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"fire retardant foam" Post New Topic | Post Reply
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Circle-D
Posted: Jan 10, 2010 09:01 PM
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"fire retardant foam"
Hi Mason,I've heard a couple good ones lately. Last week a contractor customer's hired help told me his brother had his rock basement sprayed by a competetor and when they showed up on spray day to do the job was told they needed to put a "additive" into the foam to make it fire retardant. Unfortunatley this was going to increase the price of the job by 30%. The guy didn't know what to do as the sprayer was standing there with the gun in his hand and reluctanlty agreed to the increase. Tonight I called to do a follow-up on a quote I did a few weeks ago and was told I had lost the job to another contractor. It turns out our prices were close but his foam was "fire retardant". When I questioned this the customer said "Yes I saw it, he put a match to it and when he took it away it went out". I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The other contractor had already started the job so there was no sense in pointing fingers and looking like a sore loser. How do we best educate the public without looking like we are bad mouthing our competetors? These deceptive practices are going to hurt the industry in general |
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Trey Gibson
Posted: Jan 11, 2010 07:12 AM
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This has happened to me here lately as well several times. The most important thing is to ask the builder up front for "last look" on the quote. At this point when they come back to you and tell you the other contractor has a "fire proof" foam or whatever you can have a chance to combat the claims. I have done this a couple ways. 1) find out what product they are using and print out the msds of their product and mine showing that to be a class 1 rated product they have to have some % of fire retardant in them. I also print the ESR of each foam and show where it can be installed w and w/out an intumescent coating. 2) Last week I went as far as getting a sample of the competitors foam and mine and hold a torch to both and show what happens and then hold a torch to my foam w/ the required millage of intumescent and that visually answers the questions right there. Hope this helps. Some of the stuff I hear out there is incredible. |
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mason
Posted: Jan 11, 2010 08:22 AM
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Send your prospective customers to the trade association websites and let them read for themselves. sprayfoam.org and polyurethane.org Each of those sites have technical documents regarding polyurethane foam and their fire characteristics. A few docs to download and distribute. AY 126, Thermal and Igntion Barriers for the SPF Industry www.sprayfoam.org/downloads/pdf/AY%20126.pdf AX 230, Fire Safety Guidelines for use of Polyisocyanurate and Polyurethane Foam During Construction; www.americanchemistry.com/s_api/bin.asp?CID=936&DID=3684&DOC=FILE.PDF and Six Steps Towards Fire Safety During Construction www.americanchemistry.com/s_api/bin.asp?CID=936&DID=3682&DOC=FILE.PDF Once the customer reads these documents, they should have a good understanding of the fire characteristics of polyurethane foam and the fire tests needed to demonstrate the safe use of the foam in construction. |
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Michael Fusco
Posted: Jan 21, 2010 08:33 PM
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OMG...that is exactly how foam was sold in the 70's and how we got in trouble with the FTC....just ask Lorraine! |
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Michael Fusco
Posted: Jan 21, 2010 08:33 PM
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OMG...that is exactly how foam was sold in the 70's and how we got in trouble with the FTC....just ask Lorraine! |
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mason
Posted: Jan 22, 2010 02:37 PM
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Just ask me also. I was around at that time and had to counter that same sales technique out in the field from prospective customers. |
