Closed-cell spray foam: What kind to be green?
Sean Heinle| Posted inGreen Products and Materialson
I’ve got a finished cathedral ceiling that needs insulated and I think the best approach is closed cell spray foam injection.
I’d prefer to do my homework and find a closed cell foam contractor that uses a foam with a low global warming potential.
Suggestions? I’m near Pittsburgh, PA. Hoping there’s a couple brands of foam that fit the bill and I can contact them to get licensed contractors.
GBA Detail Library
A collection of one thousand construction details organized by climate and house part
Search and download construction details
Replies
Sean, most (or possibly all at this point) spray foam manufacturers now offer a low-global-warming-potential spray foam, using either Honeywell's Solstice blowing agent, or Chemours' Opteon blowing agent, both of which are HFOs (hydro-fluoro-olefins).
The spray foam industry as a whole is great at marketing things are that not true or relevant, so don't let them convince you that zero ozone-depleting compounds are a differentiating factor; all spray foam for residential use is low- or zero-ozone depleting at this point.
Many spray foam manufacturers and installers do not advertise the environmental aspect of HFO-blown foam, so you may have to look for "high-lift" or other clues. I usually spec the first two that were available, Lapolla Heatlok HFO High-lift, or Demilac 2000 4G.
For more info, here's an article I wrote. Be sure to click "view PDF" to see the whole article:https://www.finehomebuilding.com/2018/11/07/h280-is-using-closed-cell-foam-worth-the-trade-offs
I think it is in fact all major spray foam manufacturer's who are now offering HFO options (yay!). I think the key thing is either finding a contractor you trust to install what was spec'ed or being on site the day of to verify what is being used.
You want a contractor you trust for lots of other reasons as well.
Ask the installer for the MSDS sheet (material safety data sheet) for whatever foam they will be using. They are required by law to provide this to you if you request it. The MSDS will give the chemical compounds used in the foam. You can then use that info to determine how green the particular product they’re using is, or you can post the specifics here for other GBA readers to comment on. This will avoid the installers misleading you either intentially or by mistake.
Bill
HI Sean -
And make sure that your installer is 3rd party certified by either ABAA (https://www.airbarrier.org) or SPFA (http://www.sprayfoam.org). Getting the environmental footprint of the material down will be for nought if the installation is not a quality one.