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

What You Should Know About Spray Foam Insulation

There are many things the large majority of people in Scranton, PA and around the US may not know about spray foam. We’ve been spray foam insulation contractors for over 40 years, so we have quite a bit of knowledge. Spray Foam Insulation is a premium product with many benefits both known and unknown to many people. Most contractors will tell you that that strongest selling points and benefits of Spray Foam Insulation are the following.

The Multiple Benefits of Spray Foam

While energy savings are a big benefit of utilizing spray foam…comfort, durability and ability to control your indoor climate are the bigger wins and selling features for the Scranton home or business owner.

Comfort, Energy Savings, & Durability with Spray Foam Insulation

A lot of people in Scranton originally consider getting spray foam for energy savings, however they soon realize the real beauty of spray foam insulation is having a home that is truly comfortable. To have a really comfortable home, you have to consider more than just temperature on the thermostat. The lack of air infiltration and the ability to control humidity provide key benefits that most people never consider. Along with these key features, longevity and durability of the insulation and the structure itself are associated with a properly insulated and sealed home.

Spray Foam Insulation R-Value

We get so many people asking “What is the R-value of spray foam?” Many people near Scranton think of R-value in relation to Spray Foam just because it’s all they know due to conditioning of the home improvement industry, but it’s really not quite that simple? What people don’t realize is, comparing standard fiberglass insulation’s r-value to the spray foam r-value is like comparing apples to oranges. Why is this?

Spray Foam Insulation vs Fiberglass

R-value has long been associated with the effectiveness and efficiency of insulation. We explain it like this. It’s the equivalent of buying a couple acres of land in Scranton for your dream home, but not knowing anything about the land other than its size. Is it flatland, a meadow, wooded, a rocky cliff, wetland? Will it perc? Insulation is similar to this comparison, and r-value alone does not tell the full story. We don’t expect you to read this whole piece, but this article explains the r-value myth:

R Value Fairy Tale – The Myth  of Insulation Values

So even 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

How Much Does Spray Foam Cost and How Much Will We Save?

Savings is really just a byproduct with spray foam insulation. We don’t typically try to sell people in Scranton on savings, mostly because spray foam is simply the best product available. The typical cost of spray foam insulation can be 2-3 times more than traditional insulation, however it’s a one-time investment that lasts the life of home or structure. Traditional fiberglass insulation is not a one time investment, so you get what you pay for.

What Makes Our Spray Foam Insulation Company Better?

Lower Priced Spray Foam Contractors

Obviously a lot of Scranton people ask us “How much does spray foam insulation cost?” We’ve spoken to many people over the years who wish they had found us before they got spray foam from another company. Our costs are often way less. We don’t have excessive franchise fees, and we don’t waste your money on useless overhead & costs, so your spray foam project cost can on average be anywhere from 20-75% lower than other companies with less experience. We do the job right the first time, and we guarantee our work. We’ve even been asked by competitors to fix some of the projects they’ve done that haven’t gone so well.

Longevity & Experience in Spray Foam

Quite bluntly, the longevity of our business is head and shoulders above all of the competition. Spray Foam Technologies was started by our owner Terry Demer’s father in the early 1970’s. He was one of the first foam applicators, not just serving Scranton, but on the entire East Coast. We have a vast amount of knowledge and experience for much longer than almost all of the local and regional competition.

What Else is Important About Spray Foam in Scranton & Northeast PA?

The Northeastern Pennsylvania region, the Poconos, and Scranton are plagued with awful crawl space issues. Most are wet, cold, moldy messes. We remediate a lot of crawl spaces. We take a “systems approach” to crawl space remediation. Crawl spaces are a fantastic way to utilize spray foam insulation. Along with providing key thermal performance, it provides essential additional benefits. Closed cell spray foam acts as a moisture barrier in the homes most notoriously damp areas. It also eliminates access and nesting areas for rodents.

Our system includes closed cell spray foam in the crawl space walls & band joist, a vapor barrier on the floor, a dehumidifier, and sometimes even a sump pump. This creates a conditioned space that stops the humidity which normally allows mold to grow. Our system is completely contrary to what some people think they need in a crawl space. We often have requests to insulate the crawl space ceiling, but this is not the proper way to take care of the issue.