayed it before and it was never sprayed on the drywall itself, only when spraying in interior walls. we'd hang one side then spray. but it was always on the decking. and it was new houses never did do retrofitting with foam
Derek Post yeah it's usually on the roof deck
that's what I asked! why wasn't this sprayed on the roof deck? maybe the ceiling drywall is that bad batch from China back in 2004? and the spray foam mixed with that, causing the smell.
I have been in contracting for 30 years and have never seen spray foam applied to drywall. I also suspect that might be a large part of the issue.
I work for a insulation outfit an we foam board it's not rare like you guys think it is no common but it is done
"I live and breathe insulation"
Might want to go see a doctor if that's true.
Alyas Grey
Nope, force him to eat and breath much, much, more since he enjoys it so much.
It was a "see how safe it is!" moment
To stripp the home down to frame will cost them more then a demo and a rebuild in labor
Lol so do I .. I'm in my 9th year . who says it's itchy . lol
Yeah he said it and sttudered while he said it. Lol
Sealing the upper faces of timber ceiling joists with foam is not a good idea. It will still absorb moisture vapour from below, but not be able to lose it into the attic space. Damp wood will swell, potentially cracking ceilings and more seriously it may well rot over time.
Benzknees bingo
This is why you do your research on who you have come in. Cheaper is not better! Personally if I had any spray foam going in my house, I would request an experienced installer and ask for photos of previous work.
I feel like they went with the lowest bid and cheaper out
My god, I came here to learn about the potential dangers of spray foam, not to get twenty-two straight minutes of "DUN DUN DUUUN".
Angela Hsiao Really I heard the music....dun dun duuuun.
Angela Hsiao Welcome to the world of tabloid news. CBC is almost as intelligent to watch as TMZ.
CBC has to decide what kind of show they want to portray. The music makes it sound like one of those Just For Laughs gag shows and takes away from the seriousness of the subject matter. Then again CBC are not known for quality these days. The only thing worse is the other Canadian networks pushing their corporate agenda. Dun dun dunnnn!
Angela Hsiao erm this is a show not news (although news ever becoming like show :/)
Angela Hsiao Same here Angela.
I never wanted this stuff in my house because I can't imagine trying to run a wire through the wall once its done.
You should never do anything to your house that cannot be easily undone.
Craig Bartlett that doesnt even make sense cause they don’t cover them up for one and second it isn’t gonna make a difference cause if u have any sort of insulation your gonna have to still go through it with the wire and third it’s actually easier to push a wire through oak than anything else.. obviously you’ve never had any experience with it so maybe don’t make up dumb ideas.. everybody uses foam nowadays, it’s the only way to go as far as insulation..
It depends, my house uses flexible conduit, makes it a breeze to replace cables.
I was a telecom guy for 16 years. Dealing with spray foam homes is a nightmare. It was usually a 50+ year old home they had the basement sprayed. I would replace old telecom wires and it was really sketchy drilling in spots where power wires run and you cant see them or move them because of a big glob of foam covering everything.
@@Tom-xy7mx I have owned several houses over the years and never have I had to "replace a cable." The only thing I've done is add stuff that wasn't there to begin with. Flex conduit and raceways are only useful in one residential application: multimedia, where the cables change every 5 to 10 years due to technology improvements. There is absolutely no need to conduit your entire home. Talk about overkill, and added cost. Geesh.
@@famouspotato3617 lol wut? you must have 0 experience if your are spouting this. spray foam is a hard product, fiber glass isn't. you can easily fish a wire through fiberglass but if the space between the studs is entirely filled with foam you are going to have a much harder time. and yes, they DO cover the wires. also, pushing wires through oak? what does that even mean?
I learned a lot about spray foam after working with it for years the main 2 causes of foam problems is spraying to much foam at a time especially when it is cold and the dreaded crossover. Crossover occurs when the 2 different parts of the liquid foam is not mixed at a 50/50 ratio as it leaves the end of the sprayer. Their are a couple of things that can cause this which I will not get into much detail because I could write a book on problems with spray foam. The main problem I have seen that is the worst case scenario is when the two lines caring the two different liquids end up with different pressures allowing one part of the liquid to enter across the interior chamber of the gun and go up the other line. This will cause a restriction of the one line. A technician will clean out the mess in the gun and continue on spraying. Now because of the restriction on one line the foam is not mixed at the 50/50 ratio when it is sprayed thus it will never cure properly and will out gas for years. The proper thing to do is to replace the 10 to 20 feet of hose which is called a whip line to restore equal pressure to both sides. The whip line is like a extra section of garden hose that can be unscrewed and thrown away. When a crossover occurs it usually doesn't travel any further past the whip line which leaves the rest of the line in good condition. So proper cleaning of the spray gun and replacing the whip line will put you back into business. The foam also has to be heated in cold weather to a certain temperature before spraying for a good cure. One last thing, when foam is stored it needs to be stored above a certain temperature so the properties of the chemicals don't break down.
wow thank you so much for detailing that information. now I need a good technician in texas
I wish you would write that book! This is scary stuff!
You should have been the expert for the show. You spelled it out perfectly and now I completely understand. Thanks.
Just use the pink fiberglass, thats been around for decades. Why mess with a good thing.
good detail but old man Bernie Bloom said it simply:
"you're manufacturing this foam inside the home ... when it doesn't work and you're inside the house ..." you fill in the blanks
We live in Georgia and had spray foam installed under our roof over twenty years ago with no issues. It lowered the temperature in the attic thirty degrees in the summer.
"I live and breath insulation" yeah maybe wanna rephrase that one :P
I am surprised that no one is foaming at the mouth.
If you're breathing insulation, you're doing it wrong. Doesn't inspire confidence to be sure.
How sad that’s a beautiful home that got chemically sabotaged . My heart goes out to all these people .
Not like it was purposely "sabotaged", but it is a terrible situation.
To be completely fair... even with the air test results the symptoms she claimed are ultra unusual. Also, they acutally should go back with a spray foam... just not the same one. They should go back with an Icynene foam... its probably the safest option and unlike polyuathane foam that takes a day to well over a week to clean out.... Icynene has an exclusion period of only 2 hours.
@@Wingnut353blow in insulation is the way not this trash
Fossil fuel? 🤔 That 'sales pitch' eco buzz word is a red flag. Eventally this "eco friendly" product ends up in the landfill.
See Wastebot.
They should’ve just sued the company for neglect or liable or deliberately covering it up after the company said it was fine for the second time and after that guy came out and did all those test
That could have taken years just to get to court.
They would have prevailed.
good luck! they probably disappeared.
The company said they offered to fix what was wrong by removing the bad section that was off gassing and reapplying hence the issue would be fixed as long as it was reapplied correctly. Say you get new gas pipes for your whole house and one fitting is leaking are you seriously gonna expect the company to rip out everything and redo or just replace the leaking fitting as long as issue is fixed after that
I'm getting ready to build a house this summer we were considering spray foam until I seen this video changed my mind for sure.
It's interesting to watch content like this that is obviously meant for TV broadcast. Many of us are now spoiled by short, no-drama, no filler RUclips videos. When we watch these TV programs we immediately think "why are they dragging this out so long".
It sounds like the ambient air temp is critical at time of installation as well as thickness of the first pass as stated. I can imagine if attic temps are too high, the foam would cure on the edges but not the "interior". As far as insulating flat (not vaulted) ceilings go, blown-in cellulose is a good option in my opinion.
Taco Pro my father owns a spray foam business in Kansas and i have helped him for about 5 years just for reference
It is the fact of that they sprayed it too thick without letting it off gas and this is a story of closed cell foam not open cell btw and temp only makes it cure quicker it curing doesn't cure from inside just quicker but when u spray too thick it traps the curing gasses inside its self that's why this happened also if spray too cold if just doesn't really work well
Also a too thick of a single pass can self combust since the chemical reactions heat up it traps it own heat until it catches on fire
Open cell foam kn the other hand has no limit on the thickness of a single pass
I see Canadian TV is turning into dramatic over the top editing like here in the US. Congrats, welcome to the club.
Yeah and reiteration. I'm from the UK and we are largely free of this drivel.
@@0ate5yyes, the UK has bit more opinion show masquerading as more.
There are so many bad industrial hygiene practices going on here, it makes me want to scream. The samplers in the cans are not properly deployed. The samplers are not designed to detect isocyanates. The "air expert" who is clearly not a CIH sniffs the foam - instead of wafting vapors. Really sad. They talk nothing about ventilating the area after application. And the magenta respirator cartridges the family in Canada uses are the wrong kind for those hazards!
this is a video about sprayfoam not hygiene
A Very Nice Guy The video is about sprayfoam and the health problems it causes when it’s not applied properly. So, when the “air expert” just starts sniffing poorly applied sprayfoam it’s not a good sign.
Spencer Pizzani , Yeah the air quality expert was the biggest crook in this video, just like all of them are!!
What about all the Black mold??
You all are absolutely pseudo science crooks!
Jf Mc Most are.
Black mold can be toxic though.
Spencer Pizzani what should I look for in a air quality expert or is there a place where I can find certified experts? I had my attic sprayed unaware of any of these stories or side effects prior and once I was back in my home started forming all the said symptoms. Only recently researching and seeing that this is all the cause of improper mixing/application.
I’ve worked as a roofer for a company that foam insulated the roofs of customers homes I can’t remember the exact compound of chemicals but one of the ingredients was cyanide We weren’t allowed to be anywhere near the spraying when it was being done. As for the home owner I’m sure they were allowed to stay home. I always said it was a good insulator keeps your house nice and cosy but there’s always a downside. Toxic poisoning being one
That owner of the spray company should have had to sleep in the bedroom for two weeks or replace the roof.
“There was nothing to tell us that we shouldn’t have been in the house” a good rule of thumb, if the people spraying the foam are wearing hazmat suits, maybe you shouldn’t be there. Anytime you see someone in a hazmat suit, just ask yourself, should I be wearing one of those too? I feel bad for these people but there were a few clues.
True, but then they are told that the guy is only wearing that cause he has close contact and on a daily basis with the fresh spray foam.
Why are the doors and windows of the Francescini house closed in good weather? All of them should be open to let the gases out. The outgassing doesn't last forever.
One bad job after 15,000 installations? Sheesh, you'd hope your doctor and dentist had such a good track record.
***** The doors and window are shut because they're trying to artificially boost the percentages of any gases that may be there. The list of chemicals in the air didn't match those in the foam at all. Why's that? Off gassing of the glues in the wood in the furniture, the carpets, the foam in the bed, the plastic in everything, etc. They have a problem but not all the foam's problem, I'm thinking.
EXACTLY!! A HRV or ERV (depending on climate) is essential and frequently over looked imho.
+Linda Rossi In a normal situation no one leaves their windows and doors open all the time. what they are doing is natural. opening all their windows and doors is artificially removing the gas making it seem as if there is no problem.
Also the chemicals could have mixed when they where spraying and created new chemicals that the company is not aware of.
MrPepsicola123
"... the chemicals could have mixed when they where spraying and created new chemicals that the company is not aware of."
That's sort of like having a duckling hatching out of a chicken egg. It makes no sense. When the two components of urethane foam-in-place insulation are mixed, the results are fully known and predictable, regardless of the ratios.
***** There are variables that are not available within labs and unexpected, maby the roof had some chemicals already in it. maby the wood was special.
With spray foam, how the heck would you do any plumbing or electrical repairs in the future? Won't all the pipes and wires be covered with the stuff?
They don't spray the Wiring & Pipes in but around. If the Homeowner needs more Pipes later they cut away the Foam to male room. It cuts away like Styrofoam.
@@bradsmith1934 It happens...
No job is perfect this day and time.Its all how fast to get done and get paid.
Brad Smith
So how do you snake electrical wire from A to B if the entire house is spray foamed?
Are you telling me I have to cut out the entire piece of sheetrock??
@@theseattlegreen1871 Yes. makes any future jobs absolute pain. Hope your sheetrock and paint skills are good or pockets are deep.
It isnt for all home types. My present home has almost no wires in the attic, just for the air and cooler. If i would have had the spray foam it couldnt be done over those two wires. Not a problem. This home has blown in insulation in the lid and rock wool in the walls.
My other home had blown in insulation, a paper ptoduct in the walls and a foil faced in the gables. As great as foam is, its not a good choice for all homes. You have to think ahead!
I feel bad for everyone dealing with this
In Serbia, we use styrofoam that is totally clean (for walls) and glass wool with special nylon insulation for the roof. No health issues.
Can you post a link to glass wool product?
@@joeglasner1277 its fiberglass. Just normal stuff sold at home depot
I'll tell you all something else: That spray insulation hides termite damage as well!
I can't speak for Canada but along the US Gulf Coast termites are almost everywhere, especially the Formosan termites. If they get into your house they can eat the wood under that spray insulation. More often than not you wont find the damage until years later and by then it could cost you several thousands to fix.
I WAS ASKING A TERMITE EXTERMINATOR, AFEW DAYS AGO...JUST WHAT DO TERMITES EAT FOR BREAKFAST?WITOUT HESITATION HE SAID"OAKMEAL"
This stuff perfect if installed in brand new builds by a highly recommended genuine expert who knows exactly what to do avoiding unnecessary coverage of piping, wiring and anything else. Never put it into older homes always use alternative types of insulation.
Why never in older homes?
very interesting, but tedious to listen to a 22 minute drama when the story could have been told in less than half the time.
rtel123, these are normally played on TV so yeah…
You can literally say that about anything. The point is to make a story interesting and engaging.
The point was to overdramatize it - to make it appear a more pervasive problem than it is, and thereby make them more important in reporting on it. Yawn.
Yup, you see that everywhere. Take CNN for example
rtel123 viewing at 2x speed solves that problem. 😉
July 2021 CBC: Please do a follow up video for customers to carefully choose the right company to do their spray foam project. Keep it focused and brief with 'ten steps to follow before choosing your spray foam (or any other important company, project) company.
I would actually really appreciate that! Ive been looking into spray foam, it can be a great option for bus conversions and rvs, because it can add strength to the structure, and conform to the shape of the vehicle, but ive seen so many diy kits and even people who say “get a professional “ dont tell you what to look for. that really worries me tbh
You will never again run any wires or tubing through this these walls. Imagine the repair bill to replace some wires? Much better ways to seal a residence. I have 2in of insulation on the outside, under the siding.
Spray foam insulation was used in thousands of houses in Australia. Then people started dying including installers. It was found to be carcinogenic, specially when it started to break down as it aged. It's second only to asbestos as the silent killer in building construction. We are in the middle of remediating or demolishing affected houses and buildings where it was used, specially in Canberra. The costs will reach hundreds of millions of dollars for which the government is picking up the tab. It was the government which approved its use in the first place.
Wow...added to list another reason I freakin love a and respect Australia so much, I'd love to live there!
Are you sure about that? I haven't read anything like that here in Australia. Perhaps you are referring to Urea-formaldehyde foam. In the 1970’s the use of Urea-formaldehyde foam insulation was prevalent and it took a decade for people to realise it remained hazardous after application. So I imagine there are still some cases of removal of that stuff.
The spray foam in this video is not and has never included formaldehyde. It is polyurethane product created by two materials; isocyanate and polyol resin. Once cured it is non-toxic.
The problem highlighted by this video is that it may not cure if applied incorrectly.
I know this was 3 years ago so any updates? Seems you could make a effective product that you could have lab tested to make sure it's safe and have endless opportunities with this stuff.
I live here in south Texas and I've warned countless people about this. We have extreme humidity and I've seen too many people suffer from this crap. Personally I recommend Rockwool, excellent product.
I 'd like to use Rockwool here in Bexar county.
@@timothykeith1367 you won't regret it brother. Much better than spray foam.
@@timothykeith1367 yeah it doesn’t rot on account of being pure spun rock, doesn’t burn, doesn’t get used by criters, etc.
But it is really energy intensive to produce.
Rockwool is nasty stuff as well. I like insulation boards. Expensive, but better for you.
My house was built in 1951 and uses rockwool in the attic. It's great stuff. Very effective.
We had the same problem with a strong fish smell. Luckily we had a very good builder. They tore out all the spray foam insulation that a subcontractor had just installed. A very tedious job. Then they resprayed with a correctly mixed product. That fixed the issue.
So there's a solution? It was just bad installation?
Definetely wouldn’t necessitate an entire new roof like what the homeowner in the video wanted.
@@pting66 For the peace of mind it makes a lot of sense to be decisive and take the roof off. If you want a 100% job, that is the only option. And it's your house. You and the family spend a lot of time in there.
@@maxmeier532. Yes but should be unnecessary. They should be able to remove enough that it will no longer pose a problem. I was thinking of some kind of media blasting.
People: have terrible health problems from just being _near_ the foam
Camera guy: *touches foam with bare hands, sniff it right up to his nose multiple times, rolls around in foam*
The thing about spray foam, the really bad side effects come from prolonged exposure. The two big side effects that I make sure people are aware of, during the installation process, are developing asthma and neurological damage. What is immediately noticeable with uncured/improperly cured foam is that you'll get a splitting headache within 15 minutes, strained eyes, breathing may be labored, ect.
Ill stick to old insulation that I can remove with my hands..thank you
I normally love the Canadian version of these show and I use them in my business classes...this one was highly emotional and could have benefited from more investigation. I wonder if the original mixtures were not good or was there a problem with the new house (new houses can have problems with other materials). After some extensive soul-searching and research I elected to have a company remove the fiberglass insulation from my crawl space (sagging/falling and gross) and had them spray the perimeter joists and wall area which was less than 2 feet; I also had them spray the joists of the attached basement. That coupled with replacing the single pane basement glass has had a remarkable impact on my energy savings. The smell was noticeable only for the first day and dissipated after 24 hours as the contractor stated (we left every window in the house open for a few days to be sure). A year later and we couldn't be more pleased. The basement holds heat better with no drafts and less bugs. My wife commented the wood stove in the basement does a much better job. The basement has been transformed from a cold, gross eyesore to a valid place for my workshop. In short, pick the company carefully (my guys had a professional setup and they came across as super knowledgeable).
Llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll mmmmmmm
This could’ve easily been a 10 minute video. It wasn’t really informative and most of it consisted of repeating the same exact thing 20 different ways.
Natasha ..hi
That's reality TV for ya
I watch on 1.5 speed. It's a bit less painful to think that I didn't have to suffer as long for a bit of info.
thanks for the warning. this is why i scan the comments first. moving on! 👍🏾
This is Television!
Great video and information. I am in the roofing business and I have seen several homes sprayed with spray foam insulation. I often thought that the spray foam would cause the shingles to prematurely deteriorate but I never realize that people are getting sick from Spray foam insulation.
Is from improper curing and too thick, no ventilation/ lack thereof... then too thick... and could have been hot that day...
Plot twist he chooses spray foam in the end with the same contractor
😂
Contractor " disappears " and his truck is found several miles away in a creek
Great industrie! Next step, spray foam removing companies.
We had our house spray foam insulated over 15 years ago here in NE Ohio, and the foam caused damage to our in wall electrical wiring and phone wiring! All of a sudden, after the foam was sprayed, several outlets would not work, and the phone lines in some rooms stopped working. The company paid for an electrician to come in and re-wire or bypass some of the outlets. To this day, I hope to god that they re-wired up to proper code standards. Thankfully, the same company did not spray foam the attic space, but they put in 'blown insulation', which has not caused any smells or chemical leeching.
Don't sweat it. If there was a problem with the wiring, you'd have known about it by now.
I believe in total communication between parents and their children. We have one child who is now 18. My wife and I have had some really complicated issues most of her life. We sit her down and explain everything when things go right or wrong. We just let her know mommy and daddy will always keep her safe and with everything she needs. She's now 18. A graduate of high school with a GPA of 4.8 with a full ride to a great University. I know this is not the topic at hand but I felt compelled to say that. Back to the video.
"If it's not installed correctly" So why demonize the foam product and not the company that applied it?
Do you wind up in the hospital if blown in insulation is improperly installed?
@@johnkirby6700 if the blown insulation is fiberglass there is a chance. It just takes much longer to realize.
their trailer is nicer than my house
Come live with me ;) J/K My house is a hell hole xD
ha, i was curious about someone who made this vid about themselves but I like your selections. You're interesting, I'm latching on so I can scour your collection. :)
Mr fathead, maybe you can stay with rolo Larson
Shelia Ellison mine too 😔
i have that same trailer for camping
Thanks for this great info! I like how both the installers and customers had a point of view.
My home was built in 1945. I was offered home spray insulation and I refused quickly on the spot. I was told about all the benefits and still declined. I run 4 window units not all at the same time but surprisingly the house stays rather cool in the summer. Living in south Texas the winters are rather short but it can get cold. Either way my average electric bill in the summer is 145 dollars 55 in the spring and fall about 150 if the winter is colder than expected.
Ten years of doing this, never had ANY issues like this. Though I've never installed more than an inch at a time. That, I'm under the impression is where this went wrong. Don't know what product this contractor was using(there are many, many types of SPF) but the products that I've used work really well and are easy to install due to the canalization to slow the reaction giving the foam more time to properly react without excessive exothermic reactions. Like they said in the beginning, like learning chemistry as much as anything. Sad to see any job go south and the foam definitely needed to come out. I would have pulled the dry wall (ceiling) off the rafters and mechanically removed what foam was on the trusses and if the contractor had done this day one, the home owner probably would be ok with this rather than decapitating his house. And maybe could have come to believe in the foam again. Bad contractor decision. Not bad contractor, just didn't handle the fuck up well or soon enough.
Robert Palmore Smart move installing one inch at a time. Especially if you allow like 30 to 45 minutes per layer (easy to do really and the job will be done in only a few minutes longer than 1.5 inch lifts). I agree with you on what should have been done, however, the refusal to accept responsibility and take action means that the contractor has no say in any planned recovery or method of recovery and is still responsible under law.
However I disagree about the contractor. The fact that he refused to acknowledge his bad work and even now refused to acknowldege the physical harm he has caused (which is even described in health warnings in journals and MSDS's) because he failed to address the issue makes him just that "A BAD CONTRACTOR". At this point he can't deny responsibility for the physical harm caused to the family either. Remember that the exotherm caused a change to include formaldehyde which was a guaranteed non-component of his advertisement and sale.
Misrepresentation and or failure to remove the product which violated his advertisement again proves he is a bad contractor.
Robert Palmore Whats the difference with this foam method and using foam boards with bottle urethane foam to seal the sides? I mean in insulation efficiency vise?
I mean sure spraying foam is faster and it will seal all the holes, but personally i still like to work with traditional stone wool or styrofoam boards. New house all ready has plenty other chemicals floating around until it vents those out and settles. Also for future renovation that foam it pain the ass remove.
When foam is sprayed in place, you get 100% adhesion and 100% air barrier as well as if the foam is installed in 2 inches or more, you get 100% moisture barrier. Also sprayed in place with the 100% adhesion will help deaden sound as well as add structural strength. As far as insulation value, if your using urethane board and sealing it, same. Urethane has around 7 R per inch. Different manufacturers have slightly different ratings. Polystyrene (foam cooler stuff) it's around R 5 per inch. Hope this answers your question.
Robert Palmore Thanks for the info. Personally i think 100% adhesion and moisture barrier is a bad thing.. its kinda good when it gives some structural strength, but stopping building from moving naturally and making it total bubble.. no thanks. If i were to do insulation job with this, i would put plastic or something other stuff first and then cut tops of the beams open, so structure can breath and insulation can be removed more easy when and if its needed. Kinda depends from intended use, but in living apartment.. i would not use it, but in special cases. Even roof insulation installation, from below can be done much more easy with standard board UT and with less mess. I take spaying like everywhere its messy job?
I heard those R ratings take only in count one way of heat transfer, so for cant be trusted.. personally i notice those have been little shady, thought i'm not insulation expert, but tiler expert.
A house can be too tight. The best thing is to make it as tight as possible and then use an air heat exchange to ventilate without the loss of heat. I've always done every job like it was going to be installed forever. Messy is putting it politely. Coveralls, head cover, full face respirator with tear offs and gloves. Worth it though. A fell by the name David South who is with www.monolithic.com wrote an article called the R Fairy Tale. Just like you say, the R values are a bit shady. In the real world, Foam's insulating performance is much better than in a lab. Like I will put R 21 (3 inches) in Foam against R 35 (10 inches) of glass any day all day.
One other thing · In the UK, a cable surrounded with thermal insulation must be derating to 50% of its free-air current . If the foam is sprayed over the installed electrics like that it must be even more as it can't get rid of the heat at all?
Depends on what type of foam is used, open cell or closed cell.
Once the roof was off, they should have had a SIP (Structural Insulated Panel) installed...and be done with attics for good!
This may have been mentioned in the more than 5 thousand comments but you can sandblast the material off. It's similar to asbestos removal. Wet it, bag it, sand blast the remnants on all structures.
Who on earth sandblasts asbestos? hahaha
@@alexiapepicelli1626 I wasn’t referring to sandblasting asbestos. I was referring to sandblasting the leftover spray foam. The similarities I was referring to are only the fact that with asbestos you have to wet it, and then bag it. You must also wear protective clothing and an N95 mask. I’m sorry you misunderstood.
Why would you use this stuff to insulate your entire home. You should only use it to seal small gaps to stop drafts. Use removable insulation for most of your installation. If you can remove the installation easily then you can easily add new plumbing and wires.
I'm glad this is what my builder did. Spray foam around the basement headers, garage drops, and windows. The rest of the house is removable insulation.
Wow; sometimes new and improved is not always the best choice. After seeing this calling me old fashioned is a compliment.
Dacia Sandero guys the company who sprayed the insulation, sprayed it on the attic floor instead of the roof rafters I can’t believe it
@@lurkin2944 Maybe it was an open attic. In that case, spraying it on the attic floor is correct.
Spray foam is to be used for new construction only, these company’s are rolling the dice with peoples health at stake. I was a spray foam contractor and never installed into a retrofit situation.
A fishy smell in the bedroom?
+AirsickCashew Now you just hush, they're married...;)
lol
XD crikey
Hee Hee Hee...
hahaha......good one.....
Just use mineral wool ffs. Great for insulating, no way of messing this up (besides less efficiency if done wrong), is insulating much better than foam and can't burn.
Even better use foam board. Almost as efficient as spray foam.
foam board is foam
I don't know why but I can't stand the sound of like styrofoam rubbing on something and the sound of him cutting the foam just about made me go crazy
YESSSS worse than nails on a chalk board for me
For me it's metal surfaces or rough plastics
I work with this everyday, after a few minutes it sets up 96%. It’s all the the way cured in 24 hours. Whoever sprayed it probably sprayed bad foam, maybe due to spraying it too fast to where it doesn’t set up correctly. That’s what I’ve learned.
Also maybe it didn’t get aired out correctly, but when we scrap foam after a day or two the foam smells a little bit, but nothing bad. Also it’s great for helping the stability of the house
They must of had bad foam or sprayed to many inches of closed cell at once
Typical of north american programming - this video is 21 Minutes long and has about 6 minutes of actual footage. The rest is talking about what you're going to see, and repeating what you've already seen. Plus heap loads of dramatisation of basic facts.
+Marcos 989 This was made in Canada dumbass.
+Art Vanden Berg Lol, you obviously don't know how hockey and football times work. The time is interrupted for faceoffs, goals/ tds, penalties, etc (just how it is). Even though soccer keeps going, stoppage time is added on at the end. Also, they are all different sports, so it's an apples and oranges argument
Also, the stations are paid by companies to run their commercials. It's how the TV stations make money. Same with radio stations. Other countries run it differently, so again, an apples and oranges argument
+SpiderElectron This is just awful to watch, I mean, there are snippets of info scattered across the entire 21 minutes; for a second they say that the smell may come from a wrong mixture of chemicals and show the lab, the other second they are back to the interview for a minute...
+xXYannuschXx Yes and unfortunately more and more programming like this is coming from US and Canada.
+SpiderElectron So very true! Thank goodness we can FF on RUclips unlike TV.
In my opinion a good alternative would be using mineral wool (Rockwool) and covering that with a vapor lock. It requires more work though. But removing that kind of insulation and detecting a roof leak is much easier.
Not to mention that the rock wall won't Lose its insulatory value when it gets wet so after you let it dry out you can just replace it right back where it was taken out
Hey this stuff is really toxic. Take a sniff. Like 10 times.
christopher stimpson Kind of shows you how really none that toxic it is. Considering that there are tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of applications and they were able to find these three families this is a classic case of hypochondriacs. Noticed that in every situation the woman is a complainer.
They admitted on camera that they could be in the house with fans going and windows open. All they needed to do was add some vents and an attic fan or two to blow the stagnate air out of the attic. Taking the roof was overeacting and not very smart financially in my opinion. And really if insulation is being applied like this on a horizontal surface there should be plastic barrier put down first. If it's not code, it should be done anyway. Anyone with common sense can figure that out.
Having the attic ventilated I sure would of helped. Most do because it reduces ac cost. Putting plastic down first also sounds like a good idea. I think I would have tried ventilating the attic first.
My heart breaks for these poor people. A home is supposed to be a sanctuary, where a family can feel safe and protected. This is terrible 😭
Bad contractors are 75%. I was an inspector for 40 years
This reminds me of the amounts of formaldehyde in FEMA trailers.
guarantee you that the installer sprayed the entire cavity of closed cell in one pass
Halfway thru an I'm noticing that these installs look totally unprofessional, like they just sprayed over every item in a dirty, dusty, cluttered attic. I wonder if they bothered removing the boxed Christmas decorations or just sprayed right over them.
The Company should pay the family to remove and rebuild the home to the way it was before the Co.
I appreciate the report NOT slandering the company in question, but instead, just sticking with the facts. I am so tired of others and how they love to sensationalize and slander people, good job ;) You've convinced me to use fiberglass, besides, its actually cheaper even with vapor barrier and other prep, also when it comes time to replace the roof, if wood needs to be replaced, spray foam increases the cost to replace wood.
I've never heard of the off gassing. Nice to know. I contacted a company to do my shop. I wanted the slopped roof done 10" thick. They said over the phone they will not do thick foaming. Only a thin coat is needed. Guess they knew what they were talking about.
Everything off-gasses. The question is what, what amount and for how long. It's a nobrainer that these spray foams need ingridients known human irritants to even be processable. Those plasticisers, regardless which are used, most are based on or related to crude oil products, are just one ingredient that is problematic.
All 2 part resins and foams off gas isocyanates
"Get a removal guarantee in writing"... I do not know ONE SINGLE spray-foam company that would ever give anyone a guarantee that they will remove the foam if something goes wrong. The labor cost to remove foam from an entire house is ridiculous. Also, there are too many chemical things that can go wrong along the entire chain, from manufacture to storage before application to temperature of side A and side B before and during application. Some plural component machines are even known to give false temperature readings. This is an industry that is still in its infancy really... and people need to really need to be better-informed before deciding on spray-foam. The reason they decide on it is usually because the R-value is way better than anything else out there... WAY BETTER... however, with that said... you can get pre-manufactured blue-boards, which have a similar R-value and install them manually, just cut them to fit, then spray around them with spray-foam cans. This will take longer and be more tedious, but it is safer. I think what happens is the spray-applicator tries to go to fast and does not allow the product to CURE, which is not to be confused with DRYING. If you do not allow each layer to cure, then the product cannot off-gas properly. This situation leads to these problems quite often. Bottom line is be informed... and for contractors in a competitive industry like this... make sure you charge enough to do the job correctly so you do not run into problems down the road. In my opinion, there are WAY too many spray-foam contractors that think you can just buy a machine and some spray-foam and go to work. You need to understand the science of the material and all of the systems of the industry first!!!! The U.S. needs TRADE SCHOOLS!!!! Have you ever heard of this kind of thing happening in Germany? Holland? Norway? Denmark? No... because you have to go to school and learn every facet of this before you get a license. Years of school... not months! And after you finish school, you get a well-paid job, with medical insurance and paid vacation and much more... When is America going to learn from Europe?
Well, as my Yugoslavian boss said on a carpentry job in California, "America is about production not perfection." But he drove a Mercedes.
Do you know what happens to those bad contractors??? They don't continue their bad work anymore because they go out of business due to poor work history. Free market for a reason. I agree have a certification for a chemical process... But that can be instructed in about a month of training. Not years of training for a person to swing a hammer. Trade schools are great... Licensed only markets are not. What? You afraid the untrained new guy is gonna make you look bad? No of course not. But people know they get what they pay for.
Tristan you are a moron. Spewing off non sense and half truths , seriously get a life.
Does Canada need trade schools too?
right on... you ARE so correct.
I'm glad I saw this video before considering spray foam in my attic
I know things like this happens every now and then, it's very unfortunate. But I think mineral wool such as rockwool might be a better option for insulation.
Thx - I will look into that product for my project.
@@TheJrzyKat is it expensive?
Not for basements! Great in attics.
the foam is made of 2 component material. one part is polyol and the other is isocyaninate. they make polyureathane foam. polyol is fish oil and the isocyaniate you don't to know. The material is mixed by blasting the chemicals together called impingement mixing. several things must happen in order for it to mix.
and the seem to have happened. the fish smell is the polyol and it sounds like it has rotten. being that it is Canada I would go back on the installer and the chemical makers. I sprayed a lot of it and it sounds like it didn't mix well. off gassing usually accure after two weeks,
ISOCYANURATE surely?
Makes sense. They should have interviewed more Scientists and fewer contractors.
The foam was either expired or the machine went e24 and shut off while they were spraying it the 2 chemicals is iso and resign
Every time I see North American homes I shocked by the cheap construction methods - OSB joists, thin framing, light weight shingles. The houses look nice enough, but the building technology is very, very poor compared to what's available in other developed countries.
That isocyanite product is downright dangerous. It's unacceptable in other countries- BASF make a much more stable insulation but it's not as cheap.
you are right about the cheap construction methods, but its why a single family can live in a 3000sqft home here.
Ronan Rogers OSB joists work great...
Ronan Rogers then again, if you build your own home or choose a good contractor you can make sure its done right
Cheap american homes?
I was thinking the same thing 12 years ago, whenever moved from east Europe to Canada. Now I learned to appreciate the walls that doesn't accumulate heat and allow quick/cheap modifications. In case of zombie apocalypse is good to have a concrete building, but for residential needs the criteria is different. I only added steel roof and fire extinguishing system to my wooden house (aside of the multiple modifications, flowing my family development).
and thy have tornados ther hahaha al that wood is gone in 20 sec hahaha
and if you see the prizes thy ask for that flimsy building you wil be shockt
here in holland we use concrete and fuking stone
“I guess it won’t be a long tour” 😂☠️ that reporter lowkey trying to catch a fade lol
So glad I hired an architect and a great builder. They advised me away from spray foam