So you just started your spray foam business and you are excited to get your first few customers. Maybe you have been in the business for a while. Whichever way, you want to offer your customers the best services and build a reputation that will win you more business. That means that you need to up your game and offer the best foam insulation services available.
One crucial investment that you need to make (if you haven’t already,) is to buy spray foam rigs. When you own a rig, your clients will find your company very efficient to work with.
Mobile rigs are beneficial because they save you the time you would waste carrying and setting up your equipment every time you land a contract. You also benefit from having a ready power source and being able to service your equipment when necessary.
Even better, you can brand your mobile rig, turning it into a marketing tool for your business. This will put you way ahead of competitors!
Some common problems that occur when spray foaming
While spray foaming may seem easy, there is a lot that can go wrong. This includes:
- The spray foam is not as thick as it should be
Spray foaming can either be open or closed cell. The problem with foam being not thick enough mostly occurs with closed-cell foam. Open-cell foam fills the framing cavities so you can easily tell when you have sprayed enough.
When the coverage is not uniform, heat can pass through under-insulated areas.
Spray foam can also be too thick, which also brings about quality issues
- Missing some air leakage sites
Your clients will notice when you miss a spot. Gaps allow humid air in where it finally condenses. You can use a blower door to test for air leaks.
- Spray foam that does not attach well to the surface
There are several reasons why spray foam may pull away from the surface. Some of these include improper mixing, use of the wrong chemicals, and the temperature of the surface or the foam being either too high or too low.
As you can see, there are quite a several things that could ruin your spray foaming job. How do you do quality insulations and ensure that you have happy clients every time? Here are 5 ways to do that:
- Watch lift thickness to avoid burn out
The single layer of foam which you spray in one pass is called a lift. You should install spray foam products based on manufacturer recommended thickness. Some manufacturers allow for a thickness of as many as 6 inches while others state that lift thickness should be no more than 2 inches.
Closed-cell spray jobs are especially risky because too much accumulation of the foam can result in a chemical reaction that generates heat and causes ignition or burn out.
Open-cell foam is less likely to ignite but also faces a high risk of resulting in voids because it expands at more than three times the rate of foam in closed cells.
Controlling lift thickness is very easy in easy-to-reach spots. It can, however, get tricky when it comes to hard to reach spaces like rim joists. In such cases, you can begin with an injection mix that targets the tough spots before switching to spray foaming.
- Consider the temperature of the surface
The temperature of the surface or substrate matters a lot when you carrying out spray foaming especially in winter. When the surface is too cold, it could absorb excess heat from the spray foam, preventing it from expanding adequately or attaching itself to the surface properly.
Extremely hot surfaces also bring about quality issues.
In each case, you should follow manufacturer recommendations for temperature limits. You can match surface requirements such as moisture and temperature to the environment. For example, you can use concrete curing blankets to keep the surfaces warm and prevent moisture loss,
- Consider the material of the surface
Some materials like polyethylene substrates have bond-break surfaces that make it difficult for spray foam to attach itself. Wet and pressure-treated surfaces can also cause bonding challenges.
In such cases, you need to perform prior installation and pull testing to set the pace for proper installation. For wet surfaces, allow time to natural drying.
- Be patient
For you to perform a perfect installation job, you need to exercise patience with each lift. The previous layer of foam needs to cool enough before you can apply the next. While this may seem expensive, it does translate to quality spray foaming that lasts.
Final Words
While spray painting may seem very easy, many providers of spray foam services are making huge mistakes, leaving clients grappling with air leaks. It is essential to have proper skills and knowledge so that you can do an excellent spray foaming job that lasts.