Lesson learned slow. Do not buy Great Stuff foam in advance. Goes bad, and throw it out when it doesn't work.
Just put about five cans int he trash.
Also, great stuff foamed into air spaces around the vehicle, slows down rust. Fenders, under doors, etc.
The foam is impossible to get off clothes or skin when wet. Treat it like toxic waste.
Carry empty shopping bags. When the can is exhausted, stuff it tube first into the bag.
I'm heading for the store, to buy another can of foam.
I agree with everything except for your first comment. I've used unopened cans of Great Stuff at least a year after they were bought with no problems. Perhaps we need to know your definition of "in advance".
I don't know about the rust prevention, so I'll take your word for it.
2 other tips:1 - You'll need less than you think to fill a gap, it will expand beyond the opening. Expect it, embrace it.
2 - Don't put your window or door trim back on for at least 24 hours. When #1 happens, it'll ooze out from behind the trim and be a real pain to clean up. BTDT
I'd be careful using the foam in closed areas of a car body - it's been done in the past, e.g. the "roll bar" of the Porsche 914, it seemed to actually accelerate the rust. If you do foam closed areas make sure they are well and truly closed and that no water is going to get in there. It can make a real difference in stiffness and noise reduction though.
nate
I didn't date the cans, but off hand they were more than a year old.
Yes, the foam expands over the next 24 hours or so. Plan on it oozing out all over. After it's hardened, I trim it with a steak knife, or utility knife. Paint it, if exposed to sunlight.
One friend foamed around his storm door jamb. The expansion was such, that the storm door didn't close after that. The jamb pushed in.
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I learned of this, by accident. One corner near the right front wheel on a work van, was rusting less than the rest of the the other sheet metal. I noticed someone before me had foamed it in. I've done this several times since then, and the foam seems to slow down the rusting.
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re: "One friend foamed around his storm door jamb. The expansion was such, that the storm door didn't close after that. The jamb pushed in."
Throughout this thread we have been speaking of Great Stuff as if it's a single product. As I'm sure you know, Great Stuff is actually the name of a product line consisting of at least 6 different types of foams, each designed for a specific application.
One such product is Great Stuff Window & Door. The description on their website says that it uses a "Proprietary low-pressure formula designed not to bow bend (sic) window and door frames".
I have used GS W&D on multiple windows and doors and never had a problem with bowing of the frame or jamb. When the foam expanded, it expanded outward, not sideways.
Perhaps your friend used the wrong product.
I've just pitched out a couple old cans of GS "waterfall filler, pond and stone". Green can, got them cheap at Real Deals Dollar Store, a couple years ago. Cost me a dollar to... throw them away.
Thanks for the reminder, the other stuff. You're likely right, wrong type of GS for the job.
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