The Barrier.com

November 20, 2008

Dear Professional,

The Barrier Under Concrete Insulation has been voted the #1 material for under concrete applications in the North America. Its ease of use, high-performance values, and cost effectiveness has made this product the most sought after material in the underground insulation industry today.

As you know, there are two key components regarding under concrete insulation materials. Its ability to resist heat / cold transfer, and its ability to resist or stop moisture flow in its various transmittal forms.

What is the Cold Stopping Power of The Barrier and BarrierXT Under Concrete Insulation?

The Barrier and BarrierXT have been rigorously tested to ASTM procedure C-518. The Barrier test data results show that as part of a concrete assembly with a layer of sand and gravel included the R-value is 4. The BarrierXT improves upon this and the R-value and jumps to 5.7 for the assembly. Further technical details can be found by downloading brochure available here.

While the above performance numbers are extremely impressive - as you know - there are two parts to an effective underground insulation product. The second key aspect is a material's Water Permeability. Without an excellent moisture and vapor barrier in an underground insulation material - its R-Value is meaningless.

The Barrier's ability to resist water transmission of all forms is remarkable - in fact, it's perfect. Tested to the standards of ASTM E96 Procedure B (standard test for water vapor transmission), The Barrier Permeance results were 0.000 grains / hr (2) in. Hg. Its Permeability test results were no less astounding - also testing to 0.000 grains-in. / hr ft (2) in. Hg. Simply put NO moisture travels through this material. In fact - testing certification engineers were so shocked by its effectiveness - they asked to put the material to an additional test - the ICBO Standpipe Water Pressure Test. This test follows the procedures of ICBO Sections 4.6.1 and 4.6.2. To quote: "This product meets or exceeds the ICBO conditions for acceptance. At the end of 24 hours, there was no indication that any water had dripped from the underside of the specimens. A 3.5" head of water (rather than the required 2.0" head for 24hrs.) was employed, with the same results after a period of 96 hours". Quite simply - this material completely eliminates any form of moisture transmission in an underground application.

Is there anything comparable on the market to The Barrier Under Concrete insulation? No. Foam sheet suppliers will talk about R-Values and "trapping air" in their sheets. Doesn't it stand to reason if you can trap air - you can also trap water? Most knowledgeable professionals would prefer to eliminate water. Foil material salesmen will try to sell you on the reflectivity and insulation values of their foil products - but they omit the fact that the lime in cement will degrade the aluminum facing of their material - and leave only half of the original material for insulation purposes. And the last time analyzed - the sun was not shining underground - so the "reflectivity" aspect is - excuse the pun - nothing but hot air.

Properly used, reflective foil insulation such as NOFP's Microfoil, works wonderfully in "dry" installations such as when applied to the underside of a floor joist where there is an airspace, but in the absence of an airspace the product reverts to just its mass insulation property.

In addition, the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation ("CMHC") (an equivalent to the U.S. Federal Housing Authority) funded a study comparing underslab insulation materials and found that the concrete with bubble/foil/bubble insulation "did not look like it had any insulation underneath". Details of the study can be found by clicking on the following link. Furthermore, The New Hydronics - a Canadian publication geared to the radiant heating industry, published an article recapping the CMHC study which can be found by clicking on the following link.

The Barrier material comes in the standard size of 48" wide x 60 lineal feet in length - yielding 240 square feet per roll. In addition to the high-performance characteristics and the standards this product is setting in the underground insulation market, it also has the following advantages as well:

1. There is a 2" lip running the lineal length (60') of the material with a 1" double-faced tape adhesive along the other edge. This patented self-sealing feature allows for extreme ease of use and NO SEAMS.
2. The material is flexible. You can walk on the material without cracking or breaking. Try that with foam board products.
3. The core component is an extruded (not block molded) EPS with surface facing skin - and heavy-duty 3mil poly film laminated to EACH side.
4. The product is lightweight, and can ship via UPS or common carrier anywhere in the world.

For purchasing or any further information, please contact your local distributor or Northwestern Ohio Foam Products directly at 800-339-4850 or e-mail to info@nofp.com. We will be more than happy to assist in your cost-effective upgrade to the #1 underground insulation on the market today.

Sincerely,

NOFP Sales Team