Alaska Pipeline and Caribou
Alaska was one of the first areas in the U.S. that eagerly embraced spray foam. Since its introduction, the people of Alaska have been using it for everything, such as sewer and septic lines, housing, buildings, vehicles, you name it. SPF has become an important part of everyday life. “If there’s a way something can be foamed, the people of Alaska will find it,” said Mike Brunke.
Mike’s Narrow Escape
Mike Brunke, Alaska Branch Manager for Specialty Products, Inc.
Typical spray foam job in Alaska
Mike Brunke was spraying foam on pipes that were in a cramped, dark crawl space back under a house when the unthinkable happened. “I was pretty far back under there, when my spray gun jammed on the full-blast position. “The crawl space was short and long, so I had to lay on my back and scoot along the dirt floor before I could start. With my full-face mask in place, I began to spray. Suddenly, my spray gun became stuck open on full blast. I tried to shut the gun off, but it wouldn’t budge. By this time, my face mask was peppered in foam, and it was dark, so I couldn’t see much. I didn’t want to remove my mask with the foam spraying out, and it was difficult to move in such a tight space. I always kept a gun wrench in my pocket, so I thought I could reach it to adjust the gun. I felt for the wrench only to discover that it had somehow fallen out while I was scooting around the floor. I felt around in the dirt for the wrench but couldn’t find it. I tried to get my helper’s attention by pounding on the pipes, so he could turn off the machine. There was no response. By this time, foam was starting to envelope the crawl space with me in it. 20 lbs. of foam had released rapidly and began to expand around me at an alarming rate. Realizing there was nothing I could do to stop it, I scooted along the dirt floor to make my way out. Inching myself toward the opening seemed to take forever. When I finally saw daylight, I ran to the machine and shut it off. It turned out that my helper had been “busy” talking to someone and was oblivious to my dilemma. That’s an important lesson about helpers staying alert. Your life can literally be in their hands,” explained Mike.
Pressurized Tanks are Commonly used in Alaska
Typical Alaska foam rig with pressurized tanks.
Early USCS office with no running water
“Materials come to Alaska in large tanks. Contractors, then fill the pressurized tanks in their rigs. Even though the tanks are clearly color-coded, there were still the occasions when someone isn’t paying attention and fills the wrong tank with the wrong material. I’m sure you can imagine that outcome. At that point, the tanks have to be cut out of the rig. Staying alert and paying attention to what you’re doing not only save headaches, but it can save lives,” said Mike.
Mike has applied foam in a variety of climates throughout the lower 48, including Hawaii. “I’ve had an opportunity to work with people in various states throughout the country. A lot of the work was good, but I’ve also seen a few disasters. A case in point is a roof in which someone had sprayed over top of the gravel. The foam was literally floating on a pool of water. I can’t say enough about the proper training and the importance of surface preparation,” said Mike.
Jim Fleming has Seen a Lot Over the Years
Jim Fleming, Technical Support For Specialty Products, Inc.
Jim still proudly displays his 1982 Gusmer Certificate.
Massive Explosion that Shouldn’t Have Happened
Jim Fleming, Technical Support for SPI, in Anchorage, Alaska, has seen a lot over the years. Back in the late 70’s and early 80’s, Alaska was installing the pipe line. “I’ve injected and sprayed miles of Arctic pipe, including pipes for water and sewer systems. The temperatures in Alaska are extreme, and it takes extreme measures to make living in Alaska possible. Because of the low temperatures, using pressurized tanks for foam material is a way of life. I’ve seen a lot of guys try to heat the inside of their rigs with space or torpedo heaters. Pressurized tanks and heaters are not a good combination. I was standing nearby a guy’s rig without knowing that he was using a torpedo heater inside. The heat had softened the hose allowing the pressurized material to come into contact with the heater. The explosion was staggering. The owner of the rig was killed, and I suffered burns and cuts from flying debris. You have to work safely. Safety should always be number one,” says Jim.
Exploding Pipes and the Importance of Safety
Jim in his early days at a pipe insulation company.
Jim, Clowning for the camera.
I think we’ve all had days like this!
“I’ve also seen pipes blow up. When I worked for the pipe company, we had to insulate the inside sleeve of the pipes to keep them from freezing. Injecting the sleeve puts the pipe under a lot of pressure, so it’s important to keep a count while doing the injection. I’ve seen a few explosions occur because people weren’t paying attention to the count. I cannot stress enough about the importance of wearing proper PPE. Always wear a face shield while working with foam under pressure,” explained Jim.
Massive Flat Roof Project in California
“I also applied foam to loads of flat roofs in California. The company I was working for was spraying roofs at a Marine base that was scheduled to take 1 ½ years. The company used semi-trailers as rigs to haul in large volumes of material. Each had 2 to 3 machines in them, and there were several crews consisting of about 9 people each. To get the machines to keep up with our high daily output, we ended up using a Graco King pump for the drive to achieve 60 lbs. per minute,” said Jim.
Special Thanks to Two Special Guys
Alaska is a challenging place to live and work. Since 1980, Mike and Jim have accumulated a wealth of SPF knowledge and experience. A big thanks to Mike, Jim and Specialty Products, Inc. for making these stories available for our readers. There’s a lot to be learned form those who remember the old SPF days!
To learn more about Specialty Products visit specialty-products.com