One of the most important things to do when you start a new business is to purchase your equipment. Spray foam rigs are a major investment. Without them, you can’t serve your clients and make a profit. Like any industry, you have a range of equipment options before you. Ensure you learn the ins and outs of the various tools and their parts. The more you know about your equipment, the easier it is to make a good choice—and a smart investment—for your business. Don’t let the endless details intimidate you. Set yourself up for success with this guide to the essential equipment every spray foam rig needs.
The Need for the Right Equipment
Purchasing equipment for your spray foam business is more than just checking items off a list. Finding the right tools, parts, and equipment variations ensures that you have everything you need to give your clients the best service possible. Before you start browsing the market, make sure you know exactly what your business entails and what kind of equipment you need to get the job done. Will you work on roofs? Are you targeting residential or commercial clients? The answers to these questions will inform the kind of rig you need. For example, someone working on larger commercial buildings will want machines with higher output ratings. By thinking about your decision now, you can enjoy an effective and efficient rig that will perform every job with quality and ease. Plus, purchasing the right equipment now will help you avoid lots of upgrades and repairs as soon as you get your business off the ground.
Customize Your Trailer
Your spray foam rig houses everything you need to get the job done. This includes your generator, spray foam machine, safety equipment, and much more. That’s a lot of important—and expensive—gear, so you need a trailer that can store, transport, and protect everything. Not all trailers are created equal, and you’ll have to make a few decisions to find the best transport for your rig. Think about the size first. You can haul your rig with a trailer, a semitruck, or a similar vehicle. Trailers are smaller but less expensive to haul around. At a minimum, your mobile rig needs to have an interior height and width large enough to house all of your equipment and still give you room to work around. Many contractors like having spare space for a workbench so they can service equipment or perform other small tasks while on the jobsite.
Once you know the size of your rig, you can consider shape and style. If you’re using a trailer, make sure it’s compatible with your towing vehicle. Think about the shape of your doors, too. Barn-style doors work well in smaller spaces, but loading heavy equipment is difficult unless you have a forklift. A ramp-style trailer door makes loading safe and easy, but the ramp can get dirty from mud and grass.
You can buy your own truck or trailer and customize it to work with your equipment. Alternatively, you can buy a turnkey trailer package from a rig retailer and customize your trailer to suit all your needs. Used trailers are also a great option for small businesses and contractors who are just starting out in the spray foam industry.
Choose Your Power
One of the benefits of a mobile rig is that it houses the power you need to run your equipment. With a generator on board, you don’t have to worry about hooking and unhooking your spray foam machine before and after each job. When searching for the right generator, you should err on the side of having more than you need. While it might mean a higher upfront cost, having a generator that’s a little more powerful than necessary won’t harm your business. A generator that isn’t powerful enough, on the other hand, can slow down your work and even damage your equipment. To find the right sized generator, make a list of all your system components and their peak load requirements in watts. Add these together to determine your total wattage, then multiply that number by 1.25 to find the kVA (kilovolt amperes) your generator needs.
Spray Foam Machines
The spray foam machine is a complex piece of equipment crucial to your entire business. Every component of your spray foam machine affects the application process. To find the right rig for your work, you must consider a few factors. Start with the pump drive system, which powers the metering pumps to proportion and transfer your materials through the machine, out the hose, and to your spray gun. Most pump drive systems come in three forms: electrical, pneumatic, and hydraulic. Hydraulic machines offer the greatest power and performance but are more expensive. Electrical and pneumatic machines have lower maximum outputs and are more affordable, making them perfect for smaller projects. Next, look at your pressure rating, heating capacity, and electrical system. These components will affect the performance of your rig. Choose options that match the type of work and output rating you need. You must also pay attention to your spray gun, hoses, and generator to make sure your spray foam machine is compatible with all of them.
The All-Important Spray Gun
The spray gun is responsible for mixing the necessary chemicals and applying the polyurethane foam to your desired surface, making it the most essential piece of equipment every spray foam rig needs. In addition to mixing and applying the foam, the spray gun must also expel any excess foam so that the chemicals don’t harden inside the gun and ruin the equipment. There are three types of spray guns, each with its own methods of purging excess materials. The mechanical purge gun contains a valving rod that cleans the interior of the gun and blocks the chemical ports when you’re not actively spraying. The air purge gun cleans the gun’s chamber with a quick blast of air that triggers when you stop spraying. The solvent purge gun flushes the gun with a cleaning solvent.
The more you know about your spray foam insulation supplies, the easier it is to maintain your equipment. When your gear is in good shape, you can continue putting your best work into every job you get.
