How to Choose a Spray Foam Rig: A Brief Guide for 2024

Spray foam insulation companies work in residential, commercial, and industrial buildings using specialized equipment. Applying spray foam lets contractors create a seamless layer of insulation that seals cracks and gaps, which leads to lower energy consumption and a number of other benefits.

With the application of spray foam, property owners gain many benefits including improved energy efficiency, lower utility bills, better air quality, noise reduction, and more. There is a significant demand for these services, so starting your own spray foam business is a great way to fill the need. Doing so requires knowledge of the industry, of course, and this starts with knowing how to choose a spray rig.

Starting Your Spray Foam Installation Business

When you are planning to launch your own spray foam insulation business, doing the proper research is going to give you the most seamless journey to success. We recommend doing the following as you get underway:

  • Create a business plan – Successful businesses are well-defined, and this typically starts with an outline of their target market, competition, pricing, marketing, financials, and more. The more specific you get now, the easier it will be to stay on track later on.
  • Research legal and regulatory requirements – You will want to familiarize yourself with legal and environmental regulations to help you avoid fines and trouble later on. Also, don’t forget that you will need to register your business and obtain any necessary permits or licenses.
  • Acquire insurance – It’s vital to protect your business with the proper insurance coverage. This will reduce the stress associated with litigation in the event of any accidents or damage.
  • Invest in high-quality equipment – Once you research vital information on choosing a spray rig, you’ll be able to apply your knowledge and purchase high-quality equipment. This will help you avoid pricey repairs and increase machine uptime.

Now that we’ve addressed the business side of things a bit, let’s focus on how to choose a spray rig.

SprayWorks Equipment Can Give You Insight on How to Choose a Spray Rig

Selecting a spray foam rig requires care and accuracy. Plus, when you invest in the right equipment, you get to enjoy an efficient and durable trailer that improves your overall business productivity.

Below, we’ll look at how to choose the best spray foam rig for you. We carefully describe the vital steps you should pay attention to before buying your foam rigs.

4 Key Steps Involved in Choosing a Spray Foam Rig

how to choose a spray rig

1. What is the Purpose of Your Spray Foam Rig?

The first step to take before selecting the best spray foam rig is to define the purpose of the rig.

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In general, these are the basic categories of use that determine the rigs that will work for you:

  • Roofing/insulation
  • Part time/full time
  • Residential/commercial

Are you interested in insulation attics, storage tanks, or other application methods? While it’s true that some rigs come pre-equipped, you can customize your spray foam rigs to fit your purpose.

If you’re a residential contractor or home builder who deals with applications that require an average output of 5-8 PPM (pounds per minute) a machine with a lower maximum output of 15-20 PPM is great – such as air driven machines.

If you work on both large residential and commercial projects and you invest most of your time in these projects, hydraulic machines with higher output ratings are ideal.

Do you intend to install spray foam roofing? With the introduction of robotics in the spray foam and coating markets, accuracy and maximum production can be achieved with high-performance foam and coating machines.

2. Do You Intend to Spray Both Foam and Coatings?

Another factor to consider is the specific material you’ll be spraying. Do you plan to spray only spray foam or do you have plans for coatings, slab jacking, or pour foams?

For instance, if you’re working on your home, an air driven, closed-cell spray foam insulation rig is common and easy to use. These works ideally for small home renovation projects.

However, if you intend to spray several hundreds or thousands of square feet, a more powerful hydraulic machine will work well for both coatings and spray foam. Whether you are a contractor wanting to install open-cell foam or closed-cell foam, know that they are both rated as a moisture barrier and serve as a higher R-value than fiberglass or rock wool. Those with lower R-value can retain moisture and lead to mold.

spray gun

3. Do You Require High-Pressure or Low-Pressure Spray Foam Equipment?

The third most important stage in buying or choosing spray foam insulation rigs is defining the kind of pressure your rig should have. This can change the requirements of space and equipment needed.

If you intend to spray foam only in a residential setting, you should select lower output spray foam equipment. However, for spraying coatings or spray foam in a non-residential setting where much more material is required, you need a higher output hydraulic machine with more hose length, pressure ratings and appropriate transfer pumps.

4. What Type of Trailer Do You Need?

spray gun

Finally, you shouldn’t neglect your trailer type when planning to buy a spray foam rig. It’s essential that the rig you purchase can conveniently pull the loads in your trailer while supporting the demands of the intended use. Will the rig be used in the city where congestion is likely and space is a premium or will you be needing access in a more challenging geographical location where maximum payloads and extra rugged suspension is required?

If you perform a job where you carry mostly large loads, your rig should be customized to work for a goose-neck trailer, fifth wheel, or box truck. Note that if you choose to buy used equipment, get the guarantee that it’s as efficient as efficient as new equipment. Smaller loads can benefit from a box truck or shorter trailer.

Final Thoughts on Choosing a Spray Rig

In brief, this article serves as a short guide for choosing a spray foam rig for your small or large residential or commercial projects.

We’re hopeful that the four steps you read above will help you to make an informed decision. No doubt, the right investment in spray rigs will produce a wide array of business benefits.

Do you need to purchase spray foam equipment? SprayWorks Equipment specializes in supplying and building spray foam and coatings equipment. We also offer application training and service maintenance for your equipment.

Learn More About Choosing the Right Spray Rig

You deserve the best equipment for your business at a fair price. Call us today at 330-587-4141 or fill out the form on our contact us page to discuss options with our team. You can also sign up for our e-newsletter to get more tips on spray equipment.

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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.

7 Comments

    • Hi Dustin. Please visit our “Rigs” page and complete the questionnaire. One of our reps will get back to you with start up costs and information.

  1. I am a general contractor in New York State, building custom homes. I want to install my own closed cell spray foam. I do 3-4 homes a year. Mostly two story. .
    I know how the system works. I am looking for a complete set up with proper trailer. I can provide trailer if we need to. I can buy cutters later. 250’-0 of hose should be fine. I like Graco products. We don’t need hydraulic applications as we are doing that kind of volume. ALS, do not need generators, as we generally have power in place long before spray foam and can tap. Into a 220 breaker. Llloking to purchase within next month.

    • Happy to help. Please visit our “Rigs” page and complete a questionnaire. One of our reps will get back to you and guide you on getting started.

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