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There was a guy who advertised on here within the last year... Post New Topic | Post Reply

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Gerry Wagoner Posted: Nov 10, 2009 04:37 PM	There was a guy who advertised on here within the last year... who rebuilds foam guns. Anybody know who he was? Thanks, oG
Terrance Harris Posted: Nov 10, 2009 06:43 PM	Try www.duggerequipment.com or Heavydugger@aol.com or 843-224-4506. Tell him Terry H. from Texas referred you.
SprayFoamSupply.com Posted: Nov 10, 2009 09:35 PM	Hi Gerry, Is it a P2? We can do it for you here @ Spray Foam Dist of NE! George 603.348.8880
Gerry Wagoner Posted: Nov 11, 2009 08:05 AM	Hi George. We can rebuild our own of course but lately have been sending them out. CPI charged us $500 last time and we said "thank you - you can be excused." :) regards,
Dennis Davidson Posted: Nov 11, 2009 08:54 AM	Give Sprayworks Equipment a call. 330-705-6651 ask for Jim. He's a GAMA Dist. and can repair/rebuild about anything related to spray foam equipment. I buy all my equipment and parts through him and he does all my equipment maintenance.
Melvin Chandler Posted: Nov 19, 2009 11:47 PM	Crazy question but why would a gun need to be "rebuilt?"
Gerry Wagoner Posted: Nov 20, 2009 08:34 AM	You're correct.
Melvin Chandler Posted: Nov 20, 2009 11:35 AM	If you are breaking a gun down once a week (give or take) and taking care of all of the rings/seals, isn't that essentially the same thing? How much more is there to do with a total rebuild? Also, my guys stopped up two P2s spraying 2# insulation foam. The gun head was full of foam including all the way into the spring and ball where the air comes in. Had to pull the zerk and air to pick all of the iso out. The only thing I can think of is the side seal isn't seated properly against the mixing chamber. Any other thougthts?
clint moore Posted: Nov 20, 2009 12:33 PM	Craig in New Jersey - 908-675-5177 Jerry in Missouri - 417-353-2406 Bob in Phoenix - 602-257-0738 Joe in California - 909-388-1071 I believe the guy you are talking about was JR in Florida or North Carolina.
SprayFoamSupply.com Posted: Nov 23, 2009 09:20 PM	Newby, did they pump a drum empty and get air into the system? Then start on a new drum without bleeding the lines? Good way to foam up a gun. If the side seal wasn't seated properly, that could cause it, but usually you would see a mist of chemical coming out of the front of the gun with the air purge. Did you have enough air to the gun to purge it properly? George
Melvin Chandler Posted: Nov 27, 2009 02:11 PM	I think I might have found one of the issues... Our guy in the trailer keep having to bleed out some B to get the pressures on ratio. A was about 200lbs less than B and would continue to get more out of ratio (another problem I need to figure out) and the rig guy would bleed while the sprayer had the trigger pulled reducing the B fluid to the gun and potentially causing the block to fill up. I also think the side seal wasn't seated properly and was allowing some fluid into the block. Now for why the A pressure keeps going down... When I pulled the gun loose from the side seals, it appeared that the A and B side blocks were pushing out fluids at about the same pressure/stream. I'm guessing there is a chance of some restriction on the A side (hose) but I would think that is not abnormal. I probably need to flush and clean those lines. Any thoughts or suggestons on why the pressure differential and what is the best way to attempt to clean the A line?
SprayFoamSupply.com Posted: Nov 28, 2009 07:19 AM	If you kept having to relieve pressure on the B side, then you do not have a restriction in the A hose or gun. Bleeding off pressure in the trailer on the high side is NOT how you stay on ratio! Did you read the thread on the warped ceiling? That could have been caused by something like that. The proprtioner is supposed to maintain your ratio, not your trailer guy. Now, back to your problem. You first have to determine if you have high pressure on the B side, or low pressure on the A side. What pressure are you set at? If you start from 0 pressure on both sides and turn on the proportioner, do the pressures come up together? If the B is cominmg up faster than the A, then you have starvation in the A side, before your proportioner pump. That could be an side drum pump problem, an A side Y filter blockage, a blockage in the A side supply hose (this is unlikely unless your machine has sat for more than 6 weeks), or you could have some stuff around the check ball at the bottom of your proportioner pump. If your pressures come up together and the B goes higher when you start spraying, then you have a restriction on the B side after the proprtioner pump. This could be in the hose (extremely unlikely), or in the gun. The most common overlooked place is the mix chamber. Did you drill out the side of the mix chamber with the EXACT size drill bit? Are you sure you even have a problem? Are you spraying open or closed cell foam? Closed cell foam A and B components are different in viscosity, and the colder the material in the drums are, the greater the difference in viscosity. If your drum temp is 50-55 degrees, your A gauge could just be 200 lower than your B gauge without a problem. When you said that it continues to get more out of ratio, that is a problem. If you didn't bleed the B, how far out of whack did it get? How often did he have to bleed the B? This forum is a great tool for Q and A, but it is no substitute for proper training. Don't take this the wrong way, but where did you get your equipment, training and where are you buying your foam chemicals. This is a very basic, entry level problem. If you can't get instant answers to this on the phone, then something is wrong. If the people who sold you the equipment can't or won't help you, you should call the equipment manufacturer and let them know. If your foam supplier can't or won't or doesn't have time to help you, you should find a new supplier. There are too many incompetents distributing insulation! Lack of support is going to hurt this industry in the future! If you need more help, call us. George Spanos President Spray Foam Distributors of NE Inc 603.348.8880
Posted: Nov 29, 2009 03:11 AM	what george said...
Gerry Wagoner Posted: Nov 29, 2009 02:18 PM	The side that keeps getting lower probably has a less-then-complete lower ball seal on the fluid section allowing the pressure to "slip". Disassemble. Rebuild. Foam. `oG
Melvin Chandler Posted: Nov 30, 2009 10:54 PM	I'm spraying Lapolla closed cell. Our distributor has been prettyy good to us and we have no problems there. We don't have a lot of options here in the sticks. Closest distributor is about 5 hours away. I'm still relatively new to this trade having sprayed less than 100 sets in a few years but take a lot of pride in the work we do. Drum temps are right at 70. Trailer temp is about 75. Pressure from side blocks appears about the same if not a little less out of A. Pressure at the guages at the fluid intakes on the proportioner are the same. I did not try bleeding everything and starting the proportioner pressure at 0 to see how both come up. Once we power up our pressures are pretty close so I didn't think to start back at Zero. Will give that a shot. There are no issues with blockage at the gun or Y filters. We check frequently. A Side supply house was a concern because it isn't as flexible as the B Side so I know we probably have some blockage in there but then again the pressures at the side blocks appear the same. We probably don't have the exact size bit. It may call for a .56 and we can only get a .54 at the local supply house (rough numbers). The gun man was spraying in an attic that had a lot of obstructions. As long as the trigger was pulled he was okay and making good foam. When he used short pulls, the trailer guy would see the pressures pull apart and bleed. We've got the guns cleaned up and ready to go. Will be spraying tomorrow and will be able to do some more diagnosis. Olger, Are you talking about the lower ball seal on the drum pump? I'm still curious why you would be rebuilding a P2 and wonder what that would involve??? I haven't sprayed a lot of foam with ours and feel like they are functioning properly with the possible exception to this current issue. Thanks for all of the response and help.
Owen Whisnant Posted: Dec 01, 2009 07:55 AM	Hello, You actually pay a guy to stand in the trailer and watch the guages? How the #%@& do you make any money? I can understand this when spraying roofs with the usage rate but interiors come on. George was right on. But one other thing is that the a-side will always drop pressure faster when you trigger but it will level out to a set point if there is no restriction,maybe your "trailer guy" is a little fast on the recirc valve. If your applicator knows his stuff which he should if he's at the business end of the line then noone should be touching anything without his ok. Knowing what's going on the wall as far as the foam goes is paramount to success. Lee
Owen Whisnant Posted: Dec 01, 2009 07:55 AM	Hello, You actually pay a guy to stand in the trailer and watch the guages? How the #%@& do you make any money? I can understand this when spraying roofs with the usage rate but interiors come on. George was right on. But one other thing is that the a-side will always drop pressure faster when you trigger but it will level out to a set point if there is no restriction,maybe your "trailer guy" is a little fast on the recirc valve. If your applicator knows his stuff which he should if he's at the business end of the line then noone should be touching anything without his ok. Knowing what's going on the wall as far as the foam goes is paramount to success. Lee
Melvin Chandler Posted: Dec 04, 2009 08:50 AM	Well Lee, I guess there are more ways than one to skin a cat. I like to have a guy in the trailer to do several things: 1. Be a runner for the gun guy that is 200' away from the trailer and needs something from the trailer 2. Clean gun parts while the gun guy is spraying in the event that we have a stop up and need to switch out guns. It keeps the gun guy spraying rather than breaking down guns and cleaning. 3. He can keep an eye on what's going on with all of the mechanical equipment that is operating out of site and out of mind of the sprayer. How the #%@& do I make money? Well I start by watching my pocket book rather than others. I take care of my business by not chasing the dollar worrying about what the next guy is charging. If we don't get the work, we didn't need it. I'll never lose money on a job I didn't do. Simple tricks to keep your head above water. Foam is our secondary business. It complements our 33 year roofing business that I would say has been relatively successful. If you read the entire post before really deciding you wanted to show how stupid we are for doing what we are doing you would have learned that we are still in the learning phases of this trade. Tell me who makes a ton of money at any start up trade while they are learning by error?
Melvin Chandler Posted: Dec 04, 2009 09:06 AM	As it turns out, our problem was in the gun. Either something in the head was impeding the chamber from moving properly or we were having a malfunction with the trigger mechanism. I had the gun all cleaned up and ready to go. Cranked up the proportioner and the pressures came up together. Fluids were equal out of the side blocks. Gun was ready to go but no fluids when the trigger was pulled. Chamber/Piston wasn't moving. Changed gun handle out and everything sprayed fine. Looks as if I have something wrong with the air supply in the gun handle/piston of one gun.
Gerry Wagoner Posted: Dec 04, 2009 09:43 AM	Glad you got it figured out, Newb. Do you feel like you have the answer to your P2 gun rebuild questions now? As to the give & take on business, keep it civil guys. This started out a simple thread on P2 rebuild. regards, oG
clint moore Posted: Dec 04, 2009 10:08 AM	Newby,I have one word for you...Bravo! I stared in the business spraying low rise adhesives for roofing. We always had one man in the trailer or on the ground to do just as you stated. We went as far as to have two way radios so we could keep in contact with the men up top. Nice when someone lets you know you are about to run out of material before the pump goes jumping out of the barrel. Rather than going down to see that your pump has lost prime or is now broken,one call does it all,if you know what I mean. Even with todays technology in proportioners,with alarms and auto shut downs,a guy on the ground to watch over is a money saver not a waste. I have been in the construction industry all my life. Starting at 15 working with my Grandfather who was a contractor,eventually concentrating in roofing,later to work for a roofing manufacturer. I have to agree,worry about you and your people. Let the other guy bid so low that he can't pay his suppliers or his employees. If a customer can't get it that they pay for quality in workmanship and a job well done,not for cheap then you really didn't want them as a customer to begin with. Keep up the good work.
Owen Whisnant Posted: Dec 05, 2009 03:19 PM	Apology to you sir I came off like a real butthead. I did not mean you any discredit to your business, but it seems to be impossible here in our area to have man power (more than 2 guys) on site and make $. I do watch my pocket book also and that is what prompted my question. I also don't worry what others charge but the trailer sitting in the yard makes no cash. I genuinely meant you no offense. Lee
Owen Whisnant Posted: Dec 05, 2009 03:54 PM	One other thing, I had the same problem with my p2 a while ago and what had happened was the piston assembly had come loose from the mixing chamber by about one to two threads and with the chamber holes being offset it caused an off ratio situation because the chamber did not come all the way back to the right position. Lee
Melvin Chandler Posted: Dec 07, 2009 07:01 PM	Lee, No harm, brother. Maybe I read more into the comment than I should have. Seems like there can be a lot of snipper fire on these boards and it's hard to tell if it's coming from the good guys or the bad guys. Olger, I believe that (the piston issue) must be why you would have the gun rebuilt but I just assumed that with your mechanics knowledge that you would have your guys do that in-house on a rain/snow day. Am I warm? Maxx, Thanks man. I have the blessing of having a successful roofing business to keep us above water. I took on the Foam Trade to try to bring on some additional work. We repair lots of foam roofs and run into situations where nothing will work but foam and there isn't a contractor within a couple hundred miles. The thing that convinced me was the polyurea and all of the metal roof industrial buildings we have around here. That's a heck of a system and can be very profitable. Just finished a project yesterday where we sprayed all of the horizontal seams and all of the penetrations on a metal office building. We also sprayed a large apparel building this Fall that was a great project. If I had to depend on spraying foam insulation in houses in our area where we pay right at $.05 per kwhr, it would certainly be tough. We have to sift through a lot of calls to get to the handful of insulation projects that we do in a year. It is an extremely hard sell.
Melvin Chandler Posted: Dec 10, 2009 06:50 PM	Speaking of the P2, what is going to happen with that technology now that Graco has it? Will they continue to manufacture and develop that gun or phase it out? I sent in my warranty registration card on the last one I purchased and it was sent back because the business location no longer exists with no forwarding address.
SprayFoamSupply.com Posted: Dec 10, 2009 09:32 PM	Don't worry, the P2 isn't going anywhere! As a matter of fact, Graco has just released an upgrade for it. You can now replace the rear cap on the air handle with a new one that has the same safety off as the fusion gun. Now when you are not spraying, you can turn the safety off and even if you pull the trigger, the mix chamber will not slide back and spray! The best feature is that if you are spraying and you lose your air pressure, you can manually push this safety stop in and force the mixing chamber forward immediately stopping the spray. Before you had to shut off the fluid valves which was impossible to do both at the same time always resulting in spraying one component somewhere and making a mess. We have these new parts in stock if anyone is interested. George 603.348.8880
Melvin Chandler Posted: Dec 10, 2009 09:48 PM	are there any sweets or schematics available yet?