Closed Cell or Open Cell - Which Foam Insulation to Choose?
When time comes to really place the foam insulating product in your home or business building structure, you need to determine whether or not you'll use open cell foam, or closed cell PE foam. This call will create a giant distinction in price, application strategies, and performance. There are of course2 major factors to grasp and take into account with the open-cell vs. closed-cell issue. The primary is the nature of the foam used.
Closed-cell PE foam differs therein because of its small foam cells are of course closed and packed along. They are full of a gas that helps the foam used rise and expand and become a larger material. These cells is developed to get several characteristics, the most common being size and density. Foam density is measured by advisement one solid displacement unit of foam used material. Open cell foams typically weigh in at 0.4 to 0.5 lb./cu. ft. Closed cell foam for insulation applications vary in density from one.7 lb./cu. ft. to 2.0 lb./cu. ft. business roofing applications usually use a pair of.8 to 3.0+ lb./cu. ft. to support traffic and loads better, and ne'er use open foam product. The upper the density the foam used, the heavier, or stronger it becomes.
The advantages of closed-cell PE foam compared to open-foam embrace its strength, higher R-value, and its larger resistance to the outpouring or permeance of air or vapor. The sole real disadvantage of the closed-cell foam is that it's denser, needs additional material, and so, is dearer. Despite the fact that it's a better R-value, usually the price per R continues to be over open-cell foam. The selection of foam used can even be supported the wants for the opposite performance or application specific characteristics like strength, vapor management, on the market house, etc. Open-cell FOAM used has AN R-value around three.5 per inch and typically uses water because the blowing agent. Closed-cell FOAM used has an R-value of around 6.0 per in. (aged R-value) and uses high R-value processing agents.
Both open and closed cell PE foam is of course ordinarily utilized in most building applications and also the selection that to use will rely upon several of the factors mentioned higher than. Some foam is of course inappropriate in specific applications. As an example, you usually would not use open-cell foam below grade or in flotation applications wherever it may absorb water; this would negate its thermal performance as a result of water is a poor material compared to air.
Closed-cell PE foam differs therein because of its small foam cells are of course closed and packed along. They are full of a gas that helps the foam used rise and expand and become a larger material. These cells is developed to get several characteristics, the most common being size and density. Foam density is measured by advisement one solid displacement unit of foam used material. Open cell foams typically weigh in at 0.4 to 0.5 lb./cu. ft. Closed cell foam for insulation applications vary in density from one.7 lb./cu. ft. to 2.0 lb./cu. ft. business roofing applications usually use a pair of.8 to 3.0+ lb./cu. ft. to support traffic and loads better, and ne'er use open foam product. The upper the density the foam used, the heavier, or stronger it becomes.
The advantages of closed-cell PE foam compared to open-foam embrace its strength, higher R-value, and its larger resistance to the outpouring or permeance of air or vapor. The sole real disadvantage of the closed-cell foam is that it's denser, needs additional material, and so, is dearer. Despite the fact that it's a better R-value, usually the price per R continues to be over open-cell foam. The selection of foam used can even be supported the wants for the opposite performance or application specific characteristics like strength, vapor management, on the market house, etc. Open-cell FOAM used has AN R-value around three.5 per inch and typically uses water because the blowing agent. Closed-cell FOAM used has an R-value of around 6.0 per in. (aged R-value) and uses high R-value processing agents.
Both open and closed cell PE foam is of course ordinarily utilized in most building applications and also the selection that to use will rely upon several of the factors mentioned higher than. Some foam is of course inappropriate in specific applications. As an example, you usually would not use open-cell foam below grade or in flotation applications wherever it may absorb water; this would negate its thermal performance as a result of water is a poor material compared to air.
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