Airfoam insulation ideal for older homes

Press, 18 May 1989, Page 32

Airfoam insulation ideal for older homes

Everyone knows how important it is to insulate a home, and houses built today must be insulated according to Government regulations. Unfortunately, neither the knowledge nor the regulations were there 20 years ago.

Those with older, uninsulated homes, are faced with a choice between massive heating bills, taking their walls apart to install insulation or spending winter huddled beneath numerous layers of warm clothing. Or at least they were until the one insulator which can be practically installed into existing walls became available in New Zealand. That insulator is Air-

foam, manufactured by Ciba-Geigy and distributed in this country by the Airfoam Insulators franchises. After drilling small holes in the wall, the installers inject the foam (which has about the same consistency as shaving foam) into the wall filling the cavity between inner and outer cladding. The holes are then plugged, sealed and the surface repainted. Depending on the size of the job, it can usually be finished within a day. The foam sets in minutes, forming a firm resilient filling containing millions of tiny bubbles of still air. It takes up to five days to cure or set completely and although there may be some unpleasant odour during this time, it can be avoided by proper ventilation. Airfoam has the same basic effect as an eider-

down, minimising the air’s circulation and therefore the loss of the heat it carries. Airfoam is more effective than the good old feather quilt. It does not pack or settle to leave uninsulated gaps. Foam installed 15 to 20 years ago has been found to be just as effective as when it was first installed. It is completely maintenance free attracting neither insects, vermin nor water. The initial water-content of the foam is 4 per cent by volume — too low to affect a building’s structure — which evaporates quickly. Once dry, the foam sheds water rather than absorbs it. There have been no reported cases of Airfoam causing dampness. It can also be installed without a vapour barrier and it allows the wail to breathe.

Airfoam has been tested for fire resistance by the Building Research Association of New Zealand, the Standards Association and Auckland University. It does not release toxic fumes and although it will char and lose its weight and volume in a fire it will not melt or burn. There are few houses which cannot be insulated with Airfoam.

The installers will carry out an inspection of the home beforehand to make sure there are no problems. Brick, summerhill stone, stucco, concrete block and weather board are all compatible. Airfoam has been operating in Christchurch for nearly 11 years and the product has been in use in Britain for about 36 years. One of the major installations in Christchurch has been in the Town Hall’s James Hay Theatre.