spray foam insulation in pole barn?????

[Anonymous-0]

Has anyone used the spray foam insulation in a pole barn? Pros and cons of the material? About what would cost be for a 30x40 pole barn with 10' sidewalls? Considering having mine done.

 

[Dick2]

Foam will quickly become a haven for birds and other forms of critters if you don't enclose the foam between two walls of steel - which will run up your costs.

 

[Anonymous-0]

neighbor has one done 20 some years ago has worked out real will it is critter proof only draw back i see is the stuff will burn and looks kind of crappy but it holds heat real well and stays cooler and is very quit in side so its kind of a win win for him

 

[VicS]

My son has a 42 X 72 with 12 ft walls and scissors trusses. Makes a 13.6 end door. Also put insulation under the concrete. I think .8 It was pink. Has a 24 X 42 ft apartment in one end. It has blown in insulation too. I think the hard foam is about 3 inches thick. The guy that sprayed it is a master! it is even and no lumps. Bottom line, keeps it about 68 to 70 with a 1200 watt eden-pure electric heater. Has another one set lower for backup. Last winter the shop part never had any heat and it never froze. We live in south eastern Il. Think it cost 1.70 a square ft. That is a lot but I wished my house was sprayed. If we get a winfall I will. Also there is no way for the roof to leak, and the walls seem twice as strong. I think it has even raised the snow load somewhat.

 

[Mike M]

I asked about it and it was to be real expensive and you were to have heating system with air exchanger to get fresh air as they are too tightly sealed. This old house uses it all the time I see on the show.

 

[Robert Major]

Totally agree needs sheeting in side A customer of mine is doing a slow build of a new farm shop, ya probably no what slow and farmer means L.O.L.
The birds started to nest in the foam before it got finished. noticed the other day he has in floor heat pipes poking out the floor too. will be the best customer I have to work for in the winter when he's finished it.
Regards Robert

 

[JD Seller]

Price it installed and you will more than likely not use it. I priced it just a few weeks ago for the ceiling in my son's repair shed. 26 x 50 roof only was $4000. We used fiber glass and steel sheeting for less than half the cost.

Plus the steel sheeting is bird/mouse safe. The spray foam only can have both as issues.

 

[TonyIN]

Something that may or may not work for you - check out flash and batt. Basically a thinner layer of sprayfoam with batt insulation over.

Good luck

Tony

 

[1950MFD]

Use closed cell foam, not open cell. Closed will not soak up water. No need to sheet over it, just paint it. That is what we have in our main shop, and what I will put in the shop at my house.

 

[36 Coupe]

Gunsmith lost his shop to a fire,Built a new steel shop.Used spray foam.A hot chip from a metal lathe hit the foam and ignited it. Shop burned again.I would test a sample before I used it.A spark stream from an angle grinder can pit glass.

 

[redtom]

Just me talkin here, but my BIL and I were discussing his metal roof and we got onto spray foam. He says if you spray foam directly onto the backside of metal it will eventually sweat and the water droplets will eventually pop the paint causing rust. He says thats one reason metal roof overs use 2x4 purlins, so there is an air space. He says even new construction the roof metal should not be laid flat against the sheathing with out an air space. So, I am wondering if this is BS and if the same would happen on a wall if foam is sprayed on it.

 

[Ken Macfarlane]

Its burns well. Don't leave it uncovered in a shop.

 

[GordoSD]

Close off the ceiling with white steel, and blow in insulation.
It costs me about 350 dollars a winter, to heat my 40x80 x 12 up here in SD. I have not even turned the Reznor on yet thei fall.

 

[Russ from MN]

Any foam has to be covered with a non-combustible material to be fire safe. His insurance company should not have to pay on the second fire, big code violation!

 

[Anonymous-0]

I do not think it is BS. I looked at this same question a few years ago and the metal roof manufacturers I called did not want to discuss it at all. I have to wonder if the spray foam roofs or those put down directly on tar paper and plywood decking may not last fifty or so years like the older roofs have.

 

[Pops1532]

(quoted from post at 02:30:07 11/23/12) Any foam has to be covered with a non-combustible material to be fire safe. His insurance company should not have to pay on the second fire, big code violation!

There are many spray foam installations that were done prior to codes that called for such installations to be covered with a non-combustible barrier. It's a stretch to say the insurance should not have to pay without having more info.

 

[hd6gtom]

Dearly, we put it in a new pole building that is totally enclosed. Put it up as a honey processing building, has a upstairs in it. we have a state certified kitchen in 1/3 of the downstairs. we heat the whole thing with the large Eden pure heater. I think the building is 30X40. I have a 50000 BTU lp counter flow furnace that I was going to install, but I think I will sell it as the heater keeps it warm. I would not put up another new building with out it. Makes fiberglass insulation seem like you dont have any insulation. I need to redo some sheetrock in my new addition on my house. When I strip this off, I will rip out the old fiberglass and have the boys spray in the closed cell. Yes it costs more, but in the shed, it has paid for itself in the 3 years we have had it, now it is saving me big bucks.

 

[Cliff(VA)]

I used to work for a company that sold spray foam equipment and have read the reports from several fire investigations concerning spray foam.

Technically spray foam is not flamable. It does however outgas all kinds of really bad stuff when heated by other materials burning.

It will absorb gases (such as vaporized gasoline) that will burn in both open and closed cell foam. We had a really interesting burn pattern due to this in a metal industrial sized garage that our customer had insulated with closed cell foam and no firecoating.

Cliff(VA)