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Top 10 Frequently Asked Questions1. I’ve always been told to ventilate my attic as much as possible — Why don’t I have to ventilate with HealthySeal™?
2. Is HealthySeal™ Toxic?
3. Is HealthySeal™ a Fire Hazard?
4. Do I need a Vapor Barrier with HealthySeal™?
5. How can R-20 of HealthySeal™ outperform R-38 of fiberglass?
6. Why would I pay twice as much for HealthySeal™ when I could just use Fiberglass Instead?
7. Can my house be “Too Tight”?
8. What if I need to run a wire behind the wall in the future?
9. Why Don’t more Builders use HealthySeal™?
10. Someone Told Me That Because HealthySeal™ uses Bio-based Oils from Castor Beans and Soy Beans that it is a Food Source for Rodents and Insects — Is This True?
1. I’ve always been told to ventilate my attic as much as possible — Why don’t I have to ventilate with HealthySeal™?
Ventilation is only necessary because of the shortcomings of fiberglass and cellulose insulation. These are fibrous insulators whose physical design literally lets air go right through them. If you don’t ventilate an attic that has fiberglass or cellulose insulation, heat will build up in the attic causing snowmelt (which leads to ice damming) and condensation (which leads to mold growth).
When applied to the underside of the roof, ventilation with HealthySeal™ is completely useless. Because of foam insulation’s efficiency the dew point (the temperature at which water vapor condenses) on the surface of the foam will never be reached so long as the thickness of the foam is proper for your weather conditions.
Another reason ventilation has been used in attics is to keep the underside of the roof shingles cool so they won’t curl due to heat stress. Research has shown that nearly 100% of the cause is the color of the shingle more than the cooling of the bottom side of the shingle. Also, with an underside of the roof application of HealthySeal™ the underside of the roof sheathing is now insulated and is within a few degrees of the top of the roof.
Cured polyurethane foam is NOT toxic. However, when the foam is being applied we are basically making a plastic and thus, there are hazardous chemicals involved. Within a half hour of application and with proper ventilation there are no hazardous fumes present in the building. After curing it is an inert plastic that will last hundreds of years.
3. Is HealthySeal™ a Fire Hazard?
No, HealthySeal™ is not a fire hazard. About 15% of its components are fire retardants. Its flame spread and smoke developed index are less than 25 and 450, respectively, which are the magic numbers for building code acceptance. If you were to try to light HealthySeal™ on fire it would simply melt and char. Once you took the flame source away it would self-extinguish. The toxins given off when HealthySeal™ burns are less than those given off by burning wood.
4. Do I need a Vapor Barrier with HealthySeal™?
No. HealthySeal™ is a vapor barrier. The temperature of the inside surface of the insulation in your walls and ceilings in winter will not reach the dew point. HealthySeal™ will let almost no water vapor through it and since it is physically adhered to the studs and joists cold and warm air don’t have an opportunity to mix.
We do recommend a house wrap on the outside of the home to protect the sheathing in the event of wind driven rain/snow, or damage to siding.
5. How can R-20 of HealthySeal™ outperform R-38 of fiberglass?
R-Value is one of the most misused and misunderstood measurements in the world. The test results are determined in a 75-degree (F) lab with no wind load and ideal humidity. In such conditions the two insulation types are identical with respect to heat transfer. However, once the insulation is installed in a home in real world conditions, the heat loss/gain of fiberglass and cellulose are outrageous since cold and warm air freely move about them through convection. HealthySeal™ is an air barrier AND it is physically adhered to the would framing members of a structure thus minimizing air infiltration. Think of fiberglass as a screen and HealthySeal™ as a window. Coincidentally, most furnace filters are made from fiberglass. These filters are obviously designed to allow the free movement of air through them.
6. Why would I pay twice as much for HealthySeal™ when I could just use Fiberglass Instead?
One has to look at the complete cost of something they are putting into their house before making a decision. The cost of insulation is small compared to the ongoing heating and cooling costs of your home after you move in. Since your energy use is cut in half with HealthySeal™ anyone can do the math and realize that after about five years the cost of insulation, heating fuel, and electricity for cooling is the same for both HealthySeal™ foam and fiberglass. After that time your energy savings with HealthySeal™ will put cash in your pocket every year. That’s why we call fiberglass the $30,000 mistake!
7. Can my house be “Too Tight”?
Yes it can, but it’s highly unlikely, especially in the windy climates of the northeastern United States. Wood framed homes will always have some small gaps and cracks no matter how well they are framed or insulated. Windows will also have small amounts of air infiltration. Whenever a door is opened to the outside of the home air exchange occurs. Our position is that you only get one chance to insulate a new home. If you under-insulate you will regret it. In the unlikely event that you over-insulate the situation can be remedied with low cost ventilation.
8. What if I need to run a wire behind the wall in the future?
This is the one area where we can’t say HealthySeal™ is better than fiberglass. In the rare event that you need to run a wire down an exterior wall it can be done with HealthySeal™, but it is more difficult than just slipping it between the fiberglass and drywall. A wire can be forced down a wall with open cell foam (our most commonly used product) or it can be drilled through using very long drill bits from the attic or basement. No matter how you look at it, any expense you have to go through to run a wire down a foamed wall will pale in comparison to the money you will save on energy costs with HealthySeal™.
9. Why Don’t more Builders use HealthySeal™?
The home building industry is a very competitive one. In metro Buffalo alone there are nearly 200 companies/individuals that will build a home for you. The initial cost of foam insulation typically adds $5,000 to a new home. Since most customers of a given home builder aren’t aware of foam insulation and it’s long term cost savings, they will simply see that the price of builder A’s house is $5,000 more than builder B. They will go with the lower cost builder because they perceive that they are getting the same product. What the customer doesn’t typically understand (and may never realize) is that the extra $5,000 they spend will pay for itself in energy savings over about 5 years.
When it comes to items like insulation, furnaces, and windows, it’s important to remember that there are two components to the cost. The initial cost of the products and the ongoing costs of operating your home (heating and cooling costs). Remember that a homebuilder is only involved in half of that equation. His customer has sole responsibility for paying for heating and cooling costs for the life of the home. As long as his customer finds their home to be “acceptable” the builder is happy. At some point in the future fiberglass will become an “unacceptable” product to use for insulating a home in the eyes of the public in general. At that time builders will make foam insulation standard. That being said, we have never come across a builder who refused to use foam if their customer wanted to use it.
10. Someone Told Me That Because HealthySeal™ uses Bio-based Oils from Castor Beans and Soy Beans that it is a Food Source for Rodents and Insects — Is This True?
Simply stated, that’s complete nonsense. Using that logic, why wouldn’t humans want to eat it? Why don’t we just take a teaspoon of sugar and mix it with some gasoline and drink it up? We obviously don’t recommend that anyone actually does this, but just because one of the ingredients is edible doesn’t mean the entire product is edible. Along with vegetable oils and water, there are plenty of harmful components that would kill small animals and insects if they were ingested.
HealthySeal™, like fiberglass or cellulose, is not a barrier to small animals or insects if they wanted to chew through it, but we have never had any reports that this has ever happened. It’s actually less likely they would chew through HealthySeal™ because they are less likely to smell food, etc. on the other side of the foam due to its air sealing qualities.
