Green Old Houses: Injection Foam Insulation for Existing Walls

One of the biggest challenges of the green remodeling movement is to come up with technologies and cost-effective solutions that will allow existing houses to be retrofitted into top-performing energy efficient buildings, while diminishing the disruption to the existing structure, and preserving historic and architectural features.

iFoam injection foam insulation is a relatively new insulation product that provides air sealing and insulation capabilities, like conventional spray foam, and none of the disadvantages. iFoam is non-expanding, which makes it specially suitable for existing wall cavity insulation, It’s designed to flow and fill around electrical wires, outlet boxes and existing underperforming insulation, and has an excellent R-Value which increases as the weather gets cold.

It is also a water based product. No hazardous fumes are produced during or after the application. The video below shows how it is applied to an existing home.

Tags: efficiency, energy, green, house, insulation, old, remodeling, retrofit

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Comment by Ray Tschoepe on November 17, 2011 at 6:54pm: is it reversible? I mean, if it needs to be removed for repairs, can it be? Or is the ultra sticky "great stuff" like foam.

If (When) there is water penetration from the outside, will you know before all of your sheathing is ruined because the infiltration was blocked from the interior tell tale signs by the foam?

Comment by Cynthia Freeney on December 19, 2011 at 3:37pm: Hi Ray, these are great questions and I went after the answers for you. Here's what I found out.

Yes it is reversible and can be easily removed if needed. It is not as sticky as the 2-part spray polyurethane foam. It has the consistency of shaving cream before it dries and can be wiped off surfaces. It also dries into a very soft kind of foamy material that can be "scooped" out if needed.

As for your second question, I quote from Tim Snyder's blog post:

Injection foam would be my first choice in an older house because of its superior ability to flow around obstructions, fill voids and seal the huge number of air leaks typically present. Instead of trapping moisture like 2-part spray polyurethane foam would (a characteristic that can damage adjacent wood), injection foam has an open-cell structure that can absorb and release moisture, enabling the wall to “breathe” while significantly improving the home’s comfort and energy performance. It’s also important to note that injection foam doesn’t outgas harmful chemicals as it cures. You won’t see technicians wearing hazmat suits when installing this insulation."