Pole barn spray foam insulation in Cochrane deals with large, light post-frame buildings standing in one of the more exposed positions in the region. Post-frame is the default out here because it spans a long way for the money, and the position is what makes it demanding.
A light building in a strong-wind position
A post-frame building resists wind through the frame and the cladding acting together, and that relationship depends on the fasteners holding and the panels staying stiff. West of Cochrane those buildings are being pushed on regularly and hard. Closed cell foam adheres to what it is sprayed against and adds rigidity to the assembly as a secondary effect. That is not why it is installed and it should not be sold as a structural upgrade, but on a building in this position it is a real and welcome consequence of doing the insulation properly.
Every lap on the windward face is an opening
Panels overlap and each overlap is a seam. On a sheltered building those seams are static. On a building with steady pressure against one face they are openings with air being pushed through them all day, and across a large wall that is a substantial amount of movement. It is why a Cochrane pole barn can feel cold with insulation apparently in place, and why a continuous adhered layer that seals every lap at once does something no product placed between the girts can.
Nothing fitted between girts stays effective
There is no cavity of the kind a house wall has. Anything placed between the girts has to be held there, sags over time and leaves voids for air to move through, and once air is moving behind insulation the insulation has largely stopped working. Owners who have already tried batts in one of these buildings describe the result as barely noticeable, and that is the reason.
Dust and driven snow, not just cold
Wind at this strength carries material with it, and it enters through the same laps and gaps the air uses. Fine dust settles on stock and inside anything mechanical, and driven snow finds its way in around the windward face and appears inside as damp streaks that look like a roof leak. Sealing the inside face closes those paths from within, which is usually the only practical route on a finished building.
Pole Barn Spray Foam Insulation Cochrane: Common Questions
Does foam help with wind loading? It adds rigidity to what it adheres to as a secondary effect. It is not a structural service and should not be bought as one, though on a Cochrane building it is a genuine benefit.
Ours has insulation and still feels cold. Why? Air is being driven through the laps in the cladding around whatever sits between the girts. A continuous adhered layer seals those laps.
Snow appears inside after a storm. Is the roof leaking? Usually it is driven through the laps on the windward face. Sealing the inside face closes those paths.
Work out the assembly with the R-value calculator, then get a free Cochrane quote. More on Pole Barn Spray Foam Insulation Alberta.