SOUTH MIAMI Blog

Why spray foam insulation is the right choice for your home

Spray Foam Insulation, especially compared to traditional fiberglass or cellulose insulation, offers many benefits for homeowners in South Miami. Compared to the more common, most affordable fiberglass insulation, Spray Foam is way more efficient in keeping your home cool and will lower your energy bill in the long run. More and more Miami homeowners are realizing spray foam insulation's benefits and start upgrading their homes. 

Open Cell vs. Closed Cell Foam

There are two different types of spray foam; open cell and closed cell, and both offer different benefits that affect the cost and performance of your insulation project. Choosing the right insulation for your house is important to ensure that your home is properly sealed, ventilated and insulated.   

Spray Foam Insulation is made from two chemicals that come into contact with each other and, as a reaction, rapidly expand. This expansion creates bubbles which burst and only leave the bubble structure (open cell form) or stay intact and create interconnected but closed pockets. The therefore higher density and R-value of R-6.9 per inch allows closed cell foam to produce a fully sealed system that can be used for both air and vapor barrier. An integrated vapor barrier with closed cell spray foam will prevent condensation in your house. 

Open cell foam on the other hand has a lower density and R-value of R-3.7 per inch which does not allow for full sealing. This spray foam can be used to create an air barrier and offers improved acoustics in your home. The material cost for open cell foam is usually less expensive than closed cell foam but needs to be applied in a thicker layer using more material. 

Benefits of spray foam insulation 

Whether you are buying a new house or renovating your current home, choosing the right insulation is a way more important task than you might realize. Especially in Miami, where temperatures in the summer can easily crawl up to the high 90s, your house needs proper insulation in order to support your A/C in cooling down your space and making it more comfortable. Spray Foam Insulation lasts 80+ years and might just be the right choice for your home:

Energy Bill Savings

Sprayed polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation is applied to the attic, crawl space or rim joist and completely fills any space including little gaps and crevices. It therefore stops air leakage and creates an air seal. By completely sealing your building envelope, you can improve the energy efficiency and comfort of your home. This air barrier will support your air conditioning in maintaining a constant temperature and therefore lower your monthly energy bills. Home owners in Miami could save up to 50% on their FPL bill. 

Adds to structural integrity 

Especially in Miami where hurricanes can put our homes in danger, structural integrity is important and, due to its density and hardness, closed foam insulation can actually strengthen your home's structures and prevent damage.

Spray Foam Insulation gets everywhere and holds your house together like strong glue that stays in place over many years and does not shrink. Insulating your attic might therefore save your roofing during the next hurricane season. Some high-performance spray foams demonstrate wind uplift resistance that meets the "High Velocity Hurricane Zone" criteria of the Florida Building Code. When applied to concrete, the wind uplift resistance is even stronger.

A Healthier Home

The seamless barrier created by spray foam insulation that seals every inch of your home actually offers many health benefits. Air cannot penetrate the walls as it does without insulation or even some other types of insulation. It therefore cannot transport allergens, dust, pollen and insects into your home and offers relief for those with allergies and respiratory conditions. 

Mold and mildew are serious health risks that result from moisture in your home. A non-insulated structure as well as some types of insulation are susceptible to moisture and lead to mildew growth and airborne mold spores that penetrate your space. Mold can be the reason for unhealthy air quality and can cause your home's decay. 

Pest Control

Openings in the attic or your crawl space are the perfect entering points for rodents, bats and bugs to your home. Spray Foam Insulation can close these openings and offers no food value to rodents and pests. It is therefore less attractive for animals to chew through and the air seal prevents air draws that they are looking for. 

While spray foam insulation cannot help with an existing pest control problem and is in no way a repellant, it can definitely help keep unwanted pests out of your home and offers a layer of defense to your structures. 

Sound absorption

Open cell foam works as a sound-reducing measure as sound is airborne and the foam creates an air seal to your space. By filling wall voids with spray foam, resonances are curbed and sounds are prevented from leaving or entering the insulated space. Insulating your home with SPF will therefore lower outside noises (that loud garbage truck in the morning!) as well as noises between rooms (that loud toilet flush!).