Sprayed Polyurethane Foam
Sprayed polyurethane foam is the best insulation available. Sprayed as
a liquid, it immediately foams and expands to fill every nook and cranny. It is
also extremely sticky. Every thing around the foam is glued
together. Most grades are waterproof. (closed cell). No air leaks
through this material. A 1" or more thick layer of this foam is used for
roofing (FoamDeck and PortalDeck systems.) When sprayed inside a wall it makes the wall
stronger. Our RockHard system with normal sheetrock is the ultimate
interior wall finish.
FoamDeck and PortalDeck System
When sprayed on top of the roof deck, polyurethane foam
solves 3 problems that have always plagued flat roofed buildings. The foam
thickness can be varied to provide slope to drains. FoamDeck can be used
as the finished roof when coated to prevent ultraviolet degradation from
sunlight.
If you are a "belt and suspenders" type, and desire a more
traditional roofing system, it may now be applied
by any roofing contractor either now or at any time in the future. You now
have 2 complete roofing systems.
If a superior surface is desired for the roofing material and grade to
drains, lightweight
pumped concrete over the FoamDeck is
considered the material of choice!!
Portals installed on top of the foam, as part of traditional roofing, provide ventilation, inspection,
access, and monitoring points underneath the roofing material. This allows
early warning and repair of roof leaks, without water entering the
building. This solves the 4th and greatest failure
of roof systems
Advantages of FoamDeck and PortalDeck
- The sprayed polyurethane foam and the metal deck become a vapor barrier. This
prevents moisture migration from the interior of the building thru the roof
insulation, and condensing on the underside of the cold roofing. If
the roof leaks the water will not pass through the foam, nor will the foam
absorb any water. This stops the endless 10 year cycle of tearing off
perfectly good roofing to replace wet insulation board.
- With 3" of foam providing R20, all of the building
ceiling/roof insulation is above the deck. It is not subject to damage
or removal by people working above the ceiling. Most commercial
building ceilings are removable for access. Removing the insulation on
top of the ceiling it makes it much easier and pleasant to work above the
ceiling. This makes easier and cheaper to add lights, cables, piping,
ductwork, or equipment through the life of the building. It also
keeps the area above the ceiling up to the roof deck at room temperature
year round. Water pipes may be installed above the ceiling without
freezing.
- By keeping the metal roof deck at room temperature the
expansion and contraction, throughout the year, of the decking is stopped.
A 100 foot length of metal decking, exposed to outside temperatures changes
length by 1 in throughout the year. This movement rips roof
apart. This has been the cause of most failures of asphalt roofing.
- Portals are essentially pipe flashings without the pipe and
with a vented cap. They are installed on top of the foam and the
traditional roofing material is sealed to them. When the vented cap is removed you
see the foam surface at the bottom of the Portal . When the roofing
leaks you see standing water on top of the foam, not dripping through the
ceiling. Fix the leak, vacuum
the water out of the Portal, replace the cap and let natural ventilation dry
out the remaining moisture. All the while, no water entered the
building. In the very near future we will be able to place RFID
moisture sensors in each Portal for electronic monitoring of roof integrity.
RockHard Sheetrock (sheetrock with an attitude!!)
Sheetrock is a very desirable and inexpensive interior wall finish. It
is an excellent fireproofing, You get a smooth interior finish, that can
be repaired with simple hand tools. Its worst problem is that it is
weak. It breaks easily. You can punch a hole in most grades with
your fist. Ask any landlord about tenants who get an attitude. You
must locate the studs to hang any weight on the wall. With the RockHard
system, before the siding goes on, the exterior walls are wired and
sheetrocked. Polyurethane foam is sprayed against the back side of the
sheetrock, gluing together and reinforcing sheetrock and wall studs. If
the wall cavity is filled with foam you will have sheetrock that is
RockHard. Your fist will break before the sheetrock does. The foam
will also provide protection from blowing rain while siding proceeds.
This system will complete and with an expensive and messy plaster interior
finish.
Our Equipment
Based at our shop in West Plains, the equipment is installed in a large
trailer. Everything needed to spray polyurethane foam is in the
trailer. No support equipment is needed. Includes 40 Kw generator, 5
hp air compressor, 20 hp hydraulic power source, +30 lb/min. hydraulically
driven proportioning pumps, electric resin heaters, pneumatic resin supply
pumps, 150 foot heated hoses, and plural component spray guns. Storage for
resin barrels. Basic equipment if Glas-craft. Equipment is rigged to
allow long term standby. This means that we can spray foam on 1 hour
notice. This eliminates startup time loss. We can do small jobs
without $1,000.00 charge for driving 200 miles each way to do a 1 hour job like
our competitors.