Agricultural Applications Highlight Spray Foam's Versatility In Challenging Environments

WATERVILLE, KS – February 17, 2014 – In the rural areas of the Midwest, spray foam is utilized in a variety of ways for many an agricultural project. Critchfield Spray Foam (CSF) is a specialist in providing SPF solutions to buildings that house farming equipment or enclosures where farm animals are kept, and for farmers themselves to be able to go through their workday in a comfortable environment

CSF came into the spray foam business six years ago, but owner Mark Critchfield has been in the construction industry for 31 years. He became attracted to the spray foam business after educating himself on the benefits SPF provided, namely rendering structures with a seamless barrier and creating energy efficiency with proper insulation. Since then, Critchfield assembled his SPF team, consisting of his sons, Ryland and Skylar, and his son-in-law, Joshua.

"We live in a very rural area, so agriculture SPF jobs are steady," said Critchfield. "Agricultural applications amass about 75 percent of our business. We also do SPF projects involving new construction, retrofitting, and spray foam roofing."

There are some unique SPF agricultural projects that CSF has undertaken that were not done for insulation purposes. Among such projects was an 80,000 sq. ft. seed lot, where a farmer clients' cows were kept, which the CSF crew applied SPF to the underside of its metal covering.

"We sprayed the underside of the metal covering not for insulation purposes, but to control the ammonia produced by the cows, and prevent it from corroding the metal," said Critchfield. "There were no walls, so the purpose of applying foam to the underside of the covering was to deaden and to avoid the smell of ammonia from traveling far."

Critchfield mentioned another project where the CSF crew installed a one-inch pass of closed-cell SPF to the envelope of a building that stored soil fertilizers. The spray foam was exclusively installed as a protective barrier to prevent the dust from the soil fertilizers to cause a rapid deterioration of the building.

"In buildings containing fertilizers, we used the SPF as a protective membrane rather than for insulation," said Critchfield.

When it comes to spray foam insulation, Critchfield mentioned that his company frequently sprays buildings in which farmers work and house their equipment.

"Spray foam provides a much more comfortable working environment during the summer and the winter, where temperatures can be extreme," said Critchfield.

CSF also had the opportunity to creatively utilize spray foam in a project for a local Waterville theatre production, where the crew helped build two trees and a few stumps. CSF also created a boulder prop consisting of SPF for the Salina Bombers Arena football mascot in Salina, Kansas.

Critchfield said that even though each SPF application is unique and approached with the same dedication, retrofit SPF jobs present the greatest challenge.

"We never really know what to expect with existing buildings," said Critchfield. "Every one of them is different, and nothing is scarier than crawling all the way back into a dark corner and finding yourself face to face with a snake, bat, or spiders."

Critchfield and his crew believe in doing what it takes to keep their customers happy and looks forward to increasing his business with new and challenging projects, using spray foam for more than just ideal insulation.

About Critchfield Spray Foam: Based in Waterville, Kansas, CSF mostly serves the northeastern Kansas area, but they also venture into western Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri to provide high quality spray foam insulation and spray foam roof systems in both commercial and residential projects. CSF is BPI-certified and has a training certification from Lapolla's AirTight Home Retrofit program. For more information, please use the contact information and links provided below.