Pros And Cons Of Working With Spray Foam Insulation

If you’ve found this article, you may be considering a career shift and looking for a sign. You may be newer to the workforce after finishing high school or trade school. Or, you may have worked in an adjacent field for several years. Perhaps you’re thinking about starting your own spray foam business.

Regardless of why you are considering spray foam installation as a job, you should know the benefits and potential drawbacks of a sprayer career. South Central Services has insulated hundreds of homes with spray foam and employs a crew of sprayers. Our team is well-qualified to identify the areas of our job that are most rewarding and those that may be undesirable.

Use this list to identify if working on a spray foam insulation crew would be a good fit for you.

Pros Of Working With Spray Foam Insulation

We love what we do. If you’re considering a career in spray foam insulation, here are some of the best parts of working with this type of insulation.

1. Providing real change for homeowners
2. Working hands-on
3. Building relationships with crew members
4. Opportunity to understand building science holistically
5. Participating in a rapidly-growing industry

Let’s examine each of these benefits in more detail.

1. Spray Foam Insulation Delivers Real Results For Homeowners.

We aren’t just selling insulation or installing insulation for fun. When homeowners come to us with the problems they’re experiencing, we can diagnose if spray foam will help. And then we can install spray foam, knowing it will do what we claim it will do.

Homeowners will have lower energy bills. Homes will be more comfortable. The air quality will improve. The science behind spray foam promises these things and delivers them. At the end of the day, we are making people’s lives better and more comfortable. It feels great knowing that we’re doing something meaningful.

2. Spray Foam Insulation Is Hands-On Work.

As a part of the construction industry, insulation lets us do things in real life. While other types of work also provide value, there is something special about working with your hands and seeing your labor come to life.

Spray foam insulation can be lucrative, but it is also hard work. Being able to complete hard work and to be paid well for it is rewarding.

3. Spray Foam Crew Members Build Relationships At Work.

The nature of spray foam insulation work allows for a lot of bonding time. When you have to drive your equipment to your job site each morning, you are given many opportunities to talk to the people you work with.

At South Central Services, our spray foam crew has built solid relationships. Our crew members enjoy spending time with each other and having deep conversations.

The travel time of this industry doesn’t guarantee relationship building. However, it provides the opportunity to get to know the people you work with.

4. Spray Foam Is Installed With Holistic Building Science Understanding.

Spray foam insulation is part of the construction industry. Contractors who work with spray foam in larger projects rub elbows with electricians, roofers, plumbers, HVAC technicians, and more. Whether you’re building a brand new structure or adding more functionality to an existing building, the whole building has to be taken into consideration.

By installing spray foam insulation, you have the opportunity to grow your knowledge of building science.

Spraying foam is not just about insulation; it’s about creating a solution for a structure.

5. Spray Foam Insulation Is A Rapidly Growing Industry.

Building science has been around for a long time. In the last 60 years, building science has launched into more revolutionary times. We have more data and more understanding than in decades before.

Being part of the spray foam insulation industry is a unique opportunity to join something that is growing.

Many homeowners are looking for more energy-efficient solutions. Unlike other industries, the demand for spray foam insulation is growing on its own.

Cons Of Working With Spray Foam Insulation

Despite the many reasons we love working as spray foam contractors, there are some aspects of this work that some people may not enjoy. Here’s a preview.

1. Physically-demanding work
2. Long work hours and early start times
3. Details requiring time to master
4. Potential health risks requiring PPE

Let’s examine these drawbacks in more detail.

1. Spray Foam Insulation Can Be Physically Demanding.

Spray foam insulation is a cool product. Understanding the science behind spray foam insulation is fascinating. Even watching foam expand can be a lot of fun!

However, when you examine the nitty gritty of installing spray foam insulation, you will find the job physically demanding. If you want to install spray foam or work as a crew member, you will need agility and stamina.

For example, one of our most popular services is crawl space encapsulation. This type of job is one of many that can require crawling through tight spaces. Attics can also present mobility challenges.

Some jobs require accessibility aids like scaffolding or lifts. Our crew members often climb ladders, kneel on steps, and hold things above their heads. They also do these tasks while wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) because foam is actively being sprayed.

In the summertime, installing spray foam is a hot and sweaty job. If the physicality of spray foam work is unappealing, then becoming a spray foam sprayer is not a good fit for you.

2. Spray Foam Crew Members Work Early And Long Hours.

At South Central Services, our crew routinely starts the day at 7 in the morning. In most cases, the team works until the job is done. Each day can have long hours, sometimes up to a 10-hour day.

Depending on the service area of the spray foam insulation contractor, the travel time to get to a job site can also eat away at your day. While there is consistency in the start time and schedule, a crew member will never have the reliable routine of a 9-to-5 job.

If you need a consistent end-time for your work day or cannot commit to being on time in the early morning, a spray foam crew member job is not the best fit for you.

3. Spray Foam Insulation Requires Attention To Detail.

If you watch videos of installing spray foam insulation, the contractors make it look easy. It seems as simple as pointing and spraying. However, it takes a great deal of hard work over a long period of time to arrive at this type of auto-pilot.

Spray foam insulation can fail if a contractor makes a mistake. Homeowners rely on their spray foam contractors to deliver a safe product for their homes. Crew members must pay attention to several details to ensure the foam is safe and on-ratio.

As long as you are willing to commit the hard work and time to learning these details, you can be successful in this type of job. If you struggle with retaining details and aren’t interested in trying, being a member of a spray foam crew is not the best fit for you.

4. Spray Foam Insulation Is Created With Liquid Chemicals.

To create a safe spray foam product, two chemical components undergo a chemical reaction in a 1:1 ratio. After the reaction, the chemicals are replaced with the finished polyurethane foam product. The most significant potential risk related to spray foam occurs during manufacturing, which is what spray foam crew members do.

If the idea of liquid chemicals and their potential hazards makes you uncomfortable, working with spray foam components is not the best fit for you.

Installation crews need to wear appropriate PPE during manufacturing. The chemical components that create spray foam do pose health risks in their raw form. These health risks are related to consistent exposure over time. Contractors and their crew members must wear appropriate PPE.

If the idea of wearing a respirator makes you feel claustrophobic, working as a spray foam installer is not a great fit for you. If you tend to approach safety protocols as suggestions, this career is also not the best fit for you.

The Bottom Line About Becoming A Spray Foam Installer

A career in spray foam insulation can be fun and rewarding. Spray foam is one of the best-performing insulation products available and the industry is rapidly growing. As installers, we have the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of our customers.

Working with spray foam also means early mornings, long days, physical discomfort, and a commitment to doing the best job possible. Installing spray foam insulation is not a job where we can cut corners. Not only do customers depend on us to deliver a safe product, but we must also protect ourselves using the protective gear available to us.

Interested in joining our team as a spray foam crew member? South Central Services is hiring!