Insealation Sticks To Task at Hand

A relatively new type of building insulation claims to be highlyenergy-efficient and especially good for environmentally sensitivepeople.

Insealation, manufactured by the Toronto-based Icynene Co., ismade of soft, white polyicynene foam, chemically related to theupholstery foam in pillows and mattresses.

Insealation initially is a liquid that expands 100 times once itis blown into a building's walls, ceilings and floors - becomingsimilar in texture to angel food cake, with millions of tiny aircells making it lightweight. A sixteenth-inch layer of spray willexpand to a soft foam 5 inches thick.

Insealation, when blown into a given area, permanently adheres toeverything it touches - including plumbing and wiring - and fillscorners and cracks, which prevents air leakage and saves energy.

Icynene President Graeme Kirkland showed the product a while backat the custom builders' exhibition in Chicago.

Kirkland says the product is especially good for insulatingporches and floors over crawl spaces and garages. He credits theinsulation with expanding the construction of attached garages inToronto subdivisions since its introduction there in the late 1980s.

He also says his product is good for people with allergies andrelated conditions because Insealation is water-based and contains noformaldehyde or other chemicals known to cause allergic reactions.

Kirkland says the cost initially is slightly more than regularinsulation, about $1 a square foot. Icynene, (800) 758-7325. The Chicago area distributor isEnvironmental Foam, (708) 674-2203.

Hilary Anderson is a Chicago area free-lance writer.