Category: Insulating Foam

Insulating foam such as low and high expansion foam seal and insulate the home or building where applied. Two part polyurethane foam is an example of high expansion foam. Insulating foam limits the amount of unwanted air exchanges, thus dramatically lowering energy costs.

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Calculating Board Feet with Spray Foam Insulation

Posted on by Conservation Mart

When applying spray foam insulation it will tell you how much board feet it covers. e.g. two part foam kit for 200 board foot. What does that mean exactly?
Will it cover 200 feet? How do you calculate how much you would need for you job?

Board Feet has it’s origins in the lumber industry- it is a calculation of lumber volume. So 1 board foot
would cover a square 1 foot by 1 foot by 1 inch.

So 200 board foot spray foam insulation kit would cover 200 squares that are 1 foot by 1 foot by 1 inch.
Now suppose you want to calculatehow many two part foam spray kits you would need to cover 400 square feet.
The first thing you need to determine is level of thickness. So say you want to spray it on 2 inches thick.

spray foam insulation
spray foam insulation

So you would need four 200 board feet spray foam insulation kits- here’s the calculation:
two 200 board feet kits will cover 400 sq feet 1 inch thick. For 2 inch thick you double the quantity.
That is the minimum you would need and to be on the safe side- maybe add another kit because spray foam kits give the board feet coverage under optimum circumstances such as
1)applicator is a pro and knows how to apply it perfectly
2)the temperature is warm

Give that won’t always be the case, it’s better to get a little bit extra to cover the entire area properly.

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2 Part Foam Insulation- How to Work with it in Colder Temperatures?

Posted on by Conservation Mart

When 2 Part Foam is sprayed onto your walls, floors and ceilings, the shell of your home becomes protected. It’s this protection that blocks heat gain in the summer and heat loss in the winter, thus preventing dramatic temperatures changes in the home. Correctly installed, insulation delivers comfort and lower energy bills during the hottest and coldest times of the year. But working with it in the wintertime is a little tricky since the core temperature should be above 70 F.

2 Part Foam Insulation comes in two tanks – A and B. The key to getting good yield and foam that actually sets up properly is an even stream between the A and B tanks.

2 part foam insulation
2 part foam insulation

The way you get that is getting the foam up to temperature. The chemical has the consistency of milk, the chemical has the consistency of molasses. Warming up the chemical thins it out considerably, so it can flow at the same rate as the chemical.

Once it gets up to temperature, it will take quite a while for it to cool. However, it is critical to get the foam up to temperature before you begin use.

Keeping it in the warmest room in the house and using an electric blanket is usually your best bet. One tip is to build a little hot box with rigid insulation, drop a 40-watt incandescent light bulb between the tanks and leave it overnight.

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Polyurethane Foam Machines

Posted on by Conservation Mart

Polyurethane foams provide insulation in homes throughout the year. This foam is sprayed throughout the home onto ceilings, walls, and floors in an attempt to provide protection from the fierce heat of the summer as well as the biting cold of the winter. When properly installed, the insulation results in a comfortable living space and lower energy bills. Polyurethane foam machines

Polyurethane Foam Machine
Polyurethane Foam Machine

use gun/hose formations along with air compressors to distribute high expansion foam resulting in more consistency and a better flow.

Among the most efficient polyurethane foam machines is the CPDS (Constant Pressure Dispensing System) 1000. This system allows the attachment of 120’of hose for better reach, total and even dispensing of foam (through the air compressor), and has a tank yield of 750 board feet. In addition, polyurethane foam machines, such as the CPDS 1000, conveniently have tanks and compressors items placed on wheels. This saves time as well as a few dollars that otherwise would have gone to the chiropractor in an attempt to correct the back problems that would likely result from all that lugging.

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Polyurethane Spray Foam For DIYers

Posted on by Conservation Mart
polyurethane spray foam
Polyurethane Spray Foam

Fixing drafty attics floors, basement walls, and other oddly opened areas has never been easier.

What’s in a Spray Foam Kit?

Spray foam kits for DIY projects generally consist of foam, instructions, a hose, and a spray gun. Conservation Mart offers an excellent spray foam kit in the 2 Part Polyurethane Foam Kit 600.

Spray Foam Kit Specifications

* Spray foam has an R value that ranges anywhere between 6.2 and 7.12 per inch.
* There are different sizes and different types of polyurethane spray foam kits available.
o You can choose a standard or a standard and fire-retardant kit (considering my skills with DIY projects, I’d opt for the flame proof set).
o Spray foam can be bought in an open cell or closed cell form (we learned in a previous post what the difference between the two is).

Common Places for Spray Foam

The following areas are common areas for spray foam touch-up:

* Air Ducts
* Attic Floors
* Basement Walls
* Crawl Areas
* Roofs

Benefits of Spray Foam Kits for DIY Projects

Using polyurethane spray foam kits for DIY projects are beneficial, allowing you to insulate your home:

* In an environmentally friendly way
* Inexpensively (when weighed against your long-term savings on energy costs)
* Independently (it is always beneficial to learn how to properly care for your home)
* With products that efficiently insulate your home (namely, the only foam capable of air sealing, the closed cell polyurethane high density foam)

What was your experience with installing polyurethane spray foam? How has using spray foam kits transformed your home? Leave your comments below!

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Closed Cell Polyurethane Foam vs. Open Cell Polyurethane Foam

Posted on by Conservation Mart

So, what’s the difference?

90% closed cell polyurethane foam, R value of 6.8

The easiest way to think of foam is to think of it liked whipped cream in a can. Two components involved: the cream and air.

If you increased the amount of air in the product by 10x, you would get a lot more coverage, but it would be a lot less dense. And since air is free, you’re paying less per ounce.

If you decreased the amount of air by 10x, you could cover less space, but it would be denser. And since there’s less air, you’re paying more per ounce.

With foam, the denser the product, the less water it can absorb.

Open cell foam is cheap, it expands more than a hundred times the liquid volume, it has a lower R-value, and it absorbs water readily.

Closed cell foam is more expensive, it expands about 30 times the liquid volume, it has a higher R-value, and it doesn’t absorb water readily.

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Did you know you can save upto $1,500 on your taxes by insulating your home?

Posted on by Conservation Mart


Yes that’s right. From now until Dec 2010 you can save 30% – up to $1500 on your taxes by insulating your home. Recently, Congress updated to “The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act” (2009 IECC & Amendments) – basically, increasing the existing federal tax credit for installing insulation (e.g., 2-part spray foam) in an existing home, from 10%, to 30% of the total cost of insulation (up to $1,500) for 2009 and 2010. This means, you can potentially save as much as $1,500, simply by following these guidelines!

To learn more details visit the Tax Credits for 2009 and 2010 page