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Back to Building Envelope Theory Topics Better Building Performance:Theory versus PracticeMost architects and builders agree on the Theory of Building Performance. It is now well established and accepted by most architects and builders that controlling air infiltration is the best and most cost- effective means of reducing wasteful heat loss and providing a comfortable indoor environment. Most architects tend to design structures that are tight and energy efficient by incorporating the latest in proven, energy saving construction details into their drawings. Unfortunately, too many buildings still perform poorly. Why is this? We have found that since there is no performance specification to dictate building construction, there is no guarantee when it comes to building performance. Regardless of the contractor’s ability, tight buildings are not created from a list of materials and drawings in the absence of specifications that dictate the building’s designed environmental performance. FOAM-TECH takes a different approach. To improve building performance, our company focuses on the basic building science principle that air infiltration compromises the effectiveness of the building envelope. Our approach is incremental - areas of infiltration are diagnosed and fixed in order of magnitude. This provides the most thorough and cost-effective solution possible.
FOAM-TECH has satisfied clients. Our clients have been extremely pleased as they benefit from cost-savings and an immediate improvement in comfort. FOAM-TECH operates two-part polyurethane injection equipment to superinsulate new and old buildings. Included in this equipment are special nozzles and guns to seal cracks and small openings which effectively stops infiltration that cause poor thermal performance. There are many other polyurethane contractors who provide typical spray-foam services; however, very few go beyond the installation of conventional spray-roofing and spray-wall insulation processes. FOAM-TECH’s capabilities, while serving these common markets in some cases, are specially designed to meet the unconventional needs of specialty markets. By employing standard and custom equipment which processes foam through both spray and injection techniques, we can utilize numerous chemical systems with varying densities, speeds, closed-cell content, fire rating, vapor permeability, and other desirable environmental characteristics. While there may be other foam contractors who provide spray and injection services, to the best of our knowledge, we are the only company that currently uses "ratio monitoring" equipment in the field for this process. Ratio monitoring enables our technicians to maintain the exact chemical formulation (mix) for the duration of the installation process. It is impossible to guarantee that the appropriate mix is being maintained without the use of this equipment. | |||||