Frequently Asked Questions
Icynene® is an open-celled, water blown, spray foam insulation and air barrier material that seals walls, floors and ceiling cavities against air movement, including spaces around electrical outlets and light fixtures and where walls meet windows and doors. This means, when applied along with proper sealants for gaps between double stud joints and double sill plates etc, Icynene can provide an effective air barrier insulation to minimize air infiltration (either hot or cold) through walls & ceilings, preventing drafts, cold spots and energy loss. It also means that humid indoor/outdoor air is restricted from entering the walls & ceilings and condensing, thereby minimizing the possibility of moisture entrapment & build-up within the wall & ceiling cavities. This is conducive to preventing building envelope failure due to moisture damage.
The trained and licensed Icynene installers will do a custom installation on the building site, ensuring a perfect fill into all sized & shaped cavities every time. Also, Icynene reduces many labor intensive jobs such as taping, caulking and any air-tightening details generally associated with conventional (air permeable) insulation products. It can shorten the construction time as well as lower the labor costs by providing both the building envelope air seal as well as insulation. By virtue of its millions of tiny inter-connected air cells and its stable chemical & physical properties, Icynene can maintain its installed R-values throughout its service life, contrary to air permeable insulation types that lose their field thermal performance over time due to the deterioration in the insulation quality (sagging & shrinking) and ongoing convective current loops within the insulation (up to 50% loss).
Icynene is one of the most extensively tested insulation materials on the market today in many different categories: fire, emissions, sound transmission, energy performance etc. Many Canadian & the US governmental research organizations have participated in the evaluation process on Icynene.
In Canada, Icynene has been evaluated by the Canadian Construction Materials Center (CCMC) of the National Research Council (NRC) and we have a CCMC evaluation report listed on their website under the report number: 12070-R. Visit http://irc.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/ccmc/index_e.html and type “Icynene 12070” in the search field. Also, emission testing was conducted and analyzed by the Saskatchewan Research Council. Other Canadian evaluation organizations that have evaluated our product include the Institute for Research in Construction, Health and Welfare Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Housing, Materials Evaluation Commission.
In the US, we have a product evaluation report from the ICC Evaluation Service under the report number: ESR-1826. This evaluation report is effective nationwide and any jurisdiction that adopts the ICC code in the US will generally accept this report. Other US evaluation institutes that have conducted an evaluation on Icynene are the NAHB Research Center, the Oak Ridge National Laboratories and the Florida Solar Energy Center.
Advantages of Flexible Foam? Buildings expand and contract due to temperature differentials, moisture content, wind load and seismic etc. If a foam is rigid, it can't accommodate the movement of the building and will inevitably develop cracks and delamination along the framing and eventually the air seal will be breached. However, with flexible foam like Icynene, it can remain adhered to the substrate even in the face of seasonal building movement and thereby maintain its air seal over the long term.
For builders, Icynene can reduce construction time by simplifying the insulation process and minimizing the number of callbacks due to building envelope failure as a result of air borne moisture entrapment & buildup within the cavities. To give an idea as to how tight the Icynene insulated houses are, many blower door tests have shown that houses insulated with Icynene and without polyethylene vapor barrier, measure 1.2 ACH @50 Pa. de-pressurization. This is well under the 1.5 ACH @ 50 Pa rating set out for some of the most stringent energy efficient home building programs such as R-2000 in Canada & Building America in US. Heating and cooling costs are typically reduced by up to 50% and smaller, less expensive heating and cooling equipment can be used because of the reduced heating & cooling loads.
For homeowners, this means lower heating & cooling costs from reduced air infiltration and a more comfortable home, draft free without cold spots. Also, Icynene's continuous air barrier capability will significantly reduce unwanted air borne noise from the outside resulting in a quieter interior living space. Proper mechanical ventilation must be provided to Icynene insulated houses and when merged with an air to air heat exchanger like HRV or ERV, superior air quality can be achieved for a healthier indoor environment.
| What is the Composition of Icynene®? | Go to Top |
Icynene is a water-blown half pound plastic foam insulation that contains no environmentally harmful blowing agents like HFCs, HCFCs or HFAs. Organic chemical compounds from petroleum extract are the main source of its ingredients. VOC emission testing by Saskatchewan Research Council has revealed that there were no VOC emissions after 30 days.
How Long Does it Take to Cure?
Foam takes less than 10 seconds to expand to 100 times its original volume and become fully cured, ready for drywall application.
Does the Foam Absorb Water? No, it does not absorb water. However, water can work its way through the foam under pressure or by gravity force. When the foam is placed on water it will float and upon removal it will not contain any water and it does not lose any of its insulating properties. But, if it is immersed under water, water can be forced into the foam by the hydrostatic pressure; however, once it is removed from water and allowed to dry out, the original insulating properties will return.
Does the Foam Entrap Moisture?
Icynene® Insulation is vapor permeable and this allows water vapor molecules to flow through the foam. This means any moisture in the building's concrete or lumber can escape through the insulation as the building dries out, thus eliminating moisture that could cause rot or mold.
Does the Foam Change Physically Over Time?
No, it is a chemically inert material and it will not change neither chemically nor physically over time.
No, Icynene® is considered to be an environmentally preferred product because of its contribution to indoor air quality as well as reductions in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Icynene is listed in the industry-recognized GreenSpec® Directory; a compendium of over 2,000 environmentally preferable products (http://www.buildinggreen.com/ ). GreenSpec® products are selected based on independent research which ensures unbiased, quality information.
Flammability and Fire-Rating? Icynene® insulation has achieved a flame spread index less than 20 and smoke development index less than 400 according to ASTM E84. This is a Class 1 fire rating for construction materials. Also, Icynene has no fuel contribution effect, meaning it does not support fire by itself. Nonetheless, it is a combustible material and as per building code requirement, it requires a 15min. thermal barrier to separate it from the interior occupied space.
| Does Icynene® Contain Potentially Toxic PBDE Flame Retardants? |
No, flame retardants such as PBDE's (poly-brominated diphenyl ethers) or any other brominated compounds are not contained in Icynene's formulations.
What Does the Smoke Contain? Smoke from Icynene® foam, like that of all organic materials including wood, is a complex mixture of many gasses. The major components in the smoke from Icynene® insulation are carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. When there is a fire in the building, the dry wall interior finish will provide at least 15 minutes of time before Icynene is involved in the fire. This will provide adequate time for egress of the building.
Icynene® is safe for both you and the environment. It is water-blown, and does not emit HFCs or HCFCs. It has been extensively tested in both Canada and the United States and found to have no VOCs detected after 30 days following installation.
The product is in fact recommended for use in homes for many environmentally concerned people. Icynene® has been the choice of the American Lung Association Health House projects on numerous occasions.
How is Icynene® Installed? There are two different ways to install Icynene® insulation — spray it into open building envelope cavities such as studded walls, ceilings and floors or pour it into existing wall cavities when retrofitting. An Icynene trained, licensed Dealer must be hired to do the job in both cases.
With any open cavity, Icynene® insulation can be directly spray-applied once electrical and plumbing services are in place. It then expands to 100 times its initial volume in seconds, permanently adhering to the surfaces of the surrounding building materials and sealing all gaps and voids.
For retrofitting existing walls, a slower expanding formulation of Icynene (pour-foam) is used during the retrofit. The material is simply injected into small holes drilled into plaster or gypsum faced walls, or from the outside of the wall, whichever provides the easiest access to the cavities.
Icynene® insulation has been on the market since 1986 and is in hundreds of thousands of homes/ buildings across North America. It has also been featured in segments of ''This Old House'' and ''Your New House''.
Any Electric Wiring Overheating Problems? No, Icynene® insulation has been tested and found to be safe. It has been applied over electrical wiring for over twenty years.
Is the Insulation Corrosive to Metals? No, Icynene® insulation is non-corrosive. Testing has been conducted to confirm this property.
| Does the Insulation Support Bacteria or Fungal Growth? | Go to Top |
Icynene® insulation offers no food value; therefore it does not support bacteria or fungal growth. It also does not retain water, making it an unappealing environment for fungal spores. University of Texas has done an experiment on mold growth ability on three different insulation types (Icynene, Fiberglass with foil face and Fiberglass with vapor barrier). Icynene was found to be the best deterrent for mold growth among the types tested.
What About Mice and Termites? Icynene® Insulation offers no food value, but it would not present a barrier to their entry if they decided to gnaw through it.
What Are the Acoustic Properties? As an effective air-seal, Icynene® eliminates the air gaps through which airborne sound travels and is superior in controlling mid-range frequencies noise, which includes the most common sounds, the human voice and stereo music. Icynene® thereby adds to the acoustic property of the building envelope.
Is Icynene® Urea Formaldehyde? | Does Icynene® Break Down, Sag or Shrink? | Go to Top |
No, Icynene® Insulation is stable. It does not shrink or sag. The reaction that creates Icynene® Insulation is irreversible and it cannot break down into its constituent parts.
R-Value of Icynene® Insulation? R-value is determined from a controlled laboratory test of an insulation's resistance to conductive heat flow. Icynene's R-value is 3.6/inch according to ASTM C518.
Are These Aged Values? Closed cell foams that contain blowing agents, like HFC, HCFC or HFA, can suffer from reduced R-values as a result of blowing agent loss as air leakage takes place into the cell structure. The R-value of Icynene is generated by millions of tiny inter-connected, air-filled cells and the R-value does not decline as it ages.
| R-Value of an Icynene®-insulated Wall or Ceiling? | Go to Top |
Icynene has an R-value of 3.6/inch according to ASTM C-518 testing. R-values of insulating materials are measured in laboratories under ideal conditions and the conductive heat transfer property is the only property that is measured. However, in reality, convective heat transfer plays a big role when it comes to energy performance of a house. Icynene provides superior energy performance over air-permeable insulation because of its air barrier capability even though they both have similar R-values.
Extensive computer modeling and field data have shown that the energy performance of Icynene at much lower R-values almost always outperforms fiberglass insulation in the field due to its superior air-sealing ability. Hence, although we usually recommend lower R-values than fiberglass, Icynene's thermal performance in the field is superior in terms of the energy efficiency of a house.
| At What Stage is Icynene® Installed? | |
Icynene usually gets installed just before drywall installation. Everything including the framing, windows, doors and electrical, plumbing inspections should be completed before the installation of Icynene. Following the application of Icynene® the installation of ½ inch dry wall will provide the thermal barrier cover when required by the codes.
| How do I Arrange for Installation of Icynene® in My Home? | Go to Top |
You should talk to your builder early and let him know that you would like to have Icynene® installed in your home. Then, contact your local Icynene Dealer for detailed information regarding the application. They can be located on the Icynene website (http://www.icynene.com/) under Dealer locator on the home page. Icynene® can provide a demonstration videotape and technical support so that Icynene® is an available option for your home.
