Now that its getting cold, I decided to insulate my workshop/toolshop. I’m trying to decide which foam filler and applicator gun to get. There is Hilti, Great Stuff, Pur 1, Enerfoam. The guns are quite expensive, so I only want to buy one. By the way ,are they interchangeable? Which one do you like the best? Thanks P.S. The FHB book on insulation was very informative.
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Gun foam is great stuff (ha!, not!). If you are used to can foam, you are in for a treat. The flow is precisely adjustable from a tiny bead to a fat gap filler. The foam is a little cheaper to buy, but the bonus is that you never again have to throw away a partially used can. My gun came with tiny needle nozzles that can get into some very tight spots.
I have the Pageris gun kit from http://www.efi.org
Has worked well for me thus far.
The foam cans themselves appear to be interchangable with most guns.
Another supplier of guns and foam is http://www.sheltersupply.com
They have a good bulk deal on gun foam with their "Illbruck" line @$8.33 per can.
I got the Pageris gun and the Pur foam from Energy Federation Incorporated:
http://www.energyfederation.org
I have since found out that the local Carter's Lumber carries the Enerfoam from Dow (and the Pageris gun). Those cans fit my gun and I've started using them. A lot less hassle to buy locally for me.
My only complaint with the Pageris gun is with the tubing that came with it. Presumably (instructions are spare) the tubing was for extending the reach of the gun, but I had trouble with it not staying on the barrel.
I was concerned about consequences when I switched brands of foam, and I did have a couple of moments when I had trouble getting anything to come out. But a bit of time spent cleaning (scraping) the tip of the barrel corrected the situation.
The last time I used it expecting to have to clean and it came out great with no extra effort.
The Pageris is the only gun I've used, so I have no basis for comparison.
I can't say I've noticed any difference in the foams, but I haven't used it a lot, so I may have missed any subtle differences.
Rich Beckman
Another day, another tool.
just as important as the foam is the cleaner.. we use " Touch 'n Seal Poly-Clean"
i run it thru the guns quite a bit
you can duct tape the plastic extension tubes in place.. works pretty goodMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike, Rich, Csnow, ...Thats the gun I read in the FHB book. But wanted to make sure that the quality was there , before I ordered. Joe thanks for the tips. The other day I used one of those off the shelf cans (which lasted about 2 min) and got it all over my new Carhartt. And I can't get it out. Never again...can't wait to try one of those pro guns.
evet.. keep your carharts.. the gun is gonna get all over the place too..
i figger gun foam is lexonite's white cousin..
i cannot get near a tube of lexonite (roofing tar ) without getting it all over the place..
same with gun foam.. especially if you are working overhead... the little snots foam up.. hang down and drop out of the sky...
must be me...
but whenever i get the urge to gunfoam... i dig out my old clothes and my old hat... and they look even worse by the end of the day
but i still won't go back to canned foam.. i like the gun foam.. and the tube extensions... i buy the plastic tube at the hardware store.. off the reel.. about 3' at a time..
bring the gun in with you to make sure you get a good friction fit on the nozzle...
lots of places i can use a short extension.. but up in the rafters i need at least 8"Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
I have a Hilti and an off brand. The only difference is the Hilti is mostly plastic, the cheapo is metal. There are a lot of these guns available from $20 to $125.
The critical point is the needle to tip seal. If you scratch the needle or the tip, it will leak.
There's nothing mysterious about them, you can take it apart and clean with acetone or spray cans of carb spray. Lot cheaper than the spray through cleaner. The innards are the same as a paint gun with the exception of a ball and spring check valve at the can opening. This keeps foam from coming out of the gun when changing cans.
If you coat all the threads with vaseline it makes disassembly easier when you have to clean it.
Ebay is a good source for these, http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=42337&item=3864812178&rd=1
This looks to be a good gun, but there are dozens of manufacturers.
Joe H
Gun is a lot neater, but not THAT neat.
Yeah, don't forget the hat! Foam in hair=bad news
Oh, and the goggles! Instant bond on wet surfaces.