Harsh Easton winters make insulation a top priority for any home or business owner. Spray Foam Technologies provides expert service to the Easton, PA area for over 40 years.

All You Need to Know About Spray Foam Insulation for Easton Area

There are scores of things people in Easton, PA and across the continental US who aren’t aware of the benefits and nuances of Spray Foam Insulation. We are experienced contractors dealing in the Spray Foam industry for over four decades now, so we know more than most everyone about it. Spray Foam Insulation is an super high quality, professional level product that has a raft of benefits. While people may know of certain benefits, many of them are largely unknown to a large amount of people. Many if not most tradesmen and contractors will speak about the same advantages and what they consider the strongest selling points when it comes to spray foam insulation. But there really is a lot more to it than most people know.

The Many Superior Benefits of Spray Foam Products

Everything has pros and cons according to most people, and for many, the most important benefit of insulating with Spray Foam is Energy Savings. What a lot of people don’t know is there are more overlooked benefits for just about any home or business owner such as Durability, Comfort, and the potential to control a home or business’ climate with pinpoint accuracy.

Energy Savings Plus Durability and Comfort with Spray Foam

Many of Easton PA’s finest residents initially look into spray foam insulation installation thinking they’ll realize energy savings. What many of them quickly discover once they have spray foam is that it makes your their home’s temperature and climate so much more comfortable year round. Spray foam brings maximum comfort. Many people don’t realize they need more than a high tech thermostat to maintain a constant temperature. Perhaps spray foam’s main benefit is it’s strong ability to stop air infiltration of a home or business. This is probably in most cases what people just don’t even think of. That, and the fact the durability and superior longevity of spray foam insulation are further exceptional features. It will not need to be replaced or wear out, so it contributes year-round, 24/7 to a well sealed and insulated home.

Superior Comfort – Spray Foam’s R-Value vs Fiberglass

By far, the most common question we are always asked is what is Spray Foam’s R-Value and how does it compare to other types of insulation. It’s probably very safe to say that most people in or near Easton, PA directly correlate R-value to Spray Foam Insulation. And this shouldn’t be considered strange or even foolish, because people are generally familiar with the information they hear regularly from the home improvement industry. The thing is when it comes to spray foam and R-value, it’s not quite that simple. We would tell you, like other experienced contractors in the know, comparing the R-value of standard fiberglass insulation with the R-value of the spray foam insulation just doesn’t make sense. It’s really like the old analogy of comparing apples to oranges. They’re just different, so it doesn’t really work.

Right or wrong, the R-Value of all insulation types is correlated with its efficiency and effectiveness in most people’s minds, but that doesn’t pan out in the real world. Why you may ask? One way to explain it is as follows. Consider you bought a piece of land for an office building or new home in Easton Pennsylvania or very nearby, and you didn’t know any of it’s important specs, except for the lot’s size. You would have to find out pretty quickly…Is it a meadowy area, a rocky cliff, a wooded lot, flat land, or perhaps even wetland? Is the lot’s terrain and water drainage ideal already or will it need to be substantially altered for your intended use? Does it currently have the right zoning you need? Insulation works exactly the same way. R-value alone just does not determine the true performance and overall value of spray foam insulation. We understand you may not choose to read this full article, but the below link will explain the myths associated with the R-value:

Spray Foam Insulation R-Value

What is the R-value of spray foam insulation? This is the question on the minds of many people who do not know much about insulation. Most people do know they need better temperature stability and comfort in their home or office. R-value is simply the heat flow rate of insulation, according to the industry. This varies greatly depending on the thickness, type, and density of insulation. When you compare spray foam insulation with other standard fiberglass insulation, you will clearly see the R-value difference in both insulations.

Further, understand that even fiberglass insulation and it’s R-value may not meet the expectations you have due to your current mindset or information level. Some people think that the ratings are fixed or skewed to be predisposed to fiberglass. This is because the R-value rating of fiberglass insulation is more favorable for fiberglass, at least in certain/ideal situations. Despite this “advantage” fiberglass insulating often does not translate into to better home comfort or a higher level of energy savings. The link of the website we referenced above says:

Spray Foam Insulation vs Fiberglass

This may sound a bit ridiculous (we’re paraphrasing here), but consider the insulation’s R-value after it was submerged in water or after the wind blows at a speed of 20 miles/hour through it. In all of these conditions, the Fiber insulation’s R-value becomes zero. But, either of these conditions does not affect the R-value of the solid insulation. This is one of the few reasons why I do not consider these R-values authentic unless you know other features too.

R Value Fairy Tale – The Myth  of Insulation Values

So, the fiberglass insulation really doesn’t provide the R-value you want while spray foam insulation provides a maximum R-value. It gives you maximum sealing and longevity. The r-value of fiberglass insulation may not be what you think. The R-value ratings favor fiber insulation. The website link above states:

Consider the R-value of an insulation after it has been submersed in water or as a 20 mile-per-hour wind blows through it. In either of these scenarios, the R-value of fiber insulations goes to zero. But those same conditions barely affect solid insulations. That’s why I believe that R-value numbers are misleading, meaningless numbers unless we know other characteristics.

David B. South

The Actual Cost of Spray Foam – How Much Can Be Saved?

Believe it or not, saving money is purely a side benefit that comes with the installation of spray foam. We really don’t try to sell people in Easton or surrounding areas on energy savings. Many people are stuck or preoccupied with that aspect of insulation however. We do try to make people in Easton understand that spray foam is the best available product in many if not most cases that require insulation. Yes, it is typically more expensive than fiberglass insulation, potentially 2-3 times, but spray foam insulation is a once and done, single-time investment for your home or business that will last for the life of the structure. Fiberglass insulation cannot last nearly as long, and don’t forget it can be nearly as expensive in some cases.

How is Our Easton Area Spray Foam Company Better?

Lower Priced Easton Spray Foam Contractors

One of the most common questions we’re asked from Easton residents is of course, “How much does spray foam insulation cost?” Well, maybe not nearly as much as you might think. We’ve met so many people over the years who didn’t know about us before getting spray foam installed in their home or business. What they found out after the fact is, we charge way less money on an installation than most other companies. The reason why is simple. We don’t have high overhead and charge excessive franchise fees. So we don’t waste your hard-earned money on needless costs that don’t benefit you. Our insulation installation jobs often cost 20-75% less than the quotes people get from other installers. And because of our longtime experience, we do the job right from the get go, meaning you won’t be vexed by a lousy job that needs to be redone. No fighting with anyone to fix problems that could have been avoided. There are times we’ve even been asked by our competitors to fix projects they’ve done that went badly, and they needed our help to get it right.

Longtime Experience in the Spray Foam Insulation Industry

The Spray Foam Insulation industry was brought into being around the start of the 1970s. This is when our Owner/President Terry Demer’s Father founded Spray Foam Technologies. So to be frank, the durability of our spray foam company and our installations is head and shoulders above that of other companies. Terry’s Dad was a pioneer in the spray foam applicator field. And he wasn’t just serving Easton. He worked on the entire Eastern United States coast. Simply put, we are more knowledgeable and experienced in the field than any just about other regional or local company.

What Else Should You Know About Spray Foam in Easton, Pennsylvania

The eastern region of Pennsylvania, including Easton seems to be cursed with awful crawl space mold and moisture problems. They are often overly hot/cold, mold rich, and wet problem areas. We have fixed the problems in a lot of these awful crawl spaces. Because of that experience, we use a more systems based approach when fixing them. These areas are of course a great place to tap into the benefits of spray foam, namely moisture sealing. And spray foam ideally provides high level thermal performance as well as additional benefits. Understand that the spray foam insulation acts as a highly effective barrier to moisture in your home, office, or other damp areas. It also conveniently reduces nest areas for rodents.

Because of this, we most often install closed-cell spray foam insulation in the walls of crawl spaces, along with a dehumidifier, a band joist, an additional moisture barrier, and a also sump pump if needed. This makes your crawl space a protected area that contains the necessary elements to prevent excessive humidity and temperature swings that can promote harmful mold growth. As you may see, we approach the problem in a very different manner than many other less experienced companies. It seems to be contrary to the accepted knowledge most people think is correct for a crawl space. We do get requests many times to insulate the ceiling of the crawl space, but this is often not the right way to treat issues. It can actually be very harmful to the area for specific reasons we can explain on your job site.

If you have any questions or would like a quote on insulating your home, crawl space, or business project, contact us today.