I’m thinking of getting my first foam gun to foam some polyiso panels in place. But some of the areas I’ve got to hit are very hard to reach. Mainly I’ve got to shoot down into a rafter bay 3′-4′ and can’t get the gun in there since its only 2×6 rafters. I was thinking of using a plastic tube extension.
Foam Gunners – how well do the extension plastic tubes work and is there a maximum tube length that I can use? Is 4′ too long? Does the foam not shoot out as well?
Any things to be aware of?
Thanks!
Replies
Greetings Bob,
This post, in response to your question, will bump the thread through the 'recent discussion' listing again.
Perhaps it will catch someones attention that can help you with advice.
Cheers
sleeps till noon but before it's dark...
Well, with Pageris guns they don't work worth a s$$t....don't get me wrong, I love my gun, but adding extensions is a jury rig deal....flex tubing & lot's o' duct tape....
probably a couple of feet is the max....the real problem is that when it's hard to see where the foam is going, one tends to over-inject....sometimes with amusing results!
Fair enough. If it a jury rig I'm setting up, though, should I bother getting a high end gun or will the cheapo Great Stuff gun they've got at HD do the trick if its gonna have tubing at the end?
THanks for the comments.
Get the pro gun....worth it's weight in un-messed up fingers, control of foam placement, etc.
You can get one joist bay out of each can by rolling the can to the desired point and shooting it with a BB gun--presto one done 19 to go--That outta stir the bees nest--Serious--Do you have access to a foam distributer?Get a box of A and B--they mix at the point of the wand and see about using that type of gun--Had my Isonene guy spray the backside of a cantalever and the gun had a nose like a pressure washer that hooked to the hose and off he went--I wish I knew more but I know they exist---Good luckMike" I reject your reality and substitute my own"
Adam Savage---Mythbusters
In my somewhat limited experience, when the tube gets to be over 18" or so, the foam just doesn't come out very quickly. The gun I bought from EFI(?) on the internet came with needles that attached to the end of the tube and that helps, but keeping the needle in there is a pain.
I had trouble keeping the tube on the gun, too. I solved that with a clamp. Not sure what the proper name of the clamp is...a stainless steel strap with a screw that engages slots in the strap. Turn the screw and tighten the clamp. That worked great to keep the tube on the gun.
I can't remember if I tried one to keep the needle on the tube. Seems like I would've, but....
Rich Beckman
Another day, another tool.
Hose clamp?
wormdrive hoseclamp?
sleeps till noon but before it's dark...
Okay, I just tried a little experiment with a can of Great Stuff first because I figure the mechanism should work the same or better with good foam and an actual gun.
I attached a 4' piece of plastic tubing to the end of the Great Stuff can's plastic nozzle and I ran the rest of the tube along a dowel with some solid copper wire at the end to adjust where the tip of the tube points. At the tube-can junction I used heat shrink tubing. Thought I was being pretty smart, then I tried it out. Whoa! Messy.
Basically the problem is that the foam kind of separates in the tube - its some clear yellow liquid and some foam. And it just doesn't flow at all by the time it gets to the end of the hose.
I'll have to think of something else. I need at least 3' of reach to do some air sealing in a very small rafter bay. This method isn't gonna work.
Thanks for all the suggestions though.
My Fomo Foam kit came with a 6' hose. Then the ball valve, then the nozzle.
Great Stuff ain't so Great in my book.
Handi-foam model i-260 http://www.fomo.com
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Thank you for this post! Saved me some experimentation of my own
The PU Silvergun I bought recently came with a 12" extension tube. It ran perfectly with that; no problems at all, not even with cleaning the gun & tube afterwards. I was running DuFast foam.
I don't know how well it would work with 4' of tube, tho. I can't see any real reason it shouldn't, but....
That gun cost me a bit under $150C. Very well made. And easy to clean. All parts disassemble easily so there are no hidden corners for foam to dry in and ruin your week....
Dinosaur
A day may come when the courage of men fails,when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship...
But it is not this day.
There's an old Fine Homebuilding "There's a Better Way" video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbiJA-1Zh3w) that uses Romex electrical cable sheathing as the tubing that is worth a look. For better control of a long extension, you could try using coat hanger wire as a stiffener that's lightly attached to the sheathing with electrical tape, or equivalent....