Termites can eat through foam insulation. That’s right and it happens all the time. Back in the 80’s it was a common practice for Connecticut home builders to install rigid foam insulation from the outside exterior footing all the way up to the sill plate around the entire exterior perimeter of the home foundation. The thought was a good one as it trapped heat in the substructure of the home and made the basement more comfortable. Unfortunately, what it also did was allow termites to eat through the foam that formed the insulating barrier. A secondary issue was that it also blocked areas of the foundation for inspection and allowed termites to create shelter tubes between the insulation and the cement foundation.
Here’s what you need to know:
Termites can eat through foam insulation very easily
Older foam insulation was made of cellulose and as we know eastern subterranean termites feed strictly on cellulose and all the things cellulose makes. Some examples of cellulose products are wood, drywall, paper, etc.
Termites can eat through foam insulation and be hidden at the same time
One of the major problems with foam insulation was the thickness of the foam. On average a ridged foam board is about 3/4″ thick. Since termites only need about a 1/16” of an inch as an entrance feeding in the middle of the foam undetected happens all the time.
Termites can eat through foam insulation and gain access to the main structure of the home
When foam insulation was installed around the exterior of homes it went from the footing all the way up to the wood sill. What this allowed was steady access into the sill plate. The problem with this is that the sill plate is the first structural member of your home. Once access is gained to this area the amount of damage that can be caused is tremendous and remember this is all undetected.
What can you do if your home was built in the 80’s?
The best thing to do is to do a preliminary inspection yourself. Most people that have foam insulation on the outside of their home don’t even know it. The reason is that builders would install a thin skim coat of cement over the foam to hid it from view. To do the inspection take a screwdriver and poke the foundation on all sides of the house. If you have foam insulation you’ll know the screwdriver will easily stick into it.
You’ve got foam insulation on the foundation, now what?
The best thing to do is to dig a shallow 12” trench around the home and cut away all the foam. After the cutting has been done the hard part is scrapping the foam off the foundation itself. It’s not easy, but it must be done.
The last step is to save some of the foam and have it and the home inspected for termites. As you can see from the attached picture above termites can do a lot of damage. It’s better to know that you have termites and do something about it than to find out you waited to long.
If you have foam insulation or termites at your CT home please call Envirocare Pest Control at 1-888-879-6481. We can help.