Does styrofoam absorb water?

[toller]

My neighbor threw out a 6' diameter hottub cover, presumably because the
fabric covering had a small cut in it. It is entirely styrofoam.

I was thinking of using it either as a swimplatform at the lake, or as
floatation for a wood swimplatform. The manufacturer recommends against it;
although the covering is nominally waterproof (well, after I patch the cut)
the styrofoam will eventually absorb water and become useless.

Is that true? Styrofoam is used for boyancy in boats and it doesn't absorb
water, but maybe they waterproof it somehow. (wouldn't you think a hottub
cover would be waterproof?)

[Edwin Pawlowski]

"toller" <tol...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:8cCre.1023$UG3...@news02.roc.ny...

Styrofoam is Dow Chemical's brand name for their blue extruded insulation
board. You may have that or something else often mistakenly called
styrofoam. White expanded polystyrene is often called that by error. Over
time, it can absorb some water. A well fused well made piece is fairly
solid when skinned over, but it is made from a cellular structure in the
material. Once the cell open or the interstices are opened, water can get
in.

[Jmagerl]

Be aware that animals (beavers, muskrats) will chew the "stryofoam" into
little pieces which will than float across your entire lake. A local nature
area used "styrofoam" blocks to make floating sidewalks. They have since
switched to prison labor with tiny aqaurium nets to fish the stuff out of
the virgin wetlands as it does not decompose.

"toller" <tol...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:8cCre.1023$UG3...@news02.roc.ny...

[toller]

"Edwin Pawlowski" <e...@snet.net> wrote in message
news:qPCre.2620$aR1.739@trndny02...

Well, it is white, so I guess it isn't Dow's product; but it is really
smooth, so that means the surface is fused?

[Duane Bozarth]

Don't think the blue has anything to do w/ it...

Perhaps, but the warning about critters is significant and if submerged
it <will> saturate eventually. It will be temporary at best.

[toller]

"Red Cloud©" <r...@rustcloud.com> wrote in message
news:ei0ua1pgvqknaen8p...@4ax.com...

> The foam in hot tub covers absorbs water. When they make a hot tub
> cover, they wrap the foam with a sheet of polyethelyne and tape it up
> well to seal out moisture. That poly eventually rots and disintegrates
> Then the foam absorbs moisture until it become extremely heavy. That's
> basically what determines the lifespan of a hot tub cover. Some cover
> manufacturers offer an extra cost option of wrapping the foam with TWO
> layers of polyethelyne, which substantially increases the lifespan of
> the cover. The outer vinyl covering itself is not effective at keeping
> out moisture as there are thousands of holes from the stitching. Then
> there are the zippers...
>
Yeh, I see it is wrapped and taped. Oh well; thanks.

[tra...@optonline.net]

"The foam in hot tub covers absorbs water. When they make a hot tub
cover, they wrap the foam with a sheet of polyethelyne and tape it up
well to seal out moisture. That poly eventually rots and disintegrates
Then the foam absorbs moisture until it become extremely heavy. That's
basically what determines the lifespan of a hot tub cover. "

That's basicly it and exactly what happened to my spa cover. If it's
kept indoors, it will last longer. Outside, they last maybe 5 yrs or
so before they get water logged and heavy. Of course they lose the
insulation value at that point too.

[toller]

Would it make any sense to cutting the polyethylene off, letting it dry out
in the sun for a while and then maybe putting spar varnish on it?

I only need a swim platform about 3 months a year; it has 9 months to dry.

[bill a]

I think you'd be better off building a small deck on top of 4 or more
"floats".
One commonly free item if you can find them is plastic 55gal drums.
They are super rugged, and seemingly aren't UV damaged. I see them
frequently in
floating docks that are quite old and in good condition.
bill

"toller" <tol...@yahoo.com> wrote in message

news:lgFre.783$yg4...@news01.roc.ny...

[No]

Have you ever reused a Styrofoam coffee cup? I drink a lot of coffee and one
time I only had access to a single Styrofoam coffee cup. I used it all day,
kept refilling it, for about 6-8 cups of coffee over about 7 hours. By last
cup Styrofoam was seeping coffee through. Yuck.

"toller" <tol...@yahoo.com> wrote in message

news:8cCre.1023$UG3...@news02.roc.ny...

[wai]

replying to toller, wai wrote:
I guess Styrofoam absorb very little amount of water , Styrofoam boxes we use
for preserve fish in to ice , every time after wash Styrofoam box I left a bit
water because I pour it not entire out of water , month by month pass ,
Styrofoam box was a bit heavier than before , it store moisture in it . sorry
my English not fluent .

--
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[Ed Pawlowski]

On 3/22/2016 9:44 AM, wai wrote:
> replying to toller, wai wrote:
> I guess Styrofoam absorb very little amount of water , Styrofoam boxes
> we use
> for preserve fish in to ice , every time after wash Styrofoam box I left
> a bit
> water because I pour it not entire out of water , month by month pass ,
> Styrofoam box was a bit heavier than before , it store moisture in it .
> sorry
> my English not fluent .
>

Is the original poster talking Styrofoam brand blue extruded insulation
or the white foam used in sheets or molded?


Absorption depends on the quality of the manufacture. It is a cellular
material and it can absorb a tiny bit of moisture. When the box is
made, the plastic bead is blown into an aluminum mold and then heated
with steam. That causes the beads to soften and stick together. It is
then cooled and ejected. Some molders don't take the time (think cost)
to get a better box and they are the ones that eventually leak.

EPS sheets used for insulation are cut from a large billet.

[Gordon Shumway]

On Tue, 22 Mar 2016 11:00:53 -0400, Ed Pawlowski <e...@snet.net> wrote:

>On 3/22/2016 9:44 AM, wai wrote:
>> replying to toller, wai wrote:

>> I guess Styrofoam absorb very little amount of water, Styrofoam boxes
>> we use for preserve fish in to ice, every time after wash Styrofoam

>> box I left a bit water because I pour it not entire out of water, month by

>> month pass, Styrofoam box was a bit heavier than before, it store

>> moisture in it.
>> sorry my English not fluent.
>
>Is the original poster talking Styrofoam brand blue extruded insulation
>or the white foam used in sheets or molded?

The original poster asked the question back in 2005.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Then he probably has an answer by now from real life experience.

[DerbyDad03]

Or he drowned when his swim platform sunk. Oh, wait, you're right. Drowning
is a real life experience. Brief, but real.

[Paint...@unlisted.moo]

On Tue, 22 Mar 2016 13:03:55 -0400, Ed Pawlowski <e...@snet.net> wrote:

>>>> sorry my English not fluent.
>>>
>>> Is the original poster talking Styrofoam brand blue extruded insulation
>>> or the white foam used in sheets or molded?
>>
>> The original poster asked the question back in 2005.
>>
>
>Then he probably has an answer by now from real life experience.

I've said it before, I'll say it again. EVERYTHING posted from
(some name) <caedfaa9ed1216d60ef78a6f660f5f85_(and more numbers), is a
old REPOST sent by "Homeowners Hub". None of them are worth replying to,
because the OP is long gone!

On a positive note, at least they are ON TOPIC.....

Enjoy it while it's here, this is one of the last newsgroups which still
has activity. But a year from now, it too will be dead and gone!
Quite a few of the usenet servers have shut down recently, even some of
the paid usenet providers have gone under lately. I just read some of
this on the web.

The old internet we learned to love, is dead and gone. All that remains
is one huge commercial, known as the web, and facebook, which provides
the government, advertisers, and crooks, your identity handed to them on
a silver platter! (If you're dumb enough to use it)!

[Tekkie®]

Paint...@unlisted.moo posted for all of us...

If you leave now the newsgroups will improve immediately.

--
Tekkie

[Colonel Edmund J. Burke]

Like me, it only absorbs alkyhol.

[Ross Cumberledge]

replying to wai, Ross Cumberledge wrote:
English not good but we understand. Thanks wai

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/maintenance/does-styrofoam-absorb-water-61800-.htm

[The right one]

replying to toller, The right one wrote:
Look styrofoam doesn’t float I did a project and I left styrofoam in water
for 3 weeks to see if it would sink or float. It sunk and particles came off
of the styrofoam. Any one asking if styrofoam floats well here’s your answer
no!👎

[Ed Pawlowski]

On 12/3/2018 7:44 PM, The right one wrote:
> replying to toller, The right one  wrote:
> Look styrofoam doesn’t float I did a project and I left styrofoam in water
> for 3 weeks to see if it would sink or float. It sunk and particles came
> off
> of the styrofoam. Any one asking if styrofoam floats well here’s your
> answer
> no!👎

First, what are you talking about. The blue extruded foam panels made
by Dow Chemical and trademarked Styrofoam? Or the while expanded
polystyrene board that people call styrofoam but is not?

Both will float but there will be some water absorption over time. It
also depends on how well it was made and fused to prevent absorption.
Properly made for flotation, EPS board will float for years. Most is
made for insulation so it does not matter.

[trader_4]

Even if his test is true, whatever styrofoam he had obviously floated for
at least a couple weeks. That doesn't equal "will not float" to me.
Obviously common styrofoam floats, it's very light, less dense than water.
Over time it will absorb water, then it can sink. Just like wood. Would
it be correct to say wood won't float, because eventually it can become
water logged and no longer float?