Using Rescheck for Spray Foam House

Composed by Jobe Leonard with Rescheck.info and the Reschexpert blog.  Spray foam Reschecks are one of his favorite subjects and you can find more about them in this spray foam Rescheck tutorial below.

Jobe Leonard Rescheck.info

Many readers of the Reschexpert blog ask us if it is possible to use Rescheck, Manual J, Manual S, Manual D, or Comcheck for a Spray foam house.  On today’s episode of the Reschexpert blog we will show you the ins and of Reschecking your Spray Foam new construction, addition, or alteration that used spray foam to insulate.

The most important item you need on any spray foam home is a letter from the spray foam installer that tells you, in writing, what the finished R value of the foam they install will be.  No fluff, no magical calculations based on a magazine article, they need to be able to prove to you the R value of the material they are installing in writing.  If they do not you could have issues at the building department.  Just like a batt of insulation says, R 13, R 30, R 38, or R 50 the spray foam needs some type of rating too.  You will need this R value of the spray foam ceiling, spray foam walls, and spray foam foundation for the respective areas within the Rescheck.

The next item you need to know is how thick they plan to install it.  If they promise you 3.5″ you need to have a way to back check this.  Have your contractor inspect a random accessible location with a ruler and measure how much insulation was installed on average.  It should be very somewhere close to 3.5″ and relatively evenly spread to give you the R value guaranteed in your Spray Foam installer’s material letter.

The final item you need to Rescheck a Spray Foam house some flexibility to move outside the typical R values you see on ordinary Reschecks.  You see, on 95% of the Rescheck, Comcheck, Manual J, Manual S, and Manual D that you create as a DIY Home Energy Auditor you will find relatively similar R values of R 13, R 30, R 38, or R 50.  Many times with spray foam your R Values will be more abstract and even have a decimal point.  If your R value comes out to 24.7 you can include the decimal point into the Rescheck Web or Rescheck Desktop.  This extra .7 can sometimes be the difference between a pass and a fail so it can be important to use it if the manufacturer and installer guarantees it.

Overall guaranteeing your R value, Depth, and using all your decimal points will help you create better Rescheck, Comcheck, Manual J, Manual S, and Manual D reports simply by having all your data correct.  If you are having trouble with a Rescheck on spray foam home you can email us plans, jobsite address, and square footage to service@rescheck.info and we will get you taken care of.

Download the Department of Energy’s Rescheck Desktop here.  Rescheck Desktop Download.

Here is quick link to the Department of Energy’s Rescheck Web Rescheck Creation Page

To order your Rescheck you can visit this link.  Order a Rescheck Energy Report here.