Spray Foam Insulation On Roof Deck
Spray foam insulation can create a barrier that reduces the drying rates of wood roof decks which may result in an unfavorable buildup of moisture in the wood.
Spray foam insulation on roof deck. Lstiburek takes blame for bad language. If you ve never heard the phrase hot roof i m sure you ve heard of an unvented attic. How spray foam should be installed on the underside of the roof decking the unvented attic space is completely within the building s thermal envelope. Insulate an attic in an existing home by installing spray foam open cell or closed cell on the underside of the roof deck.
Damage investigations of spray foam insulation wood roof decks have found instances where deterioration of a wood deck has occurred due to water intrusion. It s not coming from above the roof and it s not some new moisture source resulting from the spray foam. Where wood shingles or shakes. In the northwest where foam has been sprayed directly to the underside of roof decks for over a decade the building officials interpret the code to require removal of existing insulation.
No interior class i vapor retarders e g plastic sheeting are installed on the ceiling side attic floor of the. This measure will convert a vented attic to a nonvented attic. Spray foam insulation is actually a barrier between two areas of different temperatures so your attic would be the same temperature as the rest of your house even though it is cold outside. Unlike solid insulation products that require careful measurement cutting and fitting spray foam can cover even the most uneven surface instantly.
Moisture generated indoors or that infiltrates into the home is responsible for the bulk of the moisture in an attic insulated with spray foam on the underside of the roof sheathing. Inspect the existing roof shingles or roofing membrane for any deficiencies. This construction approach was first used in the 1970s and it has been implemented much more widely since it was first included in the international code council s icc model building code in 2007 irc section 806 4. The installation steps are as follows.