Determining Depth | Ask Mason Knowles - SPF Consultant | Spray Foam Technical Questions and Answers | SprayFoam Magazine Q&A Forums

Q&A Forums

Author	Comments
JohnPeters Posted: May 30, 2009 11:56 AM	Determining Depth I am bidding a commercial project that has a corrugated sheetmetal substrate. I will be specing a 2" average of CC for the project. Does any one know of any good ideas for maintaining an average depth when I have no studs to spray between for visual reference? I will be applying the foam to a large, expansive area, no studs and no way to tell what my depth is. Are there methods or products available that can help me out? I was thinking of an adhesive piece of metal that protrudes from the substrate perpendicular, placed every 3 -4 sq/ft. Is there a company out there that makes a product like this? help. jp
Posted: May 30, 2009 07:45 PM	Hi John We use a pick which is part of the tools (5 pack from Lowes) that we clean our guns with. It looks similar to a small screwdriver with an ice pick head on it. I use the same tool to let me know the thickness on a spray foam roof that I do for closed cell. Once you spot check a few times, you will get the hang of how many passes and at what speed it will take to get 2". Using an AR4242, it usually takes me three moderate passes. An AR5252 usually takes two passes. I just keep the pick in my left or right hand and spot check as I go. Hope that helps! Steve
Posted: May 31, 2009 09:47 AM	...when shooting to 2"... take a 1 3/4" roof nail and have your helper throw a "marker" at intervals that seem appropriate to you,,,, when we are shooting big slabs i will have em set a row every 10' at 6-8' spacaing,,,, set the nails in your first pass,,, when you bury the head you are in the sweet spot for the usual +/- spec for cc foam,,,, i like roof nails cause you can see the head when you become foam blind in your ppd.... not sure the "nail-it" tech would be good on a 2" roof,,but on the slab what the heck,,,sides as well...lol you do have to be careful not to mess up the row of markers with foot traffic and hose traffic,,, now this will work for sides as well,,,but there we too just fire away and use my calibrated depth guage that my rep provides me cause he likes my business,,,before then we made our own out of wire,,,
mason Posted: May 31, 2009 12:32 PM	Just use a probe and measure the depth at the visible low point. Make sure you check both the peaks and valleys of the corrugation. An ice pick with tape set at your specificaton depth works best.

Author

Comments

JohnPeters

Posted: May 30, 2009 11:56 AM

Determining Depth

I am bidding a commercial project that has a corrugated sheetmetal substrate.

I will be specing a 2" average of CC for the project. Does any one know of any good ideas for maintaining an average depth when I have no studs to spray between for visual reference?

I will be applying the foam to a large, expansive area, no studs and no way to tell what my depth is.

Are there methods or products available that can help me out? I was thinking of an adhesive piece of metal that protrudes from the substrate perpendicular, placed every 3 -4 sq/ft. Is there a company out there that makes a product like this?

help.

jp

Posted: May 30, 2009 07:45 PM

Hi John

We use a pick which is part of the tools (5 pack from Lowes) that we clean our guns with. It looks similar to a small screwdriver with an ice pick head on it. I use the same tool to let me know the thickness on a spray foam roof that I do for closed cell.

Once you spot check a few times, you will get the hang of how many passes and at what speed it will take to get 2". Using an AR4242, it usually takes me three moderate passes. An AR5252 usually takes two passes.

I just keep the pick in my left or right hand and spot check as I go.

Hope that helps!

Steve

Posted: May 31, 2009 09:47 AM

...when shooting to 2"...
take a 1 3/4" roof nail and have your helper throw a "marker" at intervals that seem appropriate to you,,,,
when we are shooting big slabs i will have em set a row every 10' at 6-8' spacaing,,,,
set the nails in your first pass,,,
when you bury the head you are in the sweet spot for the usual +/- spec for cc foam,,,,
i like roof nails cause you can see the head when you become foam blind in your ppd....
not sure the "nail-it" tech would be good on a 2" roof,,but on the slab what the heck,,,sides as well...lol

you do have to be careful not to mess up the row of markers with foot traffic and hose traffic,,,

now this will work for sides as well,,,but there we too just fire away and use my calibrated depth guage that my rep provides me cause he likes my business,,,before then we made our own out of wire,,,

mason

Posted: May 31, 2009 12:32 PM

Just use a probe and measure the depth at the visible low point. Make sure you check both the peaks and valleys of the corrugation. An ice pick with tape set at your specificaton depth works best.

You need to login to reply to this topic. Please click here to login.