Ice Dams and How to Prevent Them

Building Science, Home Maintenance, Insulation, R-Value, Roof Health

Does your house have icicles hanging from the roof during the winter? If so, there is something going on that could potentially cost you thousands of dollars. It is called an ice dam and here’s how to prevent them.

What is an ice dam?

If the attic isn’t properly insulated, during the winter the warm air will escape and melt the first layer of snow on your roof. Many uneducated contractors will tell you to increase your attic insulation to prevent ice dams. While this may slow down the buildup of ice dams, it will essentially increase the speed of your heat loss. Consequently, the heat loss will make your home less efficient.

DIYers (do-it-yourself) like to solve the problem by putting heat tape on the roof, but that can be incredibly damaging to the shingles. Furthermore, the tape does not solve the problem, which is inefficient insulation and heat loss.

The layer of snow that is against the roof will melt and run down the roof shingles. You can’t see this happening because it is under the pile of snow. Once the water reaches the overhang where it is colder, an ice dam starts to form. This process happens over and over; the ice dam gets bigger; and the water gets higher. Eventually, water will get under the shingles!

As the melting continues, the ice dam and water lift the shingle more and more. Eventually, it hits the top of the shingle. That is when water can get into your house, and potentially cause thousands of dollars in damage.

How to prevent ice dams

Whether you are creating a conditioned or unconditioned attic, we recommend the same things.

Seal the gaps – First you need to air seal any gaps or holes in the floor or roof. There are several products that we suggest you use. Please contact us so we can help you decide which product is best for you.
Use correct R-value – Make sure you have enough R-value. Remember, fiberglass doesn’t have a constant R-value so we don’t recommend it. In southern New Hampshire, you need a minimum of an R-49.
Ventilate the attic – If you plan to insulate the attic floor, make sure to allow for proper ventilation to prevent condensation. If you are not sure you have adequate insulation, give us a call and we will come out and take a look.

Using a spray foam in the attic is the best choice because it fills the holes and crevices. We recommend closed cell spray foam for several reasons:

It has a higher R-value per inch than open cell spray foam.
Closed cell spray foam is a vapor barrier and water can’t permeate it.
It sticks to the walls and fills all the crevices and holes.

To learn more about Closed Cell Spray Foam, watch our video on YouTube.

Don’t Make These Basement Insulation Mistakes

Building Science, Insulation, Save Money

Incorrectly installed basement insulation is a common error. We see this problem not only with do-it-yourself installation, but also with contractor installation. The results can be disastrous as severe mold and mildew may become a problem, not to mention the loss of money on your heating bill. This is why we beg you, “don’t make these basement insulation mistakes.”

Use Treated Lumber

Since most basements are inherently moist, you need to keep all untreated wood away from the concrete surfaces. Moisture below the slab can wick up into the concrete and get to the base plates of the wall. Therefore, you need to make certain the bottom plate of the wall is treated lumber.

Avoid Using Fiberglass Insulation in Basements

As seen in the photo above, putting polyethylene over fiberglass insulation is a no-no as it doesn’t allow the insulation to breathe. Consequently, this homeowner had moisture build-up and ultimately mold growth!

For years contractors have been treating basements much like regular living space. It’s not uncommon to see fiberglass insulation in direct contact with basement foundation walls. Here in the northeast, we see several common mistakes, including:

Plastic vapor barrier against concrete wall, fiberglass insulation inside stud wall, then drywall
Fiberglass insulation inside a “bag” hanging from the rim joist down along the foundation wall
Stud wall filled with fiberglass insulation an inch or two away from the concrete wall^[1]

Those mistakes can increase the chances for mold to grow.

What Causes Mold to Grow in Basements?

Mold can grow on virtually any organic material as long as it has the right moisture level and oxygen. Because mold eats or digests what it is growing on, it can damage a building and its furnishings. If left unchecked, mold eventually can cause structural damage to building materials and can cause health problems. That’s why we don’t want mold in our basements! Specifically, we can prevent damage to buildings and building contents in the basement areas, save money, and avoid these potential health problems by controlling moisture.

According to the EPA, indoor relative humidity in homes should be kept below 60 percent — ideally between 30 and 50 percent. ^[2] In addition to preventing mold formation, maintaining the correct humidity levels may also have a bonus effect. It may discourage pests such as cockroaches, silverfish (bristletails), and dust mites from showing up where you don’t want them!

To measure the humidity of your home or basement, you need to buy a humidity meter and track the relative humidity level. That is the first part of understanding the mold problem in your home or basement.

Education Needed

If contractors are still using fiberglass insulation in basements, it means that we in the industry need to do a better job educating our builders. In order to understand the issues with basement insulation, you first must understand the role of vapor barriers in basements.

Use the Right Insulation

Over the years, we’ve come to rely on two main approaches for basement insulation projects and remodeling, including closed cell spray foam and rigid foam board. When installed in the correct thickness, these two methods result in a proper vapor barrier and superior insulation.

Get Educated – Be the Pro!

Today, the building industry and building science are changing rapidly. In order to stand out in the competition and provide a professional service to your clients, you need to stay educated on the latest methods. You can be sure that the team at The Green Cocoon is up-to-date on the latest insulation practices in order to bring our clients the best product possible.

If you have questions or need a quote on your next insulation project, contact us and we’d be happy to help.

^[1] Be the Pro. Avoiding Basement Insulation Mistakes. Retrieved from bethepro.com.

^[2] United States Environmental Protection Agency. Mold Course Chapter 2. Retrieved from epa.gov.

Did You Know? Insulation R-Value Changes

Building Science, R-Value

In the world of building construction, improvement, and insulation, we talk about R-value all the time. Usually, we talk about it as if it’s a constant number. We see R-19 stamped right there on the product, so that’s what it is, right? Well, did you know that the insulation R-value changes?

What Is R-Value?

R-value is a measure of resistance to heat flow through a given thickness of material. Furthermore, it is important, but it’s just one of a few key factors that determines the effectiveness of an insulation material. R-value is tested in an air-tight vacuum chamber, which means that typical insulation materials like fiberglass and cellulose do not actually perform with that value unless paired with intense air sealing measures.

^[1]

How Is R-value measured?

Because of scams involving R-value claims that didn’t match reality, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) devised the R-value Rule to protect buyers of insulating products. In fact, in 2013 the FTC handed down its largest fine ever ($350,000) to a company claiming that its paint had an R-value of 100.^[2]

So, the R-value Rule requires testing insulation using one of four American Society of Test Methods (ASTM) standards. The basic requirement is that the mean temperature must be 75° F (24° C) with a temperature difference of 50° F (28° C) across the insulation.^[3]

According to Building Science Corporation, most R-value testing is done with a temperature of 50° F (10° C) on the cold side and 100° F (38° C) on the hot side.^[4]

The Lowdown on R-value

The main point here is that R-value isn’t some constant number for a given material, and installation isn’t the only factor that affects it. As you can see above, temperature has a significant effect as well.

The team at The Green Cocoon knows that the performance of the insulation is affected by how well it is installed. Energystar.gov has developed guidelines for grading the quality of installation. Moreover, they’ve developed a table that shows what levels of insulation are cost-effective for different climates and locations in the home.^[5]

Compression

Improperly installed insulation loses its R-value. For example, fiberglass can lose up to 50 percent of its prescribed R-value when compressed. Additionally, when you compress fiberglass batt insulation, the R-value per inch goes up, but the overall R-value goes down because you have less inches or thickness of insulation.^[6]

Fear not, closed cell spray foam is the only insulation material that has an almost constant R-value. The reason is because you cannot pass air through it or compress it.

[1] Building Performance Institute (April 4, 2017). What Does R-Value Mean? Retrieved from bpihomeowner.org.

[2] FTC.gov (January 31, 2013). FTC Action Leads to Court Order: Home Insulation Marketer to Pay $350,000. Retrieved from ftc.gov.

[3] Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (March 31, 2020). R-value Rule. Retrieved from ecfr.gov.

[4] Building Science Corporation (April 12, 2013). Info-502: Temperature Dependence of R-values in Polyisocyanurate Roof Insulation. Retrieved from buildingscience.com.

[5] Energy.gov. Recommend Home Insulation R-Values. Retrieved from energy.gov.

[6] Insulation Institute. The Facts About Compressing Fiber Glass Insulation. Retrieved from insulationinstitute.org.

Understanding and Managing Thermal Bridging

Building Science, R-Value, Thermal Bridging

When you are ready to insulate your living space, you may be contemplating what R-value you will need. And why not? It is the most widely accepted measure of insulation and often aligns with a minimum code requirement. But assuming that your wall assembly will realize the R-value of your insulation ignores a crucial variable in building science—thermal bridging. Understanding and managing thermal bridging will make your living space more comfortable. And, it will save you money!

What is thermal bridging?

Thermal bridging is when a particularly conductive (or poorly insulating) material allows heat flow across a thermal barrier. Physics dictates that hot wants to go to cold and a thermal bridge is a perfect invitation. The best analogy is to think studs within an insulated wall. The insulation on either side of a stud will do its job of limiting heat flow. But, the wooden stud, which has a much lower R-value, will not. These bridges can become expressways of heat loss.

How does this work in a home?

To understand and manage thermal bridging, let’s continue with the stud example. The typical R-value of a 2×4 wooden stud is 4.4, while the insulation on either side is much higher—typically greater than R13. The result of this bridge is heat being transferred and a significant loss in the wall’s effective R-value. In a wood stud wall with R20 insulation, thermal bridging can reduce the effective R-value to as low as R15. One of the worst thermal bridges is a metal stud. This can reduce effective R-value by as much as 80 percent. Along with studs, other typical building materials that create thermal bridges are metal fasteners, plates, headers, and windows. Typically, you can observe these all around a house—roofs, walls, fenestrations, for example.

The impacts of thermal bridging

If you are losing heat through thermal bridges, the efficacy of your climate control system decreases and uses more energy. Furthermore, these bridges can create cold spots within your walls where condensation can easily form. This moisture can produce a whole host of issues to the wall cavity—mold and mildew or rot, to name a few. Excessive moisture also challenges the structural integrity of your wall.

How do we prevent or limit thermal bridging?

Luckily advancements in building science and common sense can really help limit thermal bridging. Realistically, most homes will have some thermal bridging happening, but there are tools at our disposal to help prevent it.

Exterior insulation – According to Havelockwool.com, a better term would be “out-sulation.” This means that by wrapping the exterior of your home in insulation you can prevent (or dramatically reduce) the common thermal bridging via wall studs. Cork is a great option. You can spray foam the exterior, add rigid board or Rockwool as well.
Advanced house framing or Optimum Value Engineering – The goal of this building technique is to reduce lumber used in framing, which reduces thermal bridging. There are a lot of strategies incorporated, including spacing wall studs up to 24 inches on center, eliminating headers in non- load-bearing walls, designing on two-foot modules to make the best use of common sheet sizes, and to reduce waste.
Insulated studs – The company T Stud produces an R19 stud that is a thermally broken, insulated wall stud assembly. They also have the BareNaked Tstud™, which is an uninsulated, thermally broken wall stud that you can insulate with the insulation of your choice. These studs can not only reduce thermal bridging, but they are incredibly strong.
“Alternative” Wall Assemblies – Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) are a common alternative to stick-built construction and can help limit thermal bridging. These panels have an insulated foam core between two rigid board sheathing materials, which when installed properly, can provide a continuous air and vapor barrier. There are issues, however, including the use of foam. Bamcore makes a bamboo wall system that is an environmentally friendly, extremely high-performance option.

Understanding and managing thermal bridging is easy

In conclusion, understanding and managing thermal bridging is a must because thermal bridging happens in every home. And, if you are constructing a new building, you can take care of that very easily. If you have older construction or renovation, you can use the best insulation possible in between the base to mitigate the amount of thermal bridging happening.

This article is based on an article from Havelockwool.com.

The Green Cocoon Offers Financing Through Hearth

Financing

The Green Cocoon (TGC) has partnered with Hearth, a San Francisco-based company offering various financing options that can save consumers thousands of dollars during their home renovations. TGC is working with Hearth to help you find financing options that best fit your needs.

Make smarter financial decisions

The new financing options help homeowners make smart financial decisions about their renovations. Also, they show homeowners how to craft an accurate budget for their remodels.

Helping you during this pandemic

“We learned about Hearth while researching financing companies,” said James Materkowski, owner and president of The Green Cocoon. “Offering financing, especially in the midst of a pandemic, allows a homeowner to pay for their project with predictable, monthly payments without tapping into the equity of their home.”

green-cocoon-insulation-me-spray-foam-technician

The new financial tool can check rates in under two minutes and loans are typically funded in one to five days. One exciting feature is the no prepayment penalty option. You can pay off the loan early with no additional fees! If you’ve been considering upgrading the insulation in your home, download our flyer to learn more about this exciting new financing option. Even though it is summer, now is the time to act. The cold months come in quickly and our schedule fills up! So, why not insulate and be warm this winter! Apply today!

VP Candace Lord Featured in Spray Foam Magazine

News, Team

Our VP Candace Lord was recently featured in “Spray Foam Magazine” in their Contractor’s Corner. The article was titled, “Butterfly: How the vice president of a Massachusetts-based SPF company used her strength and determination to prevail.”

Lord, who started as the office manager in 2011 running everything from the office to marketing and sales, was promoted to Vice President in 2018 and now focuses mainly on sales. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Foreign Language from Northeastern University. Read the article.

Homeowners Beware: Isynene Spray Foam and Your Safety

Building Science, Green, Insulation, Safety

How safe is it to re-enter my home after installing Icynene® spray foam?

Homeowners and building managers often ask us about a product called Icynene, a liquid spray foam insulation. Icynene Inc. claims people can re-enter the building one hour after installation. We decided to investigate that claim for ourselves.

The Green Cocoon follows OSHA’s and the manufacturers’ guidelines when using spray foam insulation. Those guidelines state that re-entry should only happen 24 hours after installation has been completed.

Let’s Do Some Math

According to icynene.com, “Low VOC Icynene Classic Max and Icynene ProSeal spray foam products allow for re-entry after 1 hour and re-occupancy after 2 hours of active ventilation (at 40 ACH) following installation, allowing for minimal impact on construction schedules.”

Let’s have a look at 40 ACH (40 air changes per hour). Take a small, 2-story house that has a 24’ x 36’ footprint, which is 864 square feet. If we figure it has two stories at 8 feet tall, the basement is 8 feet tall, and the band joists are 1 foot tall, that’s an overall height of 25 feet.

Now let’s take the square footage (864 feet) times the overall height (25 feet) and you’ve got 21,600 cubic feet. When multiplied by 40 ACH, you will have to move 864,000 cubic feet of air in an hour!

If we take the cubic feet of air moved in an hour and divide it by 60 minutes, we calculate that we’ll need to move 14,400 cubic feet of air per minute. That takes some pretty big fans, but the average insulation company uses fans that move 2,500 cfm of air (like the one in the photo). That means that you have to have six of these fans running while you are spraying and you’ll need to leave them running for an hour once you finish spraying. And this is on a small house! The larger the house, the more fans you will need!

TGC regularly works on homes that would require 12 or more fans to hit the number. That is a lot of fans to purchase, set up, take down, and move around from job to job.

Safety First

Ask your contractor how many and what size fans they are planning to use if they install Icynene. We suggest you stop by the home and take a peek to make sure the contractor uses the right number of fans needed (see math above). Your safety should come first.

TGC chooses not to offer Icynene spray foam as Icynene reps are only allowed to spray Icynene. TGC is an independent spray foam insulation company, so we spray the product that we think is the greenest and safest for our customers. We don’t like to be pigeon-holed into using one product that might not be the best fit.

Before you purchase any spray foam insulation, get a second opinion from The Green Cocoon.

Spray Foam and Metal Buildings

Building Science, Insulation

To foam or not to foam. Why you might choose to use spray foam inside a metal building even though the interior is not heated or cooled.

One of our frequently asked questions is whether there is a benefit to spraying two or three inches of foam on the inside of a metal building, even though it is not going to be heated or cooled. The answer may surprise you.

Savings or Comfort?

Are you looking for savings or comfort? If a metal building is going to be air-conditioned (cooled) or heated, then we expect the building to be insulated. It is our job to help you save money by offering the best insulation possible. However, sometimes savings is not the key reason that you decide to buy spray foam insulation. Sometimes, it all comes down to comfort.

Baby It’s Hot in Here!

If the temperature outside is 100°F, then the outside skin of your metal building is going to be around 150°F. It won’t take long before the radiant heat from the metal skin radiates to the inside of the building.

Insulate with Spray Foam!

If you have high traffic in your building, or you plan to leave the doors open to allow large equipment to be moved, you may opt to not condition the structure. You may think it is a waste of time. But when you insulate the building on the inside, especially with spray foam, you create a radiant barrier— a barrier between the heat source and your living space.

In the south, for example, the inside temperature will remain around 100°F during the hottest part of the day, even after the sun goes down. The temperature will be pretty close to the outside roof deck. If you didn’t have that radiant break on the inside walls and underside of the roof deck, the radiant heat would come off of the metal and heat the space. Thus, you would get a hotter environment inside than the temperature outside because of the radiant load coming off of the roof deck.

You see this happen a lot inside attics, metal buildings, workshops, etc., where you don’t get consistent conditioning. If you have a radiant load that is building up and a surface that gets really hot, then it radiates some of that energy to the air inside the space.

If you have insulation questions, check out our Frequently Asked Questions page or contact us. We would be happy to help you!

Got Cobwebs? Air Is Coming In!

Building Science, Energy Efficiency, Insulation

Did you know that spiders make cobwebs in the draftiest areas of your home? That is because it gives them the best chance of catching a flying insect. Got cobwebs? That means air is coming in the house. Moreover, you can use the cobwebs to find where the drafts are!

Tons of Cobwebs

During a recent visit to a potential customer, The Green Cocoon team was shocked to see how many cobwebs there were (see photos below). We have never seen that many cobwebs in a basement, and the basement isn’t even that old!

Time to Insulate!

“Combined with improvements to insulation and the heating/cooling system, air sealing improves your comfort, increases indoor air quality, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by reducing your energy use. It’s called “home performance.” (The Climate Center)

In conclusion, if you have cobwebs in your basement or anywhere in your home, contact us and we will help you eliminate the incoming air problem.

The Green Cocoon - Insulation against cobwebs

Does Spray Foam Damage Roof Shingles?

Building Science, Energy Efficiency, Home Maintenance, Insulation

Has anyone ever told you that spray foam insulation will damage your roof shingles and void your warranty? Guess what? They are wrong!

Founded in 2007, The Green Cocoon has more than 14 years of experience; insulating attics. As a result, we have heard many stories about shingles. But, the biggest fear is that your roof shingles will be damaged by spray foam insulation. Consequently, we are helping alleviate homeowners’ fears by showing them the benefits of having spray foam insulation.

Is Spray Foam Bad for Shingles?

One of the biggest fears people have is that spray foam will make shingles curl because they overheat. This misconception came about when people believed insulation was a heat source and were concerned about having a “hot roof.” In actuality spray foam is a barrier between two areas of different temperatures, for example, your attic space compared to your snowy roof.

Photo courtesy of RetroFoam of Michigan

If you don’t know the term “hot roof,” I’m sure you’ve heard of an unvented attic. If your roof deck has been insulated, that means your attic space is now part of your home’s conditioned space. This method of insulating the attic can actually be good for your roof because it can help prevent ice dams.

The Florida Solar Energy Center did a study a few years ago during the peak summer months in Florida—a state that gets much hotter than New England—measuring the temperatures of roof shingles above an attic with a radiant barrier. Depending on the color of the shingles, the study found the shingles peak temperatures were between 2- and 5-degrees Fahrenheit higher than the temperature of shingles in the same conditions without a radiant barrier.

What this study means is that you can insulate the roof deck of your home with foam insulation without any adverse effects to your shingles. Foam insulation creates thermal resistance, which is keeping the hot air out during the summer and the cool air inside.

Insulating Your Attic with Spray Foam

Now that we’ve shown you the research that your shingles won’t curl or get ruined with spray foam insulation, you might be curious about the benefits of foam insulation in your attic.

If you have general questions, check out the FAQ section of our website. For more in-depth questions, contact us and we would be happy to answer any them.