Termites were eating the heck out of my foil faced Johns Mansville insulation board in my pole barn. Luckily it was only a small area before I noticed it. I am now forced to termite treat the building. My dad was an exterminator for 40 years and he was surprised the product was made like it is. Must be some kind of paper fibers used in the making of the insulation board. Do yourself a favor and DO NOT USE JOHNS MANSVILLE INSULATION BOARD
Do not use Johns Mansville insulation board
- Thread starter lkempf
- Start date
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Wait til you find out that termites eat wood too...what will we build with now?
Was it in contact with the ground ?
pcmeiners
Well-known member
Please elaborate on which Mansville board you are referring to.
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tinmanwpk
Well-known member
How old was this JM board when you installed it? Where and how was it stored until you installed it?
dcg9381
Well-known member
I just looked, Zip-R has recommedations / best practices for termite treatment too.
Bugs eat wood. I'm a big fan of ICF, but have never been able to afford to build with it.
My deck is steel and TREX for a reason. Too many days/weeks spent repairing decks all over the country.
I believe it was "the Perkins Brothers" on youtube mentioned one time why they wouldn't use ICF in their area, Carolina's ?? was that the termites would burrow through the foam and go directly into the wood structure.
dcg9381
Well-known member
Like interior wood framing structure? I'd bet that concrete blocks seal way better than the stick and brick construction around here.
We typically don't have "termite" issues much here. We have scorpions and all sorts of other nasty critters. I simply spray the foundation at least 3x a year.... I assume no matter how you build it, there's always going to be a gap somewhere.
mike93lx thanks for letting me know termites like wood too. Great comment and advice. We need more people like you on this site.
I was just letting people know and learn from my experience. Still surprised they would eat foam insulation
Yes it was in contact with the ground. We are thinking they came up through a crack around the perimeter of the floor where the concrete expanded. Going to spray Termidor down the crack along the inside of the building.
I was just letting people know and learn from my experience. Still surprised they would eat foam insulation
Yes it was in contact with the ground. We are thinking they came up through a crack around the perimeter of the floor where the concrete expanded. Going to spray Termidor down the crack along the inside of the building.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
No problem.
The alarmist, over the top posts are super helpful.
You installed it wrong and didn't use preventatives. And yet the product is ****
jar944
Well-known member
Like interior wood framing structure? I'd bet that concrete blocks seal way better than the stick and brick construction around here.
We typically don't have "termite" issues much here. We have scorpions and all sorts of other nasty critters. I simply spray the foundation at least 3x a year.... I assume no matter how you build it, there's always going to be a gap somewhere.
Termites need cover/tunnels to go successfully eat a house that is on a block/concrete foundation above ground level. Apparently foam is sufficient..
jar944
Well-known member
Assuming it's polyiso, any polyiso product would have had the same result. Foam is foam
sjvicker
Well-known member
Interesting post and it prompted me to do a little more research. While the OP is slamming one product in particular it seems its an issue with all rigid foam insulation and is becoming more common as its use is adopted.
It seems there is a product "Bora-Foam" that claims to help mitigate these issues.
It seems there is a product "Bora-Foam" that claims to help mitigate these issues.
jar944
Well-known member
You would have had the same issue regardless of foam manufacturer.
nmk_61802
Well-known member
I had a similar issue with Spray Foam and Carpenter Ants in my last house. They liked the wet wood cause it was soft to tunnel in, but they loved the foam. Made a huge nest once I discovered them. Had to remove a whole wall.
Yet, I would guess. No experience here myself, just relaying what they reported.Like interior wood framing structure? I'd bet that concrete blocks seal way better than the stick and brick construction around here.
We typically don't have "termite" issues much here. We have scorpions and all sorts of other nasty critters. I simply spray the foundation at least 3x a year.... I assume no matter how you build it, there's always going to be a gap somewhere.
FredWanaker
Well-known member
they tunnel thru gypsum drywall too.
67CarGuy
Well-known member
Time to build out of solid concrete, I guess...
Dagny
Well-known member
here at least a couple days a year it gets 30 below and windy termites die.
paredown
Well-known member
Copper flashing as a capillary break also helps--the builders here use it as a matter of course. Home Depot sells a light gauge product for this purpose. I also think that if I were in serious termite country I likely would not be building with ICFs, or putting foam on exterior walls.
racecougar
Well-known member
MovingAlong
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2013
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What product/process do you recommend using instead?
Carpenter ants love foam too.
When I first bought my place, there was an old flat-roof shed on the property that was in terrible shape due to rot and carpenter ant infestation. The roof was insulated with foam. When you'd go inside, it sounded like a factory with all the chewing going on in the ceiling, and it would be snowing foam chunks all over everything inside. I eventually tore the building down, it was so far gone.
When I first bought my place, there was an old flat-roof shed on the property that was in terrible shape due to rot and carpenter ant infestation. The roof was insulated with foam. When you'd go inside, it sounded like a factory with all the chewing going on in the ceiling, and it would be snowing foam chunks all over everything inside. I eventually tore the building down, it was so far gone.
pcmeiners
Well-known member
Interesting thread,
No matter what you apply, if it is close to the ground, termites will eat it , or tunnel behind it if it has a slight gap to what ever surface you apply it to. Would not matter if it was cement board, wood, steel, tin, fiberglass, carbon fiber etc etc eetc, lf edible or has a gap termites will travel .
"I simply spray the foundation at least 3x a year...."
Termidor once every 5 years.
responsiblepestcontrol.net
No matter what you apply, if it is close to the ground, termites will eat it , or tunnel behind it if it has a slight gap to what ever surface you apply it to. Would not matter if it was cement board, wood, steel, tin, fiberglass, carbon fiber etc etc eetc, lf edible or has a gap termites will travel .
"I simply spray the foundation at least 3x a year...."
Termidor once every 5 years.
Can Termite Treatment Kill Scorpions? | Responsible Pest
Recently had a termite treatment, and now you're finding dead scorpions? Learn more here about the effects of termite treatment on scorpions.
responsiblepestcontrol.net
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nadogail
Well-known member
I like to paint a Copper Napthate solution on fence posts, rails and pickets to discourage Termites.
I think it is the best replacement for Chlordane.
I think it is the best replacement for Chlordane.
If you don't treat around your buildings termites may cause damage. Here it is pretty much mandatory and is mandatory if you want a mortgage.
There is no reason not to use the product mentioned, or any other foam product. But you do have to do something to prevent termite infestation and damage.
There is no reason not to use the product mentioned, or any other foam product. But you do have to do something to prevent termite infestation and damage.
I don't know if Hawaii has its own brand of termites, but I was sevice manager for 2 different companies (owned by the same guy) - one of my secretaries had just bought a new house, exterior was all concrete block - she was livid when she told me that termites had eaten thru the concrete block in order to get at her nice stained closet doors 
I thought the cockroaches in Hawaii were big (typically around 1-1/2" long) til I worked a year in Fiji - cockroaches up to 6" long (eyes about 3/4" apart) and I had a near heart attack when confronted with a brown/yellow "garden" spider - its BODY was maybe 1/4" smaller than a tennis ball.
Kinda makes it hard to complain about the little black ants that keep tryin' to move in with us here in Oregon
I thought the cockroaches in Hawaii were big (typically around 1-1/2" long) til I worked a year in Fiji - cockroaches up to 6" long (eyes about 3/4" apart) and I had a near heart attack when confronted with a brown/yellow "garden" spider - its BODY was maybe 1/4" smaller than a tennis ball.
Kinda makes it hard to complain about the little black ants that keep tryin' to move in with us here in Oregon
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I didn’t mean to offend anyone by saying I wouldn’t use a particular product. I just had a bad experience with it and wouldn’t use it again. Use it or not I don’t care. I will keep working in and on my garage rather than troll forums all day.
rayra
Well-known member
That's a very weird claim they are making, as the entire point of the ICF is to contain a solid continuous concrete wall.
Except for window and door cutouts, there is no other wood potentially exposed to the outside world. And given that, how is the foam any more of a weak point than any other exterior finish products.
Been a while since I watched it and I don't remember all the details.
Could be using ICF as foundation only and stick build on top of that. Not many ICF builds around here and I don't think I have seen one complete ICF house build.