By: Aaron Weatherbie, Sales Representative - Architectural Products
When we talk about EPS (expanded polystyrene) and XPS (extruded polystyrene) it would be easy to say that white vs. blue has often ended with black and blue scenario. I am unsure of how EPS has been overlooked through the years, but I am confident when talking to my money, I would choose EPS over XPS every time. I have been in the construction industry for over 10 years and have many experiences with both products.
I am confident when talking to engineers and architects about the reasons why I believe EPS should be there number one choice. EPS could be considered the utility player of rigid insulations because it can be used from the frost line to the roof line. It especially deserves to be considered when specifications for below grade or underslab insulations are being written. Long term R-Value should be the driving force behind any specification for rigid insulation. At ACH we only talk about LTTR when we are forced to compare our product to other rigid insulations. This is because EPS is the only rigid insulation in the market which uses in-service R-values. At ACH we provide a warranty for 100% of the R-value for 20-years.would like to say that if it was my project and
When you look at the warranty for other rigid insulations you need to have your calculator handy so you can figure out what the actual R-Value is. I don’t think you should be able to advertise an R-Value but then only warranty a certain percent of it. The best choice available for foundation and underslab insulation would be Foam-Control Plus+. Foam-Control Plus+ is available in several different PSI strengths and is the obvious choice to me. The R-Value is guaranteed for 20 years and it is going to provide you a significant cost savings when compared to XPS.
So now that you know EPS is the only rigid insulation with a 20 year R-Value Warranty and that it provides a cost savings to the building owner in the beginning and over time, what else is there that we could say? The last thing that should be considered is the fact that EPS is the most environmentally friendly rigid insulation on the market. Any waste that is created is recycled or down cycled at the plant. Unused material from the job site can also be recycled. The material also has no blowing agents to boost its R-Value . These are the top 3 reasons why EPS should be turning XPS black and blue.
Learn more about Foam-Control Plus+ architectural grade EPS insulation.
