Alchatek Blog

The Spetec PUR H100 Hotshot Cartridge contains Spetec PUR H100, a one component, closed cell, hydrophobic, water reactive, solvent/phthalate free, low viscosity polyurethane injection resin for stabilization and water cut-off of large water leaks. The cartridge packaging is ideal for small jobs in locations that prohibit the use of pumps.

Advantages:

• Single component cartridge.
• Good compression strengths.
• Rapid set time.
• No volatile solvents.
• Cures to rigid foam.

Applications:

• Water cut-off.
• Dams.
• Manholes.
• Storm pipe joints.
• Box culverts.
• Limited access areas.

For details on preparation, application instructions, required tools and more, please download this Spetec PUR H100 Hotshot Cartridge datasheet.

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You can lead a hose to water…

Waterstops are common and come in all different shapes and sizes. What if you could install one that was 100% custom fitted for your project? Well that is how the I.T.S. (Injectable Tube System) works. It allows injection of a cold joint or construction joint via a pre-installed injection canal/hose. This is normally done with a flexible polyurethane.

The end result is a custom shaped, flexible urethane “gasket” or waterstop. The grout will even fill in any honeycombing or defects and is considered a life-of-the-structure product.

The I.T.S. can be used as a stand alone waterstop, or it can be installed inside of a waterstop and injected as needed. Settlement of a structure can eventually lead to leaks, so it is great to have a pre-installed method to address those leaks when they appear.

But wait there's more! There is also an R-I.T.S. (Re-Injectable Tube System). The Re-Injectable Tube System is very similar but is for use with acrylate grouts instead of polyurethane. It is rubber based and has slits that act like valves. This allows for the pressurized grout to travel out into the substrate.  Then the tube can be flushed with low pressure water that does not open the “valves”.

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Jobs are often driven by one component or another. When you dissect a chemical grout waterproofing job your two main components are labor and product. That is not very different from most work. Which one is going to drive the job?

Curtain Grouting / Void Filling:

Curtain grouting is normally fairly straight forward. Set up a grid, pump, monitor, rinse and repeat. Just a small crew can get a lot of production done in a day. Because of the nature of curtain grouting it is product intensive. Often these jobs are tracked in pallet quantities. Product becomes the number to watch on these jobs.

Crack Injection:

This is an art form and the artist uses a drill and pump, both which allow the technician “to see” into the concrete. Often this work is done by feel. The feel of the concrete, how easy was it to drill? How does the pump react at similar pressures at different locations along the crack? These nuances set apart grouters from laborers. This takes time but very little product. Crack injection is labor intensive and often slow work.

Most grout jobs fall into these two categories. Let us at Alchemy-Spetec help you design your next waterproofing opportunity. 

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Have you ever been in a room with a group of people talking around an issue, but no one is directly addressing the problem? Or you are working with a group of people on an acknowledged problem, but there's no agreement on how to tackle the issue? These are signs of bad communication! According to some research I have found, companies practicing good communication have a 20% higher employee retention rate on average. 

Alchemy-Spetec holds weekly company meetings to facilitate ongoing communication between employees. Something as simple as a regularly scheduled company meeting can keep the lines of communication open at your organization as well. Contracting firms, engineering firms, municipalities and property management companies can all benefit from the practice of honest and direct interchange between key decision makers and departments.

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Need a convenient leak seal solution? The Spetec PUR H100 Hot Shot Cartridge is your product of choice. This water activated semi flexible foam injection resin starts to foam at 15 seconds and will have a full rise in 40 seconds, so it can shut down very active water leaks quick. This Hot Shot Cartridge is perfect for those jobs that don’t require a full pump set up. Simply bring a hammer drill, drill bits, a single cartridge gun - and you’re good to go!

Spetec PUR H100 shuts down leaks in walls, manholes, box culverts, floors, storm sewer pipes and more. This 10.5oz single cartridge is very easy to use. Competing products often require a dual cartridge gun!

Application is simple:

1. Just drill a 3/8”, 1/2" or 5/8” hole through the substrate that is leaking.
2. Next, place the injection tip in the drilled hole and pump the Spetec PUR H100 cartridge into the soil for a very quick and easy seal. 

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Acrylic polymers are noted for transparency, resistance to breakage and elasticity. Spetec AG200 is a three-component, water-swelling hydrogel based on acrylic that hardens into an elastic product. It's a great choice for fixing leaking cracks and joints in walls. This product is also used in curtain wall grouting applications for soil stabilization.

The main benefit of Spetec AG200 acrylic is its very low viscosity. The viscosity of water is 1.002 centipoise (cps), which is very thin. Spetec AG200 is 4.2 cps which allows this product to penetrate deep into concrete cracks, and also permeate soil very thoroughly. Another benefit is the product's tenacious bond to concrete.

Flexibility in set up time is another key feature. Spetec AG200 can be made to set up anywhere in the range between 15 seconds to 60 minutes. With the fast set time option, you will be able to shut down very active leaks quick. With the slow set up time option, you will be able to permeate soil very effectively before the material sets up.

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When it comes to leaking cracks, Spetec PUR F400 is an excellent solution. This product is free of solvents and phthalates, which is much safer for our contractors to use. It's also NSF/ANSI 61 approved for use with potable drinking water. This allows contractors to fix leaking wall or floor cracks at water treatment plants. Spetec PUR F400 is also safe for use around water containing fish and other wildlife.

Spetec PUR F400 is designed to shut down leaks in concrete, brickwork, concrete sewers pipes and precast concrete. This product works very well with leaking hairline cracks due to its low viscosity. Spetec PUR F400 is very flexible after it sets up, which allows it to retain its bond if the concrete shifts or moves due to freeze/thaw cycles. When the concrete shifts, the grout continues to bridge the crack.

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Spetec PUR GT350 is an MDI based hydrophilic one component flexible polyurethane grout. It is used for many things, most commonly for leaking cracks, soil grouting and joint leaks.  This highly flexible grout works very well in wet moving cracks.  The flexibility of this grout allows it to bridge cracks if they're still moving.  Spetec PUR GT350 works very well in the soils behind leaking walls.  This product has a quick reaction time.  With very heavy water flows, Spetec PUR H100 Accelerator can be used for faster set times.

One of our customers did a big project with Spetec PUR GT350 for the city of Beaumont, TX. They had 200 manholes that had leaking joints and cracks. The contractor soaked backer rod with Spetec PUR GT350 polyurethane grout to fix the leaking manhole joints. Crack injection was also done on the precast structures. If you're a leak seal contractor, consider going after these very profitable types of large scale municipal jobs. If you'd like assistance in that matter (or any others), call us now at 404-618-0438.

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There are many ways to seal leaks in concrete structures. One of the oldest methods uses water to activate polyurethane chemical grout to either bond to the concrete to form a watertight seal or to fill voids, and stabilize concrete.

According to (NASSCO) National Association of Sewer Service companies chemical grout started in 1955. Polyurethane grout has been used in tunnels, elevator pits, manholes, tanks, and even to lift slabs. Studies show that 40% of groundwater leaks in the sewer systems enter through manholes. When this happens over time the manhole will start to break down and needs to be rehabbed. Both Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic grouts can be used to seal leaks in all types of concrete structures. Here are a just few of our water activated products that are used on a daily basis.

• Spetec PUR F400
• AP Seal 500
• AP Fill 700
• Spetec PUR H100

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If you are a concrete repair contractor, you may at some point want to make cold calls to gain new business. Calling on new prospects can be very frustrating if you are not used to it. Cold calling can be done by phone or in person. Before you even contact your prospect, make sure to do as much research on them as possible. Once you’ve thoroughly researched your prospect, you can make an initial contact.

In this thorough research, ask yourself how you can help their business.  What services does the contractor offer, and how are your products relevant add-on revenue streams and offerings that compliment their current operation?  If calling a distributor, know what product lines they already stock, and educate them on how your product line is complimentary to an their current partners, and why it makes sense for their internal efforts.  Successful cold-calling informs the contact of a new and exciting opportunity for them.  It does not represent a new and exciting opportunity for you.  A successful introduction will leave that person seeing you as a potential value-add partner, and not a slimy salesman.  Aim to be a business partner before a vendor.   Remember, companies see most vendor relationships on the expense side.  Business partners have more effect on the revenue side.  Ask yourself where you stand.  

Helpful tips for your first contact with a prospect:

• Stay focused on the client and not yourself.
• Make sure you plan all your questions before you make the sales call.
• Be very careful to not overwhelm your client with information.
• Listen to them and get a sense of their needs.

One of the biggest mistakes is to try and sell right away. Never attempt to sell on your first cold call. Gather as much info as you can, focus on the relationship and keep your client very relaxed. Listen to their needs and concerns. After gathering all of your info, set up a time to go back to that client and provide the answers he or she was looking for. Remember this is about the client and not you!

We at Alchemy-Spetec aim to be much more than a simple vendor for your materials and equipment. We provide robust technical, sales and marketing consulting to our customers. If you have any questions about these sales tips or any other marketing or technical information, please call us at 404-618-0438.

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