I met with a contractor today who does residential slab lifting and for some reason we ended up talking about incoming leads and how to prequalify them. Every slab lifting or foundation contractor has experienced driving for hours to look at a potential job that turns out to be a wasted trip. Every property owner has probably taken time off from work to meet a contractor who wasn't the right fit either. It's not anyone's fault but it can be avoided, saving both the contractor and the property owner valuable time.

I thought it might make a good blog topic: how to technically evaluate an incoming lead before sending a salesperson out to do a site evaluation and estimate.

Here are some prequalifying questions to consider asking a property owner:

1. Can you text me or email me a picture of the sunken slab, stairs, pool deck, etc?
   This will tell you a lot because pictures may reveal that the concrete is too fractured for lifting. If so, you'll save yourself a trip. You may also notice some impediments to the lifting process, like brickwork or bound slabs. Pictures may also reveal the cause of the problem, like erosion caused by poorly directed roof drains. With this info you can start developing a plan right away (if you decide on a site evaluation).
   
   
2. How long has this been going on?
   It's important to ask the owner how long the settling has been going on. If it is recent and happening at an accelerated rate, that may indicate an entirely different problem than a slab that has settled over a period of years. Settling related to erosion and compaction issues, as well as buried organic material, usually occurs gradually. Broken pipes and sinkholes, on the other hand, usually cause rapid sinking and need attention immediately. It might be better in these cases to recommend a plumber or geotechnical engineer first before going to look at the sunken slab.
   
   
3. What information is available?
   Has anyone else been out to look at it, what were their findings, and are there any available engineering reports? This is pretty self-explanatory. Information is extremely helpful on geotechnical jobs whether it is data from ground penetrating radar, soil borings, penetrometers (DCP), etc. Even local knowledge of the property can be very helpful. Were any new buried utilities put in, or were there any adjacent property developments where de-watering was incorporated? This information may also keep a contractor from making a mistake by quoting on something they are possibly not qualified to execute. As Clint Eastwood (I wish) once said, "Slab lifting contractors must know their limitations".
   
   
4. Is this property for sale or going on the market?
   This is a sensitive subject to write about because some of our contractors do get leads from real estate experts and property owners. Often there has been an inspection and the report indicates a tripping hazard or a settling issue. The owner and potential buyer will use the repair estimate to negotiate on the sale price and no work ever gets done. It's fair to ask if this is just a quote required for the sale of the property or if there is a real intention of fixing the issue.
   
   
5. How far down is the slab or foundation?
   It takes a certain amount of polyurethane to lift a slab. Sometimes you have to accept that a slab that is down 12 inches may be more affordably replaced than lifted. However, sometimes a slab that's down several inches may be in a location where demolishing it and bringing in new concrete is disruptive. The polyurethane may be the best and only answer; one of the things that makes it great.
   
   
6. Are you the owner?
   I can appreciate a renter's concern about concrete settling but you obviously need to talk to the owner. There have been many site visits made on request of a renter to be used as a complaint against the owner. I'm not saying these are illegitimate issues but they deserve to be evaluated carefully.

In addition to asking the questions above, you'll want to keep these two points firmly in mind:

1. Stay focused on the repair.
   In the concrete repair, soil stabilization, and slab lifting business, contractors are often called in when something is going wrong. Something is leaking, sinking, cracking, etc. When evaluating a job site it is always a good idea to consider what you say and what you propose to the client. It is good policy to focus on the repair rather than give your opinion on why something happened or why the engineer recommended a repair method. That is context sensitive obviously, but sometimes there are litigation issues that could be pending.
   
   
2. Make sure they know you're using polyurethane rather than cement grout.
   Last of all it's always a good idea to make sure the client understands you are using polymer technology and that you are not a mudjacking outfit. Polyurethane slab lifting with the AP Lift series of foams is cleaner, permanent, it doesn't shrink or wash out - and our certified contractors are better looking, ha ha.

Want more information on polyurethane slab lifting?

Slab Jacking with Lighter Material Prevents Further Sinking

We are often asked about the biggest advantages of lifting settled concrete slabs with polyurethane foam vs. cement grout.  One of the biggest advantages is the weight.  Depending on the product, the density of structural polyurethane lifting foam is between 3 ½ and 5 pounds per cubic foot.  The same volume of cement grout weighs 140 pounds per cubic foot. This translates to 30 to 40 times more added weight using cement vs. polyurethane. By using lighter weight materials, you are giving yourself a much greater chance for long term success.  (Polyurethane is strong enough to support any structure, as explained in our earlier blog post How Strong is Strong Enough.)

Concrete Lifting with Polyurethane Creates Less Mess

Another advantage of using foam is the size of the drill holes.  Drilling holes for foam is quick and easy, requiring only a 3/8” hole to inject through.  For mud jacking you are drilling injection holes ranging from one to two and a half inches.  This takes longer, does more damage to the concrete, and the drills and drill bits are more expensive.  With mud jacking there are the additional problems of messier works sites and disposal of unused mixed cement.

Mudjacking with Cement Requires Longer Cure Times

The final advantage of foam over cement is time.  All of our AP Lift series products reach 90 percent of their final strength in 15 minutes and are fully cured in less than a day.  Literally, as soon as you are done packing up your equipment the foam under the slab is ready for traffic.  On the other hand, cement grout can take days to reach final cure.  Having immediate load bearing traffic is especially important for facilities such as warehouses that run 24/7 and need to use the lifted area as soon as the job is complete.  

Want in-depth info on slab lifting procedures and products?

Aim for Opportunity

In this article, we'll identify opportunities and markets where slab jacking is needed. Three main markets we will take a look at are Residential, Commercial / Industrial, and Transportation.

Residential Slab Jacking

The residential market offers tremendous opportunities for the slab lifting contractor. Obviously, there are driveways and foundations. These can all sink for various reasons such as water runoff, excess weight, and poor compaction. But look a little further; this year alone we have had calls concerning the following areas: patios, outbuildings, pools, and porches. And don't think residential only includes houses. I'm not officilally saying that construction companies building condos and apartments would bury trash that would later cause settling issues; I'm just saying....

Commercial / Industrial Slab Jacking

Because the scenarios for slab lifting are endless for non-residential slab lifting, I am going to lump Commercial and Industrial together. Concrete parking lots are often lifted now instead of replaced. The same goes for busy warehouse floors; lifted and back in business in hours, not days. Another place to look is slabs beneath equipment; they are not always originally designed to support heavy loads but the equipment ends up there anyways. Anywhere there is a transition there could be a lifting opportunity. From inside to outside, from slab to slab, from parking lot to parking deck, and any areas where there is water runoff.

Slab Jacking for the Transportation Sector

Last but not least, take a look in the transportation sector. Our highway and road building contractors do a great job. But in the miles and miles of asphalt and concrete, there are going to be some settling issues. Look again at transitions, from highway to bridge (the bridge approach slab) is a good example. Think airport taxiway slabs don't ever sink? Wrong. Think slabs under railroad tracks don't ever need stabilizing and leveling? Wrong again. And the advantage for lifting with polyurethane really shines in this sector. Strong, fast, and back in business in hours, not days.

So get off your assets and go lift something.

Want in-depth info on slab lifting?

Raising Concrete with Confidence

When pumping a light-weight material beneath a slab, you need the confidence that it is strong enough for the application. How strong is strong enough? This is a commonly asked question by contractors that are new to slab jacking with polyurethane. Alchemy-Spetec structural foams only need to be as strong as dirt, but they're actually stronger than crystalline bedrock.

The Right Strengths for Concrete Lifting

Slab lifting foams are rated on density (weight per cubic feet) and compressive strength. This testing and rating is based on the foam in a free rise state; the parts A and B are mixed together and allowed to expand freely. Our AP Lift 430 and AP Lift 475 structural lifting foams, for example, will weigh 2.75 – 3.25 lbs (AP Lift 430) to 4.75 – 5 lbs (AP Lift 475) per cubic foot. But they have a compressive strengths of 50 psi and 100 psi in a free rise state. That's equal to 7,200 to14,000 lbs per square ft of support, just in a free rise state.

Polyurethane Slab Jacking Compared to Clay and Bedrock

To put that into perspective, the National Home Builders Association and the International Building Code lists stiff clay at 4000 psf and crystalline bedrock as having 12000 psf of load bearing capacity. Consider the job site conditions where the foam will be injected into a confined area. Testing data in the lab shows that our lifting foams will increase in compressive strength: In a space confined 25% by volume there will be an increase of 31% in psi and in a space confined by 75% there will be a 79% increase in the psi.

Slab Jack for Any Job with the Right Foam

Today polyurethane lifting foams are used to level airport slabs supporting jumbo jets, equipment and building slabs supporting tremendous loads, and even railway sleepers that support the heaviest freight trains. So don't let the word “foam” fool you. These resins cure to strengths beyond what is needed to support any structure.

Want in-depth info on slab lifting procedures and products?

The month of June kicks off hurricane season and the forecasters are calling for a higher than normal level of activity (don’t they always?). Last year I posted a blog noting hurricane season arriving and I had no idea how prophetic it would turn out to be. 2017 brought some of the worst hurricane damage in years to the United States.

After the storms, of course, there was a flood of phone calls to both Alchemy-Spetec headquarters and to our contractor network. Homeowners and businesses on the water suffered catastrophic damage to their seawalls and bulkheads. The city of Punta Gorda, FL alone lost over 9 miles of seawall with another 17 miles damaged. The bright spot of all this was what we discovered when we inspected seawalls that had been grouted with polyurethane. These particular seawalls held up remarkably well.

Here’s what we learned in the aftermath:

Many people that live or work on the water often observe sinkholes that develop on the landward side of the seawall. Tides, wakes, and heavy rain events create hydrostatic pressure that is constantly trying to equalize on both sides of the wall. If water behind the wall cannot relieve itself through drains or weep holes, it will force its way beneath the wall carrying soil with it. This is called “piping”. Over time these pathways will funnel more and more soil out from behind the wall, creating sinkholes and dangerous voids.

Last year, especially with Irma, the eye of the hurricane was off the west coast of Florida and it created a
huge sucking action. You probably saw footage of Tampa Bay being emptied by the suction. At the
same time, all those seawalls and bulkheads with the voids and the piping experienced panel rotation.
That is what happens when the upper part of the wall remains secured with a deadman or tieback, and
the lower portion of the wall blows out. After that it is game over for the wall and the entire property is
in jeopardy.

When contractors inject a seawall with Alchemy-Spetec polyurethane, they drive injection probes several feet below the toe of the wall. Permeation and void filling resins like AP Fill 700 penetrate sandy soil, plug up voids or piping pathways, and stop the loss of soil from behind the wall. We are literally building the seawall down instead of up, and it works!

If you have made a decision to live or locate your business beside the water, then you know too well the
risks. Consider having an Alchemy-Spetec certified contractor come by and evaluate your current seawall
condition. Remember, once a wall fails the entire property is at risk of being lost. I know adding a
couple more feet to the seawall cap is real popular these days but consider building it down this year
instead.

Want more information on Alchemy-Spetec seawall products?

I’m a big proponent of using chemical grout to fix all sorts if issues, be they geotechnical or waterproofing related. Most contractors and distributors that offer chemical grouts fall into one or more of the following categories: Residential Slab Lifting and Foundation, DOT Infrastructure and Roads, and Municipal Storm and Wastewater. Certainly, there are some others, but these are the main ones we see.

As the popularity of slab lifting with polyurethane continues to heat up, there is more and more competition for residential business. With the ability to electronically access bid data across the USA, there are few secrets; all the big players know about the DOT work and water treatment plant expansions, etc.

Why work so hard fighting over the same pie everyone else knows about? How about baking your own pie?

A healthy population depends on access to clean water and a healthy supply of food. North America is a world leader in producing both.  The US and Canadian agricultural industry though, remains untapped by specialty concrete repair contractors and their suppliers. Rather than tell you where to look for opportunities in "Big Ag", let me share an example in which I found myself advising a customer who was installing polyurethane. This example will be enough to get you thinking...

Three stories below ground level I saw a stream of water shoot all the way across a grain bin. I was in the great plains of Canada in the lower levels of a grain terminal. With a capacity for receiving 800 tons of grain per hour; and the responsibility of drying it and storing it, the owners of this terminal could ill afford water intrusion issues. Twin rows of belly dumping grain haulers pull into the facility on a regular basis and drop everything from wheat, barley, peas, lentils, etc. 

The noise was deafening as the hard seeds cascaded down through the facility into hoppers below. The problem in this hopper was slow water intrusion seeping into the bin. The effect was twofold as the ceramic wear plates that protect the steel were delaminating, and the incoming grain was getting wet. This made it harder for the augers and grain elevators to work properly, created a health risk, and created a lot of manual shoveling in a confined space environment.

The stream of water came from our contractor's first drill hole, an indicator of how much hydrostatic pressure surrounded the hopper. We had to overpower this pressure with some pressure of our own. Twin streamed warm water and AP Fill 700 (maxed out with 10% Cat 107) reacted instantly and were already making foam as they entered the cold 48 degree water surrounding the hopper. A thorough application of between 50 – 75 gallons encapsulated the bin we were in and pushed away the water. The ceramic tiles dried up and the owners were ecstatic; they did not even ask what it would cost because they had no other solution. To replace or reline those bins would have been next to impossible or would've required massive downtime and disassembly of everything above the bins.  We, on the other hand, solved the issue in one day. Appropriately, a “grain themed” celebration was held after the job was over later that day with cold beer and Irish Whiskey!

The point of telling this story is to make you aware that there is a huge untapped market out there, full of people who need the solutions your business offers. Whether it is stabilizing soil under slabs and structures or stopping water intrusion. Just about every state and province has major agricultural business going on, including crops and livestock. I won’t speak for everyone, but I would wager that most contractors are not calling on those types of facilities and businesses. Instead of waiting for the phone to ring about another driveway lift; make someone else’s phone ring with some good news about chemical grout. Do this consistently and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Need more information on Alchemy-Spetec products?

The Alchemy-Spetec PolyBadger lifting system is tough and compact. This system is an affordable entry-level slab lifting option for new contractors, as well as an extremely portable addition to the experienced contractor’s arsenal. The PolyBadger is a lot less expensive than your standard 20 foot trailer rig. The set up is simple and requires minimal equipment. The entire system can easily fit in the back of a pickup truck!

The genius of the PolyBadger is the auto calibrator. It keeps the flow of A-side and B-side slab lifting material on ratio, eliminating the possibility of crossover clogging in the gun or the whip hose. The two low-pressure transfer pumps and auto calibrator are literally the only moving parts in the whole system. That means less downtime, less maintenance, and more productivity on the job. This system is easier to use and a more affordable than many options on the market.

Want more photos and a detailed breakdown vs. other systems?

Alchemy-Spetec….We've Got Your Back!

Announcing the MixMaster Pro Stand Up Attachment

On our website, catalogs, and marketing materials we use a catch phrase “We've got your back”.  We try to live that every day and that focus has helped us become known for consistent product performance backed by superior support.

For the 2018 World of Concrete show, we want our slab lifting contractors and prospects to know that we not only have their backs, but that we also want to help their backs.  This year we are introducing our patent pending MixMaster Pro Stand Up Attachment.  No longer do you need to be on your hands and knees in order to level concrete with AP Lift polyurethanes.

The MixMaster Pro is already the fastest slab lifting production gun on the market, with the lowest operating cost.  But we just had to take it to the next level by designing an ergonomically friendly, back pain reducing standup system to go with it.  Sorry Advil and Aleve, we are going to be cutting into some of your business with this development.

For the most part slab lifting is not a physically demanding business.  Many of our customers are amazed at how easy it is and how rapidly you can achieve results by letting the equipment and the AP Lift 430 or AP Lift 475 do all the heavy lifting.  There has, however, always been that issue of having to squat down and standup so many times on the job.  If it’s a big warehouse job, that can be particularly grueling.

The MixMaster Standup Attachment takes that out of the equation.  Certainly there will be times when you cannot substitute getting down on a knee and having a close look at a crack or a joint.  But there’s no reason to do that on every injection.  Made of lightweight forged aluminum, the standup system operates the MixMaster while the operator stands comfortably.  For a stabilization job, like in a warehouse; you can rapidly inject points without wasting time kneeling and standing back up.  And when the job is complete, there’s no longer that aching lower back issue.

Come see us at our World of Concrete booth (Silver Lot #O40551) and have a look at the MixMaster Pro Standup Attachment.  You’ll see that We've Got Your Back in more ways than one.  You also won’t have to worry about being on a knee if someone happens to play the national anthem while you’re working.  Now the MixMaster Pro is also the most patriotic slab lifting gun on the market. 

Want more information on the MixMaster Pro & Stand Up Attachment?

Easy to Clean and Easy on the Wallet

Today’s blog is part 3 of a 4 part series on the MixMaster Pro Slab Lifting Gun.  The big news is coming on Friday when Part 4 arrives just in time for the 2018 World of Concrete.  But that’s Friday so you have to wait.

In Part 1 and Part 2 we covered the advantages of the Mixmaster as it pertains to job safety and production maximization.  In part 3 I want to address the “Painless Procedures” part of maintaining the MixMaster Pro. 

When I first started in this business, I worked with a lot of contractors that used traditional spray foam guns that had been adapted to slab lifting.  We had the MixMaster gun at the time but we still had to penetrate the market with it.  My first contractors were skeptical of our system; a gun designed just for slab lifting.  But I remember watching them struggle with cleaning guns, dealing with crossovers, and ordering long lists of parts.

Now 5 years later, the MixMaster Pro is even more refined and we have well over a hundred out in the market.  Slab lifting contractors rave about how it takes less than 10 minutes to clean at the end of the day.  Getting the hang of operating it is very easy and it’s nice that clean up procedures are just as smooth. 

How about the spare parts?  Those of you who own all of the other types of slab lifting guns out there may not want to hear this; it’s going to hurt.  I have seen the orders that you guys are placing for gun parts.  It’s thousands of dollars per year.  I have one contractor who says they averaged from $1000 - 2000 per month on gun parts, to maintain one rig with two guns.  That is nuts.  They have been converted to MixMasters for about 4 months now and they just finally called to order a few spare parts.  It wasn’t because they needed them either; they just wanted to have a few things on hand just in case.

In my capacity I deal with a majority of the slab lifting customers we have.  In 2017 I would guess we have sold less than $5000 total in spare parts…for all of the MixMaster guns that we have in the field.  It’s time to stop beating your head against the wall with the other slab lifting guns. 

The MixMaster Pro has what you need:

• Lowest new gun price on the market at $1495.00
• Port travels with the gun – no tripping over ports, no wasting a port on every hole
• 10 Minutes to clean at the end of the day
• Lowest operating cost – It’s not even close
• Easily adaptable to Deep Lift accessories

On Friday we are going to roll out something really cool.  Make sure not to miss part 4 of the series.