Ryan from Beyond explains that spray foam itself won't grow mold because it's not organic, but poor installation can trap moisture and cause it. Mold needs food, moisture, and cool air. Closed-cell foam works better in cold climates; open-cell foam can trap moisture and cause problems.
Have you ever wondered if a spray foam install could lead to mold? You know, this is one of the most common questions we get asked. I see a lot of concerns online surrounding it, so let's dig into that. Hi everyone, my name's Ryan. I'm the general manager here at Beyond. To start, spray foam does not inherently cause mold. Poor installs is what leads to mold, and this isn't even specific to spray foam. This is for all insulations. You know, mold needs 3 things to grow. It needs food. It needs moisture. It needs prolonged moisture, and it needs a cool space. The nice thing about spray foam is it's not food for mold because it's not an organic product. So the wood that your house is made out of, the paper in the drywall, these are all organic products that mold can physically use for fuel to grow. The next part of that is spray foam insulation is an excellent air sealing product, and so we actually use it for areas that have had mold that's been treated to prevent it from happening again. Like we said, if Any insulation is installed wrong, it can lead to moisture, which can lead to mold. And this is true for spray foam as well. If we miss a spot, that spot will condense and cause water, which can then lead to mold. There are 2 different types of spray foam, and so it's really important that you're using the right foam for the climate that you're in. Here in Canada, you know, we have really cold winters, we have short summers. We are all about the 2-pound foam. It's almost exclusive to what we do, and the reason for that is because we don't want to cause mold. And so if you use an open-cell foam, It doesn't have the vapor retardant properties that a 2-pound foam does. And so what ends up happening with that is you can actually generate mold inside of the foam. And so that is more of an open-cell foam problem, but even open-cell foam can be installed properly in the right climate with no issues. You just don't want to use it in a cold climate or a humid environment. So when you're looking at having your spray foam work done, just make sure that you're really looking closely at the contractor you're choosing and that they know the difference, they have a track record of doing good installs standing behind their work. And if though you're checking all your boxes, you shouldn't have any issues with that. We'd love it if you could like and subscribe to help reach more people that have the same questions as you.
