Balancing Cost and Quality
As is the case so often in life, the mantra “you get what you pay for” is accurate when it comes to spray foam equipment. Low-quality equipment, including most entry-level equipment, is liable to need repairs often or break down completely when used consistently. To minimize maintenance costs and job downtime, invest in the highest quality equipment you can reasonably afford.
Selecting Spray Foam Equipment for Your New Business
Buying equipment for your spray foam business can be exciting, but the amount of options and customizations available are enough to give anyone choice paralysis. Luckily, there are some easy factors to consider as you begin to look for equipment:
- Application needs. Are you only spraying foam? Or will you need to spray things like coatings as well? Knowing your applications will help you choose equipment that can meet your needs.
- Project type and size. What type of jobs will you target? For those strictly spraying for residential clients, your power and capacity needs will be lower than for a company taking on much larger industrial, agricultural or commercial projects. Retrofits and HVAC jobs will also have different power requirements. The type of jobs will also determine the length of hose and flow rate your machine will require.
- Budget. Brand new, top-of-the line equipment, unsurprisingly, is going to be your most expensive option. Stay within your budget and consider going with used or equipment models from previous years to keep the quality you need while maintaining capital flexibility for other costs.
- Training. Will you or your employees require training? Classroom or Onsite?
- Location. What region of the country are you in? Your climate will help determine a number of factors including: the insulation requirements and need for AC or heat in your trailer, the heaters on your reactor and what foam you are spraying.
- Foam types. Knowing if you are spraying closed cell foam, open cell foam or both will determine your compressor, re-circulation and agitator needs.
While there is plenty of equipment to consider when starting your business, check out some of IDI’s recommendations on what to put high on your priority list:
Choosing Compatible Materials
No matter how good your technique is, there’s no way to make up for subpar materials. Low-quality foam delivers inconsistent results, making it frustrating to work with and could lead to extra labor redoing sections of insulation that don’t come out right. Finding the best material for your equipment is important, but can be tricky. Reach out to the experts at IDI, where expert advice is always right down the road or at your fingertips.
IDI carries excellent open and closed cell spray foam brands, allowing you to find the best match for your business, projects and customers.
Natural Polymers
For environmentally friendly spray foam that doesn’t skimp on yield or performance, Natural Polymers’ selection of open and closed cell spray foam can’t be beat. Are you or your customers concerned with VOC levels? Natural Polymers insulation naturally has low VOC signatures to go along with excellent energy efficiency and dependability.
SWD Urethane
If you’re interested in maximum efficiency and effectiveness, check out SWD Urethane’s line of open and closed cell foam insulation. With foam that is less dense than average, while still providing top-quality performance, SWD Urethane products will help you finish jobs more quickly and efficiently than ever before.
SealTite PRO
With a concentration on conserving as much energy — and money — as possible, SealTite PRO offers closed and open cell spray foam solutions for jobs of all kinds. Help keep your customer’s energy costs down with some of the top products in the industry.
Elastochem
Covering the needs for residential, industrial and commercial spray foam insulation, Elastochem offers high-quality open and closed cell foam along with excellent customer support to make sure you have the materials you need to get the job done right.
Building Strong Supplier Relationships
One of the best things you can do during the early stages of opening your spray foam business is establishing a positive relationship with a local supplier. Your supplier is a great resource for advice, information about new products and equipment, training, technical support and more. Over time, a positive relationship with your supplier can even improve your equipment ROI and overall profitability.
IDI offers the widest range of products from trusted brands to go along with the support you need to make the best choices for your spray foam insulation business. But more importantly, IDI makes a great partner for anyone in the spray foam insulation business, pairing our product offerings with important resources, training opportunities to improve your knowledge and technique and expertise you can call on to help solve any insulation problems or provide advice as you need it.
Find the support, products, equipment and partnership you need to succeed at IDI. Contact us to become a partner or with any questions you may have.
The Importance of Proper Maintenance
Keeping up on maintenance is important for all of your spray foam insulation equipment. Whether it’s cleaning your rig, stripping down and cleaning the spray gun, replacing damaged components, changing out fluid in your proportioner pump or any of a whole host of other maintenance tasks, keeping your equipment in good working order will reduce your downtime and help you finish jobs efficiently.
Planning for Business Growth With Your New Equipment
When choosing equipment for your spray foam insulation business, be sure to consider any potential growth. Similar to picking equipment that can stand up to your largest jobs, make sure you pick equipment that can scale with you as your business grows. This can look like rigs that have capacity for extra equipment, proportioners that are capable of consistent work and finding equipment that is compatible with various types of jobs.
Reach out to the experts at IDI with any questions about choosing equipment for your spray foam business, or check out our article on starting your spray foam business for more tips and advice.