Is ILDFA more expensive than High Expansion Foam (HEF)?
The answer is no, according to a new white paper that uses real-world, third-party HEF installation data from a super bay hangar retrofit at SFO airport. With all costs factored in, a parking spot ILDFA installation is estimated to be up to 70% less expensive than the HEF install, while a full wall-to-wall ILDFA retrofit is 31% cheaper. The full breakdown, including per-square-foot pricing for new construction versus retrofits and the project specifics behind these numbers, can be found in the white paper.
Despite being more affordable, ILDFA is a superior product with multiple advantages over HEF, including:
- Phased installation, requiring only partial down time of the hangar
- Environmentally safe, 100% chemical free
- Minimal maintenance since there are very few moving parts
- LEED certification possible due to recycling of flushing water and recycled aluminum construction materials
- Lifecycle of 50 years or more
- Improved day-to-day hangar operations due to the ability to easily remove and flush daily spills
- No risk of injury or loss of life from accidental foam discharge
