A Quonset is a single curved sheet of corrugated steel from the ground on one side to the ground on the other. There is no wall, no roof and no ceiling as separate things, which is exactly why it is a sensible building to put up a long way from a lumber yard and exactly why insulating it confuses people. Around Grande Cache these arches hold equipment, supplies and whatever has to be kept out of a deep winter, and the job on them is a different job from any framed building.
No cavity, no plane, nothing to fasten to
Every conventional insulation product assumes two framing members with a known space between them. An arch has neither. Anything rigid has to be cut into a tapering series of chords to approximate a curve, every one of those cuts is a joint, and the joints are where the air and the water go. Foam is the material that solves the geometry rather than fighting it: sprayed onto the inside of the arch it takes the curve exactly, follows the corrugation, and needs nothing holding it up.
The curve puts the drip directly over the contents
On a flat roof, condensation forms and falls more or less straight down. On an arch, water forms on the inside of the curve and runs down it, so a bay that has been loaded to the walls gets wetted along both sides as well as from above. Owners describe the building as leaking along the edges, and what is happening is that the entire inside surface is a condensing plane feeding water downhill into the stack. Spraying the inside of the arch removes the surface and with it the complaint.
The end walls are where the building actually loses
The arch itself, once sprayed, is continuous and sealed. The end walls are not part of the arch. They are usually a framed and clad infill with a large door in one of them, and they were built after the arch and fitted to it. The joint where a flat end wall meets a curved shell is difficult to close and it is nearly always the leakiest line in the building. Doing the arch and leaving the ends is the most common half-finished version of this job.
The base of the arch, where the steel meets the ground
An arch is at its coldest and wettest at the springing line, because that is where it meets the grade, where snow banks against it, and where meltwater sits. It is also the part most likely to have been left bare because it is awkward to reach behind stored goods. Closed-cell foam is the right material there since it does not take up water, but the bay has to actually be cleared to get at it, and that is worth agreeing before the rig arrives rather than after.
What a sealed arch becomes
Once the inside is continuous, the building can hold a temperature if it is given one, and it stops dripping whether or not it is heated. Many owners here only want the second outcome, which is a thinner specification and a smaller job than a heated shop. Being clear about which of the two you are buying is the single biggest influence on the number.
The crew on your job
You are dealing with the contractor directly on Quonset spray foam insulation Grande Cache. We quote the job, we schedule it, and our own installers do the work.
Quonset Spray Foam Insulation Grande Cache: Common Questions
Why does our arch drip down the sides? Because the whole inside of the curve is a condensing surface and the water runs down it. Insulating that surface removes the condensation rather than redirecting it.
Can rigid board be used instead? Only by cutting a curve into straight pieces, which creates a joint every few inches. Those joints are where the performance goes.
Do the end walls need doing too? Yes, and they are usually the worst part. The joint between a flat end wall and a curved shell is the leakiest line in the building.
How much does Quonset spray foam insulation cost in Grande Cache? Priced by the board foot over the sprayed surface at the specified depth, and an arch has a large surface for its footprint. Whether you want it merely dry or genuinely heated changes the thickness and therefore the number.
How do I get a Quonset spray foam insulation quote in Grande Cache? Give us the span and length, say whether the end walls are included, and tell us whether the bay can be cleared to the springing line on both sides.
Size the assembly with the R-value calculator, then get a free Grande Cache quote. More on Quonset Spray Foam Insulation Alberta province-wide.