Ask seven things: (1) BPI Building Analyst credentials? (2) ICC-ES report numbers for the products you use? (3) Will you do a pre-install blower-door and a post-install blower-door? (4) What is your workmanship warranty in writing? (5) Show me a closeout package from a recent project. (6) What thermal barrier will you use? (7) References from the same neighborhood. Reputable Cincinnati installers answer all seven without hesitation.
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Cincinnati has a wide range of spray foam installer quality, from BPI-credentialed full-service operators to one-truck operations with no documented process. The seven-question screening matters because foam mistakes are expensive to reverse (off-ratio remediation runs $3,000-$8,000 for a single room) and many quality issues are not visible at install time. Question 1: BPI Building Analyst credentials. Cincinnati industry standard. If the answer is no or some other credential, ask what training the lead installer has had. Question 2: ICC-ES report numbers. A reputable installer can rattle off the ESR numbers for their primary products (e.g., ESR-3526 for Demilec, ESR-1826 for older Demilec lines). If they cannot, they may be using unevaluated foam, which causes permit problems and may indicate a non-credentialed supplier relationship. Question 3: Pre and post blower-door testing. BPI-credentialed installers do both as a matter of course. The pre-install test diagnoses where the foam should go; the post-install test verifies the result. If the installer does not own a blower-door fan or contracts the testing to a separate party, that is a real workflow gap. Question 4: Workmanship warranty in writing. 1-year warranty is the floor; reputable Cincinnati installers offer 3-5 years on workmanship. The warranty should specify what is covered (off-ratio remediation, missed sealing, R-value certification accuracy) and what is excluded (acts of God, occupant modification). Question 5: Sample closeout package. Ask to see one from a recent project; a credentialed installer can show several without revealing customer identity. The package should include all the contents listed in the closeout-package FAQ. Question 6: Thermal barrier. The installer should know exactly what thermal barrier they plan to use in your specific project (DC315 or drywall) and have the manufacturer documentation handy. Question 7: Cincinnati neighborhood references. Ask for references from the same neighborhood or a similar housing era. Hyde Park 1925 plaster-wall references for a Hyde Park home; West Chester 1995 subdivision references for a West Chester home. A reputable installer has 5+ recent references they can share without hesitation. Red flags that should end the conversation. Quotes below 75 percent of the median competitor quote (almost always indicates undersized foam thickness or off-ratio supplier). Refusal to put workmanship warranty in writing. Inability to identify the foam product by manufacturer and ESR number. Unwillingness to do a pre-install blower-door or claim the test is not needed. Quoting an entire whole-home retrofit without an on-site assessment.