Roof Insulation Spray on foam ? Opinions

ahll

yeah I looked into this a few years back and it seemed like a bad idea to me as it wouldnt let the wood in the roof breath. So I decided against it. I just keep a close eye on my slates and get any loose ones corrected. If any of my neigbours are having anything done at the roof I also get their roofer to give my roof the once over. This seems to work for me and not cost to much so far.

ozskin

my father had this done on gerorgian ie 1886 house 25 years ago it has stuck to the slates, there has been no breathability issues and every slate has stayed in place for many years and the insulation effect has been great. speak as you find for him it has been great

moonrakerz

This stuff has had a very bad press - stay clear !

StickyVicky_2

Hi

I had this done in October last year and I have to say that I find it has been very good. It provides good insulation and has solved a 'small' problem with wind blown water ingress - I live on a very windy hill.

benood

I was tempted by this a while ago - decided against because (i) was worried about water ingress and potential to rot rafters and (ii) once it has been done that's it - you're not going to be able to re use any tiles/slates when you do come to reroof.

Steve-E_4

Pre-aplogies for long post...

I had my roof foam sprayed a couple of years ago. The roof has rosemary tiles with no underfelt so it was pretty draughty/noisy in the loft. I live very close to the sea front in Blackpool, so it gets seriously windy at times.

As well as wind/water ingress I also had a problem with roof movement. The purlins span 22ft unsupported so the hangars for the ceiling joists used to push the upstairs ceilings down in high winds. It was like sleeping in an old sailing ship on windy nights.

The foam has made the house considerably warmer. There is no wind/water ingress at all and the roof is absolutely rock solid even in the gales over the winter.

I don't believe that water pooling is an issue any more than a felted roof where capillary action can hold water against timbers. There are no gaps and the foam is waterproof.

As for the foam blowing tiles out, I cannot see how this is possible. To push a tile out the foam would need something to push against, which is not the case when spraying a roof. The foam is built up in multiple thin layers and cures in a very short time (though full cure takes longer).

The foam is breathable so rotting should not be a problem, and the timbers are not fully enclosed either, so they have a breathing pathway.

The company that did my roof have been at it for more than 25years, commercial and domestic and I coudn't find any bad words said against them. Most people who slag it off seem to work of the basis that they heard about someone who new someone who knew a friend who heard that...etc
(some of the early roof sprays were justifiably criticised because they used urea formaldehyde which was admittedly c**p and did suffer shrinkage...and was smelly)

Having said all that, worrying about tiles blowing off is unwarranted unless your roof is in really bad repair. I have seen plenty off roof damage in my area and it is nearly always due to chimneys and ridge tiles being dislodged.

As always; if you are really worried then get a number of proffesionals in, normal roofers and foam sprayers and see what they say. Your roof probably has a lot of life left in it yet.

OK...I've finished now...wake up!

ozskin

it is interesting that the three people with direct experience of this rate it has anyone had a direct bad experience of it rather that word of mouth, mother in law also has it in old house with no problems 5 yrs later