Question about using spray foam around basement windows in Edmonton winters

I talked to my neighbor last week who's been doing renos around here for like 30 years. He told me I was wasting my time using the standard spray foam from the hardware store on my basement windows. Said the stuff just shrinks and cracks after one deep freeze here. He showed me how he uses the higher expansion stuff meant for big gaps and then trims it down with a knife after it cures. I never really thought about the temperature thing being that different here compared to somewhere warmer. Has anyone else in Edmonton had their spray foam fail on them after a cold winter? I'm wondering if I should rip out what I already did and start over with the heavy duty stuff.

2 comments

2 Comments

blake3021mo ago

Rough deal, that's the kind of thing you'd only learn from someone who's been through it here. I'd be tempted to rip it out now rather than wait and see if it fails mid-winter.

the_wesley1mo ago

Yeah @blake302 you're totally right about that. I've seen too many people try to patch something up just to have it go completely kaput in the middle of January when it's freezing and you can't even get parts. A buddy of mine tried to wait out a failing water heater last fall and it burst on Christmas morning, flooded his whole basement. That's a mess you don't want to deal with. Better to just get ahead of it now while the weather's still manageable and you've got options.