Added Benefits of Spray Foaming Basement Rim Joists

If you are beginning to feel drafts along your floors, it might be time to look into properly insulating your basement rim joists. Typically, rim joists are left uninsulated especially if you live in an older Michigan home. By insulating these basement rim joists with closed cell spray foam, you can eliminate the unwanted drafts and uncomfortable temperatures throughout your home. To learn more about basement rim joists and common questions about insulating rim joists, check out this post. In this article we will focus on what the added benefits of spray foaming your basement rim joists are.

Why insulate basement rim joists?

Before we dive into the benefits of insulating your basement rim joists, it is first important to understand why you should insulate rim joists in the first place. If you are noticing that your floors seem extra cold on a regular basis, this is a common warning sign that rim joists are not properly insulated. While you may be used to this cold feeling when walking across your floors, it is not something that you have to deal with forever. You can achieve a comfortable home no matter what season it is by insulating basement rim joists. If you are unsure whether the cold floors you are feeling are normal or abnormal, it is best to schedule a comprehensive energy audit with a professional. From there, they can determine for a fact whether you should insulate your basement rim joists or offer other solutions for your cold floors.

What are the benefits of spray foaming basement rim joists?

There are many benefits that are associated with choosing spray foam to insulate basement rim joists. Aside from the most important and obvious benefit of eliminating cold floors throughout your house, you will be surprised to learn that other benefits await you when selecting spray foam. Here are some of the top benefits that are associated with spray foaming basement rim joists:

Closed cell spray foam insulation does not retain water.

Since spray foam insulation has the ability to fill every space and crack around rim joists, this will eliminate any outside air from getting in during colder months. Even if you were to get moisture near rim joists, the closed cell spray foam does not retain any water which will prevent mold and mildew from growing. This creates a safer home environment for you and your family knowing that this insulation won’t promote mold growth which is dangerous to a person’s health.

Spray foam insulation does not attract pests and critters.

Rim joists are at ground level and the same hole that allows cold air to come in during the winter are the same holes the bugs and spiders will also come in through. So, by sealing those holes up with spray foam, you will be able to keep the bugs and spiders out. If the gaps are large enough, like around wire holes or natural gas lines entering your home, they could be big enough for mice and other critters to come in to escape the cold. The spray foam is not a food for pests, and while any determined critter could chew through just about anything, they typically avoid the foam. Spray foam is not a food source for outdoor critters and will not attract them to your rim joists.

Spray foam insulation is environmentally safe.

As spray foam is an alternative to fiberglass and other insulation options, you will find that it seals gaps better and is safe for the environment. Once the foam is sprayed onto the rim joists, it will harden making the chemical static and cannot move. This provides a great environmentally friendly option for your insulation needs!

Ready to spray foam your basement rim joists?

If you are ready to eliminate the cold floors in your home or want to find out whether your home could benefit from spray foaming rim joists, we are here to help at Ecotelligent Homes. Our comprehensive energy audit will help identify the problem areas of your home while offering energy-efficient solutions to remediate these problems. Contact us today if you are ready to set up a home energy audit or if you want to begin the process of spray foaming your basement rim joists. Simply fill out our contact form or give us a call and we will be happy to answer your questions.