What is RetroFoam®?
RetroFoam™ is a tri-polymer resin that produces a nontoxic,
nonflammable and odor-free insulation material. RetroFoam®
can be injected into the wall cavity of your home or office.
Optimal for replacing your old insulation or insulating your
existing building, RetroFoam offers numerous benefits as
well as a simple and quick installation process.
Lowers energy and re-insulation costs!
With energy costs always on the rise, RetroFoam® will pay for itself by saving you money on your utility bills. RetroFoam® keeps your home warmer or cooler longer - no need to keep running the heater or A/C. And since it's not necessary to tear out walls or remove old insulation, RetroFoam® costs less to install than any other re-insulation material.
Increases your comfort in all weather
RetroFoam's® R-value (R-value measures insulation effectiveness) reaches a remarkable R-4.6 per inch in winter and R-4.1 per inch in summer. This is the highest annual R-value of any re-insulation option on the market today.
RetroFoam® provides homes with 2x4 studs R-values of R-16.0 and R-14.9 for winter and summer, respectively. R-values for homes with 2x6 studs reach R-23.7.
RetroFoam® also eliminates drafts by sealing plugs, switches, cracks, and anywhere else air can enter or leave your home.
Continues to save money over time.
Unlike blow-in cellulose or fiberglass, RetroFoam® will not settle over time, change shape, or breakdown. Your RetroFoam® insulation stays in place, particularly at the top of walls where it is most needed. And RetroFoam® is not affected by moisture. If the foam gets damp, it always dries and remains 100% effective. Therefore, the high R-values and insulation effectiveness achieved by RetroFoam® continue over time.
Resists pests
RetroFoam® is also an effective pest barrier. Because it seals cracks and crevices in walls and cement blocks, it helps keep critters outside.
Does not disrupt your life when installed
RetroFoam® installation is an easy process in most types of buildings, typically completed in less than a day. Our installers inject RetroFoam® into the wall cavity, so there's no need to tear out walls. Since RetroFoam® is installed from the outside in most cases, you do not need to move furniture or clean up the inside of your home.
Decreases noise: a sound solution
Although RetroFoam® is used primarily to save energy, our customers often comment about how quiet their homes become once RetroFoam® is installed. RetroFoam® reduces noise levels by 75%, a 45-50 db reduction on average. Apartment and condominium residents find RetroFoam® a great solution for noisy walls.
Slows the spread of fire
RetroFoam® is a nonflammable product. RetroFoam® adds safety and value to your home because fires burn more slowly through RetroFoam®-filled walls.
Never hurts the environment
Want to protect your home as well as the planet? Retrofoam® is a safe, non-toxic, and energy efficient choice for insulating your home or business. Click here for more information on this gas-free, odor-free. environmentally safe product.
Toxic Mold & Polymaster Foam Position Brief
Polymaster R-501 and RetroFoam brands are naturally resistant to mold growth. They contain neither cellulose nor other fiber that sustain mold growth. These brands have high nitrogen content which is toxic to most molds but which is otherwise non-toxic and inert.
Polymaster’s polyurethane spray foam brands, Incylthane 500, 1700, 2000 and Block Blanket are non-nutritive to mold. These foams form a complete barrier between cellulose building material and moisture needed to support mold growth. These brands also act as a barrier to mold spore propagation inside the walls.
Please see the caveats to the above in the full report on the web at polymaster.com.
Best Practices Approach to Toxic Mold
1.
Visually inspect the structure for mold before installing insulation
2.Verify proper design/installation of vapor barrier
3.Provide adequate ventilation for curing during humid conditions
4.Document any problems observed and provide information
Why is the problem so common today?
Since the mid-70’s and the coming of the Energy Age, tighter buildings are being designed to reduce heat loss. The result has been to lower air exchange rates in buildings to unprecedented levels. Lack of appropriate airflow in the building allows moisture levels to increase, providing a crucial element to mold growth.
See the full report, which explains mold mechanics and how it propagates in a building.
What role does insulation play?
The most important difference between insulation materials is whether the materials are open-celled or closed-celled. Fiberglass and cellulose are examples of open-celled insulation. They allow air to flow through the insulation. Although these materials can be detrimental to R-Values, they do have the advantage in some situations because of their ability to release moisture.
Polyurethane foam insulation offerings like Incylthane and Block Blanket, on the other hand, are mostly or totally closed-cell. They offer the highest R-Values and are both air and moisture impermeable (with the exception of half-pound density foam). Aminoplast foams like Polymaster R-501 and RetroFoam are 80-90% closed-cell and they have a shrinkage rate of 1-2%. This natural shrinkage, allows some air movement without compromising R-Value.
Testing
Recent tests have confirmed that Polymaster R-501 and RetroFoam do not support mold growth, even when saturated with moisture over long periods of time. The foam tests indicate that the foam inhibit mold growth on surfaces on which the foam has contact.
