Why water??
Why not water? That should be the question. Water is obviously more environmentally friendly than any chemical blowing agent. What else makes Freedom Foam different?
Chemistry
Polyurethane foam is manufactured on site by trained contractors with specialized equipment. It is a combination of two chemicals, part A and part B. Part A is polymeric MDI. Part B is a complex blend of polyols, surfactants, catalysts, fire retardants and a blowing agent.
Typical closed cell foams use a chemical blowing agent. It was developed as a replacement for HCFC-141b. It has a lower boiling point and has a low GWP (global warming potential), not no GWP, but low. Spray foams are sprayed out at about 130°F on average. With these other foams, the blowing agent is boiling as the foam comes out of the gun. This makes the foam “foam up”. The speed of the reaction is controlled by the catalysts, the size of the bubbles are controlled by the surfactants, and the density of the foam is determined by the amount of blowing agent used.
With Freedom Foam, an extra fraction of a second is needed for the water to react with the MDI, aided by the catalyst to react. The reaction relies more on chemistry than a solvent to evaporate while it is sprayed.
Contractor Friendly
Freedom Foam is much more user friendly than other foams.
Because other blowing agents boil at 59.5 degrees, constant attention has to be given to assure that the B chemical is in an air conditioned environment. Imagine trying to open an 80°F drum of chemical that is boiling inside. When this happens, care has to be given to release the pressure, and blowing agent, inside the drum resulting in lower yield. With Freedom Foam, heat is not a problem. The B component is as stable at 100°F as it is at 50°F.
Because the foam isn’t starting to foam in the mixing chamber, the gun clogs less with Freedom Foam.
Roofing contractors have more control over the reaction speed with Freedom Foam. By turning the application temperature down a little and slowing the reaction, a smoother skin can be achieved, requiring less coating.
Smaller application equipment can be used. You can pre-heat the drums of Freedom Foam making it easier for smaller, more economical proportioners, with less heating capabilities to be used.
Constant R-value
With other foams, some of the blowing agent is trapped in the closed cells resulting in a higher initial R-value. When the foam is sprayed, it is hot. As it cools, a vacuum is created inside of the closed cells. Over time, air is drawn into the cells with the blowing agent lowering the R-value. As other blowing agents have only been in use for a few years, it is unknown how much of them remains in the foam long term.
Freedom Foam has an R-value of 6 that remains constant for the life of your building. During the reaction, the gases trapped in the cells are mostly the same gases that are in the air we breathe. There is no loss of blowing agent as there is no blowing agent to lose! Plus, Freedom Foam’s proven performance has been trusted in homes since 1992!
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