Is Spray foam Insulation Hiding Termites in your Home?

Spray foam insulation has become a widely-used way for homeowners to cut back on their energy usage and utility costs. Unfortunately, using this spray foam insulation in areas like your home’s crawl space can hide leaks or water damage and can also prevent professionals from conducting proper termite inspections. There are several factors you should consider before adding spray foam insulation to your home, or issues to look out for if you already have it.

What is Spray Foam Insulation?

Spray polyurethane foam, or SPF, is a spray-applied plastic that expands quickly upon surface contact. This creates a sealant for cracks and air leaks, and potentially provides a moisture barrier. It is resistant to heat and helps keep out unwanted cool or warm air. While SPF has obvious efficiency benefits, the potential issues it may cause could be exceedingly more problematic and costly.

Problems You Can’t See

Spray foam insulation in your crawl space could be covering up extensive termite or water damage that can’t be detected until the SPF is removed. Unlike traditional fiberglass insulation that can be easily lifted or moved to the side, spray foam insulation becomes rigid and immobile once it has cured. SPF has to be sawed, scraped, sanded or cut off of a surface to remove it, potentially causing damage to the areas it was affixed to.

Once a barrier is formed with spray foam insulation, it can trap moisture underneath that would otherwise be noticed and remedied. The damp area under the foam insulation can then become the ideal space for termites to invade and wreak havoc. Termites can create thousands of dollars in damages to your home without being noticed if they’re able to hide under the visual barrier created by the spray foam.

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Thompson Brothers’ Policy on Spray Foam Insulation

Thompson Brothers Exterminating and Waterproofing has a team of experts who are skilled in identifying the signs of a termite infestation. Because the immovable, impermeable barrier created by spray foam doesn’t allow our professionals to complete a thorough investigation of a crawl space, we may not be able to treat your home adequately. Spray foam can be applied to foundation walls in a way that doesn’t cover the wood in a crawl space, making it more accessible for our technicians. In some cases where the SPF is sprayed over the wood, our qualified professionals can carefully cut some of it back in order to perform the job. All houses are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, so please contact us if you are unsure about whether your house's insulation meets the standards we require for treatment.

Termites are responsible for over 5 billion dollars in home damage in the U.S. annually, and Thomson Brothers’ job is to ensure your home is not included in that troubling number. We want to be confident your crawl space is totally free from termites, and we can’t let anything get in the way of fulfilling that promise to all of our customers.

If you’d like more information on this topic, or have questions about spray foam insulation in your home, please don’t hesitate to call us today.

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