If you want your insulation business to grow, diversifying your services and investing in a spray foam rig is crucial. Spray foam insulation is constantly growing in popularity due to its favorable characteristics such as its resistance to heat transfer and better air sealing capabilities.
A spray foam rig is essential for any sizeable job. When you get a custom spray foam insulation rig from IDI, you can be sure that it’s fitted with everything you need for your projects, making your team more efficient. Invest in a rig that will support your business for years to come. Learn more about everything you need to consider when putting together a spray foam rig, below.
Considerations When Choosing a Rig: How and Where Will You Use the Spray Foam Rig?
Before choosing a spray foam rig setup, it’s important to consider the different variations and your needs. Ask yourself these questions before purchasing your next rig.
Residential or Commercial?
How much power will you need? Are you exclusively spraying foam or will you also be spraying coatings? What is the average square footage of your jobs? Do you typically do residential remodel jobs or new builds and commercial projects?
Don’t purchase more power than your business requires. Residential jobs require a PPM (pound per minute) of around 15-30. However, if you also work on commercial projects, installing hundreds to thousands of square feet, machines with higher output on your spray foam rig would be required. Hydraulic machines are ideal for these larger power requirements as they require less of a load on your other rig equipment and could have a longer life span.
What Spaces Will You Insulate?
Will you be installing spray foam in attics and walls in larger remodels and new builds? Will you be focusing on smaller projects such as basements and crawl spaces? If your projects are smaller, you may be able to use a low-pressure spray foam kit. Larger projects that tackle whole rooms may require the support of a mobile rig.
If you focus mainly on smaller projects, you may still find a spray foam rig useful. It could function as a home base to refill your A-side and B-side components and store materials, making your projects that much more efficient.
How Often Will It Be Used?
Is your business seasonal or will you be working through the winter? If you are using your spray foam rig on a daily basis throughout the year, you may need more room and insulation than someone who’s only using their rig occasionally. Plus, if you’re working in frigid weather, you will want to make sure you have a spray foam drum blanket or barrel blazer on board.
How Large Are Your Average Projects?
What amount of square footage do your projects typically cover? Are you typically executing small, residential remodeling projects or are you doing thousands of square footage on new builds and commercial projects? Different sizes of projects require different amounts of power. Check out IDI’s spray foam insulation supplies to find equipment that’s right for your needs!
The size and location of your project may also impact what style of trailer you need. Navigating traffic-clogged cities where parking space might be tight may call for a box truck, whereas those who more often serve rural areas might want a rig that’s built for gravel roads.
Rig Configurations
Deciding on a trailer relies on many variables. Are you planning on using your own vehicle? Will you be navigating city streets or country roads? Below we’ll go into the details on each of your spray foam setup truck/trailer options.
Standard/Tag Along
Since a tag-along trailer can be pulled by any vehicle with enough towing capacity, it’s a versatile option that would allow different team members to tag out the spray foam rig without the use of a company truck or a fifth-wheel vehicle. Just any trailer won’t do. Make sure trailers have the weight capacity to hold all of your equipment.
Box Truck
A box truck has a high weight capacity and takes up less horizontal space than a goose-neck trailer. To learn more about box trucks, check out our resource all about them.
Goose-Neck
Able to carry larger loads than tag-along trailers and work with multiple trucks, goose-neck trailers require the use of a fifth wheel.
Cart System
A cart system is designed for high rise buildings, sea vessels and stationary systems inside of manufacturing plants.
Transit Vans
A compact spray foam rig option is a transit van. They are customizable making them a good option for insulation installers with small jobs and a lighter weight load to carry.
Do you want to learn more about which spray foam rig setup would work best for you? Check out IDI’s spray foam rig site or talk to one of our rig experts.
Barn-Style Door
With double doors that open to the exterior, barn doors require less room behind the trailer than a ramp-style door to open and shut, making quick access to your spray foam rig more convenient.
Ramp-Style Door
If you have a lot of heavy equipment that will need to come in and out of your truck or trailer, you’ll probably prefer a ramp-style door. While convenient for loading and unloading, it does require more space and might not be favorable if unloading on busy city streets.
Equipment
Choosing the right spray foam equipment is fundamental to building the best spray foam rig for your business. All the considerations we covered above will come into play when making your decision. Below you’ll find the standard equipment that typically outfits a mobile spray foam unit.
Compressor
You’ll need a compressor to operate air guns, feed pumps, an agitator, breathable air and power tools. Choosing a “continuous run” style air compressor is vital. Besides that, you’ll have to consider the power source that you’d prefer.
Transfer Pump
When choosing a transfer pump there are a few things to keep in mind. Consider the thickness of the material you’re using, the air pressure that’s available and your output rate ambitions.
Spray Gun
Spray foam chemicals are mixed in two-component spray foam guns. If there are delays in your work, the gun is the likely culprit so choosing the right spray gun is important. When choosing a gun consider the output you’d like to achieve, the material you’re spraying and the different spraying techniques you’ll use. You’ll be choosing between air, mechanical and liquid purge spray gun technologies.
Heated Hose
Heated hoses are engineered to heat uniformly and quickly. Factors to consider when choosing which heated hose to add to your spray foam setup include adding scuff guard materials on the exterior, a great way to protect your hose from snagging on sharp objects that may be on the ground at job sites such as exposed screws and nails. You might also consider the safety ratings, the spray pressure and temperature monitoring technology.
Proportioner or Reactor
Your spray foam rig will center around this essential piece of equipment. Sprayers come in three types: air, hydraulic and electric. Heating and pressurizing A and B chemicals before delivering them to the spray gun, a sprayer’s job is fundamental to any spray foam job. Before deciding on which model to invest in, consider foam applications, your output goals and hose lengths. You’ll also want to consider reporting technology that can let you track and send spray parameters and other important data straight to your phone, tablet or computer.
Agitator
Certain materials need to be mixed in order to optimize performance and yield. Chemical manufacturer recommendations will let you know if agitators are required. There are two different styles: expanding blades and twistork.
Air Dryer
Properly dried air stops humidity from tainting moisture-reactive chemicals. As it’s challenging to size up a dryer with a compressor, it’s smart to contact professionals such as the IDI team.
Take into consideration the volume of air produced by the compressor (CFM) and the temperature of the compressed air at the dryer point of entry. Standard dryers can handle temperatures around 100 degrees, making them appropriate for most rotary screw air compressors. Dryers for piston or reciprocating air compressors exceed that temperature, requiring a dryer that can handle twice the amount of CFM and handle temperatures of 180° or higher.
Doggy Door
Keep your rig secure while working. A 15-inch in diameter doggy door allows you to lead your hose where you need it while the rig doors stay securely shut.
Outfit your rig with the right equipment for you. Check out IDI’s Spray Foam Equipment to see your options and contact our experienced team with any questions.
How to Generate Power
Any spray foam rig from IDI will come with a generator to power your equipment no matter where you’re working from. Be sure and choose where to put your generator carefully as setting it too close to the tongue of your trailer may put unnecessary strain on your rig.
Safety Tips
The best spray foam rigs will come with safety equipment. Safety features will include:
- Emergency Eye Wash: Have a minimum of 15 gallons of eye wash available.
- Material Bracing: Designed to keep your chemicals from shifting in your rig as you travel, bracing typically consists of metal racks that hold 55-gallon drums in the arches and tight ratchet straps. You should have a nested spot for each drum of chemicals you plan to carry.
- Ventilated Air: Choose from low-pressure systems and supplied-4-stage air systems. Consider what style of breathable air mask you prefer and the environment you’ll be working in when making your decision. Use all the proper equipment and instructions from the manufacturer when installing. Anyone on a job site needs to wear fresh air when on-site for more than 30 minutes.
- Layout: When you’re organizing your rig, be sure to keep heavy equipment low to the ground, strapped down, and farther away from the tongue to keep undue strain away from your towing system. Be sure and strap down chemicals tight whenever you’re on the move.
- Safety Data Sheet and Technical Data Sheets: Clearly post SDS and TDS where you and your team can easily see and read them on a daily basis.
- Workstation and organization: Talk to IDI experts about customizing your spray foam rig with a workstation and compartments for maximum organization, efficiency and safety.
Having the right safety equipment is important. Get everything you need with IDI. Check out our safety equipment inventory online. Ask our experts if you need help with your order.
Maintenance
You’ve chosen your rig from out of all the best spray foam rigs that IDI has to offer. Now you’ll need to take care of it to make sure it can keep taking care of your business. IDI wants your rig to keep working smoothly. Check out the yearly maintenance video produced by IDI. This valuable information is just another example of the expertise that IDI has to offer.
Are you ready to put together your rig? Check out our extensive inventory and reach out to the insulation professionals working at IDI with any questions. Whether your business is just beginning or you’re expanding once again, you’ll find your perfect spray foam insulation rig and any equipment at IDI. Learn more about IDI’s Spray Foam Rigs, today!