What Is Air Sealing And Why Is It Important?

The total application of appropriate techniques to prevent or eliminate air leakage is referred to as “air sealing.” When done properly, air sealing creates a more comfortable, healthier living environment by decreasing the need to misuse your home’s heating and cooling systems to neutralize the temperature produced by air leaks. If you build a new home but it leaks air. You must insulate and air-seal your home with spray foam insulation

Air Leakage

Outside air enters and conditioned air departs your house uncontrollably through gaps and openings, which is known as air leakage. Believing that air leakage is good for ventilation is a bad mistake. Too much air may enter the house during cold or windy weather. When it’s warmer and less windy outside, there’s a chance that not enough air gets in, resulting in poor indoor air quality. Moisture problems can be exacerbated by air leaks. Moreover, harmful air particles in the outside air can get a chance to enter your home freely through these air leaks.

What Can I Do To Air Seal My House?

There are steps you may do to guarantee your home is airtight. Spray foam insulation applied to all interior places where air leaks are present is one of the most effective techniques to prevent air leakage. Spray foam insulation acts as an air sealant, and when installed by an expert, it helps improve your home’s air quality and energy efficiency.

Spray foam insulation is a versatile product that can be utilized in a variety of applications and sections of the home. It can provide strong thermal insulation, an air barrier, and a vapor barrier when professionally placed. This is a simple and effective approach to improve not only energy efficiency and air sealing but also many other key features of a home for homeowners.

The Advantages of Spray Foam Insulation

Lower Energy bills

Home comfort improves

There will be fewer drafts and cold places

Improved air quality

Consistent Temperatures on each floor and room

Reduced carbon emissions in the home

Higher resale value

Spray foam insulation not only creates a complete air seal for your home, but it also has several other advantages. Spray foam insulation offers water-resistant qualities that operate as a moisture barrier while preventing water seepage. It also helps to prevent mold because it is made up of components that bacteria and mold can’t digest or live on.

Spray Foam Insulation: What Are the Different Types?

There are two types of spray foam insulation, open-cell, and closed-cell. While open and closed cell spray foams can both provide a strong air barrier, vapor barrier, and thermal insulation, they differ in a few aspects. We prepared a little outline to assist you to understand their differences below.

Open-cell

Open-cell spray foam insulation is less dense and expands more compared to closed-cell spray foam insulation. It has a lower R-value than a closed-cell; however, the R-value itself is not low, closed-cell just has a very high R-value. Therefore, compared to closed-cell, open-cell has a lower R-value. Open-cell spray foam insulation is common in residential homes, and it’s especially good for home audio studios or any other areas that need to be quieter.

Closed-cell

Closed-cell spray foam insulation is a lot denser than open-cell spray foam insulation and expands less compared to open cell. The dense material of open-cell spray foam makes the thermal insulation, air barrier, and vapor barrier even more effective. Closed-cell spray foam insulation has a greater R-value, almost twice as compared to open-cell. This makes it ideal for applications requiring high levels of energy efficiency, such as a Passive House or a Net-Zero House. The dense material also provides structural stability to your home.