It’s getting hot in here
The primary strength and conditioning program for police academies, military units, and professional athletes worldwide, you can expect to sweat when you’re undertaking CrossFit training. However, the members of CrossFit NOLA weren’t just heated up by their exercise routines. The concrete walls and metal roof of their training studio were reaching triple-digit temperatures during the humid summer months of New Orleans, causing nearly unbearable conditions for members and coaches.
“It got to a point in the summertime where it was getting really hot,” says Demian Reed, one of the CrossFit NOLA coaches. “It would get to about 120 degrees in here, and members were complaining. I was complaining. Everybody was pretty upset about the heat, so we looked at spray foam insulation.”
An energy audit conducted by Jeff, our RESNET- and BPI-certified auditor, revealed what Demian suspected. Temperatures in the studio were out of control, reaching 148 degrees during the middle of the day. If you’ve ever touched a metal surface that’s been sitting in the sun all afternoon, you can imagine the heat being generated by a large metal roof. As the sun strikes the roof, its radiant energy passes from the metal surface into the space below, raising temperatures quickly.
Getting CrossFit NOLA in shape with spray foam
Demian knew that something had to be done to improve the conditions in the studio. After speaking with Jeff, Demian was satisfied that open cell spray foam insulation provided the solution.
Our spray foam contractors, all SPFA certified installers, arrived the following weekend in order to get the process underway and provide immediate relief for Demian’s staff and members. We carefully removed all of the equipment and lay down plastic to protect the surfaces. We used a lift to reach the high roof deck of the building, and sprayed five inches of open cell spray foam insulation.
A state-of-the-art Graco reactor in Sunlight Contractors’ specially equipped rig delivers the spray foam through heated hoses to the spray foam gun. This ensures the chemicals used in the spray foam mixture are precisely combined at the exact temperature needed to create a smooth, fluffy consistency that cures quickly and safely.
Once our team of experts had completely covered the roof deck with a five-inch layer of spray foam insulation, we cleaned up the area and moved everything back to its original place. The only way you’d know that we’d been there that weekend was the drastic change in temperature and comfort.
A painless makeover
A CrossFit workout routine will get anybody in shape, but it means sweat and hard work. A spray foam makeover, though, is a painless procedure. We were in and out of the CrossFit studio in a weekend, and by Demian’s return on Monday, the temperatures were down to 88 degrees without air conditioning!
“The results are like day and night,” says Demian. “Now, it’s like being outside in the shade in an un-airconditioned warehouse. Overall, I’m really satisfied with the company. They were professional, very kind, very honest. We were able to give them a key to the gym, and they came in, did their thing, and left everything organized. Like I said, the results are day and night, so I recommend if anybody’s going to do any kind of insulation, they use the spray foam.”