Insulation expert David Rees from Airfoam is live in the Design & Build studio from 8am.

Insulating your home creates a warmer healthier living environment and increases the value of your home.   If your home was built prior to the early 90's its quite likely to not have any wall insulation and all you have to do is put your head in to the roof space to see if teh roof is the same.  Uninsulated, any heat is goings straight out as if all the doors and windows were open!

Insulate your home and you'll get these results. 

• A warm, dry home is a healthy home.
  
  
• Your home will become more comfortable, warmer in the winter, cooler in the summer.
  
  
• You are better able to cope with rises in fuel and power costs.
  
  
• You will save money on energy bills.

Insulation is the most important item you can fit to your home to create a warm, comfortable, healthy and energy efficient environment.

Dave has been fitting all kinds of insulation for 20 years and is now MD of Airfoam.  Here's some information on the Airfoam process:

AIRFOAM® is a plastic foam containing million of tiny air cells. Within minutes of injecting the liquid foam into the wall cavity, its sets to form a firm, resilient filling containing million of tiny bubbles of still air. These act like pockets of air trapped between the feathers in an eiderdown, which minimise air circulation with the wall cavity, preventing airflow and heat loss. Once installed AIRFOAM® insulation will go on working for decades with absolutely no maintenance.

AIRFOAM® is an extremely safe product to introduce into your walls. Unlike polyurathane foam which you can purchase at your local hardware store, AIRFOAM® is a modified plastic foam, installed by a licensed technician.

The expanding agent in AIRFOAM® is compressed air. AIRFOAM® is fully expanded prior to entering you walls hence filling your wall cavities safely.  AIRFOAM® is nontoxic, does not create a fire hazard, and is hydrophobic, (repels water). Unlike loosefill insulation it does not slump or fall down over time, and rodents will not build their nests in AIRFOAM®. If at any stage you need to carry out wall alterations, the solid customised blocks of foam can be easily removed while work is in progress and simply replaced on completion. If rewiring is needed, wires can be pushed through the rigid foam, or the foam can be cut if necessary.

Your installers first action is to prepare your home for the injection of AIRFOAM®. In weatherboard and similar claddings small holes are drilled between the studs. With brick veneer small holes are drilled through the mortar joint.

                                              
The house is now ready for injection of the foam into the wall. Various techniques are used for different structures and claddings. Here a weatherboard wall is filled by the foam which has the consistency of aerosol shaving cream. It flows into every crack and crevice.

            
This internal view shows what occurs in a brick veneer home. The internal plasterboard has been replaced with a clear plastic sheet. This clearly shows the foam flowing freely around the studs, dwangs (noggins) and diagonal bracing.

A further view taken about 5 seconds later shows the foam advancing towards the next row of injection holes. In practice these holes have straws inserted into them so the operator, who is outside, can see by movement of the straw when the foam has reached that hole.

   
The holes are then filled with a specifically manufactured filler, sanded and primed. This is where your Licensed Installer finishes his contract.

The process is completed. By special arrangement you may wish to have repainting included in the contract (or you may have your own painter do the necessary touch up). Generally if the paint is in good condition this can be achieved so that only you will know that your home has  AIRFOAM®.