What is the difference between Fox Blocks ICFs and the competitors, and why are Fox Blocks ICFs better? Why should I use Fox Blocks ICFs?
Most ICF blocks share com­mon fea­tures and ben­e­fits. Fox Blocks, as a com­pa­ny, pro­vides 30 years’ expe­ri­ence in prod­uct devel­op­ment, doc­u­men­ta­tion, test­ing and train­ing, as well as ver­sa­til­i­ty in the line of prod­ucts to meet all appli­ca­tions. The key dif­fer­ence comes in the exper­tise and sup­port you get from Fox Blocks. Fox Blocks is the leader in insu­lat­ing con­crete form con­struc­tion – proven in over 100,000 com­mer­cial and res­i­den­tial projects across North Amer­i­ca. Exten­sive resources and sup­port sys­tems are avail­able to ensure your project’s suc­cess from start to fin­ish. Please vis­it our web­site www.Fox Blocks​.com to review our project gallery and find more detailed doc­u­men­ta­tion on the prod­ucts and the appli­ca­tions. Fox Blocks also pro­vides a toll free num­ber for Cus­tomer and Tech­ni­cal Sup­port 8773692562.
What if my contractor doesn’t know how to build with it?
Fox Blocks offers the most com­pre­hen­sive installer train­ing in the indus­try. We can train your con­trac­tor or help you locate a trained installer in your area.
Is a vapor barrier required on the inside face of an ICF wall?
No. The char­ac­ter­is­tics of an ICF wall with the mass con­crete and the EPS insu­la­tion pro­vide the required vapor per­me­ance to meet build­ing code require­ments as a vapor bar­ri­er.
Is an ICF house faster to build?
The assem­bly and place­ment of con­crete may take the same time as to build with con­ven­tion­al meth­ods. The advan­tage with Fox Blocks is that the walls are now insu­lat­ed, have a vapor and air bar­ri­er installed and are ready for fin­ish­es once the win­dows and roof are installed. These ben­e­fits will save weeks and/​or months depend­ing on the size of the projects.
Does expanded polystyrene (EPS) present a serious fire hazard?
The EPS in an Fox Blocks has a flame retar­dant that allows the forms to be flame resis­tant. The EPS will melt when exposed to sus­tained tem­per­a­tures over 300°F (149°C). The igni­tion point of the melt­ed styrene is 600°F (315°C) (wood is approx­i­mate­ly 500°F (260°C). Fox Blocks have been test­ed to meet the build­ing code require­ments for flame spread and smoke devel­op­ment, plus Fox Blocks may be used as fire resis­tant rat­ed wall assem­blies in schools and hos­pi­tals.
Does the EPS provide support for a wood sill plate?
No, the EPS has no struc­tur­al capac­i­ty to sup­port any loads. Wood sill plates must achieve the required bear­ing from the con­crete with­in the ICF. A wood plate that can­tilevers 13 over the EPS and bears 23 on the con­crete is allow­able. This can be done with a min­i­mum 2 x 6 plate. If a 24 plate is required, a taper top form should be used to extend the con­crete under the plate.