Foam Insulation Protection

[Ken Rowe]

I did a pre-drywall and final buyer's inspection on this house last winter. The builder finally got the insulator to put a protective covering over the exposed rigid foam insulation on the exposed exterior of the foundation. They new owner emailed this pictures. I haven't seen a vinyl product used in this method.

She described it as vinyl product with a fabric, similar to felt on the back side. She didn't know the exact product, so I don't know the manufacturer's installation instructions. I would guess that it's made to be glued on and shouldn't have nails driven through it. She also stated that it was just nailed to the foam and the nails easily pull out.

MN Energy Code states:

Must have a rigid, opaque and weather resistant protective covering to prevent
the degradation of the insulation’s thermal performance.
o The protective cover must cover the exposed exterior insulation and
extend a minimum of 6‐inches below grade.
o The insulation and protective covering must be flashed with corrosion
resistant flashing applied in such manner as to prevent entry of water
into the wall cavity or penetration of water into the building structural
frame components.

I told her to get the AHJ involved as I didn't believe this installation would qualify as "rigid" and other photos she supplied showed the material cut short and not fully covering the insulation.
2957929578
What are your thoughts?

[Jeff Zehnder]

I did a pre-drywall and final buyer's inspection on this house last winter. The builder finally got the insulator to put a protective covering over the exposed rigid foam insulation on the exposed exterior of the foundation. They new owner emailed this pictures. I haven't seen a vinyl product used in this method.

She described it as vinyl product with a fabric, similar to felt on the back side. She didn't know the exact product, so I don't know the manufacturer's installation instructions. I would guess that it's made to be glued on and shouldn't have nails driven through it. She also stated that it was just nailed to the foam and the nails easily pull out.

MN Energy Code states:


I told her to get the AHJ involved as I didn't believe this installation would qualify as "rigid" and other photos she supplied showed the material cut short and not fully covering the insulation.
2957929578
What are your thoughts?

Ken,

We are seeing more and more of the exterior foundation insulation systems, I have not seen one with a covering like the one shown in your photos. You may need to re-visit the home yourself to see more details because without them it is difficult to add to your comments. The only thing that I can say specifically about the system is in response to it being nailed to the foam, this is of course not proper and likely does not meet manufacturers specifications for both the insulation and the fasteners.