Spray Foam Insulation Kansas City: 10 Things To Consider

10 Common Questions About Spray Foam Insulation in Kansas City, Answered

While it’s not uncommon to overlook your home’s insulation needs in Kansas City, doing so can have a significant impact on your comfort and wallet. An optimally insulated home will reduce your energy costs, eliminate uncomfortable drafts, increase your home’s property value, and potentially even reduce the possibility of water and moisture damage.

While there is an upfront cost to retrofitting or replacing your current insulation, the amount you’ll save on monthly energy bills makes hiring a Kansas City insulation company a no brainer. One of the best investments you can make in your home is installing spray foam insulation in Kansas City.

An experienced Kansas City spray foam insulation contractor can remove those old, deteriorating fiberglass batts from your attic or roof and replace them with highly durable, air sealing spray foam. Many homeowners are less familiar with spray foam insulation than they are with fiberglass or cellulose, making the decision to switch to this less conventional insulation option a more challenging leap. If you’ve ever wondered if spray foam insulation (SPF) is right for you and your home, this article is for you. Below, we answer the top 10 questions our customers ask us about spray foam insulation in Kansas City.

1) What Is Spray Foam Insulation?

Spray foam, or spray polyurethane foam, is a type of insulation made from two main solutions: polyol resin and isocyanates. When sprayed, this liquid product undergoes a chemical reaction when exposed to air, causing it to puff up, or expand. Going from liquid to solid allows it to infiltrate every little crack and crevice, providing the highest degree of padding and air sealing possible.

In contrast to traditional insulation, SPF does not lose its shape over time. Because it dries into a solid mass, it will not compress (unless significant pressure is applied) or sag, unlike traditional batt insulation. For these reasons and more, spray foam is often the leading choice for insulating newly built homes. Homeowners with older homes in Kansas City can also retrofit the walls, ceilings, and floors in their home with spray foam.

2) What Are The Advantages of Spray Foam Insulation in Kansas City?

Whether you love it or hate it, the climate in Kansas City, MO varies greatly from season to season. In the summer, you can expect average highs in the 80s. In contrast, it’s not uncommon for the temperature to drop below 20°F in the winter. With these big temperature variations, keeping your home at a constant temperature throughout the year is no easy task. The more your home’s HVAC system has to work to regulate the interior temperature, the higher your energy bills will be.

Using spray foam insulation in Kansas City can help remedy this problem. Some of the greatest benefits of spray foam include:

• Less Air Infiltration: SPF creates an air barrier, which prevents air from leaking into your home, as well as from leaking out.
• No Drafts: In addition to poor insulation impacting your utility bills, your home may also be just plain uncomfortable. By eliminating drafts, you won’t have to put on that extra sweater to avoid turning the thermostat up.
• Moisture Control: When hot air and cold air meet, hot air abruptly loses energy, causing the moisture in the air to escape. This creates condensation. Too much moisture within all those nooks and crannies of your home’s structure can lead to the growth of mildew and mold. By creating an air barrier, spray foam prevents air of drastically different temperatures from colliding, reducing the chance of moisture build up.
• Long lifespan: SPF can last for decades without needing touch ups or replacements, making the initial investment well worth it.

3) What Are the Disadvantages of Spray Foam Insulation in Kansas City?

No single insulation solution comes without drawbacks. That being said, the disadvantages of SPF are fairly minimal, and most can be attributed to improper installation. If installed improperly, some deep, hard-to-access cavities may not get fully filled. When this happens, you run the risk of the following:

• Ineffective Sound Barrier: Open cavities won’t prevent outside noise from getting in, which can be a huge annoyance if you live in a highly populated area with lots of nightlife activity.
• Water Damage: When cavities are missed, air leakage will occur in these areas. Pressure changes produced by air leakage may create condensation during the peaks of winter and summer, causing water damage that will continue to develop invisibly, until the problem becomes so severe that it finally comes to your attention. At this point, the damage is rarely reversible.

It’s also important to note that, before becoming fully cured, contact with isocyanates can cause respiratory and dermatological problems. Breathing these in is harmful for your lungs, which is why it’s important to wear the proper protective equipment while applying SPF. Fortunately, once fully cured, the product will no longer emit a toxic gas, making it safe to be around.

4) What Is The Difference Between Open-Cell and Closed-Cell Spray Foam Insulation?

There are two main types of spray foam insulation in Kansas City: closed-cell and open-cell spray foam insulation. Open-cell products are also described as ‘low-density’ due to having an open-cell structure. This means that the cells do not fully encapsulate, resulting in a cured product that still has some give and flexibility to it. Because of this, it’s an excellent sound barrier, but it is not impervious to moisture.

Closed-cell insulation is impermeable to water and is available in high-density and medium-density products. High-density foams are often applied to areas where structural support is also needed. Medium-density foams are used in areas where the highest R-value possible is needed.

5) How Do I Calculate The R-Value of Spray Foam Insulation?

The main purpose of insulation is to make your home as energy efficient as possible. To determine how much product is needed to achieve this goal, a measurement called ‘R-value’ is used. R-values indicate the degree to which an inch of a given type of padding can prevent heat transfer to and from your home. The greater the R-value, the lower the energy loss. You therefore generally want a product with a high R-value.

The R-value of spray foam varies according to its density:

• Low-density has an R-value of 3.6 per inch or greater
• Medium-density has an R-value of 5.7 per inch or greater
• High-density has an R-value of 5.5 per inch or greater

Kansas City spray foam insulation needs to reach an R-value of 49 or higher to achieve optimal energy efficiency for the local climate. This means that 14 inches (or less, depending on the product) of low-density, and around 9 inches of medium-density and high-density spray foam are required to reach the minimum R-value for KC. To calculate the inches needed for the product you pick up, simply divide 49 by the R-value for your product.

6) Where Should (And Shouldn’t) I Use Spray Foam Insulation?

Spray foam can be used almost anywhere and everywhere for insulation. Whether you’re looking to pad a commercial building, such as office buildings, or simply want to improve the R-value of your home, this product is great for both residential and industrial applications. The best areas to use spray foam will vary depending on the type of spray foam used:

• High-density foam is perfect for exterior walls and roofing.
• Medium-density foam works well in interior wall cavities, unvented attics, and continuous insulation purposes.
• Low-density foam is very versatile and may be used for unvented and vented attic insulation, interior wall cavities, crawl spaces, ceilings, walls, and ducts.

In some areas, you’ll need to apply this product with caution. Generally, it is advisable to avoid using spray foam near electrical boxes and ceiling light boxes. Spray foam is a flammable product, making its application near electrical boxes a risk. This risk is even greater around ceiling lights, which may emit heat and increase the chance of a house fire.

7) Is Spray Foam Insulation Better Than Cellulose and Fiberglass?

When researching the best types of insulation to use in your home, you’ll likely find that three main types of materials come up: spray foam, fiberglass, and cellulose. All of these products are great insulating materials, and determining the best one will depend partly on your home, padding needs, and budget.

That being said, spray foam tends to come out on top of cellulose and fiberglass on multiple measures, such as:

• R-Value: The average R-value of spray foam products is higher than that of fiberglass and cellulose. This means that you have to apply less spray foam to get the same level of insulation than you would with these more traditional types of insulation.
• Air Sealing: Fiberglass and cellulose do not create an air barrier, nor are they impermeable to water.
• Maintenance: Over time, cellulose and fiberglass will settle and become compressed, leading to the need for top ups. This issue does not exist with spray foam, unless improperly applied.
• Energy Savings: Because spray foam does such a good job of filling every crack and crevice, homeowners with this type of insulation report greater energy efficiency, and therefore greater energy savings.

8) How Much Does Spray Foam Insulation in Kansas City Cost?

If spray foam has so many benefits and so few drawbacks, why isn’t everyone in Kansas City using it? The primary reason comes down to cost. Of all types of residential and commercial insulation, spray foam is by far the most expensive per square feet. 

Keep in mind that the actual cost of your installation project will depend on the product you use, the area of your home you need insulated, and supply chain demand at the time of your service. Regardless of the fluctuations, it’s fairly safe to assume that SPF will cost you approximately 4 times as much as a fiberglass insulation installation and 1.5 to 2 times more than cellulose insulation installation.

9) Can I Install Spray Foam Insulation By Myself?

Of all the types of insulation, spray foam is the only product installation in which non-professional installation isn’t an option. As discussed above, the application process can be a risk to your health. Kansas City spray foam insulation companies have the training, equipment, and expertise to safely apply spray foam.

Additionally, spray foam needs to be applied in very even layers to be effective. Any missed gaps or crevices can cause a great deal of energy loss. Because this product is more expensive than other insulation materials, it’s that much more important that your installation is done properly to ensure that you can maximize on savings associated with lower monthly utility bills. By failing to hire reputable residential and commercial insulation contractors to complete your spray foam insulation installation, you adversely impact the energy efficiency of your home.

10) How Do I Know If Spray Foam Insulation In Kansas City Is Right For Me?

With so many factors to consider, it can be difficult to determine whether Kansas City spray foam insulation installation is the right choice for you. As noted above, it really is difficult to go wrong with any type of insulation. As long as you install the correct amount of insulation needed to achieve the minimum R-value for Kansas City homes and businesses, you’ll be able to reap the comforts and financial benefits of optimal energy efficiency.

For homeowners who have concerns about air leakage or are looking for an insulation product that requires no maintenance, the cost of spray foam could very well be worth it. Our insulation pros at Koala Insulation of South Kansas City can provide you with an evaluation of your current insulation situation and make recommendations according to your goals, needs, and budget.

To schedule an appointment for an insulation evaluation, or to book a spray foam insulation installation appointment, contact our friendly office team at 816-929-8255. We’re happy to answer any extra questions you may have about spray foam insulation or other insulation products, such as blown-in insulation and batt insulation.