Walltite ECO™ What is it? Walltite ECO™ is an environmentally responsible medium-density sprayfoam insulation that is sprayed on as a liquid and expands into a foam filling every single nook, cranny, and gap to create a perfect continuous air-tight seal. It is a thermal insulation, air barrier, and vapour barrier all in one and it actually exceeds the requirements for the National Building Code of Canada. It has an RValue of 6 per inch which is far superior to traditional insulation, and, more importantly, its closed-cell structure stops convection (aka airflow) currents.
The Key Difference - Air Flow Heat loss occurs in two ways, by conduction and by convection. Conduction is the transfer of heat through solid molecules; this method of heat transfer is the slowest and accounts for about 20% of heat loss. RValue is the measure of a systems resistance to heat flow by conduction. Convection is the transfer of heat by liquid or gas molecules moving from hot areas to cold areas. Essentially, convection is airflow. This method of heat transfer is the fastest and accounts for about 80% of heat loss.
Traditional Insulation Insulations like fiberglass, cellulose, and rockwool have posted RValues hovering around the R3 - R4/inch range. When perfectly installed they may achieve these RValues, addressing, with different levels of success, heat loss by conduction. Even the smallest gap between batts can drastically reduce the measured RValue. Also, as the temperature decreases and airflow currents speed up, fiber insulations loose their effectiveness at addressing both conduction and convection. These traditional forms of insulation settle and sag over the years, making them even less efficient.
Traditional insulations fail to address heatloss by convection because they are designed to slow convection currents down, but not to stop them. Convection currents are not only responsible for 80% of heatloss, but they also cause moisture problems. Warm moist inside air circulates and exchanges with cold dry outside air in a cavity. As the moisture in the air condenses, it forms dew within traditional insulation. This destroys the insulation, decreases its effectiveness, and if given time, causes mold and rot. To stop this from happening you must stop convection altogether.
Walltite ECO™ As Walltite ECO™ cures the millions of tiny bubbles formed remain closed or intact trapping the gases of the blowing agent inside. Since the bubbles are closed, air molecules cannot move through Walltite ECO™, stopping heatloss by convection. Some of the most damaging moisture within the building envelope is caused by convection currents moving both through and within a wall cavity. The closed-cell structure of Walltite ECO™ stops air movement through and within the wall. No air movement means no convection, resulting in no condensation, and elimination of moisture problems like mold.
Having addressed heatloss by convection, the only way for heat to be transferred through Walltite ECO™ is through conduction; a much slower method of heat transfer. Walltite ECO™ maintains its RValue of 6 per inch even in adverse temperatures and weather. It also does not sag or settle over time. Therefore, it addresses the 20% of heat loss caused by conduction much more effectively than other forms of insulation.
Environmentally Friendly Using Walltite ECO™ is an environmentally friendly choice. In fact, Walltite ECO™ has attained EcoLogo certification - North America’s most widely recognized and respected multi-attribute environmental certification. Not only can a building that is insulated and sealed with Walltite ECO™ use 50% less energy, significantly reducing fossil fuel usage and emissions, but the product is made from recycled plastics and castor oil. Castor oil is a rapidly-renewable non-edible material; its cultivation, therefore, does not affect the global food production system. Walltite ECO™ also utilizes a Zero Ozone Depleting (Zero ODS) blowing agent and creates very little trimming waste during installation.
Air Quality Walltite ECO™ is GREENGUARD® Children and Schools certified, so you know you are getting a product that helps meet strict air quality standards. It makes significant contributions to healthy and comfortable indoor environments by creating a draft-free, airtight building envelope that prevents the infiltration of pollutants, toxins and allergens. It also helps prevent the growth of mold and fungi by controlling the movement of moisture and vapour through the building envelope. Testing has proven that Walltite ECO™, once installed,does not off-gas any harmful toxins of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or CFCs (Chloro Fluoro Carbons). It also does not contain any fibers or loose particles that can contaminate indoor air quality. A building sprayed with Walltite ECO™ is much quieter as it decreases the noise from both the exterior environment and interior mechanical systems.
Applications The only limitation is your imagination. From residential to commercial to industrial construction and design, closed-cell sprayfoam is quickly becoming the industry standard, especially for hard to insulate areas. It can be applied to rim joists, sills, walls, catherdral ceilings, cantilevers, domes, turrets, attics, quonsets, pools, roofs, basement floors, foundation walls, and underground footings. As a spray-applied foam, Walltite ECO™offers tenacious adhesion to almost any substrate and almost any shape.
