Sometimes, there are things you just learn over time. Our team of experts have shared some of the trade secrets they have learned through successes and failures.
Jim Davidson
Jim Davidson is the Managing Partner at SprayWorks Equipment Group. He has 50 years of experience in the spray foam industry and has worked alongside many of the industry pioneers. Jim has designed and created industry equipment such as; Spraybot, Barrel Blazer, Roboliner and Polybot - among others.
John Davidson
John Davidson is the VP of Operations at SprayWorks Equipment Group and is an SPFA PCP Certified Roofing and Insulation Installer, Roofing and Insulation Project Manager, and Supplier Rep. With over 30 years of experience in the spray foam and polyurea industry, John brings a wealth of knowledge and hands-on experience. He has worked on commercial and residential buildings, bridges and infrastructure.
Dave Penta
Dave Penta is the VP of Sales at SprayWorks Equipment Group. For the past 30+ years, Dave has worked with multiple industries including; commercial and residential buildings, along with spray foam and coatings systems.
SPRAY GUNS
Keeping Material Warm
Why should you keep your material warm? Quick and simple: Cold material is unusable. When it’s cold it thickens and damages your equipment. The best way to prevent this is using a drum warmer or insulation/barrel jacket. Using these stocked in your building or rig will keep your material warm and ready to use and prevent costly equipment repairs and/or replacements.
Having Quality Equipment
When starting your own spray foam company, it is important to have high quality equipment from reputable manufacturers. Companies like PMC and Graco have products that are quality tested and built to last. By spending more money on quality equipment now or buying new instead of used, you can save on having to replace less quality products more frequently. Oftentimes, used equipment is less costly than new because all the parts are brand new.
Filtering Chemical
Long ago (maybe 45 years) my old company evolved mostly into a spray foam roofing contractor from just an insulator. Because of the iso particles and small size screens, and yes, not doing a good job of sealing the iso drums. This was always a recipe for a pile of disaster. I kept shooting myself in the foot and no one would help to unload the gun.
Continue reading→HOSES
Using New Spray Foam Material
When using new material, always check the manufacturer’s SDS for recommendations on spraying. Every material sprays differently in different environments and by following recommendations provided, you will be able to spend less time making adjustments and increase material yield.
The Right Transfer Pump
Having the right transfer pump for your material is important for success. Not all pumps are the same. When looking at transfer pumps, look for a pump that can handle the materials you use, is easy to clean and can fit into the drum size you need. When in doubt, check your material against the transfer pump manual. This will help you identify proper ratio, cycles per gallon, psi and other important factors.
Importance of Greasing Your Transfer Pump
Always grease your transfer pumps before putting them into your material drum. By pre-greasing the pump, you make it much easier to swap drums and don’t risk damaging the pump when it won’t come out of the drum!
TRANSFER PUMPS
The Right Transfer Pump
Having the right transfer pump for your material is important for success. Not all pumps are the same. When looking at transfer pumps, look for a pump that can handle the materials you use, is easy to clean and can fit into the drum size you need. When in doubt, check your material against the transfer pump manual. This will help you identify proper ratio, cycles per gallon, psi and other important factors.
Having Quality Equipment
When starting your own spray foam company, it is important to have high quality equipment from reputable manufacturers. Companies like PMC and Graco have products that are quality tested and built to last. By spending more money on quality equipment now or buying new instead of used, you can save on having to replace less quality products more frequently. Oftentimes, used equipment is less costly than new because all the parts are brand new.
Importance of Greasing Your Transfer Pump
Always grease your transfer pumps before putting them into your material drum. By pre-greasing the pump, you make it much easier to swap drums and don’t risk damaging the pump when it won’t come out of the drum!
SCREENS & FILTERS
Having Quality Equipment
When starting your own spray foam company, it is important to have high quality equipment from reputable manufacturers. Companies like PMC and Graco have products that are quality tested and built to last. By spending more money on quality equipment now or buying new instead of used, you can save on having to replace less quality products more frequently. Oftentimes, used equipment is less costly than new because all the parts are brand new.
Cleaning A/B Filters
Sometimes chemical cleaning the A and B filters can leave too much residue and plug up the screen hole. My suggestion? Re-new your filter screens.
You can do it with a few tricks. Try using a light amount of heat from a torch and burn out any restrictions. Once the restrictions are burned off, use air to blow out excess from the screens. Finally, hold your screen up to a light to ensure it is clear and ready to use again.
Choosing a Screen
Machine screens and spray gun screens come in three different sizes; 80, 60, and 40 mesh. Using a larger mesh filter allows smaller particles to pass through your processing system and out the spray tip of the gun. For most polyurethane foam and polyurea, I suggest using 60 or 40 mesh screen to reduce filter clogging.
WEATHER
Cleaning your Rig to Save Money
How often do you give your rig a good thorough cleaning? You should do a thorough cleaning and inspection a few times a year. Taking the time to clean your rig from top to bottom will help you see any regular wear and tear from use and be able to address those areas before they become a costly problem. Be sure to address any rust areas or leaky zones to help keep your rig spraying for a long time to come.
Continue reading→Ventilation at the Job Site
It may seem redundant but, when spray foaming, keep your job site ventilated and do it every single time you spray. Keeping the work area ventilated will prevent unnecessary exposure to fumes and particles that can cause damage to workers. Best practice is to be aware of the airflow and have a source of entry and a way for air to flow out of the work space. Also remember to keep the area ventilated until the re-entry time specified by the foam manufacturer.
For more information on proper ventilation procedures review the EPA Spray Foam Ventilation Guidelines
Keep Your Material Warm
Having warm material is very important for spray foaming, however, it is easy to think a few degrees won’t make a difference. It is important for the health of your equipment and the quality of your work to wait for those few extra degrees to get you the best quality!
Remember to always warm up material to the manufacturers recommended temperature to get the best spray!
PROCESS & DOCUMENTATION
Growing your business
Networking is Key
Whether you are new in the industry or a seasoned professional you should always network. Having and carrying business cards is a must. Handing them out at every meeting and event, like the Home & Garden Show or other local events, will help keep your name and info in the minds of potential customers or people who can connect you to the potential customers. Go to local networking opportunities and meet businesses who might not be in the spray foam/coatings industries but might be able to recommend you to a customer. Word of mouth is still extremely powerful.
The Importance of Maintaining Daily Logs
Daily job logs are vital to the operation of your foam company because they are a true gauge of productivity, profitability and your break-even point. Job logs assist your staff in cultivating positive documentation habits of their day to day job activity.
This in turn helps you and your crew maintain expensive equipment, track costly material and supplies, assure customer satisfaction, give the true story of actual time and material versus planned time and material, lets you know which builders are properly accommodating your staff and tracks all vital manufacturer required information.
All this information is easily tracked in a document that takes less than 10 minutes to fill out per day. If you’ve ever been involved in a nasty job-site litigation you know this is 10 minutes a day very well spent.
Robert Quesnette is the Territory Sales Manager for the Northeast region at Rhino Linings. Robert has more than 25 years experience in the insulation industry. He founded and operated one of the first foam companies in Connecticut and has experience with client training, building science and code seminars.
Cleaning your Rig to Save Money
How often do you give your rig a good thorough cleaning? You should do a thorough cleaning and inspection a few times a year. Taking the time to clean your rig from top to bottom will help you see any regular wear and tear from use and be able to address those areas before they become a costly problem. Be sure to address any rust areas or leaky zones to help keep your rig spraying for a long time to come.
Continue reading→