Visit Graco at an Upcoming Tradeshow

ICAA Convention & Trade Show

Hilton El Conquistador, Tucson, AZ / Oct. 1-3, 2009

This is the premier gathering of insulation contractors, suppliers, and service companies to the insulation contracting industry. The ICAA show is the only event in the insulation industry that features cutting-edge educational sessions and an explosion of product choice among insulation suppliers. Visit Graco at booth #25.

World of Concrete
Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV / Feb. 1-5, 2010

World of Concrete is the industry's ONLY annual international event dedicated to the commercial concrete and masonry construction industries. Featuring indoor and outdoor exhibits with leading industry suppliers showcasing innovative products and technologies, exciting demonstrations and competitions, a world-class education program, and the information you need to help sustain and grow your business. Visit Graco at booth # S11127.

PACE

Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, AZ / Feb. 8-10, 2010

This is the industry’s premiere paint and coatings show with more than 300 exhibits of innovative products, tools and technology to help you succeed. This show is a must for anyone involved in the paint and high-performance coatings industry, with workshops, educational business and technical sessions.

Spray Foam
Orlando World Center Marriott, Orlando, FL / Feb. 14-17, 2010

This is a “don’t-miss” event. Feb. 14 – 15 will be the training and accreditation program days, and February 16 – 17 are general sessions, breakout sessions, Annual Contractor Awards Ceremony, exhibit hall, networking receptions and more!

PDA 2010 Annual Conference

Orlando, FL / April 13-15, 2010

The Polyurea Development Association (PDA) is the trade association for the global polyurea industry. PDA was formed in 2000 by leading companies involved in all aspects of polyurea. It is PDA’s mission to promote market awareness, understanding and acceptance of polyurea technology through the development of education programs, product standards, safety and environmental and use recommendations.

Update on Graco Mobile Spray Rigs

Graco has discontinued its mobile spray rig manufacturing operation effective Sept. 25, 2009. Graco will continue to provide quality foam and coating proportioners and other Graco manufactured items such as guns, hoses, supply pumps and agitators for use in mobile spray systems.

“We’d like to thank everyone for supporting this business unit of Graco,” says John Tate, North America Sales Manager, Coatings and Foam Equipment. “It was a difficult decision, but our objective is to provide contractors with the most innovative spray foam equipment on the market, and so we are going to remain focused on new product development.”

The deadline to place a trailer order or truck modification orders was Sept. 25, 2009. All trucks must be present at the North Canton, Ohio facility on or by Oct. 15, 2009 in order to be completed as committed. Trucks arriving after that date will be turned away.

Please continue to work with your Graco Area Manager to place orders for other key mobile spray rig components such as generator/compressor combo units and air dryers. These items and all other components are all available until inventory is exhausted on a first come, first served basis.

New Coatings & Foam Literature

Graco has published a new 24-page brochure for its fast-set plural-component equipment and accessories. The brochure includes information on Graco’s complete lineup of foam proportioners, spray guns, and transfer pumps, as well as parts and ordering information. Ask your distributor for brochure 300615E or download a pdf now.

Graco has also updated its High-Performance Coatings and Foam line card. It includes an overview and technical specifications for the proportioner, spray gun and transfer pump lines. Ask for 337488D or download a pdf now.

No Hose Heat? Try the “Divide & Conquer” Approach

by Barry Taft, Graco Tech Support

If you have been in the spray foam business very long, you are no stranger to the problem of hose heat failures. It is without question the most likely failure of the equipment used in applying polyurethane foam.

When you try to troubleshoot lack of hose heat, try the “divide and conquer” method of troubleshooting – a systematic approach to determine where the problem lies. Only trained and qualified operators who have read the manuals should perform repairs on the equipment.

All hose heat systems (regardless of the equipment manufacturer) require the following components to operate:

1. Path of electricity – In order for heat to be generated, we need voltage applied to an electrical resistance conductor. In our business, this is the heated hose. Think about it. If you had to identify the one component that by its very nature is used and abused, then you would agree it is the hose. It is constantly dragged, bent, stepped on, run over, pulled into attics and crawl spaces. You get the idea. The first check that should be performed is hose continuity. With the power off to the machine, we need to check for hose continuity by removing the hose from the machine and measuring the resistance out, through the whip hose and back. The measurement should be less than two ohms. If your problem is high hose current, then the second test is to check for a hose section short “cross connection” by confirming that there is no continuity when we disconnect the whip hose from the gun end.

2. After confirming the hose continuity is OK, then we need to check the hose heat transformer circuit protection devices. Most machines have a circuit breaker or fuse protecting the hose heat transformer “primary” high voltage side, and the “secondary” stepped down low voltage side.

3. Voltage present – After verifying we have a path for the electricity to work, then we need to confirm that we have 15 vac to 100 vac at the transformer “secondary” voltage side. The voltage expected will be based on the length of hose you have on your machine. The rule of thumb is 15 vac for each 50-foot section of hose we have connected. If we have voltage on the secondary, then we know the hose heat transformer, the voltage control, usually a Solid State Relay (SSR) Phase controller, or heat control board or module are working. If not, then we need to work our way back - in other words, “divide and conquer.”

4. Is the heat controller calling for heat? Most machines have a controller that sends a low voltage DC signal (5 – 32 vdc) to turn on the SSR or phase controller, to send the higher voltage AC to power the hose. They all have indicator lights O1 typically or LED’s on the control board that indicate a call for heat.

5. Finally we need to check the temperature feedback device - the fluid temperature sensor, temperature sensing unit, hose thermocouple, or a remote mounted thermometer out by the operator with a manual hose heat system. We use three types of thermocouple junctions: type “E” (10 ohms @70°F) on all Graco and Gusmer units; type “J” (33 ohms @ 70°F), or type “T” (5 ohms @ 70°F) on GlasCraft units. One way to easily check the hose sensor is to connect it directly to the machine, bypassing the hose sensor wire to see if we then read a temperature on our controller display.

I would like to introduce all our customers, distributors and end-users alike, to our online technical support pages. The Product Knowledge Exchange will provide you with many answers to frequently asked questions. Or you can “Ask a Question” which will be answered by one of our product experts by the next business day. This is a great location to find information on all our products, whether in North America or anywhere in the world. Please take time to visit us at www.graco.com.

Biomax Spray Foam featured in SprayFoam Magazine

Biomax Spray Foam, Tyler, TX, will be featured in an upcoming article in SprayFoam Magazine’s online website. Matt Taylor of BioMax, has four Graco Fusion® CS guns and is seeing great results in improved parts life on chambers and side seals, better yield from the chemical, and 25-30% less waste by being able to better control the amount of 1/2 lb foam being applied. Read more about Biomax’s custom home project at www.sprayfoam-mag.com.

Energy Bandits use Graco Fusion® CS Gun for foam and coatings jobs

Whether it’s foam insulation, roofing, or coatings projects such as water tanks, water containment and swimming pools, Alvin Harbour, owner of Energy Bandits Spray Foam Insulation Inc. says his crew now uses the Fusion CS Gun for all of their projects.

“Overall, we’re very happy with it,” he says. “The Fusion CS gun has helped productivity substantially. If you don’t have to worry about drilling the tip every 15 minutes, it really helps us get the job done faster.”

He started using the Fusion CS gun when it was introduced with a free 90-day trial through his distributor. At the time, he was doing a lot of 2-pound work and had great luck with the Fusion CS, but when he switched over to 1/2 pound foam, it got gummed up.

“After some experimentation, I found out that basically that the gun was over-greased,” Harbour said. “Less grease and lower air pressure helped solve the problem. I like the CS gun a lot,” he says, “and I make sure to flush it every day so that it stays clean.”

Harbour says the Fusion CS helps generate a better yield from materials because “it’s spraying better and the foam lays down with a nice even texture. We don’t have to worry about trimming off the excess foam, which means less labor expenses. There’s no re-shooting the foam either.”

Harbour also likes the ergonomic and lightweight attributes of the Fusion CS gun. “When you’re spraying attics with tight spaces, you’re crawling all the time. You need to be able to maneuver the gun and shoot at angles where the joist meets the rafters. If you can’t get the gun at the correct angle, you don’t get decent coverage.”

With his business based in Amarillo Texas, consumers are interested in foam for reasons beyond the insulation factor. “With the straight line winds that we get here, and no trees, the foam adds structural integrity to the building,” Harbour said. “Also with the dust storms, improved air quality is a big selling point.”