Closed-Cell Spray Foam Insulation Gives New Life To Aging food Storage Facility

FORT PIERCE, FL - May 30, 2013 - When you're in the business of providing food to those who need it the most, it is important to keep that food fresh. Freshness is derived from adequate room temperature, which is best attained by proper insulation. SprayFoam.com was on site for a retrofit insulation project.

The Treasure Coast Food Bank (TCFB), an organization whose aim is to stop hunger in the Florida Treasure Coast communities by providing food for low-income families, decided to expand their operation into a 30,000 sq. ft. facility. Because of the size of the facility and the amount of dry food that was planned to be stored in there, the TCFB owners decided to insulate the building with spray polyurethane foam.

TCFB contracted LEED Insulation for the project, which consisted of the application of SPF insulation on all the walls and half the portion of the roof, installing the foam on its underside. The other half, which is vinyl fiberglass batt insulation, was not tore down or sprayed because it had remained in good condition.

The building itself was an older structure, which had sustained unavoidable wear-and-tear over the years, creating visible penetrations on the walls and along the roofline. The application of closed-cell spray foam insulation will retrofit the damaged structure.

"Spray foam seals the outside of the building and gives it structural rigidity," said Edward Richards, owner of LEED Insulation. "Initially, the TCFB owners had wanted to restore the original batt insulation on the whole building, but because of the age of the building and the holes it had, it was agreed that spray foam insulation was the better product and will seal up those holes."

The LEED team is currently midway through the project. Richards and his crew are estimating a total spray area of 22,700 sq, ft. by the time they are done. The project will involve the use of eight sets of Demliec's HeatLok Soy 200, a 2 lb. closed-cell soy-foam, in total.

Richards explained that soy foam contains 15% recycled product in it, and it does not use as many fossil fuels, which makes it more environmentally friendly than regular SPF.

Crewmembers are currently installing 1.5 of inches of the closed-cell soy foam using a scissor lift to get up to the higher areas of the walls and the roof. One rig is being used for the project and it is equipped with a Graco Reactor E30 proportioner.

The two-man crew rotates back and forth between spraying and manning the rig, and whoever is spraying wears a jumpsuit and a fresh air respirator. For ventilation, the crew opened the doors on all sides of the building.

Richards said that it will take approximately eight days to complete the installment of the eight sets, but that once the job is done, the structural rigidity of the facility will be flawless.

"With the spray foam, the building will have another 10-15 years of life," said Richards.

ABOUT LEED Insulation: Based in Fort Pierce, Florida, LEED Insulation is a full-service insulation contractor serving the east coast of Florida. Services include open- and closed-cell spray foam, CBS injected foam, blown-in insulation, batt insulation, rigid board insulation, and seamless gutters. For more information, please use the contact details provided below.