The Effectiveness of Spray Foam Insulation in Controlling Humidity Levels
Spray foam insulation is an extremely popular insulation choice due to its effectiveness, durability, and quality. One major fault of many other insulation options on the market is that they harbour moisture. When insulation harbours moisture, it can lead to persistent humidity, which can cause a variety of problems in your home. Spray foam insulation is one of the only insulations that can help control moisture and humidity in your home in order to prevent things like mold, structural damage, and drafts. The airtight, waterproof, and heat resistance of spray foam allows for this. If you are looking into getting spray foam insulation in Mississauga, contact EcoStar Insulation today! We offer a variety of insulation and fireproofing services to ensure that your home is protected from the inside out. Contact us today for a quote on spray foam insulation costs.
Why Do I Need to Control Humidity?
Being able to control the humidity in your home is vital to prevent common household repairs.
Prevent Mold
Controlling the humidity in your home with spray foam insulation can help you prevent mold growth. Mold growth occurs in moist/damp environments and often occurs when water leaks into your home, either from plumbing issues or poor insulation. Mold growth occurs when a mold spore enters a humid environment. The moisture allows the mold spore to reproduce and grow into visible mold. Mold is both unsightly and toxic. Mold can aggravate symptoms of allergies and respiratory illness for those who suffer from these conditions. Even healthy individuals can suffer from mold toxicity. Lowering the humidity in your home by fixing leaks and improving insulation can prevent moisture from entering your home, which can prevent mold.
Prevent Structural Damage
Reducing the humidity in your home can also prevent structural damage to your home. Many of the internal elements of your home are susceptible to water and humidity. This includes wooden beams, metal pipes, drywall, and flooring. Wood and drywall can absorb moisture very easily, so if they are subjected to damp, humid environments, they can begin to deteriorate. Wooden beams can rot and crumble, and drywall can soften. When this happens, these elements lose their structural integrity. This can be dangerous and makes your home more likely to collapse if it ever suffers from any physical trauma. Humidity can also cause your pipes and vents to rust and corrode and your floors to crap and warp. Repairing all of these things can be very expensive, and choosing to prevent excess humidity with quality insulation in your home is a much more cost-effective solution.
Prevent Drafts and Improve Air Quality
Controlling humidity levels in your home can also improve comfort. When your home is effectively sealed with insulation, it prevents drafts and moisture from entering your home from outside. Having a lot of moisture in your home can be uncomfortable and can result in musty odours, which are very off-putting. Having less humidity in your home will also promote better air quality and can reduce the spread of germs and air pollution.
The Impact of Spray Foam
Now that you understand why humidity control is important, we can discuss how spray foam insulation can address this issue.
Air Tight Seal and Strong Coverage
Spray foam is great at reducing humidity in homes because it provides excellent coverage. As the name suggests, spray foam insulation is plaster material that is sprayed onto your home’s surfaces. This allows for great coverage, as the spray application allows the product to cover every single corner and crevice. After the application, the insulation then dries down into a firm foam. This allows for excellent adhesion and an airtight seal. This air-tight seal is what prevents water and drafts from entering your home. With spray foam, it is almost impossible for moisture to penetrate your insulation. This is why it is highly recommended for homeowners who are concerned with controlling humidity in their homes.
High R-Value
Spray foam insulation has an impressively high R-value, which helps prevent drafts and humidity from entering your home. R-value refers to how resistant a material is to heat. The higher the value, the more resistant the material is. The R-value of spray foam insulation is a whopping 7, which is more than double that of fibreglass insulation. This means that warm, moist air from outside cannot easily penetrate the material. This helps keep your home dry, improving your air quality.
Waterproof
Spray foam insulation is waterproof, which definitely contributes to reducing humidity in homes. Since the product goes from a liquid to a solid, it doesn’t absorb water and can even repel water. Insulation is typically sprayed over the wooden structure of your home. The insulation will prevent any water from ever making contact with the wood, which protects the structure from wood rot. The structural integrity of your home cannot be compromised due to moisture and humidity when you have spray foam insulation.
Spray Foam Insulation is Key for Moisture Control
Spray foam insulation is an excellent tool that homeowners can use to control moisture and humidity in their homes. Humidity control is important as high humidity in your home can lead to issues like mold growth, structural damage, and poor air quality. The air-tight, waterproof, and heat-resistant nature of spray foam is what allows it to deter humidity. This contributes to a safer home, healthier patrons, and increased comfortability. If you are interested in installing spray foam insulation in Mississauga or want to learn more about spray foam insulation costs, call EcoStar Insulation. Contact us to request a quote on a service!
