Quonset spray foam insulation in Whitecourt has to start with what the shape does in winter. A curved roof sheds snow rather than holding it, which is why these buildings survive here, and everything it sheds lands in a bank along both sides and sits there until spring.
The bank along both walls is where the building is attacked
The snow does not go anywhere on a sheltered lot. It piles against the lowest part of the arch, holds meltwater against the steel through every thaw, and soaks the ground on both sides of the building for months. That is exactly where the arch is fastened down and exactly where these buildings fail. Before any work is priced on a Whitecourt quonset, the condition of the steel at the base of the curve on both sides is what gets looked at.
What insulating the inside does not change
A layer applied to the inside of the arch stops heat and air crossing it and does nothing whatever about a snow bank on the other side. On a building that is otherwise sound that is fine, because the two problems are separate. On a building already going at the base it is worse than nothing: the insulation hides the deterioration from view and the owner stops seeing it. Saying so costs a job and it is the correct order of work.
What these are actually holding around here
On a yard in this district a quonset is cover for iron rather than a workshop: a picker, a couple of trucks, a trailer and whatever is between jobs. Nobody is heating it and nobody intends to. That makes the requirement condensation control rather than comfort, which is a much smaller and cheaper specification than the one most owners assume they are asking about, and it is worth establishing before anybody talks about depth.
Whatever goes on the inside is the finished surface
There is no cavity in an arch and nothing to line it with afterwards, so a layer applied to the inside is not hidden behind anything: it is the surface people look at, brush against and put things next to for the rest of the building's life. That is different from every other building type, where the insulation disappears behind a finish. It means the appearance, the evenness and how it stands up to being knocked all matter here, and they are worth asking about before the work rather than being discovered as what the building now looks like.
Quonset Spray Foam Insulation Whitecourt: Common Questions
Is snow piling up along both sides of the quonset a problem? That is the shape working. It also means meltwater sits against the steel at the base all winter.
Is an old one worth doing? Depends on the steel at the bottom of the curve. Insulating over deterioration just hides it.
Where is the air getting in? Usually where the flat end walls meet the curve, full height, on both sides.
Size the assembly with the R-value calculator, then get a free Whitecourt quote. More on Quonset Spray Foam Insulation Alberta.