I’m a chimney guy- this guy does not understand air balance and is confusing and conflating different issues. Don’t listen to him. Please, you need proper air intake and air balancing. It is an entire science. Don’t blame the insulation system.
I've been spraying foam for 12 years now, it is a great product and very beneficial but unfortunately consumer is never given full info. You have to have fresh air intake!!!!!! on HVAC system
I agree with you chimney guy - I had a similar issue with the smoke roll, but I don't have spray foam - my issues were that my fireplace for one, didn't have the correct lip ratio for natural ventilation of smoke to roll up the shoot vs into the house, also I had a few cracked tiles that allowed smoke to escape areas that were dangerous, a bucket of the correct material fixed the issues - note - if you have a wood burning fireplace...I know you want a roaring fire some nights, but it's not sustainable over time - build a bon fire pit outside for that - if you have a grand fireplace like on yellowstone, then no worries...
The title should be changed to: Do not use newbie HVAC guy! A few issues: 1.) Spray foam should cover the rafters. 2.) You need to supply air through an ERV or HRV. 3.) ALL fireplaces require fresh air to be supplied from outside. Most builders are unaware. 4.) Towels are not drying because humidity is too high in the house because HVAC is over sized and not having enough runtime. Your AC is a dehumidifier and if not oversized it will run long enough to pull humidity out of the home. Spray foam is an inert material that does one job really well and that is to slow the transfer of heat. It is the job of the Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning contractor to do the appropriate calculations to determine proper air flow. It is a SCIENCE not a guess and 500 sq ft / ton is not the answer. cheers!
Good insulated or well shaded home should go no more than 1 ton per 1000sqf. I even undersize a little and run the ac for hours, which makes for a very comfortable low humidity home. To run the AC for hours is fine. On and off on and off AC causes more strain.
Basically every problem brought up in the video has nothing to do with the spray foam and everything to do with the fly by night, oversized, and incomplete hvac setup put into the house. Spent a fortune on spray foam, cheapen out everywhere else, complain.... Seems to be a common theme on TH-cam....
I'm an HVAC contractor, 2 minutes into this video and already I realized this guy's problem is not enough fresh air being taken into the envelope of the building.
@@BrantleyBlended bright enough to understand the problem and be open to suggestions, not bright enough to figure out how to correct click Bait video title. Bulb might be a little loose there bud
@@BrantleyBlended I'm sorry to hear that but the little bit of the HVAC in your videos it shows. Those units in your attic have all flex duct and no real duct work ran. It makes a huge difference on how the units perform over the life of the equipment. That's the difference between a quality hvac contractor and one that just in does the bare basic to get paid....
This was comedic gold, I dont find to many things funny in life ant more, but this made me smile, I hope you get it figured out, the video should be titled why to buy spray foam, and why its important to ventilate correctly.
Sounds like the contractor that sprayed your home didn’t educate you properly. Everything you said isn’t really a foam problem. It’s a ventilation problem. We always advocate to “insulate tight, ventilate right”. They insulated tight but didn’t ventilate right. Like stated above you need an air recovery unit. We always tell a customer that’s doing a whole house to have a air recovery unit installed. Foam is always the easier thing to blame when you actually have an HVAC issue.
@@bobketterer9119 yes you have to have a fresh air system and now these days they have 90 percent efficient ones my brother has a spray foam house it stays cool and now me and him are in the spray foam business
Spray foam is a miricle product. I have a Santa Fe whole house dehumidifier and its the best investment i have ever made. In this video you certainly have ventilation problems. Get a SMART Hvac contractor and instead of complaining get your home ventilating properly. The next problem in your home will be mold.
exactly. has he never worn a really warm down coat before and had to open it up every once in a while to air out the moisture? germans have super efficient houses and habitually open their windows a few minutes a day
@@wkdj2522 Fresh air and air movement is by far the most impoartant part of any system... regardless if its a 60's home that whistles in the wind, or if its almost hermetically sealed like a cooler (in the case of this guys home). He had it spray foamed but disregarded every aspect of the build... spray foam is only one part of a system. and its that system that you need to think about in your design, not just single components.
All you need to do is add an air exchange so your house can breath. We had the same problem and did all the things you have mentioned, the air exchange has fixed everything.
@@divinee.155 I've made electrical repairs myself. . takes common sense.. If you have to pay for repairs, home ownership might not be your cup of tea anyway.. good luck paying for repairs PERIOD..
@@chipsammich2078 Yep, I lost my career as a golf course supt., but after 20 years in that business, I am an electrician, plumber, carpenter, concrete finisher, mechanic, etc. I make half the money I used to, but have the time to make repairs. I marvel at how people can't even unclog a drain and pay $100 bucks. I have done expensive car repairs myself, but certainly do my own maintenance. I can install tile, flooring, ceilings, sheetrock, etc. So called smart people can't turn off the water when they have a leak in their house!
We’re building a house now and the first question the hvac guy asked is if we were using spray foam. He said , like in most of the comments, that you have to size your unit and fresh air differently with spray foam.
Your HVAC guy sucks, your ac should be removing the majority of your humidity. You should also have a fresh air vent allowing fresh air into the house. You should probably take this video down.
So there’s a lot of great comments here and you are acknowledging that you need an ERV. Please change the title and description of the video to reflect the real issue. Air management, not spray foam.
The house needs to breathe. You can not seal the entire house. The house needs to draw and vent air. Otherwise, it will cause a lot of issues. Spray foam needs to be applied in correct methods.
No... HRVs and ERVs are low CFM and HVAC is high CFM. It's true that they need ventilation, but not integrated. They should be separately ducted. In fact, returns from ERVs/HRVs should draw from bathrooms and kitchens and supply bedrooms. HVACs should NEVER return from bathrooms or kitchens. So, good on the suggestion to ventilate, but duct them separately.
@@armorednite5588 it’s “integrated” because you dump the exchanged heat or cool from the HRV/ERV air back into your home via the HVAC ducting. Otherwise it’s just a vent fan dumping your conditioned air to the outside. The HRV/ERV brings in fresh air, through the exchanger and into your HVAC ducting. It’s integrated.
@@tycobb8621 That's not quite the way to think about it. Sure, it is cheaper to reuse ducting, but from a design perspective you are trying to do different things. As you bring makeup air into the house, you have already passed the ERV/HRV heat exchanger. You are not going to lose or gain any more heat because you chose to reuse ducts rather than have dedicated ones, as I recommend. The problem comes in that your HRV/ERV uses a low CFM low pressure fan, while your HVAC uses a high CFM fan that pushes air with higher pressure. If you supply to supply, your HRV/ERV is then fighting with your HVAC to push air into the supply duct while operating and may even reverse the flow. If you are supplying to return, then your more powerful HVAC may suck more makeup air than the HRV/ERV is designed to carry. The result will be that you exhaust more conditioned air (greater CFM from HVAC exhausting through your HRV/ERV). Bottom line... make them work as separately ducted systems.
I have nothing to contribute, I'm just so happy with all the comments ripping this video apart. "MY FOAM INSULATION IS WORKING FLAWLESSLY! DON'T SPRAY FOAM YOUR HOUSE!"
Spray foam is a wonderful product if everything is installed correctly. Problem is most folks do not know enough about it (installers included) to install it correctly and avoid pitfalls. We will get there one day, but its still in the newer phase (even though its several decades old) where the ins and outs are not yet, what i would consider, general building knowledge.
My son-in-law fixed his same exact fireplace issue you have by making the opening of his fireplace smaller. After he installed glass fireplace doors (that he leaves completely open while using fireplace mind you - it's the extra 1.5 inch around the perimeter of the frame that made the aperture of fireplace smaller) that changed the dynamics of his airflow and he never has smoke wade into the house anymore. This was professional advice given to him that worked. Try it.
Our home is 3 years old now, we used open and closed cell foam depending on location and other specs. We absolutely love it. I am very pleased. I also was warned about possible high humidity. We used a Inverter Rheem Heat Pump main floor and basement. Yes the inverter is expensive but runs longer on a super slow speed. Sometimes I walk by the condenser and the fan is barely turning and almost silent. My thermostats show temp and humidity all the time. I am always in the 40-45 % humidity. The basement almost never runs and still has low humidity. I am in Georgia with extreme temps and humidity. We have around 4500 sq ft, highest elec bill this summer was $380 at 74 degrees. I did lots of research and totally pleased. I also keep a temp and humidity sensor in the attic to monitor. About 15 degrees higher in the attic with low humidity. 3 Ton main level and 2 ton basement. So easy to cool and heat!
Have an HVAC tech lower your fan speed to the lowest possible cfm. This lowers the overall static pressure in the house which is rough in these types of homes. It also pulls the air across the coils slower and pulls more moisture out. There are a shit ton of options based purely on additions to your current HVAC system
I know it's been a couple of years and I do hope you found a way to make your house more comfortable, but I do think a situation like this could really use a heat recovery ventilator. You can heat or cool your incoming air so you don't lose your energy efficiency, but allow more flow. Then all the fans would work as they're supposed to. This should also fix the fireplace issue.
I agree. It seams as though whoever designed the house didn't consider the 'whole house' as a system. Perhaps one person designed the HVAC and another person designed the house's envelope. Anyone that is going to use spray foam should also look into things like whole-house, fresh-air, ventilation systems (HRV/ERV). Hopefully Blended can get something installed to control the airflow.
@@BrantleyBlended There are two kinds - HRV and ERV. One will transmit humidity - the other will not. They are determined based on your climate. You can also put one onto your fresh air intake on your HVAC. Call a pro to calculate it all for you. Panasonic also sells one that works as a bath fan. They are fantastic. I have mine on a timer. In the winter I run it all day. In the summer I run it all night. This helps save a little of the heat/AC loss.
I saw you other comment on getting an ERV but that won't solve all your issues. If your ERV exhaust vent replace your bathroom vents (which they should) then your overly humid bathrooms and towels drying issue should be solved. The ERV will help with humidity with regard to what is produced in your bathrooms. However it won't help with your kitchen exhaust and you still might have issues with your fireplace as those to things need make up air. The ERV is balance and will only be making jp air for its own exhaust. You need the ERV but you also need a make up air solution as well.
As you note in your other video, an ERV will fix 90% of the problems. They also make special bathroom and range hood vents that can connect to the erv to allow air IN the bathrooms to allow the exhaust out to work properly. It’s going to be quite a bit of work to install properly (vents in each room for example) but when you are done your problems should basically disappear. You may not even need the dehumidifier.
ERVs are ok but if his issues are moisture related which they are.. he really needs an HRV, HRVs only temperthe air and does NOT transfer humidity.. He doesnt need vents in each room either.. Just proper location of supply and return ducts also the air intake.. ERV transfers moisture also and is not what he needs... hes trying to get rid of the moisture... in the summer his traditional air conditioner will get the moisture out,,
@@SubStationSparky He has a humidity problem because he can't vent any of the moisture created by breathing, cooking, showers etc. He can use an ERV or HRV, as long as he has fresh air coming in it will get rid of a lot of his humidity problems.
And that’s expensive! To do all that could cost several thousand. Toxic fumes from spray foam. Get a laser particle counter and you’ll see just what kind of fumes you got.
Hello Brantley, I do HVAC in Florida and it may be if you didn’t decrease the tonnage of your systems after the insulation job your systems are not running long enough to remove the humidity. Too much tonnage is not a good thing it lowers the temperature too quickly not allowing the unit to run long enough to remove the humidity. Also (if you have not already) try putting the fan settings to a lower speed in the air handlers this may help some. Having proper return air to all rooms helps a lot and using thermostats with dehumidification capability. Good luck👍
After I install an ERV I might have an HVAC guy that I know look into lowering the fan speed. He told me that an HVAC unit needs to be sized different for a spray foamed house. It sounds like that’s what you are saying also. I don’t think the HVAC contractor that my general contractor used did any calculations or resizing based on the foam. I think he just stuck two units in here like he was doing any normal house. Thanks for the advice!
Without question is the issue, plus you’ve got 2 units in a house that doesn’t need it square footage-wise. Your units probably cool the house much too quickly to help with moisture.
It sounds like the insulation is working as intended. I didn’t realize how crucial ventilation becomes when the shell is too tight. Thanks for the insight!
Videos like these kill the foam industry. We have a tough time as it is, change the video title. These are simple things to fix, issues aren’t from the spray foam. Just need some extra steps added.
Maybe spray foam contractors should partner with HVAC contractors or begin to install the fresh or outside air (like we call it in buildings) themselves. When I was still working they using a piece of equipment called a heat wheel to bring in OA and ventilate the building. I never believed 5hey worked that good but maybe they are better now .
@@flhusa1 Did you just suggest that 2 separate tradesman work together on a project? You've obviously never been on a job site bud.. We do good not to kill eachother.
Dude it's not the spray foam...your fireplace wasn't installed correctly. Draw comes from the size of your flue. Again, heat rises. Weather it's a chimney or a range hood. That said, I believe that a house can be too air tight and I don't think it's healthy. So here's my recommendation. Yank some of the basement foam out of the walls and replace it with fiberglass. Also, install a fresh air intake in your hvac system.
Yep. Fellow tuber here. Thank you for this video. I’m building a home right now and I’m completely turned off by spray foam and these points that you’ve made make it even clearer. Plus I’ve been doing a lot of reading about long term off gassing and the air releasing carcinogenic properties into the air. If a home can’t breathe… the voc’s have to go somewhere. I don’t buy the clam that once it’s dried means it’s safe. It’s not green guard gold certified and polyurethane is a known carcinogen. Just crazy stuff man. Thanks for making this vid.
HVAC wasn't designed right... that's why he's having issues. Every house that is spray foam insulated should have a ERV or HRV installed at a minimum. Also, the HVAC systems need to be sized properly so the run long enough to remove humidity. Guarantee this guy's contractor did neither.
@@brianthompson9485 good and valid point for sure but I think the bigger question is, do we or should we be installing this level of chemicals inside our homes just to cut on energy costs? I feel like the addition of an ERV is absolutely the best choice in this case but the bigger solution is finding a better way of insulating without the cost of health (VOC side) and humidity (mold side)
@@Archifx I'm wondering if spray foam releases any greater amount of chemicals than spray in or roll insulation? I don't think newer products are probably any less toxic than the older ones personally. Curious what your opinion is.
@77jesseday so we should go back to living above the stable, using the cattle and horses to heat the house, while we sleep on straw and hay, which eventually gets fed to the animals. And don't forget the dirt sod roofing material, which was where the dogs and cats slept and when it rained they slid out which is where "It's raining cats and dogs" came from.
You should really change the video title to "DO NOT FORGET MAKE UP AIR". Not sure where you live are but every problem you mention is related to make up air. It's a pretty simple calculation with a blower test and it's a code violation in many states to install vents without calculating the required makeup air. Not sure what kind of heat you have but it's also very dangerous if you burn fossil fuel. You could end up shouse. Exhaust Carbon monoxide back into your house. Your builder should know all of this, and it should have been done durring construction. Pretty easy to fix, just add ventilation system.
Air seal tight, and ventilate it right. You have to install a balanced ventilation system such as HRV or ERV, as well as a kitchen range hood fan than includes a mechanical damper to bring in make up air. Also need a make up air vent for an open combustion wood burning fireplace.
Thanks for the video, it was fun to watch, I haven't chuckled through an entire video in a very long time, the guy speaking did a good job of really seeming to believe what he's saying - 12 minutes of total satire - Good work. But some people might not realize this is comedic satire and believe it is real, those people need to learn about HVAC outside air, HVAC economizers, HVAC mixer boxes and how HVAC should properly work, it's not a big expensive to do it correctly. Thanks for the video.
Put an intake vent in your crawlspace or basement. Your furnace should also have a combustion air intake, which serves the same purpose as long as it is piped to the open and not directly to the furnace.
I live in Florida. I agree with some of your assessment. I would like a whole house dehumidifier myself. Super humid days, it could make a difference. But I will say this. It is worth every penny in a hurricane. People with spray foam insulation and metal roofs -- houses were pretty much untouched, barring a tree falling through it, after a Cat 5 hurricane. Love the adhesive qualities of closed cell on a roof and you get a wind mitigation discount for insurance. It also cut our electric bill in half, over when we had batt and blown in. I know because it ripped the roof off my house and we got to redo it down to wall studs. My neighbor? He had spray foam and a metal roof. His house? Minus some serious yard work, untouched.
I’ve heard from a lot of people that are very happy with foam. Our situation is better since I installed an ERV and a whole house dehumidifier, but I still hate the foam. I will never use it again. One reason I wanted to use spray foam was for the energy savings. I don’t really know if it’s helping. We have 2 junk Goodman hvac units that have been nothing but trouble since we built the house 4 years ago. Their inefficiency and constant break downs increase my power bill. I also built a swimming pool less than a year after we built the house. It increased our power bill at least $50 - $75 a month. I wish I had a couple of years of just my house energy cost before I added the pool so I had a good baseline of energy costs.
You just need a Heat Recovery Ventilation. Cheap one with a fan, few outlets and a control panel. You've done such a good job so far. Just needs to be finished.
Cheap ervs don't recover heat well and wind up costing the homeowner alot of extra money. They will bring in humidity that the furnace has to deal with.
I find that when its super cold, the smoke does not want to rise until the fire is burning hot. Glass doors are very helpful to keep smoke in until fire gets hot. Kerosene gets it hot fast and helps push smoke upward. If there is a need for more air, crack open a window.
Foam works wonderfully. We use it in some of the homes we build. But builders often fail to account for the cfm from vent fans etc. Also many HVAC contractors don’t perform a J plan on the home so oftentimes they over size the unit, hence the need for fresh air introduction. If your unit was properly sized you wouldn’t need fresh air introduction and it would run long enough to de humidity on its own. For example the last home we did with foam HVAC tonnage went from 9 to 6 1/2 total. That way the unit was properly sized to accommodate the foams efficiency. Not to mention if you’re tying to let the outside change the temperature of the inside, like on those warm winter days, you’re defeating the purpose of insulation.
Yes, the barrier aspect of foam cuts both ways. Depending on location, you need to add a dehumidifier to manage internally generated moisture, and/or downsize the tonnage of your air conditioner. A short cycling a/c does not dehumidify!!! I imagine places in middle climes [like kentucky] are the biggest engineering challenge. Canadians focus on cold, and for summer... can open a window [just screen out the bugs].
1) You need more air exchange throughout the house. You can have someone measure it and they’ll tell you your Air Change it Air Exchange per hour. This keeps fresh air moving throughout and if insulated tight keeps the air pressure relatively stable. 2) It’s not typically advisable to insulate against the bottom of the roof deck. It can create a few different issues depending on the climate you live in, but mostly it really sucks for the next guy who has to put a roof on it if he has to replace any of the wood sheeting 😬 It’s really important to make sure you have adequate ventilation in your attic. Air exchange will solve most of the problems you brought up.
Nothing wrong with a conditioned attic but spray foam that thick will trap a leak and make it very difficult, like a SIP panel roof, to locate. Rigid foam on the top of the decking with a good water membrane would have worked out better.
I was ready to type the same thing, almost word for word, except for one thing, when the guy was talking about a dehumidifier. Moisture problems aren't going to be solved with a dehumidifier. Need to find out WHY you have moisture in the basement. Whatever drainage problems you have need to be addressed. When the house was built, was a waterproofing and drainage system installed.
" It’s not typically advisable to insulate against the bottom of the roof deck. It can create a few different issues depending on the climate you live in, but mostly it really sucks for the next guy who has to put a roof on it if he has to replace any of the wood sheeting", I was thinking the same thing. They always have those plastic vent spacers nailed up.
You have a chemical based closed cell foam as opposed to a water based open cell foam like icynene which allows wood to breathe at the same time stopping draughts. It will also allow water leaks to be traced. Your fireplace needed a couple of four inch pipes going under the floor to the outside to bring air in from the outside to the base of the fireplace with a sliding vent to control the air. The fireplace looks to have too low a lintel and the fire itself is set too far back so all the heat goes up the chimney. Also with a Rumford there is a large brick area that reflects the heat into the room. The throat is the whole width and had a flap to control the fire and also shut off the flue when desired. Behind the flap is a smoke shelf that stops any downdraught smoke from entering the room and in my case has a soot door leading into the garage so that I can sweep the chimney easily Here is my Rumford and below is a link to the design I would tell everybody put icynene spray foam in your house! th-cam.com/video/ZPvDovyLIdI/w-d-xo.html www.google.com/search?q=rumford+fireplace+design&sxsrf=APq-WBv_xrUD9pCwdj6PlBwasGizHV7Mcg%3A1650603654694&source=hp&ei=hjZiYtXEKL-FhbIP46GmiAQ&iflsig=AHkkrS4AAAAAYmJEljAPGNg7k_mVg1YsZu9pBKz0ipal&oq=rumford+fireplace&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAEYATIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQ6BAgjECc6EQguEIAEELEDEIMBEMcBENEDOgsIABCABBCxAxCDAToOCC4QgAQQsQMQgwEQ1AI6CwguEIAEELEDEIMBOggILhCxAxCDAToECC4QJzoLCC4QgAQQsQMQ1AI6CAgAEIAEELEDOgsILhCABBDHARCvAToLCC4QsQMQgwEQ1AI6CAguEIAEELEDOggILhCABBDUAjoFCC4QgARQAFiDPmD-UWgAcAB4AIABtwGIAa4SkgEEMS4xNpgBAKABAQ&sclient=gws-wiz
So as I peruse the comments the general consensus is that you have a ventilation issue and simply running your ac fan should correct it? That makes sense but I have a question now. I am looking at insulation options and am slowly moving further away from spray foam and this makes me move further away still. If I were to spray foam tight and then go off grid without power so there would be no effective way to get air flowing would spray foam be inferior to say normal ventilation and traditional batting?
The ac will only help if there is a vent ducted to the outside that can bring fresh air into the house. We installed an ERV and it has helped with a lot of our ventilation problems. The ERV uses very little power. I think you could easily power one with a solar system in an off grid house.
Thank you for the video. Originally I was against closed cell spray foam and was kind of looking for videos to support that, then I saw this video. A great help changing my mind in deciding to get closed cell spray foam insulation. Your house looks like it's vacuum sealed! That's exactly what I want! Decreased drafts, potentially decreased heating bills and increased over all comfort...sort of. I don't have a fireplace so no worries, though if I did I'd probably get an insert to increase 2nd combustion as well as the option for a direct outside air vent/source to prevent backflow and use of in house O2 as well as increase wood burning efficiency. Also I'd add an ERV and look for some kind permanent dehumidifying solution, possibly an ERV with dehumidifying options regardless of low ambient room temp. My house in North Dakota is pretty much a highway underpass, cold and leaky with news paper for insulation from the 1950s. I hear you on the temp with the sun during the day, my brother's house is new and stays colder than the outside in the spring. Georgia is crazy humid, but winters look mild. Do ya have a mini split for heat? One of my best friends lives in tokyo and his bath towels would get moldy the next day, he went and got a electric towel rack/heater, great for winter but kind of counter for summer. Can't win them all.
What about getting one of those tornado chimney cap things as well?(not sure what they are called) Supposedly these new designs help alot with pulling smoke up..
It’s probably already been said but most a/c units have a variable speed blower and if you reduced the blower speed your unit will probably run longer to cool the home. And running the a/c removes humidity form the air. So making a small change might help before spending the money on more expensive things.
You need an air maker ......because you are creating a negative pressure, in your home sucking that steam.All the restaurants must to have a air maker in their kitchen .
Buddy, you home insulation is awesome, actually too many people looking to have tight home as yours. Your problem is fresh air through HRV/ERV. You should use central ventilation system through HRV so the discharged air will be replaced by fresh conditioned air through HRV. For this tight house you should use direct vent fire fireplace as rather than that soot issue, there is risk of anoxia in the house.
Yes, the insulation is perfect but the house lacks a ventilation strategy. I’d recommend anyone insulating with closed cell foam like this to contact a residential building scientist or shop for an insulation company that has one in house. That way when you insulate, managing moisture and air will already be factored into the plan. HRVs and ERVs are great Utilities to help exhaust stale air and simultaneously introduce fresh air to the home. Even still, a tight house may also require passive fresh air ducts to be installed by the range and fireplace to supply adequate make up air for proper ventilation. Furthermore, The ventilation system needs to be designed so that it’s balanced throughout the house. This way you won’t have small areas of mold growing in closets (which I have seen). Managing heat, moisture, and pressure (air flow) are the three sides of the triangle one needs to balance to be comfortable in a home that’s build tight.
Beautiful home. We built our home 12yrs ago and had similar problems. We researched and came to the conclusion the house was so tight that there was negative pressure in the house. I fixed it by putting a fresh air vent to the furnace,and and a fresh sir duct to our pellet stove. I only run our dehumidifier in the winter. I put water in the air in the winter. However I live in New England. I wonder if you just need some fresh air intakes. Hmm it’s such a delicate balance. I would be curious to see your fix. Good luck great video
We installed an ERV and it fixed our ventilation problems. I’m in the middle of installing a whole house dehumidifier to fix our high humidity problems. I have several update videos on the house.
Your spray foam contractor should have recommended an erv or hrv before selling you a spray foam project. I have been spraying foam since 1999 and have had excellent success with it. The object is to insulate tight and ventilate right. erv will fix all of these problems without sacrificing your heat savings.
I am planning to install an ERV and a whole house dehumidifier. The foam contractor, the general contractor, and the HVAC contractor did not say anything about the house being too tight. They said nothing about using an ERV or a HRV. Thank you for the advice.
@@BrantleyBlended your welcome/ Any time that we are asked to give a proposal to spray an entire house we recommend the erv to ventilate because it is so tight. Im confident that what your doing will work well for you. I will be curious to see the results. Best wishes, Jon.
So you want him to ask his foam contractor to make hvac recommendation? Do you also want his painter to do the wiring? How about hire an HVAC engineer...
@@CybekCusal No none of the above. If you are a professional insulator you need to know the entire workings of the product that you are installing and let the customer know what the best way to use that product is. Common sense really.
@@jonathanlanius8648 I disagree. Specialty contractors don't know everything. By the way, I wasn't asking a question, I was making fun of your ridiculous statement. Don't @ me, IDC what you think.
you need an air to air heat exchanger so the fans can draw and the fireplace ( as long as properly installed) can then get draft. The fire box works on draft and if it cant draw then it puffs back at you at the slightest pressure above the chimney even a slight puff of wind. NEXT is the moisture..........the air to air heat exchanger will help with that but the big thing is the fans working . In the basement the dehumidifier is good but may be better to seal the concrete as concrete is porous. Make sure your gutters run down grade away from the home and sprinklers are not wetting the immediate area next to the house. I am an old timey wood floor guy that is extremely aware of moisture and the problems it creates . Try the above things and i feel confident that if u have a water tight shell on the home that problems with subside rather quickly ergo a few months. Immediate change in fireplace and fans drawing better will be immediate. Also I heat a couple homes with wood and understand the process. if the draft is not enough then if possible add a section or two to the chimney.
The goal is to insulate the house as best as possible and to have an air right home. I would never recommend insulating with an inferior material in order to create a leaky and inefficient home but instead, as others suggested, would try putting more positive pressure into the home, like running your HVAC fan while you cook or use the fireplace (simply circulating air around the home is beneficial here - exactly what an ERV does). Thanks for the info, though. It’s great so that others can know what to look out for when planning spray foam.
where is the extra air going to come from to put a pos. pressure? It's just moving air around to me. Nothing there to pressurize it. I know there is supposed to be fresh air makeup coming to gas fired appliances but IDK about elect
An ERV has supply and exhaust dampers which can be set individually. Normally, you’d want a perfect balance, but for positive pressure, can open the supply (or dampen the exhaust) slightly.
The title of this video is really missleading and dumb. Spray foam is a great insulater and air seal. You should have run a blower door test and done a HDL test and CAZ. That would have told you air leakage was not your problem. Most peolpe will feel convetion effect or stack effect in thier homes and thing there is an air leak that is not the case. You should looking into a Outside air intake on your airhandler. Much cheaper than an air handler. You shouldn't be giving advice about things you clearly don't know about.
I was thinking the same. The solutions are the very complaint he has. "Its as if my fan cant breath". Think of it this way.. Put plastic over your mouth and see how well you breath. Now try a sweater... The sweater is a old house. Old houses were designed to be leaky purpose/accident.. Hvac was uncommon and windows were often opened. In the south..we have sun rooms or screened porches.. Its where people would go when the house got to hot. Problem is his engineer on down were not familiar with this new method/tech. Mine were not either.. But i am overseeing my project. I am doing my research. I expect to have a problem here and there. Up to me to find a solution. Many ways to handle home ventilation and or conditioning. What level do you choose? Open windows no hvac or a sealed sterile house or something in between?
I live in a normal older house, nice and cozy, but had a buddy build a small vaulted ceiling farmhouse totally spray foamed like this ( open cell ) and put 3 or 4 mini splits in for the HVAC. I was questioning his reasoning when he was building it, but he's one of those guys that "knows everything" and researches like crazy, so didn't give advice. Now he has all kinds of moisture and other issues just like described here. Obviously people have different outcomes due to climate, region, quality of job done, etc.
We installed an ERV 6 months ago. It has fixed our ventilation issues, but we are still having other problems like high humidity. I just ordered a whole house dehumidifier. I hope to have it installed in a week or so. I did research before I used spray foam. I guess I didn't do a good job.
Wow do you need some education on the subject. Everything you mentioned isn’t the foams fault. Another thing I noticed was your return ductwork in the attic looks severely undersized.
So using open cell foam in bathroom and places like fireplace or hood vents allows an air or moisture flow rate. But Closed cell foam greatly reduces that by 97% so almost no flow rate happening so cooler house in summer and or hotter house during the winter.
Try contacting Spray Jones on TH-cam, he can can prolly give you the lowdown. It sounds like the foam is working great, your hvac system needs to exchange air at controlled temps & humidity
Spray Jones is arrogant & Canada (where the regulations are much stiffer, more expensive, etc. when it comes to insulating homes) , he literally uses the most bombastic exaggerated examples as to why you shouldn’t use anything but the expanding foam. If you have an older colonial home or one built pre-1955 that is drafty, his advice is to just either invest in ripping down the walls and redoing it or selling your house to someone who can.
What’s your blowerdoor depressurization results ? How many ACH do you have ? Do you have an ERV ? What climate zone are you in ? How do you get fresh air into your home ?
You created a super big wood gasifier..lol.nice..But mu question is would that spray foam be go for the outside roof and outside of a structure made from logs
I think you are asking if spray foam would be good to use on the outside of a structure? I’m gonna say no. My spray foam is open cell so it’s soft like a sponge. The foam wouldn’t hold up very well to weather, insects, birds, and other critters. Also, I don’t think it would look good painted.
You have one more problem that you mentioned briefly. It traps the humidity between the foam and the wood. Recently, an UK article said sprayed foam insulation made the house not salable. Some insurance companies won’t insure it due to trapped humidity, rotting woods, molds, etc.
The bottom line is spray foam requires a constantly running maintenance system. So it totally binds you to the grid. It's efficient at what it does. You have what they call a sick box. A house with insufficient ventilation. Yes it's a drawback to have to duck in cold air, but "normal" houses have enough minor leaks all around that when they turn vents on its not a problem, it's sort of a part of the assumed calculation that one will be able to pull air from inside to out without a problem. But when you seal everything up so completely and perfectly it totally changes the way a contractor has to think about building. They basically have to have a comprehensive understanding of the building envelope and where it's borders are exactly and what openings there are. You can't put a fan on top of a water bottle and circulate the air inside. You can put blown insulation in the cathedral ceiling as well, they just staple up a net to hold it all in. No matter what way you do it you will need to bring in outside air through the winter. Efficiency has a limit.
Re: controlling airflow. It is both good and bad. Good if you take control and want to. Bad if you don't want to. FYI a tighter house is getting more and more required by building codes. Regarding trapping the wrong temp inside the house, that's what insulation and a tight house tends to do. As far as benefitting from the sun when it's colder and having it more "even", you may be thinking of things like thermal mass and passive solar designs. If the sun heats up your brick wall, it won't instantly heat up your house like an oven, it'll radiate heat over time, making the temperature more even. The insulation in the walls would tend to keep that heat out just as well as the cold.
I think that spray foam is terrible for high humidity areas. We live in Georgia and we have very high humidity most of the year. We have installed a whole house dehumidifier which has helped with the high humidity problems. I do not like spray foam and I will never use it again.
1) The fireplace is likely poorly designed and/or built. The air for combustion has to come from somewhere, and your house is that somewhere. Without an additional exterior intake and/or a draft booster, there will likely not be enough oxygen to allow for the fire to combust fully and ventilate through the flue properly, meaning that it will smoke and that smoke will chase back into your house. The firebox looks to have next to no slope as it travels up to the smoke chamber, which would cause outside weather to have a noticeable effect on the overall performance. 2) How many CFM's does that hood pull under normal conditions? Anything that vents outside of your house (dryer, hot water heater, chimney, vent hood, bathroom exhaust fans, etc) will create a negative pressure in the building envelope. If your house is sealed very well, you won't have as many air leaks, meaning it is harder to pull air out of the system. Your equipment will have to work harder to try and keep up. If you have a fire in your fireplace and you try to cut on any other exhaust, it compounds the issue dramatically. You may want to invest in a makeup air unit/system if you don't want to have to crack a window. 3) You don't necessarily need a dehumidifier, but you definitely need some adjustments on your HVAC system. When there are fewer air leaks, your HVAC, which would normally be your dehumidifier, doesn't run as often, meaning that it is not condensing the moisture in your house onto the coils. Increasing the air changes per hour per room or having the system altered to run more often, but for shorter cycles would probably help a lot. Also gotta ask, is the bathroom exhaust fan running outside or into the attic? And makeup air is key after you hit the "air sealed" level. 4) Blown in insulation sucks lol, but with a vented roof, the attic should never be more than 10 to 15° F than the outside air. If it is, someone likely did something improperly. It's also going to cause a premature failure in your roofing system, but that might be job security for the roofers, I don't know. It can also lead to excess moisture resulting in mold issues or water damage. A large portion of the framers and roofers I've worked with throughout the years were taught outdated methods or just outright wrong by someone who was taught by someone with outdated methods or someone who was outright wrong 😂 A lot of inspectors/code enforcement officers aren't familiar with a considerable amount of building codes and regulations, so a lot gets overlooked Totally feel ya on the possibility of a leak you can't see. Hopefully when the house was designed, there was a backup plan for the backup plan with drainage. Routine inspections and proper maintenance are vital for early detection too.
Where do I begin, so I’ll just cover a couple items. Fireplaces are NOT efficient unless you have a fresh air inlet duct into the firebox and a sealed fireplace door that prevents the loss of indoor air feeding your fire. If your living environment is spray foamed, including your attic (ie non vented attic), then per building code you’re required to have a fresh air exchanger. This pulls approx 200CFM of fresh air indoors and circulates within your house and exhaust equal amount of stale air outside. Spray foam is great, but it essentially creates a plastic bag environment, so if you understand that upfront, then you can design accordingly. I have built two custom homes for myself in two different States within the last 20 years and used spray foam in both. For me, I wouldn’t use anything but foam. Our utility bills are much less. Lastly, there are many other factors when comparing one house to another…. Build and installation quality of doors and windows, number and placement of doors and windows, orientation of house to afternoon sun, and number/type/placement of trees. I suggest you study Passive Solar design.
I have been in the HERS rating industry for 13 yrs. I also diagnose energy and air quality problem in existing construction using a blower door and thermal imaging . Your problem is not the foam! Your primary problem is that you have a very tightly air sealed home without any dedicated mechanical ventilation installed from what I see in the video. You have to have some fresh air being pumped into your home mechanically to remediate moisture and stale air . Look into installing an ERV or HRV and have your Hvac contractor set the device to meet ASHRAE 62.2 2010 or 2013 ventilation requirements. This balanced form of mechanical ventilation will not introduce any more negative pressures within the building that could cause more fireplace venting issues. You can also look into having a make up air fresh air line piped into the kitchen area that can be opened up when using the range hood to help with exhaust when in use. The fireplace installers should be able to address more make up air for the venting , or possibly an inline fan(specifically for this use) that works to help create better draft within the chimney. Energy codes after the 2009 IECC require this mechanical ventilation now due to all of these air quality issues that can occur in a tightly built home. I would guess that also see moisture on the inside of the windows during your heating season.
I do not know about ventilation regulations. I am not a contractor or home builder. Prefab fireplaces like mine have a vent on them that you open while burning a fire. That is probably to make the fire burn better, not necessarily because of regulations. I think all houses built within the last 20 or so years have exhaust fans in the bathrooms. Again, that might just be what people want in their bathrooms now. I don't know if its required by the government. I think that there are some regulations for natural gas or propane fired furnaces. You have to have some kind of make up air or fresh air source near the furnace. The house I lived in before this one had a natural gas HVAC unit in the laundry room. There were 2 open ducts going up to the attic that allowed air to be supplied into the house.
congratulations. your first properly insulated house. fix your hvac and make sure you get enough ventilation and you will be the happiest youve ever been.
I hope you fixed your problems. I have foam in my 2000 sqft home that’s 3 years old. I have a fresh air intake on my hvac and I have no problems with anything. I love my foam!! Another thing, every company told me it didn’t matter if I put 3in of foam or 5in of foam, the r value will be the exact same. Only difference is more money for more foam.
We used to have smoke start rolling into our living room before and it was always the case of needing a extra section of chimney on our chimney. When the wind blows stronger it can affect the way your chimney draws. Make your chimney higher and that will stop the smoke from coming into your house.
I live in east texas where it’s over 100 degreees in the summer. I don’t have insulation in the walls because it’s a very old house. I want to take out the blow insulation from the attic and put spray foam. With these summer temps….will the foam cure right on application? Or will it off gas forever?
My spray foam was installed during the summer in Georgia. It seems to have cured okay. I don’t really know about the cure process or off gassing. I only know that I’ll never put spray foam insulation in a house again. You should speak to several spray foam professionals and get their advice. They are trying to sell a job so they might tell you whatever it takes to get you to buy their service.
@@BrantleyBlended wait…what?!?! I thought all the new houses are spray foam. U didn’t do that manual j calculation before installing the tonnage on ur hvac? It prevents humidity issues.
Why not get double Payne windows and only use the spray foam where the windows are only. regular foam for the ret of the house? plus what will you do when you need electrical repairs?
Spray foam insulation can create an airtight seal in the attic, which might disrupt the air pressure balance in your home. This could potentially affect the draft in your fireplace, making it harder for smoke to rise up the chimney. Similarly, an overly airtight attic can impact the performance of exhaust vents. Kitchen vents, bathroom fans, and other exhaust systems rely on the ability to expel air from the house. If the attic is sealed too tightly, it might create negative pressure inside the home, making it harder for these vents to function properly. To avoid these issues: -Ensure proper ventilation: When spray foaming an attic, it's crucial to maintain proper ventilation. This might involve installing soffit vents, ridge vents, or other ventilation systems. -Leave spaces around chimneys: Spray foam should never be applied directly to chimneys or flues, as this can create fire hazards and interfere with their function. -Install make-up air systems: For homes with powerful exhaust systems, installing make-up air systems can help maintain proper air pressure balance. -Consider a home energy audit: A professional can assess your home's overall air exchange and pressure balance to ensure all systems work correctly after insulation. From Claude
A couple of things, the fireplace is supposed to have a combustion air pipe that brings outside air in, it usually comes in the back behind the the fire, the fresh air pipe would be sized according to the size of the flue, typically a 4 or 6 inch air supply. Secondly, most areas have building codes that require a fresh air intake that is connected to the return ductwork, it's just a screened hood that looks similar to a dryer vent. They are sized according to all of your exhaust fans in the house, a typical home would use either a 6 or 8 inch fresh air hood connected to the return ductwork with a length of insulated flexible round duct. Better range hoods also come with fresh air intakes that are incorporated into their own venting. The dampness in the house is probably the same moisture that was in it when it was built, and simply has never been removed. Your central air conditioning is by far, the best dehumidifier that you can have, so, running that power guzzling stand alone unit is a major waste, if you're running that in the summer time, it's giving off a lot of heat while it's removing moisture. If you want your home to be comfortable year round, I would suggest that you NEVER open the windows in the summer. It literally takes weeks and months to draw the moisture out of a house using the a/c or dehumidifiers but, opening windows when the dewpoint is above 40 degrees can pull a lot of moisture back into the house in just a few hours. Everything in your house holds moisture, carpet, woodwork, furniture, clothes, and anything else that's not plastic. Everything gets wet quickly, but drawing that moisture out, takes much, much, longer! Most homes get rained on during construction and a lot of the wood is wet when they start covering everything up, they also use a lot of wet materials to finish the house, like concrete, drywall mud, and paint. If the house is sealed with spray foam, where do you think all the moisture goes? If you're not using the a/c and drawing that moisture out, it's still inside the house! I've had people complain about their brand new windows steaming up in the winter time, turns out that the house is still too damp inside, it can take a couple years running the a/c and never opening windows to finally get the moisture out that was built into the house, buried deep inside the walls.
Install and ERV. Your houe is going to rot from the inside out without one. Check your roof ridge since ridge rot is a problem in foamed houses. We have spray foam and do not have any of these problems. We have wifi temp/humidity sensors in several areas around the house and the humidity rarely gets over 50%. You should also get an outside fresh air intake directly into the firebox since the ERV only pushes around 200cfm and a fire will want more. Good luck.
Install open vents, with no fans from the roof to kitchen bathroom and fireplace area. No fan needed and you can close them when you don't need them. One stak on roof devided into 3 exhausts leaks fome that I have seen in house tends to change color slightly when water is applied to it it's a little tough to find but you can with a good eye and experience. But I get it and see where the problems can be. I have been using spray foam for years the ventilation is a cheap and easy fix. And works wonders in a tightly seald home. 6' stack
I’m a chimney guy- this guy does not understand air balance and is confusing and conflating different issues. Don’t listen to him. Please, you need proper air intake and air balancing. It is an entire science. Don’t blame the insulation system.
I've been spraying foam for 12 years now, it is a great product and very beneficial but unfortunately consumer is never given full info. You have to have fresh air intake!!!!!! on HVAC system
Yeah it took me 90 seconds to realize that this isn't an insulation issue. I could do the same thing with fiberglass insulation and vapor barrier.
I agree with you chimney guy - I had a similar issue with the smoke roll, but I don't have spray foam - my issues were that my fireplace for one, didn't have the correct lip ratio for natural ventilation of smoke to roll up the shoot vs into the house, also I had a few cracked tiles that allowed smoke to escape areas that were dangerous, a bucket of the correct material fixed the issues - note - if you have a wood burning fireplace...I know you want a roaring fire some nights, but it's not sustainable over time - build a bon fire pit outside for that - if you have a grand fireplace like on yellowstone, then no worries...
The title should be changed to: Do not use newbie HVAC guy!
A few issues:
1.) Spray foam should cover the rafters.
2.) You need to supply air through an ERV or HRV.
3.) ALL fireplaces require fresh air to be supplied from outside. Most builders are unaware.
4.) Towels are not drying because humidity is too high in the house because HVAC is over sized and not having enough runtime. Your AC is a dehumidifier and if not oversized it will run long enough to pull humidity out of the home.
Spray foam is an inert material that does one job really well and that is to slow the transfer of heat. It is the job of the Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning contractor to do the appropriate calculations to determine proper air flow. It is a SCIENCE not a guess and 500 sq ft / ton is not the answer.
cheers!
Good insulated or well shaded home should go no more than 1 ton per 1000sqf. I even undersize a little and run the ac for hours, which makes for a very comfortable low humidity home. To run the AC for hours is fine. On and off on and off AC causes more strain.
Basically every problem brought up in the video has nothing to do with the spray foam and everything to do with the fly by night, oversized, and incomplete hvac setup put into the house.
Spent a fortune on spray foam, cheapen out everywhere else, complain.... Seems to be a common theme on TH-cam....
I'm an HVAC contractor, 2 minutes into this video and already I realized this guy's problem is not enough fresh air being taken into the envelope of the building.
I ordered an ERV. I wish my HVAC contractor would’ve known about this when the house was built.
Needs a better return
@@BrantleyBlended nice! Can you do a follow up video post install ? Thanks for the video!
@@BrantleyBlended bright enough to understand the problem and be open to suggestions, not bright enough to figure out how to correct click Bait video title. Bulb might be a little loose there bud
@@BrantleyBlended I'm sorry to hear that but the little bit of the HVAC in your videos it shows. Those units in your attic have all flex duct and no real duct work ran. It makes a huge difference on how the units perform over the life of the equipment. That's the difference between a quality hvac contractor and one that just in does the bare basic to get paid....
This was comedic gold, I dont find to many things funny in life ant more, but this made me smile, I hope you get it figured out, the video should be titled why to buy spray foam, and why its important to ventilate correctly.
Sounds like the contractor that sprayed your home didn’t educate you properly. Everything you said isn’t really a foam problem. It’s a ventilation problem. We always advocate to “insulate tight, ventilate right”. They insulated tight but didn’t ventilate right. Like stated above you need an air recovery unit. We always tell a customer that’s doing a whole house to have a air recovery unit installed. Foam is always the easier thing to blame when you actually have an HVAC issue.
Doesn’t understand that the home needs fresh air to live.
@@bobketterer9119 yes you have to have a fresh air system and now these days they have 90 percent efficient ones my brother has a spray foam house it stays cool and now me and him are in the spray foam business
You need to put vent shoots in every bay to it can breath
@@thizz406ness in the ceiling?
He needs a better return . Boom fixed
Spray foam is a miricle product. I have a Santa Fe whole house dehumidifier and its the best investment i have ever made. In this video you certainly have ventilation problems. Get a SMART Hvac contractor and instead of complaining get your home ventilating properly. The next problem in your home will be mold.
So your house is so well sealed you can't do the same things you could do in a drafty house. Seems like it worked as advertised.
I'm Torn🤭
exactly. has he never worn a really warm down coat before and had to open it up every once in a while to air out the moisture? germans have super efficient houses and habitually open their windows a few minutes a day
Lolz
Have you seen those new vented coolers yet.... No. Because if you want cool, you don't let heat in.
@@wkdj2522 Fresh air and air movement is by far the most impoartant part of any system... regardless if its a 60's home that whistles in the wind, or if its almost hermetically sealed like a cooler (in the case of this guys home). He had it spray foamed but disregarded every aspect of the build... spray foam is only one part of a system. and its that system that you need to think about in your design, not just single components.
All you need to do is add an air exchange so your house can breath. We had the same problem and did all the things you have mentioned, the air exchange has fixed everything.
Been living in a spray foamed house for 12 years.. Best decision I've ever made efficiency wise.. would do it again in a heart beat..
good luck getting repairs done its 15-20 per sqft if the have to dig through the junk to make repairs and lets be real you will need it in the future
@@divinee.155 I've made electrical repairs myself. . takes common sense.. If you have to pay for repairs, home ownership might not be your cup of tea anyway.. good luck paying for repairs
PERIOD..
Yeah, same here. Never had a problem at all. I don’t know but, sounds like he has a ventilation problem.
Great comment bro I’ve installed it for over 4 years it’s an amazing product
@@chipsammich2078 Yep, I lost my career as a golf course supt., but after 20 years in that business, I am an electrician, plumber, carpenter, concrete finisher, mechanic, etc. I make half the money I used to, but have the time to make repairs. I marvel at how people can't even unclog a drain and pay $100 bucks. I have done expensive car repairs myself, but certainly do my own maintenance. I can install tile, flooring, ceilings, sheetrock, etc. So called smart people can't turn off the water when they have a leak in their house!
We’re building a house now and the first question the hvac guy asked is if we were using spray foam. He said , like in most of the comments, that you have to size your unit and fresh air differently with spray foam.
Sounds like you have a good hvac contractor.
Your HVAC guy sucks, your ac should be removing the majority of your humidity. You should also have a fresh air vent allowing fresh air into the house. You should probably take this video down.
So there’s a lot of great comments here and you are acknowledging that you need an ERV.
Please change the title and description of the video to reflect the real issue. Air management, not spray foam.
The house needs to breathe. You can not seal the entire house. The house needs to draw and vent air. Otherwise, it will cause a lot of issues. Spray foam needs to be applied in correct methods.
Install an HRV integrated into your HVAC system. Now stop yelling.
Yes. Lol.
No... HRVs and ERVs are low CFM and HVAC is high CFM. It's true that they need ventilation, but not integrated. They should be separately ducted. In fact, returns from ERVs/HRVs should draw from bathrooms and kitchens and supply bedrooms. HVACs should NEVER return from bathrooms or kitchens. So, good on the suggestion to ventilate, but duct them separately.
@@armorednite5588 it’s “integrated” because you dump the exchanged heat or cool from the HRV/ERV air back into your home via the HVAC ducting. Otherwise it’s just a vent fan dumping your conditioned air to the outside. The HRV/ERV brings in fresh air, through the exchanger and into your HVAC ducting. It’s integrated.
@@tycobb8621 That's not quite the way to think about it. Sure, it is cheaper to reuse ducting, but from a design perspective you are trying to do different things. As you bring makeup air into the house, you have already passed the ERV/HRV heat exchanger. You are not going to lose or gain any more heat because you chose to reuse ducts rather than have dedicated ones, as I recommend. The problem comes in that your HRV/ERV uses a low CFM low pressure fan, while your HVAC uses a high CFM fan that pushes air with higher pressure. If you supply to supply, your HRV/ERV is then fighting with your HVAC to push air into the supply duct while operating and may even reverse the flow. If you are supplying to return, then your more powerful HVAC may suck more makeup air than the HRV/ERV is designed to carry. The result will be that you exhaust more conditioned air (greater CFM from HVAC exhausting through your HRV/ERV). Bottom line... make them work as separately ducted systems.
I agree with the hrv, I also agree not to duct it to the ac.
I have nothing to contribute, I'm just so happy with all the comments ripping this video apart. "MY FOAM INSULATION IS WORKING FLAWLESSLY! DON'T SPRAY FOAM YOUR HOUSE!"
WEATHER FOR THE WEEK AHEAD 17-06-24 UK WEATHER FORECAST - BBC WEATHER FORECAST - DAILY WEATHER
Spray foam is a wonderful product if everything is installed correctly. Problem is most folks do not know enough about it (installers included) to install it correctly and avoid pitfalls. We will get there one day, but its still in the newer phase (even though its several decades old) where the ins and outs are not yet, what i would consider, general building knowledge.
My son-in-law fixed his same exact fireplace issue you have by making the opening of his fireplace smaller. After he installed glass fireplace doors (that he leaves completely open while using fireplace mind you - it's the extra 1.5 inch around the perimeter of the frame that made the aperture of fireplace smaller) that changed the dynamics of his airflow and he never has smoke wade into the house anymore. This was professional advice given to him that worked. Try it.
Our home is 3 years old now, we used open and closed cell foam depending on location and other specs. We absolutely love it. I am very pleased. I also was warned about possible high humidity. We used a Inverter Rheem Heat Pump main floor and basement. Yes the inverter is expensive but runs longer on a super slow speed. Sometimes I walk by the condenser and the fan is barely turning and almost silent. My thermostats show temp and humidity all the time. I am always in the 40-45 % humidity. The basement almost never runs and still has low humidity. I am in Georgia with extreme temps and humidity. We have around 4500 sq ft, highest elec bill this summer was $380 at 74 degrees. I did lots of research and totally pleased. I also keep a temp and humidity sensor in the attic to monitor. About 15 degrees higher in the attic with low humidity. 3 Ton main level and 2 ton basement. So easy to cool and heat!
Have an HVAC tech lower your fan speed to the lowest possible cfm. This lowers the overall static pressure in the house which is rough in these types of homes. It also pulls the air across the coils slower and pulls more moisture out.
There are a shit ton of options based purely on additions to your current HVAC system
I know it's been a couple of years and I do hope you found a way to make your house more comfortable, but I do think a situation like this could really use a heat recovery ventilator. You can heat or cool your incoming air so you don't lose your energy efficiency, but allow more flow. Then all the fans would work as they're supposed to. This should also fix the fireplace issue.
You just need to have a fresh air pump installed its not the foams fault.
I agree. It seams as though whoever designed the house didn't consider the 'whole house' as a system. Perhaps one person designed the HVAC and another person designed the house's envelope. Anyone that is going to use spray foam should also look into things like whole-house, fresh-air, ventilation systems (HRV/ERV). Hopefully Blended can get something installed to control the airflow.
I’m going to install an ERV and a whole house dehumidifier.
@@BrantleyBlended There are two kinds - HRV and ERV. One will transmit humidity - the other will not. They are determined based on your climate. You can also put one onto your fresh air intake on your HVAC. Call a pro to calculate it all for you. Panasonic also sells one that works as a bath fan. They are fantastic. I have mine on a timer. In the winter I run it all day. In the summer I run it all night. This helps save a little of the heat/AC loss.
I saw you other comment on getting an ERV but that won't solve all your issues. If your ERV exhaust vent replace your bathroom vents (which they should) then your overly humid bathrooms and towels drying issue should be solved. The ERV will help with humidity with regard to what is produced in your bathrooms. However it won't help with your kitchen exhaust and you still might have issues with your fireplace as those to things need make up air. The ERV is balance and will only be making jp air for its own exhaust. You need the ERV but you also need a make up air solution as well.
As you note in your other video, an ERV will fix 90% of the problems. They also make special bathroom and range hood vents that can connect to the erv to allow air IN the bathrooms to allow the exhaust out to work properly. It’s going to be quite a bit of work to install properly (vents in each room for example) but when you are done your problems should basically disappear. You may not even need the dehumidifier.
ERVs are ok but if his issues are moisture related which they are.. he really needs an HRV, HRVs only temperthe air and does NOT transfer humidity.. He doesnt need vents in each room either.. Just proper location of supply and return ducts also the air intake.. ERV transfers moisture also and is not what he needs... hes trying to get rid of the moisture... in the summer his traditional air conditioner will get the moisture out,,
For the best info go to TH-cam ,Spray Jones.
@@SubStationSparky He has a humidity problem because he can't vent any of the moisture created by breathing, cooking, showers etc. He can use an ERV or HRV, as long as he has fresh air coming in it will get rid of a lot of his humidity problems.
And that’s expensive! To do all that could cost several thousand. Toxic fumes from spray foam. Get a laser particle counter and you’ll see just what kind of fumes you got.
wait, what is it that he has in the attic? What is that air system called? And why is it different then ERV?
Hello Brantley, I do HVAC in Florida and it may be if you didn’t decrease the tonnage of your systems after the insulation job your systems are not running long enough to remove the humidity. Too much tonnage is not a good thing it lowers the temperature too quickly not allowing the unit to run long enough to remove the humidity. Also (if you have not already) try putting the fan settings to a lower speed in the air handlers this may help some. Having proper return air to all rooms helps a lot and using thermostats with dehumidification capability. Good luck👍
After I install an ERV I might have an HVAC guy that I know look into lowering the fan speed. He told me that an HVAC unit needs to be sized different for a spray foamed house. It sounds like that’s what you are saying also. I don’t think the HVAC contractor that my general contractor used did any calculations or resizing based on the foam. I think he just stuck two units in here like he was doing any normal house. Thanks for the advice!
@@BrantleyBlended Yes redoing the heat load calculation sounds like your headed in the right direction . 👍
Do you do 350 CFM/ton instead of 400 which is used in my area up north?
Without question is the issue, plus you’ve got 2 units in a house that doesn’t need it square footage-wise. Your units probably cool the house much too quickly to help with moisture.
@@BrantleyBlendedwhat state are you in?😊
It sounds like the insulation is working as intended. I didn’t realize how crucial ventilation becomes when the shell is too tight. Thanks for the insight!
Videos like these kill the foam industry. We have a tough time as it is, change the video title. These are simple things to fix, issues aren’t from the spray foam. Just need some extra steps added.
Maybe spray foam contractors should partner with HVAC contractors or begin to install the fresh or outside air (like we call it in buildings) themselves. When I was still working they using a piece of equipment called a heat wheel to bring in OA and ventilate the building. I never believed 5hey worked that good but maybe they are better now .
@@flhusa1 Did you just suggest that 2 separate tradesman work together on a project? You've obviously never been on a job site bud.. We do good not to kill eachother.
The foam industry is killing itself. Just wait until trying to sell these homes and they need inspection for financing:)
Dude it's not the spray foam...your fireplace wasn't installed correctly. Draw comes from the size of your flue. Again, heat rises. Weather it's a chimney or a range hood. That said, I believe that a house can be too air tight and I don't think it's healthy. So here's my recommendation. Yank some of the basement foam out of the walls and replace it with fiberglass. Also, install a fresh air intake in your hvac system.
For not getting smoke in your home, use Chimney Cowl...it works perfect!
Change the title. It’s a ventilation problem. NOT, a problem with the insulation.
Yep. Fellow tuber here. Thank you for this video. I’m building a home right now and I’m completely turned off by spray foam and these points that you’ve made make it even clearer. Plus I’ve been doing a lot of reading about long term off gassing and the air releasing carcinogenic properties into the air. If a home can’t breathe… the voc’s have to go somewhere. I don’t buy the clam that once it’s dried means it’s safe. It’s not green guard gold certified and polyurethane is a known carcinogen. Just crazy stuff man. Thanks for making this vid.
HVAC wasn't designed right... that's why he's having issues. Every house that is spray foam insulated should have a ERV or HRV installed at a minimum. Also, the HVAC systems need to be sized properly so the run long enough to remove humidity. Guarantee this guy's contractor did neither.
@@brianthompson9485 good and valid point for sure but I think the bigger question is, do we or should we be installing this level of chemicals inside our homes just to cut on energy costs? I feel like the addition of an ERV is absolutely the best choice in this case but the bigger solution is finding a better way of insulating without the cost of health (VOC side) and humidity (mold side)
@@Archifx I'm wondering if spray foam releases any greater amount of chemicals than spray in or roll insulation? I don't think newer products are probably any less toxic than the older ones personally. Curious what your opinion is.
Bull. Loney
@77jesseday so we should go back to living above the stable, using the cattle and horses to heat the house, while we sleep on straw and hay, which eventually gets fed to the animals. And don't forget the dirt sod roofing material, which was where the dogs and cats slept and when it rained they slid out which is where "It's raining cats and dogs" came from.
You should really change the video title to "DO NOT FORGET MAKE UP AIR".
Not sure where you live are but every problem you mention is related to make up air. It's a pretty simple calculation with a blower test and it's a code violation in many states to install vents without calculating the required makeup air. Not sure what kind of heat you have but it's also very dangerous if you burn fossil fuel. You could end up shouse. Exhaust Carbon monoxide back into your house. Your builder should know all of this, and it should have been done durring construction. Pretty easy to fix, just add ventilation system.
My house is total electric. Our HVAC is a heat pump. I’m planning on installing an ERV.
@@BrantleyBlended That fireplace produces carbon monoxide.
Installing spray foam insulation on the plywood deck in the attic can cause the shingles to deteriorate prematurely?
I don’t know. I have a metal roof. There is a gap between the plywood and metal.
Air seal tight, and ventilate it right.
You have to install a balanced ventilation system such as HRV or ERV, as well as a kitchen range hood fan than includes a mechanical damper to bring in make up air. Also need a make up air vent for an open combustion wood burning fireplace.
Sounds like a big extra cost.
Thanks for the video, it was fun to watch, I haven't chuckled through an entire video in a very long time, the guy speaking did a good job of really seeming to believe what he's saying - 12 minutes of total satire - Good work. But some people might not realize this is comedic satire and believe it is real, those people need to learn about HVAC outside air, HVAC economizers, HVAC mixer boxes and how HVAC should properly work, it's not a big expensive to do it correctly. Thanks for the video.
Put an intake vent in your crawlspace or basement. Your furnace should also have a combustion air intake, which serves the same purpose as long as it is piped to the open and not directly to the furnace.
I live in Florida. I agree with some of your assessment. I would like a whole house dehumidifier myself. Super humid days, it could make a difference. But I will say this. It is worth every penny in a hurricane. People with spray foam insulation and metal roofs -- houses were pretty much untouched, barring a tree falling through it, after a Cat 5 hurricane. Love the adhesive qualities of closed cell on a roof and you get a wind mitigation discount for insurance. It also cut our electric bill in half, over when we had batt and blown in. I know because it ripped the roof off my house and we got to redo it down to wall studs. My neighbor? He had spray foam and a metal roof. His house? Minus some serious yard work, untouched.
I’ve heard from a lot of people that are very happy with foam. Our situation is better since I installed an ERV and a whole house dehumidifier, but I still hate the foam. I will never use it again.
One reason I wanted to use spray foam was for the energy savings. I don’t really know if it’s helping. We have 2 junk Goodman hvac units that have been nothing but trouble since we built the house 4 years ago. Their inefficiency and constant break downs increase my power bill. I also built a swimming pool less than a year after we built the house. It increased our power bill at least $50 - $75 a month. I wish I had a couple of years of just my house energy cost before I added the pool so I had a good baseline of energy costs.
You just need a Heat Recovery Ventilation. Cheap one with a fan, few outlets and a control panel. You've done such a good job so far. Just needs to be finished.
Cheap ervs don't recover heat well and wind up costing the homeowner alot of extra money. They will bring in humidity that the furnace has to deal with.
I find that when its super cold, the smoke does not want to rise until the fire is burning hot. Glass doors are very helpful to keep smoke in until fire gets hot. Kerosene gets it hot fast and helps push smoke upward. If there is a need for more air, crack open a window.
My fireplace does draw a lot better once the fire has been burning for a while and is very hot.
Foam works wonderfully. We use it in some of the homes we build. But builders often fail to account for the cfm from vent fans etc. Also many HVAC contractors don’t perform a J plan on the home so oftentimes they over size the unit, hence the need for fresh air introduction. If your unit was properly sized you wouldn’t need fresh air introduction and it would run long enough to de humidity on its own. For example the last home we did with foam HVAC tonnage went from 9 to 6 1/2 total. That way the unit was properly sized to accommodate the foams efficiency. Not to mention if you’re tying to let the outside change the temperature of the inside, like on those warm winter days, you’re defeating the purpose of insulation.
Yes, the barrier aspect of foam cuts both ways. Depending on location, you need to add a dehumidifier to manage internally generated moisture, and/or downsize the tonnage of your air conditioner. A short cycling a/c does not dehumidify!!! I imagine places in middle climes [like kentucky] are the biggest engineering challenge. Canadians focus on cold, and for summer... can open a window [just screen out the bugs].
1) You need more air exchange throughout the house. You can have someone measure it and they’ll tell you your Air Change it Air Exchange per hour. This keeps fresh air moving throughout and if insulated tight keeps the air pressure relatively stable.
2) It’s not typically advisable to insulate against the bottom of the roof deck. It can create a few different issues depending on the climate you live in, but mostly it really sucks for the next guy who has to put a roof on it if he has to replace any of the wood sheeting 😬
It’s really important to make sure you have adequate ventilation in your attic.
Air exchange will solve most of the problems you brought up.
Nothing wrong with a conditioned attic but spray foam that thick will trap a leak and make it very difficult, like a SIP panel roof, to locate. Rigid foam on the top of the decking with a good water membrane would have worked out better.
I was ready to type the same thing, almost word for word, except for one thing, when the guy was talking about a dehumidifier. Moisture problems aren't going to be solved with a dehumidifier. Need to find out WHY you have moisture in the basement. Whatever drainage problems you have need to be addressed. When the house was built, was a waterproofing and drainage system installed.
" It’s not typically advisable to insulate against the bottom of the roof deck. It can create a few different issues depending on the climate you live in, but mostly it really sucks for the next guy who has to put a roof on it if he has to replace any of the wood sheeting", I was thinking the same thing. They always have those plastic vent spacers nailed up.
Or fans!
You have a chemical based closed cell foam as opposed to a water based open cell foam like icynene which allows wood to breathe at the same time stopping draughts. It will also allow water leaks to be traced.
Your fireplace needed a couple of four inch pipes going under the floor to the outside to bring air in from the outside to the base of the fireplace with a sliding vent to control the air.
The fireplace looks to have too low a lintel and the fire itself is set too far back so all the heat goes up the chimney. Also with a Rumford there is a large brick area that reflects the heat into the room. The throat is the whole width and had a flap to control the fire and also shut off the flue when desired. Behind the flap is a smoke shelf that stops any downdraught smoke from entering the room and in my case has a soot door leading into the garage so that I can sweep the chimney easily
Here is my Rumford and below is a link to the design
I would tell everybody put icynene spray foam in your house!
th-cam.com/video/ZPvDovyLIdI/w-d-xo.html
www.google.com/search?q=rumford+fireplace+design&sxsrf=APq-WBv_xrUD9pCwdj6PlBwasGizHV7Mcg%3A1650603654694&source=hp&ei=hjZiYtXEKL-FhbIP46GmiAQ&iflsig=AHkkrS4AAAAAYmJEljAPGNg7k_mVg1YsZu9pBKz0ipal&oq=rumford+fireplace&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAEYATIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQ6BAgjECc6EQguEIAEELEDEIMBEMcBENEDOgsIABCABBCxAxCDAToOCC4QgAQQsQMQgwEQ1AI6CwguEIAEELEDEIMBOggILhCxAxCDAToECC4QJzoLCC4QgAQQsQMQ1AI6CAgAEIAEELEDOgsILhCABBDHARCvAToLCC4QsQMQgwEQ1AI6CAguEIAEELEDOggILhCABBDUAjoFCC4QgARQAFiDPmD-UWgAcAB4AIABtwGIAa4SkgEEMS4xNpgBAKABAQ&sclient=gws-wiz
Yes if you build a a a tight house you have to mechanically ventilate your house your builder should have know that
So as I peruse the comments the general consensus is that you have a ventilation issue and simply running your ac fan should correct it? That makes sense but I have a question now. I am looking at insulation options and am slowly moving further away from spray foam and this makes me move further away still. If I were to spray foam tight and then go off grid without power so there would be no effective way to get air flowing would spray foam be inferior to say normal ventilation and traditional batting?
The ac will only help if there is a vent ducted to the outside that can bring fresh air into the house. We installed an ERV and it has helped with a lot of our ventilation problems. The ERV uses very little power. I think you could easily power one with a solar system in an off grid house.
Thank you for the video. Originally I was against closed cell spray foam and was kind of looking for videos to support that, then I saw this video. A great help changing my mind in deciding to get closed cell spray foam insulation. Your house looks like it's vacuum sealed! That's exactly what I want! Decreased drafts, potentially decreased heating bills and increased over all comfort...sort of. I don't have a fireplace so no worries, though if I did I'd probably get an insert to increase 2nd combustion as well as the option for a direct outside air vent/source to prevent backflow and use of in house O2 as well as increase wood burning efficiency. Also I'd add an ERV and look for some kind permanent dehumidifying solution, possibly an ERV with dehumidifying options regardless of low ambient room temp.
My house in North Dakota is pretty much a highway underpass, cold and leaky with news paper for insulation from the 1950s. I hear you on the temp with the sun during the day, my brother's house is new and stays colder than the outside in the spring. Georgia is crazy humid, but winters look mild. Do ya have a mini split for heat? One of my best friends lives in tokyo and his bath towels would get moldy the next day, he went and got a electric towel rack/heater, great for winter but kind of counter for summer. Can't win them all.
No effing way! House needs ventilation. This is a design problem, not spray foam!
We installed an ERV in our house.
th-cam.com/video/51GbZsDoHRI/w-d-xo.html
What about getting one of those tornado chimney cap things as well?(not sure what they are called) Supposedly these new designs help alot with pulling smoke up..
It’s probably already been said but most a/c units have a variable speed blower and if you reduced the blower speed your unit will probably run longer to cool the home. And running the a/c removes humidity form the air. So making a small change might help before spending the money on more expensive things.
You need an air maker ......because you are creating a negative pressure, in your home sucking that steam.All the restaurants must to have a air maker in their kitchen .
Buddy, you home insulation is awesome, actually too many people looking to have tight home as yours. Your problem is fresh air through HRV/ERV. You should use central ventilation system through HRV so the discharged air will be replaced by fresh conditioned air through HRV. For this tight house you should use direct vent fire fireplace as rather than that soot issue, there is risk of anoxia in the house.
How is your insulation holding up now that you've had it installed?
It is holding up just fine and doing what it is supposed to do, but I absolutely hate it.
Yes, the insulation is perfect but the house lacks a ventilation strategy. I’d recommend anyone insulating with closed cell foam like this to contact a residential building scientist or shop for an insulation company that has one in house. That way when you insulate, managing moisture and air will already be factored into the plan. HRVs and ERVs are great Utilities to help exhaust stale air and simultaneously introduce fresh air to the home. Even still, a tight house may also require passive fresh air ducts to be installed by the range and fireplace to supply adequate make up air for proper ventilation. Furthermore, The ventilation system needs to be designed so that it’s balanced throughout the house. This way you won’t have small areas of mold growing in closets (which I have seen). Managing heat, moisture, and pressure (air flow) are the three sides of the triangle one needs to balance to be comfortable in a home that’s build tight.
HRV or ERV won't help on hot humid climate, i have tried ERV and it just brings more moisture inside. The guy is right, i second what he said.
All that extra equipment to buy and maintain when you could just do a good job with another type of insulation and not deal with all the other stuff.
Beautiful home. We built our home 12yrs ago and had similar problems. We researched and came to the conclusion the house was so tight that there was negative pressure in the house. I fixed it by putting a fresh air vent to the furnace,and and a fresh sir duct to our pellet stove. I only run our dehumidifier in the winter. I put water in the air in the winter. However I live in New England. I wonder if you just need some fresh air intakes. Hmm it’s such a delicate balance. I would be curious to see your fix. Good luck great video
We installed an ERV and it fixed our ventilation problems. I’m in the middle of installing a whole house dehumidifier to fix our high humidity problems. I have several update videos on the house.
Cool I’ll check them out. Thx
Your spray foam contractor should have recommended an erv or hrv before selling you a spray foam project. I have been spraying foam since 1999 and have had excellent success with it. The object is to insulate tight and ventilate right. erv will fix all of these problems without sacrificing your heat savings.
I am planning to install an ERV and a whole house dehumidifier. The foam contractor, the general contractor, and the HVAC contractor did not say anything about the house being too tight. They said nothing about using an ERV or a HRV. Thank you for the advice.
@@BrantleyBlended your welcome/ Any time that we are asked to give a proposal to spray an entire house we recommend the erv to ventilate because it is so tight. Im confident that what your doing will work well for you. I will be curious to see the results. Best wishes, Jon.
So you want him to ask his foam contractor to make hvac recommendation? Do you also want his painter to do the wiring? How about hire an HVAC engineer...
@@CybekCusal No none of the above. If you are a professional insulator you need to know the entire workings of the product that you are installing and let the customer know what the best way to use that product is. Common sense really.
@@jonathanlanius8648 I disagree. Specialty contractors don't know everything. By the way, I wasn't asking a question, I was making fun of your ridiculous statement. Don't @ me, IDC what you think.
you need an air to air heat exchanger so the fans can draw and the fireplace ( as long as properly installed) can then get draft. The fire box works on draft and if it cant draw then it puffs back at you at the slightest pressure above the chimney even a slight puff of wind.
NEXT is the moisture..........the air to air heat exchanger will help with that but the big thing is the fans working . In the basement the dehumidifier is good but may be better to seal the concrete as concrete is porous. Make sure your gutters run down grade away from the home and sprinklers are not wetting the immediate area next to the house.
I am an old timey wood floor guy that is extremely aware of moisture and the problems it creates . Try the above things and i feel confident that if u have a water tight shell on the home that problems with subside rather quickly ergo a few months. Immediate change in fireplace and fans drawing better will be immediate.
Also I heat a couple homes with wood and understand the process. if the draft is not enough then if possible add a section or two to the chimney.
The goal is to insulate the house as best as possible and to have an air right home. I would never recommend insulating with an inferior material in order to create a leaky and inefficient home but instead, as others suggested, would try putting more positive pressure into the home, like running your HVAC fan while you cook or use the fireplace (simply circulating air around the home is beneficial here - exactly what an ERV does). Thanks for the info, though. It’s great so that others can know what to look out for when planning spray foam.
where is the extra air going to come from to put a pos. pressure? It's just moving air around to me. Nothing there to pressurize it. I know there is supposed to be fresh air makeup coming to gas fired appliances but IDK about elect
An ERV has supply and exhaust dampers which can be set individually. Normally, you’d want a perfect balance, but for positive pressure, can open the supply (or dampen the exhaust) slightly.
You can always bring fresh air thru 6" stovepipe or 40 schedule pvc in thru basement up into 1st flr; or airexchanger ?
Very informative vid & I'm glad ya hit on the leaking roof question. There's no way covering up the roof in foam is a good idea.
The Foam now turns blue if there is a leak and you can see it very easily
Would a heat fan in the exhaust pipe vent help the smoke. On wood stoves it will some time have that fan.
We installed an ERV and it fixed our ventilation problems. The fireplace draws great now.
The title of this video is really missleading and dumb. Spray foam is a great insulater and air seal. You should have run a blower door test and done a HDL test and CAZ. That would have told you air leakage was not your problem. Most peolpe will feel convetion effect or stack effect in thier homes and thing there is an air leak that is not the case.
You should looking into a Outside air intake on your airhandler. Much cheaper than an air handler. You shouldn't be giving advice about things you clearly don't know about.
I was thinking the same. The solutions are the very complaint he has. "Its as if my fan cant breath".
Think of it this way.. Put plastic over your mouth and see how well you breath. Now try a sweater... The sweater is a old house.
Old houses were designed to be leaky purpose/accident.. Hvac was uncommon and windows were often opened. In the south..we have sun rooms or screened porches.. Its where people would go when the house got to hot.
Problem is his engineer on down were not familiar with this new method/tech.
Mine were not either.. But i am overseeing my project. I am doing my research. I expect to have a problem here and there. Up to me to find a solution.
Many ways to handle home ventilation and or conditioning. What level do you choose? Open windows no hvac or a sealed sterile house or something in between?
I live in a normal older house, nice and cozy, but had a buddy build a small vaulted ceiling farmhouse totally spray foamed like this ( open cell ) and put 3 or 4 mini splits in for the HVAC. I was questioning his reasoning when he was building it, but he's one of those guys that "knows everything" and researches like crazy, so didn't give advice. Now he has all kinds of moisture and other issues just like described here. Obviously people have different outcomes due to climate, region, quality of job done, etc.
We installed an ERV 6 months ago. It has fixed our ventilation issues, but we are still having other problems like high humidity. I just ordered a whole house dehumidifier. I hope to have it installed in a week or so. I did research before I used spray foam. I guess I didn't do a good job.
@@BrantleyBlended In theory it should be super energy efficient, I hope you get it all worked out.
Wow do you need some education on the subject. Everything you mentioned isn’t the foams fault. Another thing I noticed was your return ductwork in the attic looks severely undersized.
So using open cell foam in bathroom and places like fireplace or hood vents allows an air or moisture flow rate. But Closed cell foam greatly reduces that by 97% so almost no flow rate happening so cooler house in summer and or hotter house during the winter.
Try contacting Spray Jones on TH-cam, he can can prolly give you the lowdown.
It sounds like the foam is working great, your hvac system needs to exchange air at controlled temps & humidity
Spray Jones is arrogant & Canada (where the regulations are much stiffer, more expensive, etc. when it comes to insulating homes) , he literally uses the most bombastic exaggerated examples as to why you shouldn’t use anything but the expanding foam. If you have an older colonial home or one built pre-1955 that is drafty, his advice is to just either invest in ripping down the walls and redoing it or selling your house to someone who can.
fresh air exchanger fix the issues
I’m going to install an ERV and a whole house dehumidifier.
What’s your blowerdoor depressurization results ? How many ACH do you have ? Do you have an ERV ? What climate zone are you in ?
How do you get fresh air into your home ?
You'll be really happy once you install the HRV. Glad people have contributed
You created a super big wood gasifier..lol.nice..But mu question is would that spray foam be go for the outside roof and outside of a structure made from logs
I think you are asking if spray foam would be good to use on the outside of a structure? I’m gonna say no. My spray foam is open cell so it’s soft like a sponge. The foam wouldn’t hold up very well to weather, insects, birds, and other critters. Also, I don’t think it would look good painted.
You have one more problem that you mentioned briefly. It traps the humidity between the foam and the wood. Recently, an UK article said sprayed foam insulation made the house not salable. Some insurance companies won’t insure it due to trapped humidity, rotting woods, molds, etc.
The bottom line is spray foam requires a constantly running maintenance system. So it totally binds you to the grid. It's efficient at what it does. You have what they call a sick box. A house with insufficient ventilation. Yes it's a drawback to have to duck in cold air, but "normal" houses have enough minor leaks all around that when they turn vents on its not a problem, it's sort of a part of the assumed calculation that one will be able to pull air from inside to out without a problem. But when you seal everything up so completely and perfectly it totally changes the way a contractor has to think about building. They basically have to have a comprehensive understanding of the building envelope and where it's borders are exactly and what openings there are. You can't put a fan on top of a water bottle and circulate the air inside. You can put blown insulation in the cathedral ceiling as well, they just staple up a net to hold it all in. No matter what way you do it you will need to bring in outside air through the winter. Efficiency has a limit.
Hi. Did you use open-cell foam?
Yes
Great video
I am looking to spray my attic. I debated about my walls but it looked like a pain to do any wire work later on.
I didn't think about ventilation.
I have fished a few wires through the walls. It’s not too bad. This foam is soft, and I use a fish tape.
Re: controlling airflow. It is both good and bad. Good if you take control and want to. Bad if you don't want to. FYI a tighter house is getting more and more required by building codes. Regarding trapping the wrong temp inside the house, that's what insulation and a tight house tends to do. As far as benefitting from the sun when it's colder and having it more "even", you may be thinking of things like thermal mass and passive solar designs. If the sun heats up your brick wall, it won't instantly heat up your house like an oven, it'll radiate heat over time, making the temperature more even. The insulation in the walls would tend to keep that heat out just as well as the cold.
Why would you do all spray foam insulation without putting in an ERV or HRV?
How dose it good in the humidity i want to put that in my Florida home
I think that spray foam is terrible for high humidity areas. We live in Georgia and we have very high humidity most of the year. We have installed a whole house dehumidifier which has helped with the high humidity problems. I do not like spray foam and I will never use it again.
1) The fireplace is likely poorly designed and/or built. The air for combustion has to come from somewhere, and your house is that somewhere. Without an additional exterior intake and/or a draft booster, there will likely not be enough oxygen to allow for the fire to combust fully and ventilate through the flue properly, meaning that it will smoke and that smoke will chase back into your house. The firebox looks to have next to no slope as it travels up to the smoke chamber, which would cause outside weather to have a noticeable effect on the overall performance.
2) How many CFM's does that hood pull under normal conditions? Anything that vents outside of your house (dryer, hot water heater, chimney, vent hood, bathroom exhaust fans, etc) will create a negative pressure in the building envelope. If your house is sealed very well, you won't have as many air leaks, meaning it is harder to pull air out of the system. Your equipment will have to work harder to try and keep up. If you have a fire in your fireplace and you try to cut on any other exhaust, it compounds the issue dramatically. You may want to invest in a makeup air unit/system if you don't want to have to crack a window.
3) You don't necessarily need a dehumidifier, but you definitely need some adjustments on your HVAC system. When there are fewer air leaks, your HVAC, which would normally be your dehumidifier, doesn't run as often, meaning that it is not condensing the moisture in your house onto the coils. Increasing the air changes per hour per room or having the system altered to run more often, but for shorter cycles would probably help a lot. Also gotta ask, is the bathroom exhaust fan running outside or into the attic? And makeup air is key after you hit the "air sealed" level.
4) Blown in insulation sucks lol, but with a vented roof, the attic should never be more than 10 to 15° F than the outside air. If it is, someone likely did something improperly. It's also going to cause a premature failure in your roofing system, but that might be job security for the roofers, I don't know. It can also lead to excess moisture resulting in mold issues or water damage. A large portion of the framers and roofers I've worked with throughout the years were taught outdated methods or just outright wrong by someone who was taught by someone with outdated methods or someone who was outright wrong 😂 A lot of inspectors/code enforcement officers aren't familiar with a considerable amount of building codes and regulations, so a lot gets overlooked
Totally feel ya on the possibility of a leak you can't see. Hopefully when the house was designed, there was a backup plan for the backup plan with drainage. Routine inspections and proper maintenance are vital for early detection too.
honestly the whole video is basically, the spray foam is so good that I am not use to it.
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Where do I begin, so I’ll just cover a couple items.
Fireplaces are NOT efficient unless you have a fresh air inlet duct into the firebox and a sealed fireplace door that prevents the loss of indoor air feeding your fire.
If your living environment is spray foamed, including your attic (ie non vented attic), then per building code you’re required to have a fresh air exchanger. This pulls approx 200CFM of fresh air indoors and circulates within your house and exhaust equal amount of stale air outside.
Spray foam is great, but it essentially creates a plastic bag environment, so if you understand that upfront, then you can design accordingly.
I have built two custom homes for myself in two different States within the last 20 years and used spray foam in both. For me, I wouldn’t use anything but foam. Our utility bills are much less.
Lastly, there are many other factors when comparing one house to another…. Build and installation quality of doors and windows, number and placement of doors and windows, orientation of house to afternoon sun, and number/type/placement of trees. I suggest you study Passive Solar design.
I have been in the HERS rating industry for 13 yrs. I also diagnose energy and air quality problem in existing construction using a blower door and thermal imaging . Your problem is not the foam! Your primary problem is that you have a very tightly air sealed home without any dedicated mechanical ventilation installed from what I see in the video. You have to have some fresh air being pumped into your home mechanically to remediate moisture and stale air . Look into installing an ERV or HRV and have your Hvac contractor set the device to meet ASHRAE 62.2 2010 or 2013 ventilation requirements. This balanced form of mechanical ventilation will not introduce any more negative pressures within the building that could cause more fireplace venting issues. You can also look into having a make up air fresh air line piped into the kitchen area that can be opened up when using the range hood to help with exhaust when in use. The fireplace installers should be able to address more make up air for the venting , or possibly an inline fan(specifically for this use) that works to help create better draft within the chimney. Energy codes after the 2009 IECC require this mechanical ventilation now due to all of these air quality issues that can occur in a tightly built home. I would guess that also see moisture on the inside of the windows during your heating season.
Have you resolved this through ventilation? If so, how?
We have made it better with an ERV and a whole house dehumidifier. I have a lot of videos on my channel about it.
Do you not have building regs over there that require ventilation for open fires, bathrooms etc?
I do not know about ventilation regulations. I am not a contractor or home builder.
Prefab fireplaces like mine have a vent on them that you open while burning a fire. That is probably to make the fire burn better, not necessarily because of regulations.
I think all houses built within the last 20 or so years have exhaust fans in the bathrooms. Again, that might just be what people want in their bathrooms now. I don't know if its required by the government.
I think that there are some regulations for natural gas or propane fired furnaces. You have to have some kind of make up air or fresh air source near the furnace. The house I lived in before this one had a natural gas HVAC unit in the laundry room. There were 2 open ducts going up to the attic that allowed air to be supplied into the house.
congratulations. your first properly insulated house. fix your hvac and make sure you get enough ventilation and you will be the happiest youve ever been.
When you air seal attic don't you have 2 vent the living space somehow from gasses and stale air and such?
We installed an ERV and it fixed our ventilation problems, so I think you are correct.
@@BrantleyBlended what vent problems did you have
I hope you fixed your problems. I have foam in my 2000 sqft home that’s 3 years old. I have a fresh air intake on my hvac and I have no problems with anything. I love my foam!! Another thing, every company told me it didn’t matter if I put 3in of foam or 5in of foam, the r value will be the exact same. Only difference is more money for more foam.
We installed an ERV. It has helped with a lot of our problems.
so correct the video and do not click bait...@@BrantleyBlended
Does the foam block eaves and soffits? You should open [small amount] a window when using the fireplace.
Yes, everything is blocked and sealed up.
We used to have smoke start rolling into our living room before and it was always the case of needing a extra section of chimney on our chimney. When the wind blows stronger it can affect the way your chimney draws. Make your chimney higher and that will stop the smoke from coming into your house.
I live in east texas where it’s over 100 degreees in the summer. I don’t have insulation in the walls because it’s a very old house. I want to take out the blow insulation from the attic and put spray foam. With these summer temps….will the foam cure right on application? Or will it off gas forever?
My spray foam was installed during the summer in Georgia. It seems to have cured okay. I don’t really know about the cure process or off gassing. I only know that I’ll never put spray foam insulation in a house again.
You should speak to several spray foam professionals and get their advice. They are trying to sell a job so they might tell you whatever it takes to get you to buy their service.
@@BrantleyBlended wait…what?!?! I thought all the new houses are spray foam. U didn’t do that manual j calculation before installing the tonnage on ur hvac? It prevents humidity issues.
Did you install an air exchanger?
We installed an ERV and a whole house dehumidifier.
Why not get double Payne windows and only use the spray foam where the windows are only. regular foam for the ret of the house? plus what will you do when you need electrical repairs?
Spray foam insulation can create an airtight seal in the attic, which might disrupt the air pressure balance in your home. This could potentially affect the draft in your fireplace, making it harder for smoke to rise up the chimney. Similarly, an overly airtight attic can impact the performance of exhaust vents. Kitchen vents, bathroom fans, and other exhaust systems rely on the ability to expel air from the house. If the attic is sealed too tightly, it might create negative pressure inside the home, making it harder for these vents to function properly. To avoid these issues:
-Ensure proper ventilation: When spray foaming an attic, it's crucial to maintain proper ventilation. This might involve installing soffit vents, ridge vents, or other ventilation systems.
-Leave spaces around chimneys: Spray foam should never be applied directly to chimneys or flues, as this can create fire hazards and interfere with their function.
-Install make-up air systems: For homes with powerful exhaust systems, installing make-up air systems can help maintain proper air pressure balance.
-Consider a home energy audit: A professional can assess your home's overall air exchange and pressure balance to ensure all systems work correctly after insulation.
From Claude
Great start by creating a properly sealed home! Sounds like you did not install an ERV. You have a good problem, and there is a good solution!
A couple of things, the fireplace is supposed to have a combustion air pipe that brings outside air in, it usually comes in the back behind the the fire, the fresh air pipe would be sized according to the size of the flue, typically a 4 or 6 inch air supply. Secondly, most areas have building codes that require a fresh air intake that is connected to the return ductwork, it's just a screened hood that looks similar to a dryer vent. They are sized according to all of your exhaust fans in the house, a typical home would use either a 6 or 8 inch fresh air hood connected to the return ductwork with a length of insulated flexible round duct. Better range hoods also come with fresh air intakes that are incorporated into their own venting. The dampness in the house is probably the same moisture that was in it when it was built, and simply has never been removed. Your central air conditioning is by far, the best dehumidifier that you can have, so, running that power guzzling stand alone unit is a major waste, if you're running that in the summer time, it's giving off a lot of heat while it's removing moisture. If you want your home to be comfortable year round, I would suggest that you NEVER open the windows in the summer. It literally takes weeks and months to draw the moisture out of a house using the a/c or dehumidifiers but, opening windows when the dewpoint is above 40 degrees can pull a lot of moisture back into the house in just a few hours. Everything in your house holds moisture, carpet, woodwork, furniture, clothes, and anything else that's not plastic. Everything gets wet quickly, but drawing that moisture out, takes much, much, longer! Most homes get rained on during construction and a lot of the wood is wet when they start covering everything up, they also use a lot of wet materials to finish the house, like concrete, drywall mud, and paint. If the house is sealed with spray foam, where do you think all the moisture goes? If you're not using the a/c and drawing that moisture out, it's still inside the house! I've had people complain about their brand new windows steaming up in the winter time, turns out that the house is still too damp inside, it can take a couple years running the a/c and never opening windows to finally get the moisture out that was built into the house, buried deep inside the walls.
Is your vent fan vented outside or into the attic?
Did you spary open cell or closed cell?
Open cell
Actual air temperature is -42 F. degrees outside. Without wind chill. What would you recommend in northern Minnesota by Canada
Install and ERV. Your houe is going to rot from the inside out without one. Check your roof ridge since ridge rot is a problem in foamed houses. We have spray foam and do not have any of these problems. We have wifi temp/humidity sensors in several areas around the house and the humidity rarely gets over 50%. You should also get an outside fresh air intake directly into the firebox since the ERV only pushes around 200cfm and a fire will want more. Good luck.
Hey, Have you thought small vent or fan between garage and the house.?
Install open vents, with no fans from the roof to kitchen bathroom and fireplace area. No fan needed and you can close them when you don't need them. One stak on roof devided into 3 exhausts leaks fome that I have seen in house tends to change color slightly when water is applied to it it's a little tough to find but you can with a good eye and experience. But I get it and see where the problems can be. I have been using spray foam for years the ventilation is a cheap and easy fix. And works wonders in a tightly seald home. 6' stack
I'm assuming you have a central air system since you sealed the house so tight?
Great video.
I was advised to use spray foam but i was hesitant because it doesn't seem to allow for ventillation.
Your video backs me up.