Leftover oil-like liquid: Closed-cell spray foam application
We have a little bit of leftover oil like (texture, feel wise) liquid at the bottom of where our closed cell spray foam was applied, in just a few spots (at bottom pressure treated board and on concrete slab it’s sitting on, which is below wall cavities it was sprayed in like it was part of the mix that drained down a bit). It was applied beginning of December and is very slowly drying up. All the wall cavities dried up super quick like it should have. Just didn’t know if a little of the residue the pressure treated board soaked up in couple spots at bottom (where it’s sitting on concrete slab) is just normal leftover residue it gets in some spots and if I need to be concerned? Didn’t know what this residue is comprised of – if any got into studs would it be enough water for mold to grow on/in them or pressure treated board?
Maybe it will not grow mold and is harmless and will just dry up in time, but thought I’d check before we got further along. Thank you!
GBA Detail Library
A collection of one thousand construction details organized by climate and house part
Replies
Is it a brown/yellow gooey material? If it is, it’s probably some dribble from the installers foam gun that didn’t mix. This happens sometimes at the very beginning or very end of the application, or if their gun gets partly clogged while they’re working.
If all of your other foam is properly cured, you probably have nothing to worry about. The goo shouldn’t be mold food, but I’d clean it up anyway. Just use a cheap putty knife, scrape the goo up and dispose of both the goo and the putty knife. Don’t get the goo on your skin, it may prove very difficult to get off.
Bill
Thank you, Bill! Yes, all the other foam cured and hardened within hours - just looks like some of that leftover brown/yellow like gooey/oil at the bottom that dribbled down at maybe some beginning/end points.
So even though it's penetrated the bottom pressure treated board in a couple spots, there isn't enough water in the mix probably to allow the wood/food to be mixed with enough water to promote mold growth? Not sure what's typically in the mix, but when oil is applied to wood to help preserve it in some looks I don't think oil is the type of liquid/water that mold will grow on?
The 3ft stem wall is where we sprayed closed cell spray foam but above that in the wall cavities the rest of the way up we had dense packed fiberglass blown in insulation so there is a fabric attached to studs that drapes all the way down to the ground so most of that goo/oil is just there at bottom where stapled to pressure treated bottom (on concrete slab). But there really is only a little bit, so just scrape up the parts that is still open and accessible behind tub (since shower has not yet been installed) and don't worry about any other little dribbles behind DenseArmor Plus drywall that's already been enclosed...ya think?
Hi Jamie -
It may be late for this but was your spray foam installer certified by either ABAA (https://www.airbarrier.org) or SPFA (http://www.sprayfoam.org)? If this liquid is unreacted components, this should not have made it into your project but part of the set up following a site quality assurance program (see https://www.airbarrier.org/qap/).
I would definitely contact your installer and get his answers regarding what the liquid is and why it's part of his or her installation in your project.
Thanks, Peter. I don't know - my husband is the general contractor (since he owns development company) and has access to many subs. He gets a little annoyed by his wife trying to tell him too much of what to do and how to do it :). Everything else seemed to cure real quick and there really isn't much, just wasn't familiar at all with the process - we felt lucky to find someone in our area who would do it, we aren't in a big city and limited by the talents we have access to. Doesn't mean they did it right, but all else seemed done and finished real well.
Couldn't it just be "some dribble from the installers foam gun that didn’t mix. This happens sometimes at the very beginning or very end of the application, or if their gun gets partly clogged while they’re working."? ...like Bill mentioned above ^^.