Cleaning the spray foam gun. How to use flushing for a spray foam gun. How to properly maintain a foam gun

To carry out repair and construction work, a gun is very often used. polyurethane foam. The mechanism for using the device is very simple, so it is used by both professional craftsmen and amateurs.

The gun allows you to accurately and efficiently fill the seams using polyurethane foam. But every instrument needs care. This rule especially applies to the gun, since dried sealant can affect the operation of the tool.

Peculiarities

Modern manufacturers of construction equipment offer a wide range of high-quality and convenient guns for working with polyurethane foam. The rules for cleaning this instrument depend largely on its type.

Today the following types of mounting guns are offered for sale:

• Plastic. They are generally considered disposable, since plastic is an intolerable material. This tool does not need to be cleaned. If the work of filling the seams is completely completed, and there is still foam left in the balloon, then it is necessary to wipe the nozzle of the gun from any remaining sealant, and in the future the gun with the balloon can be used again.

• Metal. They are characterized by durability and reliability. A pistol made of high-quality metal can be used for several years. This option can be easily disassembled for thorough cleaning of foam residues.
• Teflon. This variety is the most durable, high-quality and expensive. Each metal part is protected with a Teflon coating. Cleaning this gun is quite easy. The tool can be disassembled to remove the sealant.

The mounting gun offers many advantages:

• produces precise dosage of foam;
• regulates the speed of sealant supply;
• allows the use of foam even in places with limited access;

• It is enough to release the trigger to stop feeding the material;
• allows you to use only part of the container with sealant, while you can be sure that the foam will not harden until the next time;
• If you use the gun every day, there is no need to remove the frozen material.

The peculiarity of the mechanism of the mounting gun is that during pauses between work it guarantees complete protection of the sealant from oxygen, so the foam is not prone to drying out. The tightness of the valve is ensured by the foam residues that remain at the end of the tube, and the closed trigger mechanism is responsible for the tightness of the cylinder.

To start working again, just cut off the foam ball on the tool nozzle.

When should you clean?

When choosing a high-quality spray foam gun, you should focus on the material and price of the tool. Expensive options characterized by a long service life. There is no need to buy a new tool every time, so an expensive gun can easily pay for itself.

The lifespan of a mounting gun depends on its maintenance. After work, sealant remains inside the tool. It will not damage the product if you quickly clean the nozzle, barrel, adapter and other elements of the mechanism.

It is not always possible to clean the foam gun after finishing work, so many encounter hardened foam. In this case, eliminating it will take more strength and time.

Inexperienced craftsmen do not always understand why they need to clean the gun, so they ignore this procedure. As a result, with further use, it stops working because the foam has dried out and the barrel is clogged. The tool requires cleaning if the repair and construction work has already been completed. Next time it will be ready for use.

If you need to seal the seams with foam once, then there is no need to spend money on buying a gun; then you can get by just with a bottle of sealant with a special applicator.

According to experience, even home craftsmen prefer pistols, since they will have to be used more than once.

If you clean it correctly and regularly, it will last for many years.

What can I wash it with?

To ensure that the gun is always ready for use, ideally it should be washed after each use. Experts recommend washing the tool, even if you plan to change the container with sealant from one manufacturer to another, or want to use foam of a different heat resistance.

Typically, materials from different companies have different impurities in their composition, and if they come into contact, they can turn into a mixture that no cleaner can eliminate. The tool will have to be thrown away.

When purchasing a sealant, you should immediately purchase a cleaner so that they are from the same manufacturer. This approach will allow you to clean the gun quickly and easily, since the company has produced the most effective cleaner for personally produced sealant.

In reality, you don’t always have a cleaner or free time about washing tools, so washing the gun is usually carried out at the end of the working day.

If not special means to clean the tool from foam, then you can use improvised means.

One of the most effective home methods is to use Dimexide. With its help you can dissolve the foam in a few minutes.

How to clean it properly?

To ensure high-quality cleaning of the foam gun, you should follow the following procedure:

• It is necessary to remove the empty sealant bottle from the gun, while the tool should be located at the top.
• To clean the instrument you will need a special bottle of cleaner.
• The flushing agent must be fixed in the same place where the sealant was located, but before using it, the cap must be removed from it.

• Need to bring the gun to working condition, while the cleaner bottle will be located at the top.
• Gently pull the gun trigger and continue this action until foam stops coming out of the tool nozzle.
• Remove the chemical container.
• If after cleaning the product has not run out, then it should be closed with a lid, and the composition can be used for the next cleaning of the instrument.

If it was not possible to clean the gun immediately after finishing work, then before cleaning it is forbidden to pull the trigger of the tool, because this can break the entire mechanism.

You need to do the following:

• Using a sharp object, remove the remaining frozen foam from the instrument barrel.
• You can wash the gun with Dimexide or acetone.
• You should lower the device with the nozzle down, and drop a few drops of solvent into the trigger mechanism.
• Leave the tool in this position for one minute until the foam inside the tool begins to soften.

• Squeeze the trigger with ease.
• If the pressure is gentle and foam comes out of the nozzle, this means that the product has worked and the gun can be used for work.
• If the sealant does not appear from the nozzle, then you need to drip a few drops of the cleaner onto the ball located in the device adapter.
• After five minutes, screw on the cleaner bottle and gently pull the trigger.

If the methods described above for cleaning the gun did not help eliminate the frozen foam, then all that remains is to disassemble the tool:

• it must be held from the bottom of the nest;
• first unscrew the crown;
• remove the valve;
• drip the cleaner into the socket and onto the remaining internal parts of the tool;

• leave in this state for 20 minutes;
• use a cotton cloth to remove any remaining foam;
• Next you need to assemble the tool;
• wash with solvent.

If more than six hours have passed after finishing working with the gun, then you can immediately proceed to the mechanical cleaning method, since during this time the sealant hardens tightly inside, so ordinary washing cannot cope with the task.

The spray foam gun belongs to the category professional tool. If there is a need to foam several cracks in your home, then it is hardly advisable to buy such a device. But if you use foam regularly, then the gun will allow you to do this process more efficient. This device requires some care, both during operation and after its completion. There is a foam gun cleaner for this purpose. Let's look at how to use it correctly, including for already hardened foam.

What is Foam Cleaner?

The classic version of the cleaner is an aerosol can containing a solvent under pressure. Its active ingredient is dimethyl ketone, to which various additives can be added. Using this cleaner, the following operations are performed:

• washing the gun from polyurethane foam residues;
• cleaning soiled clothing from foam that has fallen on it;
• hand cleaning;
• removing fresh splashes of foam from various surfaces.

When working with the cleaner, you should adhere to certain safety rules:

• make sure that the cylinder is not in direct sunlight;
• you cannot heat the cylinder more than 50 degrees;
• Do not allow the cleaner to get into your eyes. If this happens, rinse your eyes with plenty of water;
• do not inhale the vapors of the product, since the foam gun cleaner contains components harmful to humans;
• The container should be kept away from heating devices and open fire;
• Before cleaning clothes, test the liquid on a small area;
• After cleansing your hands, you must wash them thoroughly with soap.

Regular cleaning of instruments

The norm is to clean the foam gun after each use of this tool. It is also recommended to clean the gun if the cylinder is replaced with foam from another manufacturer or with a composition that has a different level of heat resistance. Why is it important? The fact is that the composition of the foam may differ from one manufacturer to another. When mixing different compositions, a situation may arise in which the solvent simply cannot clean the instrument.

If it is not possible to frequently wash the tools during work, then at the end of the working day such a procedure must be carried out.

How to Clean the Gun

Let's take a closer look at how to clean a spray foam gun. This operation is performed in the following sequence:

1. The used cylinder containing foam is removed from the gun.
2. Remove the protective cap from the cleaner canister.
3. The canister is inserted into the gun.
4. You need to pull the trigger several times, ensuring that the liquid passes through the internal cavities of the gun.
5. The canister is removed from the gun. In this case, you need to make sure that the trigger moves without jamming. If something interferes with it, the cleaning is repeated.
6. A protective cap is put on the can.

Note: You can store the gun with a spray cleaner screwed onto it. This is what some professional installers do. In this case, the cleanliness of the pistol is guaranteed.

What to do if the foam inside the gun has frozen

We considered the option of regular cleaning for fresh foam. How to clean a spray foam gun if it has already dried? In this case, do not be discouraged, since it is still possible to save the instrument. A sign of the presence of hardened foam inside the gun is the impossibility of moving the trigger. It is prohibited to apply force to the trigger, so it is worth using the cleaner again. Let's consider 2 cases of untimely removal of foam from the gun.

There was no cleaning for a couple of days

In this case, you can do without disassembling the gun. Only flushing foam gun is used. The work is carried out in the following order:

1. Using a knife, frozen foam is removed from the outer surface of the gun.
2. A little cleaner is dripped into the beginning of the barrel. Care is taken to ensure that liquid does not get on other elements of the mechanism.
3. The gun goes down with the barrel down. This position is necessary for the soluble foam to flow out.
4. You should wait a couple of tens of seconds, then smoothly pull the trigger several times. If the dissolved foam begins to come out of the barrel, you need to screw the cylinder onto the gun and follow the standard cleaning procedure described above.
5. If the trigger does not respond, it means that the foam has dried and clogged the valve. In this case, you need to drop a few drops of cleaner onto the ball. This is the place where the balloon is screwed. The gun should be left for 10 minutes and then try to clean it.

If the gun starts working, wash it in the normal way. If all else fails, the mechanism will have to be disassembled. This is done as follows:

1. Holding the gun from the bottom of the socket, you need to unscrew the crown. It is more convenient and reliable to do this using a key.
2. The valve is removed.
3. The cleaner is instilled into the barrel of the gun and into the socket for attaching the cylinder.
4. A pause is made for 30 minutes, during which the frozen foam dissolves.
5. Using a wooden stick, press the ball several times. In this case, the dissolved foam will gradually come out of the barrel. You need to press the ball until the foam stops flowing out of the spout.
6. The pistol is assembled into working condition.
7. The usual washing of the gun is carried out from a cylinder with a cleaner screwed onto the valve.

Cleaning has not been performed for a long time

Using the method discussed above, it is possible to clean the gun if it has been left uncleaned for a couple of days. If you completely forget about the gun, the foam in it will harden tightly, after which the solvent may not be able to clean the tool.

In particularly advanced cases, you can get rid of dried foam only by completely disassembling the gun. All parts that can be removed are removed from it. After this, use a piece of wire or a screwdriver to clean all visible areas of the gun where there are areas of frozen foam. In this case, it is recommended to use acetone, which dissolves already dried foam well.

Particular difficulties may arise when the trunk is completely blocked. The foam will have to be picked out literally piece by piece using wire. Acetone is dripped into the barrel, and then a long piece of wire is used, which is screwed into the frozen foam mass. After this, the wire with pieces of foam is pushed through the barrel and removed from it.

The main disadvantage of mechanical cleaning is the duration of cleaning work. However, the probability positive result very large. After performing mechanical cleaning, you should reassemble the gun and clean it using a solvent can. The first time after performing such cleaning, it is possible to reduce the pressure of the foam from the barrel. This is due to the fact that it is impossible to immediately remove all particles of material from the inside of the gun.

Gradually the pressure of the foam should be restored. The most important thing is to no longer forget to take care of your tools after completing construction work. Then the pistol will serve much longer.

I once made a video about how to remove frozen foam from some things, tools, or clothes. Several subscribers asked me to make a video on how to clean the gun itself from foam. And today I will have two experimental pistols. This is such a pistol from the Stayer company. And this is the gun. It is completely clogged, in foam. Also, by the way, from the Stayer company.

So, friends, today I will show you how to disassemble these pistols, and how to completely clean these pistols so that they become functional again. So, let's go.

How to disassemble a pistol?

And the first thing we need to do is remove all the frozen foam mechanically. For this I use a screwdriver. You can use whatever you have on hand.

So, I cleaned the outside of the gun, now let's start disassembling it. First we unscrew this part. Be careful, here we have a spring, and here we have a bearing - a metal ball. We put it off.

We pull it out with rotational movements. There is no need to lose anything. Here we have the puck. Again, remember what is where. This bolt also fell out of our hole. Our lever is also removable. And here we can already look and see that everything is packed.

This is what it all looks like.

Here is the skeleton of a pistol. What else do we understand? The foam supply tube itself is disassembled. She also gets out of our way. It gets out both in this place and here. But she can hold on very tightly. Therefore, it is not always possible to do this. As I said, it turned out to be here. But here (at the end) we are unlikely to be able to unscrew it. Here we have frozen foam in pieces.

So what do we need to do. This tube needs to be cleaned. Clear this part here. Clean this one on both sides.

But be careful - here we have a spring. Spring with a bearing - a metal ball. That is, during normal operation, we can press on it from this side, and the spring will move. If the foam has already frozen, that is, the gun has already been lying there for quite some time with the cylinder unscrewed, so the foam could have already hardened very much. If the foam has frozen in this part, the spring will not move. This will complicate our task. Because it will be very difficult to clean this part from a frozen spring. But probably. In my practice this did not happen often, but I still cleaned this spring.

In this case, too, it is not pressed at all. This spring - it froze, even if I press harder, I hear a slight crunch of the compressing foam. Well, accordingly, I just showed you the disassembly process, told you how to clean it, and now I myself will begin to directly clean the gun from foam.

Cleaning the gun

By the way, while I was cleaning the tube, it is very difficult to clean through this hole. Well, as I said, it’s not always possible to unscrew it. I've been pushing and pushing, but I've finally moved. As you can see, I scratched this tube all over. It was very difficult to unscrew. That's how I unscrewed it. Accordingly, it will be much, much easier to clean it this way. But still count on the best worst option that it will be almost impossible to unscrew it. Once I tortured one pistol so much that, in my opinion, this tube even burst. But I couldn’t unscrew it. Well, be that as it may, we continue to clean the gun.

Cleaning up this part will still be easier for us. Here we have fairly easy access. You can clean it with a small screwdriver like this. All frozen parts of the foam can be easily scraped off with simple movements. Therefore, we will not dwell on this much.

Well, I cleaned the last part - the most difficult one, because the foam froze right inside. And here, as I already said, there is a ball and a spring. With the pressure of the cylinder, our ball moves inward and the foam flows into the gun, accordingly. And since this place was frozen in foam, this mechanism did not work for us. And now I’ll show you, I have a self-tapping screw on a ball, I press on it - my spring moves. So, it’s difficult to clean it, but that’s how I did it. I again used Dimexide.

If you watched that video on cleaning frozen foam, then only this product can do it - dissolve this frozen foam. I just poured it here and gradually loosened it. Filled with Dimexide, it also gradually dissolved this foam, after which I could easily clean it, removing all the dissolved, softened parts of the foam. But, you immediately need to wash off this “Dimexide” from here with some cleaning agent, after which, at the end, this product itself can be removed using a solvent. Because the solvent itself will not harm any of these parts.

Well, accordingly, all we have to do is reassemble this pistol. Now I'll tell you about this pistol.

Its design is slightly different. I will not disassemble and clean it. I'll show you the difference. It unscrews here in exactly the same way. So, what is next? As you can see, there is no spring here, as there was in this pistol. But we have this spring here. The pin itself and there is a spring at the end.

You see, everything is frozen here, our feed lever moves, bends more accurately, but nothing inside moves. Also, be careful if you have a pistol of similar design or model. Pay attention to this part. Here we have plastic, here we have metal, unlike this pistol. When you take it apart and tighten it, don’t tear it off, because the thread here is plastic and about the same very small. One extra turn and you've broken the thread. You won't do anything else. All that remains is to glue it in, but that will happen next time; you won’t be able to clean it. Because it will become disposable for you. I'll work on this pistol later.

And now for a very quick assembly. OK it's all over Now. The pistol has been assembled and is now working again. I cleaned it, this particular pistol, probably for the third time. Periodically he clogged up. But as you have seen, cleaning a foam gun is not such a difficult task.

The foam gun must be washed after each use in order to be able to work with it in the future. Instrument cleaning techniques will depend on the variety:

• Metal models. Durable, reliable, can be used for 3-5 years. Easy to use and easy to clean sealant.

• Teflon models. The gun has metal surfaces that have a Teflon protective coating. This makes the tool easy to clean.

• Plastic models. They are only suitable for one-time household use, so there is no point in cleaning them after completion of work. This is a cheap and affordable tool that is sold in any hardware store.

Therefore, it will be much more profitable to buy it every time you need to work with polyurethane foam. If you frequently work with sealant, it is recommended to buy metal or Teflon models, which already require systematic cleaning.

Before cleaning the gun from polyurethane foam, you need to decide on a cleaning technique. There are several ways:

1. Mechanical cleaning. It is necessary to disassemble the tool and carefully and consistently clean all elements. To carry out the work, removers (for example, regular acetone), a knife, a rag or a sponge are used.
2. Cleaning using a chemical reagent. Tools are cleaned using chemical mixtures. Carried out upon completion of the work process and removal of the can. This method is suitable if the gun has been used for a short time.
3. Cleaning without removing the can. The traditional method, which is used when the tool is used frequently and permanent shift cans of polyurethane foam due to the consumption of sealant.

The method of cleaning the gun from dried foam is selected depending on the level of contamination of the tool. Most simple solution is to remove all contamination immediately upon completion of work. In this case, you need to remove all visible remains of the mounting foam from the tool and clean the barrel.

If the instrument is very dirty, mechanical and chemical methods cleaning, then you need to consider purchasing a new gun. Especially if the life of the old tool exceeds several years.

Standard option

When using the standard mechanical cleaning method, you will have to completely disassemble the gun:

1. You need to unscrew and remove everything you can. If the tool is expensive, then there must be instructions for it, which indicate the design features. The main thing is to take care of threaded connections during disassembly.
2. When disassembling the gun, you need to remove the sealant from all elements, wiping them dry with a rag.
3. To blow through the barrel, it is recommended to use a cleaning rod (you can make it yourself from metal wire).
4. At the next stage, a flushing compound is poured into the barrel and everything is cleaned with a cleaning rod. The process of cleaning the barrel must be repeated until the cleaning rod moves freely in the barrel. If the mounting foam dries in the barrel, it will not be possible to remove it only with a chemical composition.
5. It is very important to completely remove the sealant from the barrel, since during subsequent work the movement of a new portion of the consumable may be difficult.
6. After cleaning the gun, you need to lubricate the connecting parts and assemble the tool.

If you failed to clean the gun and remove the mounting foam in time, it will dry out. Cleaning with a cleaning rod will no longer work. In such situations, the trigger mechanism also does not move. If this happens, it is recommended to carefully clean the nozzle, remove all sealant from it, and coat it with solvent (the barrel must first be lowered). In some cases, after this the trigger will move.

If the trigger mechanism still does not move, it is recommended to do the following:

• There is a small ball in the area where the sealant can is attached to the tool.
• You need to apply a solvent to this ball. This will help clean the bypass valve if it is heavily clogged with foam.
• After 20-25 minutes, you need to attach a bottle of cleaner to the spray foam gun and use it to rinse the barrel.

Experts recommend stocking up on a bottle of cleaner if you intend to use a pistol. Thanks to this forethought, you can quickly clean out all the foam that has not yet dried out of the tool, ensuring its long-term and trouble-free operation.

If the polyurethane foam has seriously hardened, it is not recommended to try to clean the tool with force (especially if a Teflon model is used). With rough mechanical cleaning there is a high probability of damage to individual structural elements.

If, upon completion of the work, the gun is very dirty and it is assumed that the foam has already hardened inside it, then before starting cleaning you should not press the trigger mechanism. Such manipulations can easily break it.

Rules for cleaning a gun from dried foam

If you intend to rinse the gun from foam, then you must follow some rules when carrying out cleaning work:

• Upon completion of work, you must immediately clean the tool barrel of any adhering sealant. This can be done using any available tools, but carefully so as not to damage the control valve.
• The nozzle and valve must be lowered down when performing cleaning operations. The trigger mechanism must be treated with Dimexide. After 2-3 minutes, you need to lightly press the trigger mechanism. If its vibrations are noticeable and foam flows from the nozzle, then the tool is ready for further use.
• If nothing happens, then you need to find a small ball in the area where the sealant can is attached. It must be treated with Dimexide, then insert a bottle with washing liquid and perform the rinsing. Upon completion of flushing the foam gun, you can press the trigger mechanism - everything should work.

If the methods listed above do not help, then complete disassembly of the pistol is recommended. All parts must be treated with solvent and dripped into the sockets. After about 10-15 minutes, the remnants of dried polyurethane foam will begin to give in, so they can be quickly removed with a rag. After assembling the tool, it must be treated with a reagent.

This cleaning method is relevant if more than 5-6 hours have passed since the completion of the work. The polyurethane foam hardens during this period, so it will have to be cleaned mechanically.

On video: P Washing the gun from polyurethane foam.

Mechanical cleaning of the instrument and disassembly is a radical method, but effective. If the mounting foam has frozen inside the gun, then it is unlikely to be completely removed from the cavity of the tool. Therefore, with each subsequent use, the output flow power of the sealant will weaken, as the substance will cling to frozen residues.

If the sealant has hardened, then it can be cleaned from the hardened polyurethane foam using the washing method. In this case, you need to act quickly and prudently. You need to buy a special cleaning composition.

Washing the instrument is carried out in the following sequence:

1. The can of sealant is removed, and a can of cleaning mixture or aerosol is installed in its place.
2. Then you need to press the trigger mechanism - liquid will flow from the barrel of the tool. You must hold the trigger until the liquid becomes completely clear (this indicates that the hardened sealant has been dissolved).
3. The canister with the cleaning mixture must then be removed and the trigger mechanism pressed again. If the trigger moves jerkily, this will indicate insufficient cleaning. Therefore, all manipulations must be repeated.

Safety precautions

Regardless of what cleaning composition is used and how the gun is cleaned from polyurethane foam, during cleaning work the barrel of the tool must not be directed towards people or animals. The sealant is under pressure, so there is a possibility of it coming into contact with the skin and eyes.

You need to be especially careful when using a solvent to clean polyurethane foam. Such compositions are caustic and can cause serious chemical burns if they come into contact with the skin.

It is prohibited to clean the instrument near an open flame. It is not recommended to smoke in the room where foam is applied or tools are cleaned with solvents.

If solvents and cleaning compounds accidentally come into contact with the skin, the area should be thoroughly rinsed with running water. In case of contact with mucous membranes, it is strongly recommended to immediately contact a medical facility.

Care instructions

The gun must be cleaned immediately after use - it is not recommended to delay these manipulations, because after a few hours of completion of work it will be much more difficult to remove the hardened sealant. Guns usually break due to clogging with dried foam. The following areas are most often clogged:

• Check ball.
• Spout of the can.
• Supply valve.

These are mechanical failures, so to fix them you need to disassemble the gun and clean it. If the sealant sticks to the tool barrel, you will have to use a foam solvent. It perfectly dissolves dried foam in the gun.

If the gun is not used for a long period of time, it is recommended to clean it systematically (every few months) for preventive purposes. This will extend the life of the tool.

Craftsmen who constantly use a gun always keep it clean, because repairing and buying new tools is too expensive. It is much easier to clean the gun from foam deposits in a timely manner.

Any contamination must be removed as soon as the surface treatment is completed. Due to timely cleaning, the instrument can last for several years (especially Teflon models).

The choice of method for cleaning foam will depend on the contamination, as well as how long ago the work was completed. If the work was carried out several tens of minutes ago, then all the foam can be removed quickly with a rag.

How to clean a gun from polyurethane foam (2 videos)

Methods for cleaning a spray foam gun (15 photos)

In the construction and repair business, a mounting gun has long become an indispensable attribute. Without it, it is not so easy to carry out various important processes: install plastic windows, install interior and entrance doors, install slopes, seal engineering systems, insulate facades, and so on. But this device often gets clogged, so when purchasing it you need to immediately clarify how to clean the foam gun.

Peculiarities

Using sealant and a gun for dispensing it, various cracks and voids are sealed and a wide variety of manipulations are performed. But, despite the simplicity of the design, this device requires special attention and care.

There are several types of device, which determine the method of cleaning it:

1. Metal pistol. The most reliable and durable tool. Its service life reaches an average of 5 years. Easy to use and clean.
2. Teflon. The device has metal surfaces coated with Teflon for protection. Due to this feature, the gun is easy to clean. The method for removing sealant is the same as for its metal counterpart.
3. Plastic. It is a disposable device, so cleaning it is impractical.

As a rule, the mounting gun is used more than a dozen times, and to ensure that further work with this tool does not cause trouble, it should be cleaned in a timely manner.

There are several options for removing sealant from the gun:

1. Cleaning without removing the cylinder. The easiest way to clean your foam dispenser. Suitable for frequent use of the tool and involves replacing containers with polyurethane foam when they are completely empty.
2. Using a chemical reagent. The gun is washed chemical compounds, is carried out after completion of all installation work and removal of the cylinder. This cleaning method is ideal for short-term use.
3. Mechanical cleaning. Includes disassembling the device and thoroughly cleaning all its parts. For this operation, a special wash, a pocket knife, and cotton fabrics can be used.

What to clean with?

The degree of contamination of the gun determines how it is cleaned. The simplest and most accessible option is used when contamination is removed immediately after using the unit. It involves removing visible particles from the gun and displacing residual sealant masses from the barrel.

Mechanical cleaning involves complete disassembly tool:

1. It is necessary to unscrew and remove everything that is possible. The instructions that come with the kit should include detailed information regarding the design of the product. When disassembling, you need to try not to damage anything or break the threads.
2. When disassembling the gun, you should clean all parts from foam and wipe them with a dry cloth, and blow out the barrel. For these purposes, a ramrod is useful; you can make it yourself from improvised means, for example, wire.
3. Pour rinse into the barrel, then clean the tube from any remaining foam masses with an improvised rod. Repeat all manipulations until the ramrod moves easily in the barrel and its tip appears on the back side. If the foam in the barrel has dried, it will not be possible to remove it with chemicals alone.
4. The barrel must be cleaned very carefully so that during further work the remaining foam does not interfere with the passage of the new polyurethane foam sealant.
5. After cleaning the tool, you need to lubricate its connecting parts and assemble it.
6. The tool is ready to use.

It is necessary to perform such actions only if you have an idea of ​​how the device works. If there is no such information, then it is better to seek help from specialists.

Disassembling a pistol is an extreme case, and it is better not to carry the equipment through such procedures. Even after thoroughly cleaning the gun, new sealant may not flow well through the nozzle, rendering the gun useless.

The following cleaning method is used if the gun barrel is completely clogged and the adjustment lever (trigger) is not pressed. In this case, it is necessary to carefully clean the nozzle from the foam material and lubricate it with solvent. The barrel must be lowered. After a few minutes the lever should begin to move. If this happens, you can continue with subsequent cleaning.

If the trigger mechanism does not move, then you should use the third method. There is a small ball in the area where the foam container connects to the gun. It is this that needs to be treated with a solvent. Such actions will help with cleaning if the foam has clogged the bypass valve very badly. No earlier than 15 minutes later, you can secure the bottle with the cleaner and clean the barrel with its contents.

Based on all of the above, we can conclude that when starting to work with a foam gun, you should always have a bottle of cleaner available. Forethought will help you timely clean expensive equipment from remnants of foam that has not yet hardened and prolong the performance of the device. If the sealant has hardened, the use of brute force may damage the gun, especially if it has a Teflon coating. In this case, the device becomes unsuitable for reuse.

If the tool remains dirty after finishing work, and there is a possibility of foam drying, do not pull the trigger before carrying out cleaning procedures. Such actions can lead to damage to the mechanism.

It is necessary to clean the gun from frozen polyurethane foam according to certain rules:

1. Immediately you need to clean the barrel from adhering sealant. For these purposes, you can use a knife, but clean it very carefully so as not to damage the valve.
2. The valve/nozzle of the gun must be positioned straight down. The release mechanism must be filled with dimexide. After a minute, you can lightly pull the trigger. If it begins to oscillate and sealant flows from the nozzle, then the gun can continue to be used. If this does not happen, then you will have to proceed to the next stage of removing the accumulated sealant.
3. There is a small ball near the connection point for the cylinder. It is necessary to apply a small amount of dimexide to it, and then attach a bottle of cleaner. After a minute or two, you can try to press the adjustment lever.

If none of the described methods helped, you need to completely disassemble the instrument and drip solvent or the same dimexide into the socket and all internal parts of the device. After 20 minutes, all remnants of the hardened mass of sealant will give in and can be easily removed with a rag. After assembling the gun, you need to wash it with the reagent.

This method of removing foam should be carried out only when more than 7 hours have passed from the end of the work. During this time, the foam dries completely, so the instrument must be cleaned mechanically. After such cleaning, the device may produce less pressure than before. Therefore, it is better to immediately take care of the device and remove all possible foreign matter immediately, before it has time to dry.

There is another method that allows you to avoid the mechanical cleaning procedure and full analysis a device thanks to which the gun nozzle will always be in good working order and ready for use. To do this you will need a tube, preferably a plastic one (can be removed from a one-time use tool), wire and the gun itself.

Using a wire, you need to hook the tube to the nozzle of the device, and after working with the gun, remove it. For subsequent use of the gun, a new plastic tube is taken. This way, the tool will always be clean and ready for use.

What to wash with?

The mechanical method is quite effective way Clean the gun from polyurethane foam. However, if the foam has hardened in the barrel cavity, then removing it to the last particle will be very problematic. As a result, with each subsequent use, the pressure of the foam will become weaker and weaker, because the sealant will cling to the remaining fractions of the substance. Timely removal of sealant residues will help solve the problem, and if the situation is severe, flushing the equipment.

You can thoroughly rinse the gun by observing two important rules: speed and forethought. These points imply the purchase of a special cleaning product and its quick use. Experts advise buying a cleaning agent from the same brand that produces polyurethane foam, and working only in this duo.

Once you have finished applying the sealant, you should immediately begin cleaning the tool. Remove the used cylinder. If there is still foam left in it, there is no need to throw away the jar - there will still be substance in it for a long time maintain its properties.

Washing the gun follows simple rules:

• The container with the sealant is removed, and a bottle with an aerosol for cleaning is fixed in its place.
• We pull the trigger. Liquid will begin to drip from the spout of the device. You need to hold the trigger until the stream becomes clear - this is main feature that the cleaning agent was able to dissolve the dried foam.
• The cylinder must be removed and the trigger pulled again. If it moves jerkily, it means that it was not possible to wash off all the dirt, and you need to repeat the procedure again.

According to safety rules, when washing, the barrel of the instrument must be directed away from the person so that the cleaning material does not get on his mucous membranes and skin.

The solvent can leave burns on the body, so you need to be extremely careful and attentive when working with it. You cannot smoke near the cylinder, store it near a fire, in the sun, or open the container. If the substance gets into your mouth, eyes or nose, you should immediately seek help from a doctor.

Aerosol wash can be replaced. If you don’t have a special product at home, you can use acetone instead. Pour it into the nozzle of the device and clean the gun with iron wire. You need to wash it slowly so that all spare parts remain safe and sound.

Care instructions

The main thing to remember when buying a spray foam gun is: this type equipment must be cleaned after each use, without delaying the cleaning procedures.

The main cause of breakdowns of these devices is clogging with hardened foam. Blockages can occur in the following places:

• in the nose of the bottle;
• in the locking ball;
• in the supply valve.

These breakdowns are classified as mechanical, and to eliminate them, you just need to clean the tool; you shouldn’t throw it away right away. But if sticking occurs in the barrel of the gun, cleaning will not help and repairs will not be possible.