Insulating Exterior Walls and Dormers of a Cape with Injection Foam

Dr. Energy Saver performs an energy upgrade in an old cape, which was remodeled many times over the years. Due to that fact some exterior walls have fiberglass insulation, and some have no insulation at all. For this job, our energy conservation experts chose to use injection foam. Injection foam insulation can be applied to empty wall cavities and walls already insulated with fiberglass, to increase R-Value, close gaps in the structure and completely air seal the walls. The next step was to insulate and air seal a bay window and the dormers, which are typically a huge source of leaks and heat loss. Injection foam is applied from the outside, with no disruption or mess inside the home. Wall, window and roof cavities are accessed by removing siding or shingles. Holes are drilled and after the foam is injected, the holes are plugged, and the shingles and siding are replaced.

Insulating Exterior Walls with Injection Foam

When we took the siding off we can see these gaps and the siding and this was something new that was done to the house it was remodeled, but here is old sheathing and see these gaps here even this one I could stick my finger in it. These holes, this house leaks through there and this vinyl siding is no match for air that wants to leak in or out.

Wall Sheathing Is Riddled With Gaps And Holes

The first step of injecting foam insulations into walls is to remove the siding and this is vinyl siding so we remove it. If it was clap board we would drill the siding wood clap board drill right through the siding and put wood plugs in there.

Insulating Bay Windows

So what we are going to do to fix this situation is we are going to drill into the saw fits underneath this bay window and we have a space about that big that we can inject our foam into now that we have the foam rig on site and we can inject up in here and it will fill all the cavities and insulate and air seal the sill of this bay window.

Insulate A Slope Ceiling With Injection Foam

We are actually going to remove roof shingles. Drill our 2-1/2 inch holes in each bay and inject those slopes with injection foam from the roof. We also have to inject the little walls of that dormer around.

Read full transcript below:

Larry Janesky: Hi, I am Larry Janesky from Dr. Energy Saver. This house is an old Cape that has been added on to so now we are going to inject foam insulation into the walls to make the walls leak less and be more energy efficient. Let's take a look, Okay we have our injection foam machine running here in the background but when we took the siding off we can see these gaps and the siding and this was something new that was done to the house it was remodeled, but here is old sheathing and see these gaps here even this one I could stick my finger in it. These holes, this house leaks through there and this vinyl siding is no match for air that wants to leak in or out. When we fill all these holes and seams and gaps with injection foam it won't leak anymore. So if we take a look in these walls this house has been at it onto over the years. We see these walls are completely empty. Have no insulation whatsoever as you can see right in there.

The first step of injecting foam insulations into walls is to remove the siding and this is vinyl siding so we remove it. If it was clap board we would drill the siding wood clap board drill right through the siding and put wood plugs in there. Over here we have fiber glass insulation and this is white fiber glass as we can see and you could see the different sheathings. The house has been modified over the years. And here we have the addition which is newer. We see newer sheathing. We see pink fiber glass insulation. We have plenty of air space in that wall cavity where that injection foam will go and fill that wall cavity even more. Even though it has wall fiber glass vats it is going to take a lot of foam in that wall cavity to fill around that fiberglass bat encapsulate it. Infuse it with the foam and really make sure there is no airspaces whatsoever to really tighten up the house from air leak as perspective and make it have a better hour value.

Here we have a pretty common situation. It is bay windows. It could be bay windows or bow windows and they have the sill that sticks out and this is very cold and very leaky the homeowner says and the reason is, is that underneath is not air sealed or insulated very well. Even on brand new houses when you buy a bow or bay window from the lumber yard and you are ready to install it the bottom of it is just 3/4" inch plywood and it is up to the builder to insulate the bottom of that which hardly ever gets done and so that window would be put in once the house is sheathed with exterior plywood and the insulator comes along to do his job; and he sees, "Well let's insulate these walls" okay and he doesn't see out there as part of the inside of the house that needs to be sealed. So what we are going to do to fix this situation is we are going to drill into the saw fits underneath this bay window and we have a space about that big that we can inject our foam into now that we have the foam rig on site and we can inject up in here and it will fill all the cavities and insulate and air seal the sill of this bay window.

Now this is at Cape Cod and at Cape Cod typically we have dormers and we have a slope ceiling upstairs and we want to insulate that with injection foam. The homeowner says these closets are always cold. They are plaster sealing inside. We are going to inject the foam into the slope sections. We are actually going to remove roof shingles. Drill our 2-1/2 inch holes in each bay and inject those slopes with injection foam from the roof. We also have to inject the little walls of that dormer around. The roofs is only one layer and it is only 6-years-old so we can get under there with a flat bar and loosen two courses of shingles up. Pop out some nails; slide some shingles out; Drill from the roof and then put the shingles back when we are done.

If you have any energy concerns in your home call Dr. Energy Saver. We can help you make your home more comfortable and that includes every room in your house should be comfortable in all seasons. We can help you have a healthier indoor environment and make your home more durable with less mold and allergens.