A grain cooperative in Washington state contacted Kodiak Concrete Lifting. Alchemy-Spetec's Leak Seal Division Director of Technical Services, Charlie "The Grout Geek" Lerman, met Kodiak on-site and inspected the leaking boots in question. One was poured concrete and the other was poured concrete with a metal interior liner. Both had multiple areas of water intrusion and sumps that were not able to handle the leakage. Charlie worked with Kodiak on developing a grouting plan and an estimate for the co-op.
Spetec PUR HighFoamer was the ideal grout for forming a positive side waterproof barrier known as a curtain wall without having to excavate and with very little downtime.
Spetec PUR HighFoamer is a highly expansive grout (40x-50x) and it is also NSF 61-approved for potable water use.
Pumping polyurethane grouts is done with a modified airless paint sprayer. Since this pump is lightweight, it is easy to mobilize in remote or difficult-to-access locations. Normally, the technicians would set up a 2’ on-center grid pattern for curtain wall grouting. With the elevator equipment layout, they had to adjust the spacing. By pumping hole to hole they ensured water-tight grout coverage even with the irregular port spacing.
A few weeks later, Charlie Lerman and Kodiak met back on-site for the installation. While working in a grain elevator pit and working with urethanes can be a bit messy, the injections went well and the water intrusions were stopped in both pits on time and under budget.