Do not use SPRAY FOAM until you watch this! Our SPRAY FOAM ventilation and humidity nightmare!

We built a house 2 -1/2 years ago and put spray foam insulation in the walls and roof. Our house is sealed up too tight and we are having a lot of problems. I talk about these problems.
Spray foam insulation hides roof leaks. Our roof is leaking and I did not know it!
• SPRAY FOAM insulation ...
How I plan to fix my spray foam ventilation problem.
• My plan to fix our SPR...
Spray foam problems and ERV installation update. The Energy Recovery Ventilator is finally going in!
• Spray foam problems an...
We installed an ERV in our house. DIY Energy Recovery Ventilator Honeywell VNT5150E1000
• We installed an ERV in...
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[@rmaffei1]

I'm an HVAC contractor, 2 minutes into this video and already I realized this guy's problem is not enough fresh air being taken into the envelope of the building.

[@BrantleyBlended]

I ordered an ERV. I wish my HVAC contractor would’ve known about this when the house was built.

[@elizabethgreen318]

Needs a better return

[@macrominutes]

@@BrantleyBlended nice! Can you do a follow up video post install ? Thanks for the video!

[@barryallen5507]

@@BrantleyBlended bright enough to understand the problem and be open to suggestions, not bright enough to figure out how to correct click Bait video title. Bulb might be a little loose there bud

[@pineychristian]

@@BrantleyBlended I'm sorry to hear that but the little bit of the HVAC in your videos it shows. Those units in your attic have all flex duct and no real duct work ran. It makes a huge difference on how the units perform over the life of the equipment. That's the difference between a quality hvac contractor and one that just in does the bare basic to get paid....

[@KyleSonSprayFoamInsulation]

Sounds like the contractor that sprayed your home didn’t educate you properly. Everything you said isn’t really a foam problem. It’s a ventilation problem. We always advocate to “insulate tight, ventilate right”. They insulated tight but didn’t ventilate right. Like stated above you need an air recovery unit. We always tell a customer that’s doing a whole house to have a air recovery unit installed. Foam is always the easier thing to blame when you actually have an HVAC issue.

[@bobketterer9119]

Doesn’t understand that the home needs fresh air to live.

[@joshuachristen3494]

@@bobketterer9119 yes you have to have a fresh air system and now these days they have 90 percent efficient ones my brother has a spray foam house it stays cool and now me and him are in the spray foam business

[@thizz406ness]

You need to put vent shoots in every bay to it can breath

[@Trapaholic721]

@@thizz406ness in the ceiling?

[@elizabethgreen318]

He needs a better return . Boom fixed

[@ericgibbon5442]

I have nothing to contribute, I'm just so happy with all the comments ripping this video apart. "MY FOAM INSULATION IS WORKING FLAWLESSLY! DON'T SPRAY FOAM YOUR HOUSE!"

[@JJONNYREPP]

WEATHER FOR THE WEEK AHEAD 17-06-24 UK WEATHER FORECAST - BBC WEATHER FORECAST - DAILY WEATHER

[@dvscif5977]

My son-in-law fixed his same exact fireplace issue you have by making the opening of his fireplace smaller. After he installed glass fireplace doors (that he leaves completely open while using fireplace mind you - it's the extra 1.5 inch around the perimeter of the frame that made the aperture of fireplace smaller) that changed the dynamics of his airflow and he never has smoke wade into the house anymore. This was professional advice given to him that worked. Try it.

[@chipsammich2078]

Been living in a spray foamed house for 12 years.. Best decision I've ever made efficiency wise.. would do it again in a heart beat..

[@divinee.155]

good luck getting repairs done its 15-20 per sqft if the have to dig through the junk to make repairs and lets be real you will need it in the future

[@chipsammich2078]

@@divinee.155 I've made electrical repairs myself. . takes common sense.. If you have to pay for repairs, home ownership might not be your cup of tea anyway.. good luck paying for repairs PERIOD..

[@bambigwen]

Yeah, same here. Never had a problem at all. I don’t know but, sounds like he has a ventilation problem.

[@greggcallahan1580]

Great comment bro I’ve installed it for over 4 years it’s an amazing product

[@rustymaximus9179]

@@chipsammich2078 Yep, I lost my career as a golf course supt., but after 20 years in that business, I am an electrician, plumber, carpenter, concrete finisher, mechanic, etc. I make half the money I used to, but have the time to make repairs. I marvel at how people can't even unclog a drain and pay $100 bucks. I have done expensive car repairs myself, but certainly do my own maintenance. I can install tile, flooring, ceilings, sheetrock, etc. So called smart people can't turn off the water when they have a leak in their house!

[@1NicholasWeir]

So your house is so well sealed you can't do the same things you could do in a drafty house. Seems like it worked as advertised.

[@jamawilliams1577]

I'm Torn🤭

[@billdwyer2522]

exactly. has he never worn a really warm down coat before and had to open it up every once in a while to air out the moisture? germans have super efficient houses and habitually open their windows a few minutes a day

[@eduardos8895]

Lolz

[@bryanbrunk1186]

Have you seen those new vented coolers yet.... No. Because if you want cool, you don't let heat in.

[@JSLEnterprises]

@@billdwyer2522 Fresh air and air movement is by far the most impoartant part of any system... regardless if its a 60's home that whistles in the wind, or if its almost hermetically sealed like a cooler (in the case of this guys home). He had it spray foamed but disregarded every aspect of the build... spray foam is only one part of a system. and its that system that you need to think about in your design, not just single components.

[@MasterChief9597]

Have an HVAC tech lower your fan speed to the lowest possible cfm. This lowers the overall static pressure in the house which is rough in these types of homes. It also pulls the air across the coils slower and pulls more moisture out. There are a shit ton of options based purely on additions to your current HVAC system

[@crg34]

Put an intake vent in your crawlspace or basement. Your furnace should also have a combustion air intake, which serves the same purpose as long as it is piped to the open and not directly to the furnace.

[@tycobb8621]

Install an HRV integrated into your HVAC system. Now stop yelling.

[@elijah2118]

Yes. Lol.

[@armorednite5588]

No... HRVs and ERVs are low CFM and HVAC is high CFM. It's true that they need ventilation, but not integrated. They should be separately ducted. In fact, returns from ERVs/HRVs should draw from bathrooms and kitchens and supply bedrooms. HVACs should NEVER return from bathrooms or kitchens. So, good on the suggestion to ventilate, but duct them separately.

[@tycobb8621]

@@armorednite5588 it’s “integrated” because you dump the exchanged heat or cool from the HRV/ERV air back into your home via the HVAC ducting. Otherwise it’s just a vent fan dumping your conditioned air to the outside. The HRV/ERV brings in fresh air, through the exchanger and into your HVAC ducting. It’s integrated.

[@armorednite5588]

@@tycobb8621 That's not quite the way to think about it. Sure, it is cheaper to reuse ducting, but from a design perspective you are trying to do different things. As you bring makeup air into the house, you have already passed the ERV/HRV heat exchanger. You are not going to lose or gain any more heat because you chose to reuse ducts rather than have dedicated ones, as I recommend. The problem comes in that your HRV/ERV uses a low CFM low pressure fan, while your HVAC uses a high CFM fan that pushes air with higher pressure. If you supply to supply, your HRV/ERV is then fighting with your HVAC to push air into the supply duct while operating and may even reverse the flow. If you are supplying to return, then your more powerful HVAC may suck more makeup air than the HRV/ERV is designed to carry. The result will be that you exhaust more conditioned air (greater CFM from HVAC exhausting through your HRV/ERV). Bottom line... make them work as separately ducted systems.

[@sergioperez5730]

I agree with the hrv, I also agree not to duct it to the ac.

[@LittleMountainLife]

So there’s a lot of great comments here and you are acknowledging that you need an ERV. Please change the title and description of the video to reflect the real issue. Air management, not spray foam.

[@aslmx1918]

We’re building a house now and the first question the hvac guy asked is if we were using spray foam. He said , like in most of the comments, that you have to size your unit and fresh air differently with spray foam.

[@BrantleyBlended]

Sounds like you have a good hvac contractor.

[@flinch622]

Yes, the barrier aspect of foam cuts both ways. Depending on location, you need to add a dehumidifier to manage internally generated moisture, and/or downsize the tonnage of your air conditioner. A short cycling a/c does not dehumidify!!! I imagine places in middle climes [like kentucky] are the biggest engineering challenge. Canadians focus on cold, and for summer... can open a window [just screen out the bugs].

[@BrantleyBlended]

We installed an ERV in our house. kzbin.info/www/bejne/a2Kqk42pedR7iKs

[@oufannamedbrandon6715]

What about getting one of those tornado chimney cap things as well?(not sure what they are called) Supposedly these new designs help alot with pulling smoke up..

[@ltbarkley]

As you note in your other video, an ERV will fix 90% of the problems. They also make special bathroom and range hood vents that can connect to the erv to allow air IN the bathrooms to allow the exhaust out to work properly. It’s going to be quite a bit of work to install properly (vents in each room for example) but when you are done your problems should basically disappear. You may not even need the dehumidifier.

[@SubStationSparky]

ERVs are ok but if his issues are moisture related which they are.. he really needs an HRV, HRVs only temperthe air and does NOT transfer humidity.. He doesnt need vents in each room either.. Just proper location of supply and return ducts also the air intake.. ERV transfers moisture also and is not what he needs... hes trying to get rid of the moisture... in the summer his traditional air conditioner will get the moisture out,,

[@safffff1000]

For the best info go to KZbin ,Spray Jones.

[@bobbygetsbanned6049]

@@SubStationSparky He has a humidity problem because he can't vent any of the moisture created by breathing, cooking, showers etc. He can use an ERV or HRV, as long as he has fresh air coming in it will get rid of a lot of his humidity problems.

[@edwardluth7740]

And that’s expensive! To do all that could cost several thousand. Toxic fumes from spray foam. Get a laser particle counter and you’ll see just what kind of fumes you got.

[@CroElectroStile]

wait, what is it that he has in the attic? What is that air system called? And why is it different then ERV?

[@scottyjackson6665]

Thank you for the video. Originally I was against closed cell spray foam and was kind of looking for videos to support that, then I saw this video. A great help changing my mind in deciding to get closed cell spray foam insulation. Your house looks like it's vacuum sealed! That's exactly what I want! Decreased drafts, potentially decreased heating bills and increased over all comfort...sort of. I don't have a fireplace so no worries, though if I did I'd probably get an insert to increase 2nd combustion as well as the option for a direct outside air vent/source to prevent backflow and use of in house O2 as well as increase wood burning efficiency. Also I'd add an ERV and look for some kind permanent dehumidifying solution, possibly an ERV with dehumidifying options regardless of low ambient room temp. My house in North Dakota is pretty much a highway underpass, cold and leaky with news paper for insulation from the 1950s. I hear you on the temp with the sun during the day, my brother's house is new and stays colder than the outside in the spring. Georgia is crazy humid, but winters look mild. Do ya have a mini split for heat? One of my best friends lives in tokyo and his bath towels would get moldy the next day, he went and got a electric towel rack/heater, great for winter but kind of counter for summer. Can't win them all.

[@Archifx]

Yep. Fellow tuber here. Thank you for this video. I’m building a home right now and I’m completely turned off by spray foam and these points that you’ve made make it even clearer. Plus I’ve been doing a lot of reading about long term off gassing and the air releasing carcinogenic properties into the air. If a home can’t breathe… the voc’s have to go somewhere. I don’t buy the clam that once it’s dried means it’s safe. It’s not green guard gold certified and polyurethane is a known carcinogen. Just crazy stuff man. Thanks for making this vid.

[@brianthompson9485]

HVAC wasn't designed right... that's why he's having issues. Every house that is spray foam insulated should have a ERV or HRV installed at a minimum. Also, the HVAC systems need to be sized properly so the run long enough to remove humidity. Guarantee this guy's contractor did neither.

[@Archifx]

@@brianthompson9485 good and valid point for sure but I think the bigger question is, do we or should we be installing this level of chemicals inside our homes just to cut on energy costs? I feel like the addition of an ERV is absolutely the best choice in this case but the bigger solution is finding a better way of insulating without the cost of health (VOC side) and humidity (mold side)

[@77jesseday]

@@Archifx I'm wondering if spray foam releases any greater amount of chemicals than spray in or roll insulation? I don't think newer products are probably any less toxic than the older ones personally. Curious what your opinion is.

[@user-vr8jg6nd2p]

Bull. Loney

[@woods.water.123]

You just need to have a fresh air pump installed its not the foams fault.

[@wd269]

I agree. It seams as though whoever designed the house didn't consider the 'whole house' as a system. Perhaps one person designed the HVAC and another person designed the house's envelope. Anyone that is going to use spray foam should also look into things like whole-house, fresh-air, ventilation systems (HRV/ERV). Hopefully Blended can get something installed to control the airflow.

[@BrantleyBlended]

I’m going to install an ERV and a whole house dehumidifier.

[@brad7571]

@@BrantleyBlended There are two kinds - HRV and ERV. One will transmit humidity - the other will not. They are determined based on your climate. You can also put one onto your fresh air intake on your HVAC. Call a pro to calculate it all for you. Panasonic also sells one that works as a bath fan. They are fantastic. I have mine on a timer. In the winter I run it all day. In the summer I run it all night. This helps save a little of the heat/AC loss.

[@joefuria4344]

Hello Brantley, I do HVAC in Florida and it may be if you didn’t decrease the tonnage of your systems after the insulation job your systems are not running long enough to remove the humidity. Too much tonnage is not a good thing it lowers the temperature too quickly not allowing the unit to run long enough to remove the humidity. Also (if you have not already) try putting the fan settings to a lower speed in the air handlers this may help some. Having proper return air to all rooms helps a lot and using thermostats with dehumidification capability. Good luck👍

[@BrantleyBlended]

After I install an ERV I might have an HVAC guy that I know look into lowering the fan speed. He told me that an HVAC unit needs to be sized different for a spray foamed house. It sounds like that’s what you are saying also. I don’t think the HVAC contractor that my general contractor used did any calculations or resizing based on the foam. I think he just stuck two units in here like he was doing any normal house. Thanks for the advice!

[@joefuria4344]

@@BrantleyBlended Yes redoing the heat load calculation sounds like your headed in the right direction . 👍

[@SovereignTroll]

Do you do 350 CFM/ton instead of 400 which is used in my area up north?

[@guapoalto049]

Without question is the issue, plus you’ve got 2 units in a house that doesn’t need it square footage-wise. Your units probably cool the house much too quickly to help with moisture.

[@SKANK_HUNT49]

​@@BrantleyBlendedwhat state are you in?😊

[@townsendliving9750]

This was comedic gold, I dont find to many things funny in life ant more, but this made me smile, I hope you get it figured out, the video should be titled why to buy spray foam, and why its important to ventilate correctly.

[@imrlaps7097]

Great video. I was advised to use spray foam but i was hesitant because it doesn't seem to allow for ventillation. Your video backs me up.

[@adamszman]

Air seal tight, and ventilate it right. You have to install a balanced ventilation system such as HRV or ERV, as well as a kitchen range hood fan than includes a mechanical damper to bring in make up air. Also need a make up air vent for an open combustion wood burning fireplace.

[@elmerkilred159]

Sounds like a big extra cost.

[@GC83163]

You should really change the video title to "DO NOT FORGET MAKE UP AIR". Not sure where you live are but every problem you mention is related to make up air. It's a pretty simple calculation with a blower test and it's a code violation in many states to install vents without calculating the required makeup air. Not sure what kind of heat you have but it's also very dangerous if you burn fossil fuel. You could end up shouse. Exhaust Carbon monoxide back into your house. Your builder should know all of this, and it should have been done durring construction. Pretty easy to fix, just add ventilation system.

[@BrantleyBlended]

My house is total electric. Our HVAC is a heat pump. I’m planning on installing an ERV.

[@PremiumFuelOnly]

@@BrantleyBlended That fireplace produces carbon monoxide.

[@duckpuddles]

You have a chemical based closed cell foam as opposed to a water based open cell foam like icynene which allows wood to breathe at the same time stopping draughts. It will also allow water leaks to be traced. Your fireplace needed a couple of four inch pipes going under the floor to the outside to bring air in from the outside to the base of the fireplace with a sliding vent to control the air. The fireplace looks to have too low a lintel and the fire itself is set too far back so all the heat goes up the chimney. Also with a Rumford there is a large brick area that reflects the heat into the room. The throat is the whole width and had a flap to control the fire and also shut off the flue when desired. Behind the flap is a smoke shelf that stops any downdraught smoke from entering the room and in my case has a soot door leading into the garage so that I can sweep the chimney easily Here is my Rumford and below is a link to the design I would tell everybody put icynene spray foam in your house! kzbin.info/www/bejne/kIHZdaKsrrF8mqs www.google.com/search?q=rumford+fireplace+design&sxsrf=APq-WBv_xrUD9pCwdj6PlBwasGizHV7Mcg%3A1650603654694&source=hp&ei=hjZiYtXEKL-FhbIP46GmiAQ&iflsig=AHkkrS4AAAAAYmJEljAPGNg7k_mVg1YsZu9pBKz0ipal&oq=rumford+fireplace&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAEYATIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQ6BAgjECc6EQguEIAEELEDEIMBEMcBENEDOgsIABCABBCxAxCDAToOCC4QgAQQsQMQgwEQ1AI6CwguEIAEELEDEIMBOggILhCxAxCDAToECC4QJzoLCC4QgAQQsQMQ1AI6CAgAEIAEELEDOgsILhCABBDHARCvAToLCC4QsQMQgwEQ1AI6CAguEIAEELEDOggILhCABBDUAjoFCC4QgARQAFiDPmD-UWgAcAB4AIABtwGIAa4SkgEEMS4xNpgBAKABAQ&sclient=gws-wiz

[@yourbrokenoven]

The description actually sounds like it would work wonderfully in the south. My cousin has a house nearby. When power went out after the hurricane, he was comfortable indoors for three days without AC.

[@landongough4800]

Videos like these kill the foam industry. We have a tough time as it is, change the video title. These are simple things to fix, issues aren’t from the spray foam. Just need some extra steps added.

[@flhusa1]

Maybe spray foam contractors should partner with HVAC contractors or begin to install the fresh or outside air (like we call it in buildings) themselves. When I was still working they using a piece of equipment called a heat wheel to bring in OA and ventilate the building. I never believed 5hey worked that good but maybe they are better now .

[@karbide3084]

@@flhusa1 Did you just suggest that 2 separate tradesman work together on a project? You've obviously never been on a job site bud.. We do good not to kill eachother.

[@valentintudor107]

You just need a Heat Recovery Ventilation. Cheap one with a fan, few outlets and a control panel. You've done such a good job so far. Just needs to be finished.

[@jamescalef3370]

Cheap ervs don't recover heat well and wind up costing the homeowner alot of extra money. They will bring in humidity that the furnace has to deal with.

[@devincook3278]

Spray foam is a wonderful product if everything is installed correctly. Problem is most folks do not know enough about it (installers included) to install it correctly and avoid pitfalls. We will get there one day, but its still in the newer phase (even though its several decades old) where the ins and outs are not yet, what i would consider, general building knowledge.

[@TheHuntermj]

You might just need one dehumidifier if one of the ventilation units covers the Bathroom and the kitchen. Suction from the kitchen and bathroom fans could be causing the backflow on the open fireplace. Also, could you run a pipe through the wall from the outside to the fireplace to provide oxygen to it directly without cooling down the the rest of the house? It might be easier with an enclosed firebox. They make enclosed fireplaces with air inlets for that purpose. If you put an enclosed firebox where the open fireplace is you could draw air down past the metal chimney to pre-heat the air in the winter!

[@Jwoodard9101]

Foam works wonderfully. We use it in some of the homes we build. But builders often fail to account for the cfm from vent fans etc. Also many HVAC contractors don’t perform a J plan on the home so oftentimes they over size the unit, hence the need for fresh air introduction. If your unit was properly sized you wouldn’t need fresh air introduction and it would run long enough to de humidity on its own. For example the last home we did with foam HVAC tonnage went from 9 to 6 1/2 total. That way the unit was properly sized to accommodate the foams efficiency. Not to mention if you’re tying to let the outside change the temperature of the inside, like on those warm winter days, you’re defeating the purpose of insulation.

[@shawnboss5542]

Yes if you build a a a tight house you have to mechanically ventilate your house your builder should have know that

[@cathyeastman1860]

All you need to do is add an air exchange so your house can breath. We had the same problem and did all the things you have mentioned, the air exchange has fixed everything.

[@matthewgray8426]

It’s probably already been said but most a/c units have a variable speed blower and if you reduced the blower speed your unit will probably run longer to cool the home. And running the a/c removes humidity form the air. So making a small change might help before spending the money on more expensive things.

[@BoopyBopper]

1) You need more air exchange throughout the house. You can have someone measure it and they’ll tell you your Air Change it Air Exchange per hour. This keeps fresh air moving throughout and if insulated tight keeps the air pressure relatively stable. 2) It’s not typically advisable to insulate against the bottom of the roof deck. It can create a few different issues depending on the climate you live in, but mostly it really sucks for the next guy who has to put a roof on it if he has to replace any of the wood sheeting 😬 It’s really important to make sure you have adequate ventilation in your attic. Air exchange will solve most of the problems you brought up.

[@williamdecamp7343]

Nothing wrong with a conditioned attic but spray foam that thick will trap a leak and make it very difficult, like a SIP panel roof, to locate. Rigid foam on the top of the decking with a good water membrane would have worked out better.

[@pdogakron1623]

I was ready to type the same thing, almost word for word, except for one thing, when the guy was talking about a dehumidifier. Moisture problems aren't going to be solved with a dehumidifier. Need to find out WHY you have moisture in the basement. Whatever drainage problems you have need to be addressed. When the house was built, was a waterproofing and drainage system installed.

[@Marvinfj32]

" It’s not typically advisable to insulate against the bottom of the roof deck. It can create a few different issues depending on the climate you live in, but mostly it really sucks for the next guy who has to put a roof on it if he has to replace any of the wood sheeting", I was thinking the same thing. They always have those plastic vent spacers nailed up.

[@8675-__]

Or fans!

[@vociferonheraldofthewinter2284]

I know it's been a couple of years and I do hope you found a way to make your house more comfortable, but I do think a situation like this could really use a heat recovery ventilator. You can heat or cool your incoming air so you don't lose your energy efficiency, but allow more flow. Then all the fans would work as they're supposed to. This should also fix the fireplace issue.

[@HULKBIGHEAD]

Thank you for your tips

[@matttruelove4645]

The title should be changed to: Do not use newbie HVAC guy! A few issues: 1.) Spray foam should cover the rafters. 2.) You need to supply air through an ERV or HRV. 3.) ALL fireplaces require fresh air to be supplied from outside. Most builders are unaware. 4.) Towels are not drying because humidity is too high in the house because HVAC is over sized and not having enough runtime. Your AC is a dehumidifier and if not oversized it will run long enough to pull humidity out of the home. Spray foam is an inert material that does one job really well and that is to slow the transfer of heat. It is the job of the Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning contractor to do the appropriate calculations to determine proper air flow. It is a SCIENCE not a guess and 500 sq ft / ton is not the answer. cheers!

[@martinmcquaide4807]

Vent, vent, vent. Buildings need a certain amount of air changes to stop a condition called - sick building syndrome - you can have mold and other problems that can affect your health. A dryer vent size opening would be plenty of fresh air. Good thing you have heatpumps, a gas unit would probably have issues unless fresh air was piped to it.

[@jlsagely6892]

Change the title. It’s a ventilation problem. NOT, a problem with the insulation.

[@kmdoer]

All attics need a vent even with spray foam. Even during the winter, not much cold enters as heat rises up and out. A house being that sealed up will promote the growth of mold everywhere behind the walls.

[@chriscook5912]

I am a HVAC service tech and there are lots of great comments on here. An ERV would help your situation but cost of installing and maintenance isn’t cheap. You could simply install gable vents in the attic most houses have them along with a ridge vent yours may be covered by foam and just need cut out.

[@2jza70]

You have a ventilation problem. You can get heat exchanger vents that allow fresh air in without losing heat, that would be something good to add. Usually a totally sealed house would be designed to have a ventilation system turning over the full house volume of air every couple of hours. This should also be done with ducts to spread the ventilation out, not just run from between a vent to your fire place/etc.

[@guapodel]

Is that what a make up air unit does?

[@gunnarkaestle]

11:46 Balancing itself = more thermal inertia. Either try a brick house / concrete structure next time, or you can add phase changing material als indoor panels, which absorbs or emits thermal energy at a defined temperature and therefore keeps the indoor temperature without extra cooling or heating longer within this selected temperature band, depending of the PCM material you choose.

[@tommyelkins2080]

I agree completely, we have all the same problems and you have to work at fighting your temps and humidity, I have measuring devices for all, cut fresh air vents with controls for help with cooking, heating with fire and showering, more info has come out sense we put in spray foam and I would never do it again either, also cost 3x's more than bat insulation and that was with me doing the work, which I did, great video 👍

[@dank3474]

Issue isn’t the foam; glad I read the comments. Title should be “read the comments of my video before getting foam”

[@billwilljulz]

The goal is to insulate the house as best as possible and to have an air right home. I would never recommend insulating with an inferior material in order to create a leaky and inefficient home but instead, as others suggested, would try putting more positive pressure into the home, like running your HVAC fan while you cook or use the fireplace (simply circulating air around the home is beneficial here - exactly what an ERV does). Thanks for the info, though. It’s great so that others can know what to look out for when planning spray foam.

[@Marvinfj32]

where is the extra air going to come from to put a pos. pressure? It's just moving air around to me. Nothing there to pressurize it. I know there is supposed to be fresh air makeup coming to gas fired appliances but IDK about elect

[@billwilljulz]

An ERV has supply and exhaust dampers which can be set individually. Normally, you’d want a perfect balance, but for positive pressure, can open the supply (or dampen the exhaust) slightly.

[@jtr82369]

Try contacting Spray Jones on KZbin, he can can prolly give you the lowdown. It sounds like the foam is working great, your hvac system needs to exchange air at controlled temps & humidity

[@Daritto7117]

Spray Jones is arrogant & Canada (where the regulations are much stiffer, more expensive, etc. when it comes to insulating homes) , he literally uses the most bombastic exaggerated examples as to why you shouldn’t use anything but the expanding foam. If you have an older colonial home or one built pre-1955 that is drafty, his advice is to just either invest in ripping down the walls and redoing it or selling your house to someone who can.

[@AyupStuggy]

Install a PIV (positive input ventilation unit), they run all the time gently drawing in air from outside, often with a heater to take to chill off the incoming air. Have a some of air vents too (if your extracts close off when switched off).

[@gregoryhungerford6712]

I think this is a great video to open a discussion on solutions. I’m building an ICF home in central Oregon and will have a hydronic cement slab heating system. There is going to be a lot of wait and see/ experimenting to understand how to get the best conditioned air quality and for what amount of money. There might be simple and inexpensive solutions and there might not. Most solutions are not that easy with the cost of equipment, labor, and electricity. As someone said, “just open a widow” might be your best return on investment. I’ve worked on commercial hood systems for a very large operation as well as repair kitchen equipment at the same facility- a good design is key!

[@machninety7334]

For houses that are built really tight, such as the homes that use air barrier when they build them, whis is basically pressuring your house with vapor silicon caulk and filling EVERY gap, you need to have a way to bring air in from the outside. The benefit is that you get to bring the air in on your terms. Instead of it just random sucking air in all your cracks or holes, which is how so much dirt and bugs get into your house, you can have a hepa filter and positively pressure the home with pure filtered air. This has so many health benefits and keeps things clean. They are called HRV and ERV I believe. It uses the air inside the home to either heat or cool the incoming air. The ERV model will retain, or remove humidity as well.

[@BrantleyBlended]

We installed an ERV about 5 months ago. It has helped with a lot of our ventilation problems.

[@stevebouffard8637]

Wow do you need some education on the subject. Everything you mentioned isn’t the foams fault. Another thing I noticed was your return ductwork in the attic looks severely undersized.

[@CharliePowell-dy1tl]

Spray foam is great insulation. Your problem is makeup air. A good wood stove/fireplace uses outside air for combustion. Your furnace should also draw air from the outside or you need a makeup air system that preheats or cools the air( expensive). Most building codes requires outside air to prevent the problem you are having. My old boss used to say- You can’t suck air out of a pop bottle.

[@DavidCastillo-mn2nj]

You'll be really happy once you install the HRV. Glad people have contributed

[@michaelhere2]

Yes, the insulation is perfect but the house lacks a ventilation strategy. I’d recommend anyone insulating with closed cell foam like this to contact a residential building scientist or shop for an insulation company that has one in house. That way when you insulate, managing moisture and air will already be factored into the plan. HRVs and ERVs are great Utilities to help exhaust stale air and simultaneously introduce fresh air to the home. Even still, a tight house may also require passive fresh air ducts to be installed by the range and fireplace to supply adequate make up air for proper ventilation. Furthermore, The ventilation system needs to be designed so that it’s balanced throughout the house. This way you won’t have small areas of mold growing in closets (which I have seen). Managing heat, moisture, and pressure (air flow) are the three sides of the triangle one needs to balance to be comfortable in a home that’s build tight.

[@pinewindowcleaning3222]

HRV or ERV won't help on hot humid climate, i have tried ERV and it just brings more moisture inside. The guy is right, i second what he said.

[@gunfisher4661]

All that extra equipment to buy and maintain when you could just do a good job with another type of insulation and not deal with all the other stuff.

[@eileenfitz7729]

We used to have smoke start rolling into our living room before and it was always the case of needing a extra section of chimney on our chimney. When the wind blows stronger it can affect the way your chimney draws. Make your chimney higher and that will stop the smoke from coming into your house.

[@lesehnes4357]

Spray foam has many great applications in building a home, most of the comments below hit the nail on the head. When the house's heating and cooling system is balanced to match the insulation variant it works the way it is supposed to. Its one of the best for insulating the rim ply at the basement between the floor joists or other hard areas to get a proper seal. Its about knowing your building materials and utilizing them to get the best benefits.

[@dansmith6725]

fresh air exchanger fix the issues

[@BrantleyBlended]

I’m going to install an ERV and a whole house dehumidifier.

[@jonathanlanius8648]

Your spray foam contractor should have recommended an erv or hrv before selling you a spray foam project. I have been spraying foam since 1999 and have had excellent success with it. The object is to insulate tight and ventilate right. erv will fix all of these problems without sacrificing your heat savings.

[@BrantleyBlended]

I am planning to install an ERV and a whole house dehumidifier. The foam contractor, the general contractor, and the HVAC contractor did not say anything about the house being too tight. They said nothing about using an ERV or a HRV. Thank you for the advice.

[@jonathanlanius8648]

@@BrantleyBlended your welcome/ Any time that we are asked to give a proposal to spray an entire house we recommend the erv to ventilate because it is so tight. Im confident that what your doing will work well for you. I will be curious to see the results. Best wishes, Jon.

[@CybekCusal]

So you want him to ask his foam contractor to make hvac recommendation? Do you also want his painter to do the wiring? How about hire an HVAC engineer...

[@jonathanlanius8648]

@@CybekCusal No none of the above. If you are a professional insulator you need to know the entire workings of the product that you are installing and let the customer know what the best way to use that product is. Common sense really.

[@CybekCusal]

@@jonathanlanius8648 I disagree. Specialty contractors don't know everything. By the way, I wasn't asking a question, I was making fun of your ridiculous statement. Don't @ me, IDC what you think.

[@jillmondt5398]

Yep, my father and I were just talking about newer constucted homes being too tight.

[@heath6139]

I hope you fixed your problems. I have foam in my 2000 sqft home that’s 3 years old. I have a fresh air intake on my hvac and I have no problems with anything. I love my foam!! Another thing, every company told me it didn’t matter if I put 3in of foam or 5in of foam, the r value will be the exact same. Only difference is more money for more foam.

[@BrantleyBlended]

We installed an ERV. It has helped with a lot of our problems.

[@tompaj1620]

so correct the video and do not click bait...@@BrantleyBlended

[@dustyrhodes6798]

You have one more problem that you mentioned briefly. It traps the humidity between the foam and the wood. Recently, an UK article said sprayed foam insulation made the house not salable. Some insurance companies won’t insure it due to trapped humidity, rotting woods, molds, etc.

[@larryb131]

The spray foam is not the issue. You want a good seal. Educate yourself about ventilation.

[@Palvader]

Great start by creating a properly sealed home! Sounds like you did not install an ERV. You have a good problem, and there is a good solution!

[@RichardWilson-sh3kr]

I live in Florida. I agree with some of your assessment. I would like a whole house dehumidifier myself. Super humid days, it could make a difference. But I will say this. It is worth every penny in a hurricane. People with spray foam insulation and metal roofs -- houses were pretty much untouched, barring a tree falling through it, after a Cat 5 hurricane. Love the adhesive qualities of closed cell on a roof and you get a wind mitigation discount for insurance. It also cut our electric bill in half, over when we had batt and blown in. I know because it ripped the roof off my house and we got to redo it down to wall studs. My neighbor? He had spray foam and a metal roof. His house? Minus some serious yard work, untouched.

[@BrantleyBlended]

I’ve heard from a lot of people that are very happy with foam. Our situation is better since I installed an ERV and a whole house dehumidifier, but I still hate the foam. I will never use it again. One reason I wanted to use spray foam was for the energy savings. I don’t really know if it’s helping. We have 2 junk Goodman hvac units that have been nothing but trouble since we built the house 4 years ago. Their inefficiency and constant break downs increase my power bill. I also built a swimming pool less than a year after we built the house. It increased our power bill at least $50 - $75 a month. I wish I had a couple of years of just my house energy cost before I added the pool so I had a good baseline of energy costs.

[@dunbar0615]

The title of this video is really missleading and dumb. Spray foam is a great insulater and air seal. You should have run a blower door test and done a HDL test and CAZ. That would have told you air leakage was not your problem. Most peolpe will feel convetion effect or stack effect in thier homes and thing there is an air leak that is not the case. You should looking into a Outside air intake on your airhandler. Much cheaper than an air handler. You shouldn't be giving advice about things you clearly don't know about.

[@turboflush]

I was thinking the same. The solutions are the very complaint he has. "Its as if my fan cant breath". Think of it this way.. Put plastic over your mouth and see how well you breath. Now try a sweater... The sweater is a old house. Old houses were designed to be leaky purpose/accident.. Hvac was uncommon and windows were often opened. In the south..we have sun rooms or screened porches.. Its where people would go when the house got to hot. Problem is his engineer on down were not familiar with this new method/tech. Mine were not either.. But i am overseeing my project. I am doing my research. I expect to have a problem here and there. Up to me to find a solution. Many ways to handle home ventilation and or conditioning. What level do you choose? Open windows no hvac or a sealed sterile house or something in between?

[@libertyordeath555]

Very informative vid & I'm glad ya hit on the leaking roof question. There's no way covering up the roof in foam is a good idea.

[@Deep.Purple]

The Foam now turns blue if there is a leak and you can see it very easily

[@nickpark9587]

great feedback on the spray foam insulation. I appreciate it.

[@monicabosh274]

Spray foam is a miricle product. I have a Santa Fe whole house dehumidifier and its the best investment i have ever made. In this video you certainly have ventilation problems. Get a SMART Hvac contractor and instead of complaining get your home ventilating properly. The next problem in your home will be mold.

[@pcdubya]

I live in a normal older house, nice and cozy, but had a buddy build a small vaulted ceiling farmhouse totally spray foamed like this ( open cell ) and put 3 or 4 mini splits in for the HVAC. I was questioning his reasoning when he was building it, but he's one of those guys that "knows everything" and researches like crazy, so didn't give advice. Now he has all kinds of moisture and other issues just like described here. Obviously people have different outcomes due to climate, region, quality of job done, etc.

[@BrantleyBlended]

We installed an ERV 6 months ago. It has fixed our ventilation issues, but we are still having other problems like high humidity. I just ordered a whole house dehumidifier. I hope to have it installed in a week or so. I did research before I used spray foam. I guess I didn't do a good job.

[@pcdubya]

@@BrantleyBlended In theory it should be super energy efficient, I hope you get it all worked out.

[@TheStanky007]

Thanks. I've almost put a spray foam into our big attic, but glad I didn't. We're going with the fiberglass.

[@callmeishmaelk767]

Just a suggestion on the fireplace. Is there an ashdoor in the back that opens from outside? If so, maybe you can modify it to be a source of combustion air?

[@CA-lk6fd]

Around where I live (Kentucky) a lot of builders are doing a “conditioned crawlspace” if it doesn’t have a basement. I have a good friend that owns an HVAC company, just the conditioned crawlspace significantly cuts down on heat load, therefore making the AC equipment much smaller. The smaller the unit, the more it runs, so the more humidity is being drawn out of the structure. Humidity control is the key, and dumping fresh air back in. If you get those two things under control, your house will feel much much better.

[@BrantleyBlended]

Encapsulated crawlspaces are common in Georgia. They usually have a dehumidifier in them. I’ve never heard of a conditioned crawl space, but it sounds like a good idea.

[@BadHomeowner]

I enjoyed this video of a floating hand.

[@hendrix2478]

In the UK we use a device called a drymaster. You can retro fit.

[@danbruns6932]

I have been in the HERS rating industry for 13 yrs. I also diagnose energy and air quality problem in existing construction using a blower door and thermal imaging . Your problem is not the foam! Your primary problem is that you have a very tightly air sealed home without any dedicated mechanical ventilation installed from what I see in the video. You have to have some fresh air being pumped into your home mechanically to remediate moisture and stale air . Look into installing an ERV or HRV and have your Hvac contractor set the device to meet ASHRAE 62.2 2010 or 2013 ventilation requirements. This balanced form of mechanical ventilation will not introduce any more negative pressures within the building that could cause more fireplace venting issues. You can also look into having a make up air fresh air line piped into the kitchen area that can be opened up when using the range hood to help with exhaust when in use. The fireplace installers should be able to address more make up air for the venting , or possibly an inline fan(specifically for this use) that works to help create better draft within the chimney. Energy codes after the 2009 IECC require this mechanical ventilation now due to all of these air quality issues that can occur in a tightly built home. I would guess that also see moisture on the inside of the windows during your heating season.

[@tourajhamzehpour882]

Buddy, you home insulation is awesome, actually too many people looking to have tight home as yours. Your problem is fresh air through HRV/ERV. You should use central ventilation system through HRV so the discharged air will be replaced by fresh conditioned air through HRV. For this tight house you should use direct vent fire fireplace as rather than that soot issue, there is risk of anoxia in the house.

[@johnycash8291]

We are having exactly same issues too. You need fresh air intake installed to you fireplace. Also I do open windows every morning and every night for few minutes to get fresh air into the home.

[@JohnboyCollins]

"seal it tight, vent it right." But really I'd probably only go for spray foam if I was in a place with moderate hurricane risk. It's no ICF, but you have a much better chance at withstanding major sheer loads than a typical stick frame.

[@RedRabbitOfficial]

The house needs to breathe. You can not seal the entire house. The house needs to draw and vent air. Otherwise, it will cause a lot of issues. Spray foam needs to be applied in correct methods.

[@tradismerrill2105]

Everything you're talking about makes perfect sense.

[@organicvids]

Positive pressure ur home. Humistat auto on bath fan. Thermal cam on ceiling to check for leaks but ur right. Thermal sun water heater panels ouside piped into hvac unit to capture heat when sun is out.

[@WheretheJones]

I saw you other comment on getting an ERV but that won't solve all your issues. If your ERV exhaust vent replace your bathroom vents (which they should) then your overly humid bathrooms and towels drying issue should be solved. The ERV will help with humidity with regard to what is produced in your bathrooms. However it won't help with your kitchen exhaust and you still might have issues with your fireplace as those to things need make up air. The ERV is balance and will only be making jp air for its own exhaust. You need the ERV but you also need a make up air solution as well.

[@SuperSquart]

I’m in hvac and what we do is install a 6” fresh air damper in the HVAC equipment and put a switch on the wall for the fireplace and tie a relay in for the kitchen hood.

[@unilarry]

As a subcontractor employee I have used spray foam insulation on the job and it works great! - For sealing holes in a situation where the decking and columns holding up the building need to be closed up. But I wouldn't use it for the entire building!! What a mess.

[@don1estelle]

An old bilding book I have showed the best way to supply a fire place with air is to have a duct with a damper directly to the fireplace! I think that's what your need for your Fireplace ( that way you don't get cross drafts)

[@briant7067]

Thank you sharing!

[@NutmegThumper]

Great ideas. I have the AC unit in the attic also so it get hot up there in summer. Doubt if rafter batting would be manageable.

[@bjkjoseph]

I have closed Cell spray foam on the walls in the attic under the first floor. The house is completely sealed it as dry as a bone. They got these things called windows and you can crack them a little bit, and it lets air into the house. It’s amazing.

[@D231991]

The bottom line is spray foam requires a constantly running maintenance system. So it totally binds you to the grid. It's efficient at what it does. You have what they call a sick box. A house with insufficient ventilation. Yes it's a drawback to have to duck in cold air, but "normal" houses have enough minor leaks all around that when they turn vents on its not a problem, it's sort of a part of the assumed calculation that one will be able to pull air from inside to out without a problem. But when you seal everything up so completely and perfectly it totally changes the way a contractor has to think about building. They basically have to have a comprehensive understanding of the building envelope and where it's borders are exactly and what openings there are. You can't put a fan on top of a water bottle and circulate the air inside. You can put blown insulation in the cathedral ceiling as well, they just staple up a net to hold it all in. No matter what way you do it you will need to bring in outside air through the winter. Efficiency has a limit.

[@thomasragon765]

1) The fireplace is likely poorly designed and/or built. The air for combustion has to come from somewhere, and your house is that somewhere. Without an additional exterior intake and/or a draft booster, there will likely not be enough oxygen to allow for the fire to combust fully and ventilate through the flue properly, meaning that it will smoke and that smoke will chase back into your house. The firebox looks to have next to no slope as it travels up to the smoke chamber, which would cause outside weather to have a noticeable effect on the overall performance. 2) How many CFM's does that hood pull under normal conditions? Anything that vents outside of your house (dryer, hot water heater, chimney, vent hood, bathroom exhaust fans, etc) will create a negative pressure in the building envelope. If your house is sealed very well, you won't have as many air leaks, meaning it is harder to pull air out of the system. Your equipment will have to work harder to try and keep up. If you have a fire in your fireplace and you try to cut on any other exhaust, it compounds the issue dramatically. You may want to invest in a makeup air unit/system if you don't want to have to crack a window. 3) You don't necessarily need a dehumidifier, but you definitely need some adjustments on your HVAC system. When there are fewer air leaks, your HVAC, which would normally be your dehumidifier, doesn't run as often, meaning that it is not condensing the moisture in your house onto the coils. Increasing the air changes per hour per room or having the system altered to run more often, but for shorter cycles would probably help a lot. Also gotta ask, is the bathroom exhaust fan running outside or into the attic? And makeup air is key after you hit the "air sealed" level. 4) Blown in insulation sucks lol, but with a vented roof, the attic should never be more than 10 to 15° F than the outside air. If it is, someone likely did something improperly. It's also going to cause a premature failure in your roofing system, but that might be job security for the roofers, I don't know. It can also lead to excess moisture resulting in mold issues or water damage. A large portion of the framers and roofers I've worked with throughout the years were taught outdated methods or just outright wrong by someone who was taught by someone with outdated methods or someone who was outright wrong 😂 A lot of inspectors/code enforcement officers aren't familiar with a considerable amount of building codes and regulations, so a lot gets overlooked Totally feel ya on the possibility of a leak you can't see. Hopefully when the house was designed, there was a backup plan for the backup plan with drainage. Routine inspections and proper maintenance are vital for early detection too.

[@konrrade]

i live on a poultry farm where we raise geese. So I used goose down to insulate our attics. A layer 6" deep gave us an R60 rating. Warm as a comforter. However, within a year the house was totally infested with bird lice.

[@JSLEnterprises]

You should have added a few roof vents tbh. When you essentially air seal your home you need something to equalize pressure You would be wise to talk to an hvac contractor to install and integrate a fresh air intake (ERV) to work in tandem with the roof vents (and in your case, also your bathroom vent, cooktop vent, and your fireplace flue)

[@silverbankruptcy]

I find that when its super cold, the smoke does not want to rise until the fire is burning hot. Glass doors are very helpful to keep smoke in until fire gets hot. Kerosene gets it hot fast and helps push smoke upward. If there is a need for more air, crack open a window.

[@BrantleyBlended]

My fireplace does draw a lot better once the fire has been burning for a while and is very hot.

[@vietnam2513]

Very good advice bro and I’m totally agree with you

[@bsrcat1]

Since you already "did it", you can't put the toothpaste back in the tube. Your insulation is fine your air exchanges suck. They make aftermarket air exchange systems for houses with a tight insulation envelope. They work off of pressure. When the pressure in your home drops lower than barometric pressure outside your house, a fan will kick on and feed air into your home. In addition to this it will also come on on a regular as a low feed supply fan (that will be based off of the size and square footage of your building). You have to have ventilation both inside the home and with the air outside the home. Also you built yourself a big igloo and if you don't have south-facing Windows, or you do when you have heavy curtains on them, that radiant energy is not going to get into. That has to do with the r-value and would not make a difference if you had a equivalent in fiberglass insulation. There's no thermal Mass to either one so there's no way for it to transfer or store heat. So you don't need a whole house dehumidifier you need "air". if you don't exchange the are you are going to end up with some serious mold problems. Another valuable things that you can do is open up your soffit vents. They are put on houses for a reason 😳. Look into one of those air exchangers I spoke about. They have them that don't cost a lot and then they have them that do. If you are really ambitious and just looking for a project, you can get a duct fan decent cfms, make a weighted sealed flap, go to the junkyard get a couple map sensors, buy an Arduino... And learn the language of "if/then" commands 😁👍.

[@kennethharrison4847]

You need to retro fit a direct air draft for the bathrooms and fireplace. First get a insert for the fireplace and match the air inlet for fireplace with a direct isolated air feed direct to outside. Same for bathrooms both with ball vales to adjust input. This will solve most of the air problems.

[@mackemacchiato3238]

Our houses in Sweden are tight as a plastic bag and every room with a door has atleast one vent in the window. Either that or the erv to circulate ventilation. So the only place for air to go out is from kitchen and bathroom, so no moist or humidity damage in the bathroom. So the foam has little to do with it.

[@tropicalitch3176]

thank you for making this, also live in Georgia (lanier area) had my detached garage shop all sprayed, feels the opposite of my house i agree with the noise its better but the holding cold and hot its like 100 percent dependent on my mini split, also you pull in with a wet car/boat it never dries have to leave door open for days in order not to have mold in my boat. im sure its a good product and all but i also prefer my old shop with regular pink insulation. hope you got it figured out.

[@BrantleyBlended]

We installed an ERV. It fixed a lot of our ventilation problems. I’m currently installing a whole house dehumidifier to fix our high humidity problem.

[@billmclain88]

@@BrantleyBlended I just came across this video and definitely would've suggested proper ventilation like you have discovered - pretty sure it is code everywhere to have an ERV/HRV when you have a house that tight with foam. Otherwise you are creating an insanely high potential for pressurization problems and CO poisoning. I'm thankful your situation didn't turn into more of a safety situation and it's also very frustrating, being in the HVAC industry for 20 years, that a contractor put your family at such a huge risk to begin with.

[@sharyland80]

Thanks for the advice!!

[@Off-Grid]

Install and ERV. Your houe is going to rot from the inside out without one. Check your roof ridge since ridge rot is a problem in foamed houses. We have spray foam and do not have any of these problems. We have wifi temp/humidity sensors in several areas around the house and the humidity rarely gets over 50%. You should also get an outside fresh air intake directly into the firebox since the ERV only pushes around 200cfm and a fire will want more. Good luck.

[@callmeishmaelk767]

I have a cape cod style which also had some sloped areas where the "walls" are right up against the roof and I have bat insulation with those pink Styrofoam spacers to keep the bat insulation from touching up against the roof sheething and allowing ventilation under the sheething.