PIMA takes issue with Baxter | Letters
The Polyisocyanurate Insulation Manufacturers Association (PIMA)
would like to respond to polyisocyanurate roof insulation issues
raised by Dick Baxter, president of CRS Inc., Monroe N.C., in
"A different look at polyiso," June issue, page
40.
PIMA understands Baxter's opinions are his and do not reflect
the views of Professional Roofing or NRCA. However, PIMA
believes the article lends credence to a poor technical
investigation and continues a pattern by Baxter of attacking the
polyisocyanurate insulation industry using inappropriate test
methods and conditions. In one clear case, Baxter cites "problems"
with a polyisocyanurate board he admits was stored improperly
outside in shipping wrappers. His comments about job-site
experiences are the result of improper storage, installation and
material handling.
By paging through the article and reading the text below the
pictures, one would get the impression polyisocyanurate roof
insulation readily absorbs water and contractors can expect to find
these problems at job sites. Only by digging through the article
can one discover Baxter placed the depicted foam samples—with
and without facers—"in an autoclave for 60 minutes." Not only
is autoclave facer testing unique to Baxter, but left unsaid in the
article are the conditions one can find in an autoclave.
For the uninitiated, an autoclave is used to sterilize materials
by exposing them to saturated steam under pressure of about 15
pounds per square inch (103 kPa) at a temperature of about 220 F to
250 F (104 C to 121 C). Obviously, destroying a sample by an
autoclave is not real-world conditions. PIMA is accustomed to
criticism from Baxter that ASTM International standards don't
reflect the real world. We feel the same about...
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