Foam removed and new insulation fitted
Foam out, foil in: foam still filled the eaves, and the foil wasn't the one contracted
near Horsham · Recent inspection · Post-Removal & Insulation Check
The house
One party wall, one gable, and a pantile roof at 39.6° with 59 m² of slope. Soffit grilles front and rear; a boiler and extract fan in the loft.
The foam
Open-cell, sprayed in 2022 on finance onto a breathable membrane, as the installation record says. Since removed, apart from solid blocks at both eaves, one about 20 cm high, and residue. That installer has ceased trading.
The paperwork
The contract named one foil at 50 m²; a different manufacturer's product was fitted, over 59 m² of slope. Not provided: the manufacturer's documents its terms promised, the contractor's sales-visit photographs, any invoice or receipt, and a timber-treatment data sheet.
Why they called
Foam removed and multifoil fitted, with a complaint already raised about the original installation: the homeowner wanted an independent record of what was actually there.
What was measured
- 11 timber readings: 6 at or above 20%, highest 24.0% on a purlin, lowest 16.6%; the wetter ones beside the foam left at the eaves.
- Loft air 13.4 g/kg against 12.9 g/kg outside, a 0.5 g/kg gap; the landing 0.5 g/kg below outside.
- Eaves 6.47 m a side; guidance expects about 0.16 m² of opening per side, and close to nothing was open.
- Foil: 1 of 6 system parts present, 0 of 10 installation steps confirmed; held by staples alone, 30 cm apart at best.
What it means
The loft air was exchanging with outside, and the house was not driving moisture into it. But the wet timber sat next to the foam left at the eaves, where air from the soffit grilles can no longer reach. Lifted tiles, and an extract duct with an unseen outlet, could not be ruled out as contributors.
What happened next
First, a roofer to check the lifted tiles and an electrician or ventilation contractor to find where the extract duct ends. Then the eaves cleared, then a choice: remove the foil and restore a ventilated cold roof, or complete a rafter-level system to its manufacturer's requirements.
For other homeowners
If removal and new insulation come as one job, check the roll's label against your contract and ask for the manufacturer's fitting guide first: here, one of six system parts was present.
Read the guide: After spray foam removal: is there a 'removal certificate', and what should you get? · Spray foam removed: what now?
The honest limit
No surface temperatures were taken, so the condensation margin is unknown. Timber behind the fixed foil and under the boarding was not inspected, and one visit cannot show a winter night.