Injectadeck Instructions For Use
Learn how to load the cartridges here.
Nature of the deck Rot progression
Temperature – Use when Temperature is between 45 deg. F. and 100 deg. F.
Please note: unpack immediately upon arrival and check for any issues. You may note some slight weeping of the cartridge- this is normal as temperature changes during shipping can affect the foam. If you do not plan to use product immediately, it should be stored in a climate controlled environment in an upright position to maintain foam integrity. An open/partially used canister can be stored for up to one year, PROVIDED you retract each cartridge plunger SLOWLY on each side, creating a “head space of air’ in each side of the cartridge. Cartridges can be stored for up to 2 years in a cool dry place. Once you are ready to use the product, gently mix the fluids by rolling the cartridge over and over in your hands slowly, do not shake.
Gather the following materials:
- Boat Wax for masking It prevents stains .
- Injectadeck product, black restrictor, mixer, collar.
- A large cardboard box to put expended paper towels, cartridges and ejected foam into.
- A roll of paper towels.
- Acetone (for removal of wet product preventing stains).
- Masking tape & masking paper.
- 3 pencils.
- Scotch Brite sponge.
- Tinted deck color resin or 3M4000 or MarineRX Epoxy.
- New non-skid paint is recommended (optional).
- Crayola “air dry molding clay” for replicating deck texture (optional).
- Rubber painters Plugs for temporary plugging when injecting foam overhead,(optional)
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – Protective goggles and nitrile gloves,come in your kit, if you get it in your eyes use castor oil then flush with water and seek medical attention.
Set up cleaning supplies – Place them nearby so they are handy and ready when needed.
WARNING! Personal Protection – Wear the included safety goggles. Failure to do so may result in injury or blindness.
WARNING! Materials Safety – Read and follow all MSDS precautions, especially on the Acetone, and never mix chemicals. Always use in well ventilated areas or outside.
- Introduction -There are many tactics to installing Injectadeck for its various applications from rotted wood core decks to wood or compressed foam cored double walled hulls. It’s even installed vertically across sailboat cabin tops or under flybridge decks, using the “restrictor plate” on the opening of the cartridge, for proper mixing of different weight liquids. The objective is to fill the void left behind from delaminated, rotted or compressed cores. If you drill and the core is intact? We shoot the foam under the loose delaminated cores in fiberglass laminates pushing the core up against the top surface.
- Application Gun & marking – When using the Injectadeck gun, your best friend is the “release trigger” letting the pressure off the cartridge as you move from hole to hole. After a few good pumps, hhit the release trigger releasing the pressure. Count to 5 and lift the mixer out of the hole plugging the end as you move to the next hole.
- Preparation – Gather the items listed in Step 1. Don’t bother cleaning the deck as it’s not required, mask it off using tape or spray oil, which we decided it works better to mask off non-skid than tape, but it is dangerous to walk on…
li>Estimate – Using a pencil, locate the edge of the soft area and mark a line along the firm edge outlining the soft area. Measure the square footage and estimate 3 to 4 sqft per cartridge for your purchase quantity of cartridges.
li>Layout – Mark injection points by laying out a staggered pattern of holes 8”-10” apart for decks and up to two ft apart for vertical application of cored hulls. 1 cartridge per 2’x2’ empty soft area 1” thick.
li>Explore – Drill your first hole in the center of your soft area and note the condition: empty? dry or wet? is core present? is the core wet? From here we make our decisions on application.
li>Drain – When a laminate is wet inside you will need a #10 drain hole thru the bottom layer of fiberglass at the lowest point of your laminate. If you cannot get to the lower surface, you can drill #30 (1/8”) right through the deck, the foam will come along and plug it for you later.
li>Drill – Drill your hole pattern with #10 or 3/16” drill bit, drilling through the top layer of fiberglass only, do not drill all the way through. You’re filling the air space between two plys. If the core is intact you “touch drill” thru the core only and NOT through the lower laminate or ply.
li>Masking – Masking tape prevents fiberglass shredded hole edges when you drill. You can remove your masking tape after drilling and apply boat wax all around the surface of your holes. Let it dry, do not wipe it off. This will prevent the excess foam from staining the gelcoat. You can also use mold release spray or a clear oil like coconut oil. (however oil is dangerous to walk on). Using masking paper or plastic, cover all adjacent areas that Injectadeck could be dripped on which are not protected by the wax or mold release. Injectadeck is very adhesive and stains.
li>Inject – On a 2’x2’ round soft spot a good hole pattern is 5 holes, 1 center and the other 4 holes located 2 inches off the hard edge into the soft spot. If the area is empty you will use the whole cartridge. Start at the center hole and use ½ the cartridge then split the rest in the surrounding 4 holes. If the core is intact your will use half the cartridge under it. Squeeze till the laminate gives and pumps easily. The foam will move across the lower layer of fiberglass where the water is.
li>Bulging – Usually only very thin fiberglass laminates bulge because the pressure will escape out of your other drill holes and where the water got in. Never leave pencil plugs in more than 5 minutes, remove them allowing excess foam to escape and form a ball. You can form or mold the foam bulge during the first the first 10 minutes. Use the piece of wood on the area and apply light pressure at first, then stand on it, even stomp it a little. Don’t let it keep rising, if you don’t push the bulge down in the first 15 minutes, it will harden and its done. You can still apply direct pressure with your weight on one foot. It will flatten some.
li>Second Round – Once all your holes are filled, after 30 minutes, twist off the excess foam balls that formed out of your drill holes. Feel around with your feet for additional soft spots then drill & inject. If you’re injecting a single hole with no other hole nearby, pencil plugging is not recommended as could trap gasses and expanding foam causing bulging. Repeat this process until all soft areas are injected.
li>Filling Holes – When the deck is complete and cured after an hour or so, you can plug the drill holes. Simply remove the drill bit and using your fingers twist the drill bit in the hole, cutting into the foam creating a small reservoir. You can fill that with the epoxy or resin of your choice. If you have crosshatched gelcoat pattern for non-skid, you can pick up the pattern with a 2” chunk of air dry modeling clay and once dried. Press it down onto your partially cured “tack free” epoxy hole plug and it will blend nicely with the rest of the deck. Use polyester resin tinted to your deck color or 3M 4000 even MarineTex or West Marine’s MarineRX.
- Before Loading the cartridge, rotate it over and over in your hands mixing the chemicals in each tube for best results! Load the cartridge into the gun, remove the blue cap, and the white plastic.
- Install the black restrictor over the cartridge holes then Install the mixing tip, first looking inside to align its wall into an X with the restrictor. Just pull down tight, then collar it. Before injecting, pump a little out onto cardboard until it is mixing evenly. Once you squeeze the gun and product begins flowing through the tip, use just what you need.
CAUTION! – If set aside, the gun’s tip will clog in approx. 2 or 3 minutes. If you wish to restart the injection process, first change the tip. Squeezing against a clogged tip, stuck tube, or a full drill hole may result in the gun bending or breaking. This could also cause the cartridge plunger to flip over and make a big mess. In addition, a partially clogged tip could deliver an 80/20 soft foam mix, not a solid 50/50 mix!
CAUTION! – PRESSURE PUMPING A CLOGGED TIP CAN BEND THE GUN or flip a plunger leaking the product.
CAUTION! – Stopping (over 60 secs) could dry foam in the mixing tip and also cause a poor mix. If there is a lot of water in your fiberglass laminate and you did not drill a drain hole. The injection site holes will bubble evaporating water for a day. After it subsides you can plug the hole without the deck blowing water and bubbles into the epoxy or resin filler, ruining it.
Overhead application When injecting cabin tops from inside or fly bridges from underneath. You should dress in a painters disposable coveralls with a hood and safety goggles. You must install the metered restrictor plate over the cartridge opening under the mixer for a correct 50/50 mix going into the mixing tip. The components are different specific gravities and overhead application is against gravity. Pump your holes with an assistant standing ready to plug when you remove the mixing tip after you hit the release trigger on the gun. Move across the area filling and plugging as you go preventing the liquid from dropping out before it can react and expand. Bring a lot of pencils or a bag of rubber tapered painters plugs.
Remove a screw from each side of the hatch or porthole. Gorilla tape over the holes inside the boat if exposed. Drill the existing hole to #15 – #21 or the smallest hole that will accept the mixing tip. Pump Injectadeck in the holes and allow to expand, temporarily plug after injection if you like, once it hardens install a larger screw in those locations. span>
- Clean up – During the 20-30 minute cure you will usually see small puffs of foam exiting the injection holes. Use boat wax to protect deck from stains. Use a cardboard box to stow ejected product & paper towels. Use a pencil in y our #10 hole to prevent foam or liquid from coming back out on to the surface
- Drill a relief hole in the low point of every fiberglass laminate core structure for a water displacement, drain and a gas vent. This will allow the foam to displace moisture and fill the cavity to best effect. The ideal situation is the foam displaces as the foam expands and the foam catalyzes with the remaining moisture.
- Once you have started injecting you will not want to set the gun aside until finished.
- Use what you need in one application, not more.
- Squeeze the trigger slowly and firmly one pump at a time, watch the product flow, this is not caulk, this is liquid. 3 full pumps or more per hole depending on application.
- Press that silver tab on the gun before you lift the gun from the floor.
- Later, if any bulging occurs be prepared to put wood down and step on the area to shape the foam, expansion ceases in about 10 minutes.
CAUTION! – Keep additional drill holes 4” away from any other holes to prevent cracking. 10-inch spacing is the norm.
Note –
CAUTION! – If you spill, You must clean the excess off surfaces immediately, before it has a chance to set up. Injectadeck stains yellow so be prepared to roll new nonskid paint OR BE well masked to prevent stains.
CAUTION! – If you force the product through a clogged tip, or full drill hole, it will force the product to bypass the plunger and will then harden into a “stuck tube” which cannot be re-used. This may also bend/break the gun.
Tech Tips:
WARNING! – Injectadeck is NOT recommend for use on Transoms. While people seem to like it for that, outboard transoms are a critical structural component and Injectadeck does not have the same structural load bearing properties as your fiberglass transom.
WARNING! – Be careful with this and all chemical products – misuse can result in injury to people, pets, finishes, etc. This is a professional product, purchase and use at your own risk. Castor oil may help if you get it in your eyes
Questions? TEXT the Injectadeck Tech Line at: +1-727-768-7509 We’re here to help!!