Spray foam didn't stick

[Osu98]

I'm obviously new here, but I have been reading these forums for quite a while and have learned a lot.

I recently had closed cell spray foam applied to my shop and the first 400 sq ft he applied did not stick to the wall. I can peel it off with my bare hands and the metal is clean as a whistle. The morning he applied it was about 15 degrees outside but we setup heaters and it warmed up nicely. The installer is blaming it on condensation forming on the metal but I think if that were the case it would have been very obvious and he should have stopped. Everything seems fine after the first 400 sq ft. I left before he got to that point so I don't know if he messed with the mix.

I think he had a problem with the mix of chemicals. Any thoughts? I know the spray foam that comes out of a can sticks to anything and everything immediately.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I'm obviously new here, but I have been reading these forums for quite a while and have learned a lot.

I recently had closed cell spray foam applied to my shop and the first 400 sq ft he applied did not stick to the wall. I can peel it off with my bare hands and the metal is clean as a whistle. The morning he applied it was about 15 degrees outside but we setup heaters and it warmed up nicely. The installer is blaming it on condensation forming on the metal but I think if that were the case it would have been very obvious and he should have stopped. Everything seems fine after the first 400 sq ft. I left before he got to that point so I don't know if he messed with the mix.

I think he had a problem with the mix of chemicals. Any thoughts? I know the spray foam that comes out of a can sticks to anything and everything immediately.

Could be a lot of factors. That said 15 seems low to install spray foam. Will he not come back and make it right?

Also, was the sun hitting this one wall differently?

Chris

 

[kneedeep]

He should come back and fix it regardless of the reason. IF weather was a issue, as the contractor, he should have waited until it warmed up.
Any time you put artificial heat on metal, it will sweat.
The area that's sticking- was it done with or without the heat on it?

 

[chim]

Found this on a spray foam site:

"The surface onto which the foam is sprayed needs to be within the manufacturers´ specified range. An important note here is that we're talking about the substrate surface temperature, not the ambient air temperature. Most spray foam manufacturers spec a surface temperature range between 60°F and 80°F."


It could be that the insulation did its job and the metal walls were way too cold as soon as the foam was sprayed on, since they were being heated from the inside.

 

[STx]

I learned the hard way with my spray foam that if it's not the right temp, there will be problems. 15* is too cold but if both the inside of the building and the chemicals were heated, you could get away with it. I did mine when it was about 30* and had to put the cans in a small room with a heater to warm the chemical and then warm the room. I had to wipe condensation off the metal as I went and do a small section at a time, constantly drying things off. The first batch I sprayed came out pretty bad and I ended up removing a lot of it. The 2nd time, after reading the instructions, it came out perfect but it definitely required a fair bit of work in keeping things dry.

Condensation sounds like a reasonable explanation for your problem but he's the pro and should have dealt with that as he went. I would expect him to come back and make it right on his dime.

 

[tcartwri]

Did the foam even rise at that temperature? I'm assuming we're taking Fahrenheit here.....

 

[SPIKER]

Yep: temp was way too low, there are some versions made to work in lower temps but are more expensive. Closed cell foam also has to be HEATED under most conditions to get the foam to work right, upwards of 90f range to have it expand fast and dry hard/stick well. That is part of reason lots of insulators want to talk you out of closed cell foam, as many dont have proper heating equipment.

m

 

[Osu98]

Thanks for the ideas. I think it was too cold. I remember putting my hand on the tin on the south side and it was warm. The north was still cold and that is where he started. I'm pretty sure he had a heater in the trailer to warm the chemical. The foam expanded like it was supposed to just did not stick to the metal. They are coming back on Monday to fix it, I'm just disappointed to spend that amount of money and have this kind of results. I planned on spending this long weekend getting it painted, wired and shelves built. Now that all has to wait.

 

[deerseeker001]

Welcome from Wisconsin

 

[EddieWalker]

What did he charge you for the foam and how thick are you going? I'm looking to do my shop roof and I'm curious about pricing.

Eddie