There have been many threads on closed-cell PU foam (specifically Walltite) including retrofit insulation of masonry cavity walls (which is what I've considered for my own house), but none of them really closed the loop on the certification situation.
Many of the installer websites are misleading in that they state that the product is certified, but don't make it clear for what application and under which conditions. This is really critical.
So here is my attempt to pull together the objective facts and then try to interpret them.
Disclaimer: I am not a construction professional, just a punter.
There are two current Walltite products that are similarly named: CV 100 and CL 100. I think CL 100 is used for surface applications, whereas the CV 100 product is the one offered for cavity retrofit, presumably because it is slower to expand and therefore fills better and poses less risk of pushing the leaves apart. I have found references to other Walltite products (e.g an Eco product which uses/used "polyols from castor oil") but I don't know whether they're still sold.
The only NSAI cert for Walltite is :
Cert No. 13/0377 (26/04/2013)
https://www.nsai.ie/Our-Services-(1)/Certification/IAB130377_GOS_BASF.aspx
This cert slightly pre-dates the BBA certification. It also (irritatingly) isn't very specific about which product is certified, only "BASF Walltite Spray foam insulation". In any case, it DOESN'T cover retrofit cavity installation. Maybe this is because only CL 100 was submitted for certification.
The BBA certs are listed on the Walltite website:
http://walltite.basf.ie/downloads/bba-certification
...but I'll link to the versions on the BBA website.
BBA Certificate No. 13/5002 Product Sheet 1 (20/05/2013), WALLTITE® CV 100 Cavity Wall Insulation
http://www.bbacerts.co.uk/CertificateFiles/50/5002PS1i1.pdf
BBA Certificate No. 13/5002 Product Sheet 2 (20/05/2013) - WALLTITE® CV 100 Cavity Wall Insulation & Stabilisation
http://www.bbacerts.co.uk/CertificateFiles/50/5002PS2i1.pdf
Note that these are just different product sheets and share the same certification number and date.
I'll skip over the stabilisation certification except to note that since it's the same product in the same application (but differing conditions), it's reasonable to assume that when applied in a cavity wall with functioning wall ties it won't shrink or degrade over time, and is likely to stay bonded to the masonry surface and thus prevent thermal looping, otherwise it wouldn't have certification for holding a wall with corroded ties together for 25 years, as stated in section 12 of the second certification:
The product is unaffected by the normal conditions in a wall and is durable, rot proof, water resistant and sufficiently stable to remain effective as a replacement for wall ties for at least 25 years.
However, going back to the first BBA cert, the caveats for use are many but these are particularly noteworthy:
This Certificate covers the use of the product in any exposure zone(1), subject to the following conditions being met, which are particularly important in areas which may experience severe or very severe driving rain:
• a site survey should be carried out prior to installation (see sections 13 and 14).
• the minimum cavity width must be not less than 40 mm
• walls must be in good state of repair and show no evidence of frost damage
• mortar joints must not show evidence of more than hairline cracking. Raked or recessed mortar joints should be avoided in very severe exposure areas
...
Walls will limit the risk of surface condensation adequately when the thermal transmittance (U value) does not exceed 0.7 W·m–2·K–1 at any point and the junctions with floors, roofs and openings are designed in accordance with Limiting thermal bridging and air leakage : Robust construction details for dwellings and similar buildings (TSO 2002), IP 1/06 or section 6.3 of this Certificate.
I've included references to some of these standards below, but they are complicated. The upshot is that the product is not suitable unless your house is built properly and the walls are good shape already (apart from the wall ties).
References:
Limiting thermal bridging and air leakage : Robust construction details for dwellings and similar buildings (TSO 2002)
http://draught-finder.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Limiting-thermal-bridging-and-air-leakage-Robust-construction-details-for-dwell-02.11.2015.pdf
Section 3, Robust Details - Masonry: Cavity Wall Insulation: Full-Fill, starts at page 37 and includes details such as continuity of cavity and attic/roof insulation.
BS 5250:2011 Code of practice for control of condensation in buildings (+A1:2016)
I can't find a free PDF of this but the Abstract is available, e.g.
https://www.thenbs.com/PublicationIndex/documents/details?Pub=BSI&DocID=314968
There's an older version (BS 5250:2002) here:
https://www.aecb.net/wp-content/plugins/aecb-carbonlite-knowledgebase/librarian.php?id=11197&file=11198
Now I'll try and unpick/translate the above.
Since this insulation product is not breathable, and fully fills the cavity (or remainder of the cavity, if rigid partial fill is already present), you may get problems with interstitial condensation or moisture build up if:
1. Poor quality render or roof detailing is allowing rain to penetrate. I believe that rendered concrete block (in good condition) is much less permeable than brick - there are a lot of brick houses in the UK so maybe is less of a concern in Ireland; in any case my specific interest is block construction.
2. There is significant cold bridging. This gets worse if you live in a cold climate, see that the caveats in the BBA cert give different required U-values for Scotland (1.2 W·m–2·K–1) and not-Scotland (0.7 W·m–2·K–1). That said, it's possible that the product helps with certain types of cold bridging, e.g. joists going through the inner leaf without proper sealing might be less of a problem with a warm inner leaf. I can't work out whether this is the U-value BEFORE or AFTER the product is installed.
3. You already have issues with air tightness, as in that case you may get moisture hitting the inner side of the insulation. This is ironic since the product is promoted (but not certified for) helping solve air tightness problems. But maybe this isn't a problem since this is the warm side of the insulation and so the vapour won't condense or penetrate further?
4. The insulation isn't installed properly, which isn't as simple as drilling holes and pumping in correctly mixed product - the interfaces to other parts of the building fabric are important.
I suppose the most serious problem with moisture is if it collects around the wall ties leading to corrosion. If that happens you're relying on adhesion to the brick to stabilise the wall, which seems implausible...except that case is specifically covered by the second certification. Nonetheless, the prospect of destabilising a perfectly good wall by adding insulation is off-putting.
This recent Technical Update from the NSAI on the subject of retrofit cavity insulation is also interesting/possibly relevant:
Technical Update: A Periodical for Approved Installers of ETICS and CWI, January 2016
https://www.nsai.ie/Our-Services-(1)/Agrement/Cavity-Wall-Installer-Documents/CWI-ETICS-Technical-Update-Issue-1.aspx
This covers Borescope Inspections, ventilation checks, checks for isolation of electrical cables, inspection of the top of the cavity etc. It also emphasises the need for installers to keep records of these activities.
Since NSAI hasn't certified any PU closed cell foam for this application (AFAIK), this guidance was presumably written with beads in mind, but most of it is probably also relevant for PU foam.
The takeaway is: there's a lot to get right here and the details are difficult for a non-professionals; do you trust the installers to follow the certification conditions to the letter? This is so important to get right since there is no "undo" on this type of insulation (or bonded bead for that matter). You get one shot.
Maybe there's a case for on-site supervision (or at least verification of the pre-install survey elements) by an independent arch tech/engineer?
For my own application I'm still weighing up the pros and cons.
I've seen it posted that buildings insurance won't cover non-certified products. Assuming that this is an issue, has anyone here asked their insurer whether BBA is sufficient?
Obvs. you could rely on the liability insurance/warranty provided by the installer, but that would be...brave.