Airfoam Wall Insulation Ltd?

[Libertas]

Has anyone here had any experience with this company? It seems like a good service to me but I've only just come across them, so has anyone used them for their property?

http://www.airfoam.co.nz/

[Traff]

Airfoam

Yes we have contemplated it many times, however the amount of holes they make to ensure they insulate properly is a lot ! You then need to either repaint or patch paint and thats just doesnt look good,does add value to your property though.Has a high R rating ! I would start with roof insulation and then a HRV or similar and then expol or similar and then if I still had an issue look at airfoam. The least amount of heat is lost through the walls usually. Good sytem apart from all thoe holes......

Mark

https://www.propertymentors.co.nz

[Halfwit Hunter]

There has been some controversy recently regarding this product when used in brick veneer or monolithic plaster clad buildings where it has entered the the ventilation gap between the veneer and framing timber. I read a report recently where it was used in a renovated house without consents being issued for it's installation (It was considered 'building work'). The subsequent order issued for it's removal opened a can of worms.

This Article from the Ashburton Guardian.

Home insulation company hits back

By Michelle Nelson
A home insulation company has hit back at the Ashburton District Council’s claims that foam insulation is unsuitable for use in brick veneer or monolithic plaster clad buildings.
Matthew Clayton, franchise holder for Airfoam Wall Insulation Canterbury, the only company installing foam-injected insulation locally, said the council’s claims are unfounded and based on misunderstandings about the technology.
Mr Clayton said he has lost thousands of dollars in cancelled orders in the Ashburton District as a result of the council’s stance.
Senior building inspector John Bruce raised concerns about the risks of using foam-injected insulation in brick veneer or plaster monolithic clad buildings in a press release this week.
Mr Bruce said the council had rejected the technology as suitable for use in brick veneer dwellings, based on information posted on the Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ) website.
He said the ventilation gap between brick or monolithic cladding and the framing protects the framing and interior wall surfaces from moisture permeating the dwelling and should not be filled.
He said foam in the ventilation gap could act as a moisture bridge, trapping dampness against the framing timber and interior wall board, instead of allowing the moisture to seep down and out of the dwelling.
Mr Clayton denied the council’s claims the product could act as a moisture bridge, wicking moisture through semi-permeable brick or plaster cladding into wooden framing, saying the foam is constructed to reject water.
He said homes in New Zealand were built with wide surfeits which protected exterior walls from the weather, and he did not know of any problems caused by moisture as a result of Airfoam insulation.
But the council is sticking by Mr Bruce’s claims.
Environmental services manager John McKenzie said the Ashburton District Council, like most other councils across the country, relied on information supplied by BRANZ. He said BRANZ was a credible, independent certification agency which backed its claims about products used in the building industry with the results of scientific research.
Mr McKenzie said there was no problem with using foam insulation in other types of dwelling, but the council continued to warn people against using such products in brick veneer or monolithic plaster clad dwellings.
While consent is not required to insulate existing homes, if it came to the attention of the council that the foam-injected product had been used, the information would be added to information the council held on the property and could appear in future LIM reports on the property.
Christchurch City Council senior building control officer Neil Eade said the council did not accept the use of Airfoam in new or altered buildings when issuing building consents as the council had not been satisfied by the supplier that the product complied with the Building Code.
“We do not permit its use in new constructions or condone its use in retro-fitting existing homes,” he said.
Mr Eade said property owners should also be mindful they could be entering a grey area in terms of building compliance if they used the product in brick veneer or monolithic clad buildings.
He also expressed concerns about formaldehyde gas issuing from the insulation foam, saying there was a possibility the fumes could impact on people’s health.
However, Mr Clayton said the Airfoam insulation had less formaldehyde than many food staples.
Mr Clayton said comments by Mr Bruce to the Guardian about the possibility of foam insulation causing leaky building syndrome were nonsense and pertained only to new homes. The company’s foam insulation system is not used in new homes, he said.
July 13

http://www.ashburtonguardian.co.nz/index.asp?articleid=7527

Looks like a good product though when used in the right application.

Cheers,
HH

[robbyp.]

Yes we have contemplated it many times, however the amount of holes they make to ensure they insulate properly is a lot ! You then need to either repaint or patch paint and thats just doesnt look good,does add value to your property though.Has a high R rating ! I would start with roof insulation and then a HRV or similar and then expol or similar and then if I still had an issue look at airfoam. The leats amount fo heat is lost through the walls usually. Good sytem apart from all thoe holes......

Mark
www.propertymentors.co.nz

I wouldn't recommend polystyrene insulation such as underfloor insulatiion, as it easts into plastic, such as plumbing and wires. Plumbers have reported this problem, and it is getting worse.

[ream]

Has anyone here had any experience with this company? It seems like a good service to me but I've only just come across them, so has anyone used them for their property?

http://www.airfoam.co.nz/

We used them last year and were impressed. We noticed the difference in warmth in the house the next morning. We made sure we had them round just before we had the house painted, then it's not a problem! A bit smelly when being installed but not noticeable a couple hours later (and we are very sensitive to/concerned about chemical smells here). We'd already had the roof properly done and can't get under the floor to do that, we had a DVS and a heat transfer kit, and the airfoam still made a big difference. Before we had it we had to keep certain doors shut and have heaters in individual rooms (the ones that weren't near the logburner), whereas afterwards we were able to leave the doors open & let the logburner's heat flow through the house without it all being lost through the walls.

[pipple21]

Libertas:

Can you give me an indication of how much it cost? just an approximation of per square metre of property would be great!

Thanks!

[Re@der]

The quote I had for my personal home could not be justified in reduction of my central heating bill. I only use central heating for 6 months a year so the numbers just didn't stack up.

[Davo36]

airfoam came yesterday to do the house, and when I say do the house - they really did the house! They said before they left last night that they'd used a lot more foam than they had estimated and last night after opening some cupboards we realised why - we had wardrobes full of the stuff! They also said last night that they were glad I'd gone out for the day as they had made a bit of a mess and following our cupboard discovery I made a few more investigations this morning when they came back, as I'd also discovered a very damp patch on our bedroom floor. Turned out they had some major problems. The paper they use to stuff the electrical sockets to 'prevent leakage' had completely blown out with the pressure, thus leading to airfoam spraying all over the living room . They had also accidentally drilled right through from the external wall through the internal wall in 5 places which they hadn't realised until they came to fill the walls. So, when they pumped the foam in.

Crikey, how much did you pay to have them wreck your house? Lol.

[pipple21]

We had airfoam come and do an installation the other week. It worked out to be approx $3k for a 240 square metre home. Thus far, it seems to be really good.

The house is quieter and appears to have a more constant temperature.

As to leakage: there were a few leaks in cupboards and under the house, but nothing as bad as what best_roulette_strat reports above.

No problems at all regarding the installation. Once the house is repainted it will be hard, if not impossible, to see where the holes were drilled.

[Jabroni01]

airfoam came yesterday to do the house, and when I say do the house - they really did the house! They said before they left last night that they'd used a lot more foam than they had estimated and last night after opening some cupboards we realised why - we had wardrobes full of the stuff! They also said last night that they were glad I'd gone out for the day as they had made a bit of a mess and following our cupboard discovery I made a few more investigations this morning when they came back, as I'd also discovered a very damp patch on our bedroom floor. Turned out they had some major problems. The paper they use to stuff the electrical sockets to 'prevent leakage' had completely blown out with the pressure, thus leading to airfoam spraying all over the living room . They had also accidentally drilled right through from the external wall through the internal wall in 5 places which they hadn't realised until they came to fill the walls. So, when they pumped the foam in.

Crikey, is that the service they offer? I sure hope you didn't have to pay for anything and have gotten repairs etc covered.

[ream]

Am I the only one who thinks that post is a bit suss? The poster with a spam-type handle is in the USA.....

[pipple21]

I tend to agree. Especially after we have seen the installation and the foam is not at a "high pressure". It is more like shaving cream that sets.

[deliveryman]

....really made a difference!

.....had a set of ex-state 2-up 2 down weatherboard rental units done [lower sth island], along with subsidised underfloor and roof insulation and put in heat pumps. tenants ecstatic - warmer on first day, don't need to wear slippers or use heater, cuts down sound in bedroom, etc, etc, ad nauseam.

.....after this would definitely do on own home, if timber, and will be doing on another set of units we settle on soon.

.....holes were an issue, as was one "overflow" inside, but no worse than some painters. cost, including their scaffold time, came in at around 4k per unit.

[SuperDad]

PT members,

Please note that the user best.roulette.strategy has been banned from the PT community.

On behalf of the moderators
SuperDad. (Paul.)

[Errol]

Polystyrene corrosion

I wouldn't recommend polystyrene insulation such as underfloor insulatiion, as it easts into plastic, such as plumbing and wires. Plumbers have reported this problem, and it is getting worse.

Do you have any info' on this, or documented case references? if this is true it could be a very serious problem