Claim, complaint or Section 75
Section 75 claim open: the higher readings sat only at the gable where foam was missed
Stockton-on-Tees · Recent inspection · Claim / Installer Ceased Trading
The house
Semi-detached single-storey timber-frame bungalow of about 41 m²; the roof tiles include built-in air-gap openings, with soffits on all accessible sides.
The foam
Open-cell foam with a third-party product approval, fitted in 2023 over the original bituminous felt, about 5–6 in deep, nowhere touching the tiles. Roofers later replaced the felt on part of one slope with breathable membrane, cutting out about 10 m² of foam; the ceiling quilt was later renewed under ECO4.
The paperwork
Contract, pre-installation form, 25-year product warranty, receipts and ECO4 declaration. Missing: a condensation-risk assessment, the product approval document itself, and any record of the roof repair. The installer's form said slate (it is tile) and recorded visible water penetration before spraying.
Why they called
A Section 75 claim was open and the installer had ceased trading; the homeowner wanted independent evidence on the foam.
What was measured
- 12 timber readings, none at or above 20%: eight across the roof at 11.6–13.6%, four at the north gable and adjoining ridge at 15.4–19.6%.
- Rafter faces that had been under foam, uncovered where it was later cut away, read 11.6%.
- At the north gable: a void about 16 in deep behind the frame, a missed ridge strip about 20 × 5 in, and two foam passes that never met.
- Dew points 11.8–12.7 °C against timber surfaces of about 30 °C on the day.
What it means
The pattern decided this one. All four higher readings sat in the coolest corner, where foam had been missed, cables were buried and an extract duct leaves through the foam without a detailed termination. The other eight, including rafter faces once under foam, read 11.6–13.6%: in the report's view, a local fault with a local repair.
What happened next
Full removal was not indicated. In one visit: fill the gable void and missed areas with the same open-cell product, free and re-route or sleeve the buried cables, and seal and insulate the duct termination; then re-read the north gable in winter.
For other homeowners
Look at where the higher readings are, not just how high they are. Here they lined up with the missed foam and the extract duct, which pointed to a local repair.
Read the guide: Spray foam claims: Section 75 and the Financial Ombudsman explained · Making a complaint or claim about spray foam: step by step
The honest limit
One summer visit; winter was not observed. Fully encapsulated timbers could not be measured, and whether the eaves ventilation path works behind the foam could not be established without cutting.