Spray Foam Insulation On Roof Deck

Spray foam insulation can create a barrier that reduces the drying rates of wood roof decks which may result in an unfavorable buildup of moisture in the wood.
Spray foam insulation on roof deck. Unlike solid insulation products that require careful measurement cutting and fitting spray foam can cover even the most uneven surface instantly. Lstiburek takes blame for bad language. In the northwest where foam has been sprayed directly to the underside of roof decks for over a decade the building officials interpret the code to require removal of existing insulation. This measure will convert a vented attic to a nonvented attic.
Moisture generated indoors or that infiltrates into the home is responsible for the bulk of the moisture in an attic insulated with spray foam on the underside of the roof sheathing. If you ve never heard the phrase hot roof i m sure you ve heard of an unvented attic. Where wood shingles or shakes. The installation steps are as follows.
Damage investigations of spray foam insulation wood roof decks have found instances where deterioration of a wood deck has occurred due to water intrusion. This construction approach was first used in the 1970s and it has been implemented much more widely since it was first included in the international code council s icc model building code in 2007 irc section 806 4. Inspect the existing roof shingles or roofing membrane for any deficiencies. No interior class i vapor retarders e g plastic sheeting are installed on the ceiling side attic floor of the.
Insulate an attic in an existing home by installing spray foam open cell or closed cell on the underside of the roof deck. It s not coming from above the roof and it s not some new moisture source resulting from the spray foam. The code allows for insulation directly to the underside of the structural roof sheathing providing the unvented attic is contained completely within the building thermal envelope. Most unvented attics incorporate spray polyurethane foam spf on the underside of the roof deck and attic walls.