Re: Roof Insulation?

[Anonymous]

I had my roof spray foamed over 20 years ago. I have had no rot and no leaks and no complaints. Just when is my roof due to collapse? Just when am I supposed to want to reroof when the roof remains in mint condition? As far as I see it the foam acts as both an insulator and a bonder, none of my tiles have ever come off but neigbouring houses have in high winds over the years. My house is also more comfortable in winter and very warm, the snow is the last to melt on our roof.

My research tells me thst polyurethane spray foam acts as a vapour barrier and is also semi permable so it cannot lock damp into roof timbers causing them to rot. What rot!

Do some of you arm chair know-it-alls actually know what you are talking about? Can any of you take me to a property where the roof has collapsed because of spray foam? Can you show me any property where the timbers have rotted explicitely due to spray foam? Put up or shut up because I don't like being told by people who do no research and condemn out of hand based on unfounded urban myths. I made the right decision not a wrong one when I had my property foam bonded thank you. I see now it is also listed as a BBA product, scientists and technologists I think better qualfied to approve the product by BBA certification than some of you arm chair know-it-alls.

Some of you people really annoy me with the unfounded rubbish you post just to sound self important and knowledgable when clearly the reverse is true.

 

[Anonymous]

you are extremely lucky.

 

[Anonymous]

Yes, I could point you to buildings which have been damaged by the application of spray foam. It is, as almost every thread on the subject confirms, a short-term bodge solution. 20 years is getting to the limit. And how do you know there's no rot in your roof timbers, you can't now get at them because of the foam?

The BBA certificates that you attach such importance to were issued specifically in relation to its application to nail-sick roofs, and (seperately) for its technical properties as an insulator.

Effectively what the certificates say is
"1. the manufacturers claim that their product sticks the tiles / slates together, preventing them from falling off individually if the nails are rusty. The BBA have looked at this and agree that this claim is true." and
"2. The manufacturers claim that a given thickness x of their product acts as insulation to the value of y. The BBA have looked at this and agree that this claim is true"
The BBA certificates give no other guarantee, nor do they confirm that the product is actually the best way to deal even with the problem it is marketed to solve.

Wait till you try to sell the house and see what the surveyor says.

 

[Anonymous]

Bob, I'd be interested to know how old your house is - or more importanly. how old your roof is? Spray foam insulation has its place as a short term measure to extend the life of a tired roof. If your roof is 70 or 80 years old you might get another 20 or even 30 years out of it by using spray foam. It's a straightforward calculation, what is the cost of spray foam compared to the cost of doing the job in the conventional way and you takes your choice on a cost per year basis.

The main drawback of spray foam though is that it is a last gasp for the roof. It is almost impossible, and certainly uneconomical, to remove the stuff so it really does, ultimately, condemn the roof to the skip. (in 20-30 years time.)

This is fine on your average 70 - 80 year old standard roof - just skip it in fit another when the time comes. But it is not acceptable to condemn an historically important roof to the skip just to stretch another 20 or 30 years out of it.

(Don't forget this forum is for period properties)

 

[Anonymous]

If you disagree with an opinion expressed on this forum, do feel free to say so, and to explain an alternative point-of-view. That's why it's called a "forum" - because it's a place to discuss things.
But it's not a place for gratuitous rudeness. If you have nothing more to contribute than overt insults, then please express your views somewhere else.