Apples to Apples
“I am interested in a coating machine and am interested in both your unit and a competitor who uses epoxy instead of the resin you use. Can you give me an apple to apple quote for your system so I can choose which one to get? I will be buying a unit based on cost and thought if I compared apples to apples I would get the best deal.”
There are many fallacies to your assumption of trying to compare two systems who operate on a completely different platform. Let’s look at the differences between the system I think you are looking at and the Quik-Coating system.
- The most remarkable difference is in the resin systems. While epoxy resin has been around for a long time – it takes a long time to cure, is somewhat rigid or brittle, and double the cost of the polyurea resin we produce. Vendors are touting a 2-hour cure between application and having the coating dry before applying subsequent coats. If building to a 3mm thickness on a 25’ by 4” vent stack, you would need to apply 6 coats a 1/2mm thick each to accomplish the rehabilitation. The drying time would be 12 hours not even counting the application and prep. Our polyurea cures in 5 minutes between coats and is fully back in service at the end of the final coat. Curing is accomplished for the 6 coats of polyurea in 30 minutes total. Add another 15 minutes to the application process and you can walk out the door 45 minutes later as opposed to 12+ hours.
- The cost of the resin is about ½ the cost of epoxy used in the competitors’ process due to the resin and hoses required for the job. Each coat of epoxy requires a new set of hoses, and coupled with the resin costs about double our system as we use the same hoses from job to job. An additional cost-benefit is the application can be fully completed by one person. There’s no need to have a crew to coat the pipe which saves labor costs. The competitors’ system has an initial cost advantage when buying the pump delivery system, but loses quickly to material and labor costs being much higher.
- Another consideration is testing and approvals for the process. The Quik-Coating system has been tested by independent laboratories to both the Uniform Plumbing Code and International Plumbing Code standards for coating drain, waste and vent piping. The material qualifies for the UPC standard IGC-351-18a and the IPC standard PMG 1485. The competitive equipment qualifies for a drinking water standard.
- Also, the polyurea is a more flexible material than the epoxy and expands slightly during the curing process. The epoxy resin is more brittle and shrinks slightly during application. Depending on the ambient curing temperatures it may pull away from the wall of the pipe. While the layers, if applied to the proper thickness, may be enough to stand as a pipe, water could eventually track between the host pipe and the coating. Further, the more brittle cured epoxy could crack unlike the more flexible polyurea formulation.
Here are the differences in the process application. The Quik-Coating system delivers a 2 part resin system down tubing independently from each other, pumping it to nylon brushes used to mix and apply the materials. The resin, when mixed this way, sets in 10 to 30 seconds depending on the ambient temperature. This feature allows you to apply a coat and not have to continue to brush the product until it quits running, which in warmer conditions may mean several minutes. The competitive systems require a person to mix the resin contained in tubes, mixed in a cup and the mixed resin is then pumped down a single hose. This hose is good for a single pass meaning you will throw it away after one coat.
So just to recap, the Quik-Coating system is more money to get started. The polyurea resin is less expensive to purchase initially, and much less expensive when adding in manpower to apply it. And finally, there is no way to compare two completely different systems.
For more information contact us at +1-888-354-6464 or email us at info@pipeliningsupply.com.
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