This article is an excerpt from Episode 14 of Alchemy-Spetec's podcast The Injection Connection, featuring veteran coatings expert Murray Heywood. (If you'd rather view or listen, an audio/visual version of this excerpt is posted at the bottom of the article.)

Charlie Lerman: There's something I always say and I want to run it by you because you could verify or tell me if I’m wrong on this. When you look at potable water tanks, those things are typically like three feet thick and they're chock-full of rebar. They're just stuffed full of rebar, so any type of drilling crack injection on them is just nightmarish. A lot of people don't like to do that. Normally what you get when those things leak, is that you just have a hairline crack because you have so much concrete in there. What I imagine happens a lot of times is that you have people come in with hydraulic cement. They rub that out, but you still then have three feet of concrete with water all the way through it. And all that reinforcing steel potentially rusting. You mentioned the freeze-thaw effect, and that's about 12 times expansion when water freezes.

Murray Heywood: Yes.

Charlie: But when you look at corrosion, N.ACE has put out that it's about seven or eight times expansion when the steel rusts.

Murray: Yes.

Charlie: So, it's not as dramatic as freeze-thaw but still, six times is going to blow up the concrete.

Murray: Well, you've got to remember that if you have rebar, it will expand about seven times but the tensile strength of concrete is very weak. Concrete does not hold itself together very well. It doesn't take much to start that expansion happening and to make the problem worse. So you have to keep the moisture out as much as possible. The thing with potable water, especially concrete potable water tanks, and ground storage tanks, is that if you want to become very unpopular, go into an AWWA, D110 prestressed concrete tank committee and mention protective coatings. They want to string you up because they want to sell it as maintenance-free and that you don't need to line it. And truly, they don't need to line it - except for when you start to get some deterioration and then you get water in. And once water gets in, then that whole deterioration is expedited. So you've got to keep the moisture out and you want to keep it away from the rebar. When you're talking about potable water tanks, a lot of them are engineered and pre-cast. But when you get into wastewater treatment plants, you'll find a lot of times mistakes are made and the rebar is too close to the surface. And then any water that gets in is going to create that issue much quicker because that rebar is going to get more moisture. It's going to expand quicker and cause more damage. So I think that where you see more need for grouting in the potable water world is in the treatment plants again because a lot of these plants are getting long in the tooth. Their concrete has a 50-year design life and we have no money to replace it. We barely have money to fix it. So I think grouting plays a role in both wastewater and water but certainly, on rebar you're correct - you've got to stop that moisture.

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Whether you think about it a lot or not, our wastewater system is crumbling and we spend billions, nationwide, each year treating groundwater that has entered our collection systems. This problem is too costly to ignore, but can be hard to address with the tight budgets many rural sewer districts are on.

On June 24, 2022, the EPA announced up to $18 million in available federal grant funding via a request for applications to provide training and technical assistance to serve small, rural, and tribal community wastewater systems. This funding will improve public health and environmental protection by helping to ensure that wastewater in these communities is safe and treated before being responsibly returned to the environment.

While the federal government is providing the grants, Alchemy-Spetec can train municipalities and their contractors on how to easily address the low-hanging fruit of water infiltration found in manholes and lift stations. Not only can we help you identify trouble areas in your collection systems but we also provide high-quality grouts coupled with the industry's top technical support.

August is just about booked out and there are only a couple of spots left for September for our manhole leak seal demonstrations. If you are unsure of how you would like to move forward, contact us to set up an online meeting to discuss your specific challenges and/or needs.

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This article is an excerpt from Episode 14 of Alchemy-Spetec's podcast The Injection Connection, featuring veteran coatings expert Murray Heywood. (If you'd rather view or listen, an audio/visual version of this excerpt is posted at the bottom of the article.)

Murray Heywood: Water is a damaging substance when it gets in and starts working its way through concrete. And no coating - despite claims that people and manufacturers make about withstanding hydrostatic pressure and backside pressure - no, it won't. Not long-term. It might in the beginning until you drive away and maybe even until you cash to check perhaps, but water will be a problem at some point. And the only way to successfully do these things is by stopping the water from getting in. Don't let it get in, in the first place, and then it won't be a problem. That's why we line the insides to protect the surface. So we have to figure out some way to keep the moisture out. So grouting is it. And in a lot of cases, if you're talking about underground things of that nature, there are so many cool tricks that you grout geeks have taught me. These procedures can be done without as much invasive digging and prodding around, and ripping this out and putting this in. And you can do so much of it simply by knowing where to start and drilling holes and pumping grout in. I have learned a lot from you about it...a ton. It's one of those things that comes up all the time, but it's partially ignorance, partially indifference, and then just an afterthought.

Charlie Lerman: Right. I think a lot of it also comes down to - you have GCs and they're focused on their Gantt Charts and how to move this multimillion-dollar project along. Then you're talking about a small percentage of it, or it's not even a percent. It's a problem that's come up and they don't realize the long-term effects of just skipping over that because they're focused on what the fire is at that time right there. So a lot of the times we're brought in, we're dealing with people that are closing out a project or trying to finish it up. Now they're saying, "Oh, well, I heard months ago that it’s going to bite me in the butt and here it is now. I can't get my paycheck because we're still leaking on this tank" or whatnot.

Murray: Right. And probably one of the places that it's understood the most and it's used a lot in this way is the underground, in sewer manhole restoration. Most of the people that are playing in that game now at least understand inflow and infiltration and what it does to the system, and how it wreaks havoc on the plant and their capacity levels. I shouldn't say everybody, but anybody who's in the business has seen the classic manhole eruption. A few years ago, I was down in Louisiana in New Orleans for a conference. I can't remember whether it was WEFTEC or SSBC or something, and just outside our hotel, a huge rain event happened. You could hear the manhole lids dancing all around the streets. You could hear it. You could hear it, and people are saying, "What is that?" I’m replying, "Oh, just watch." Within probably five, six minutes all of a sudden, the manhole lids were coming off - and they're heavy. If you've never lifted one up, they're very heavy. And these things just popped out, and the water was spewing. When people see that, they kind of understand it. But it's understood a little bit more in that market. Where I find that there's a lack of understanding of it is in the wastewater treatment plant itself. Because there are all kinds of problems in water treatment and wastewater treatment with leakage and with cracks. I’ve been walking through plants, and there's just water dripping everywhere. But the mentality of the people who work there is like, "Is that a problem? It’s been doing that for years." They just walk by it, because it's always been there and they've never dealt with it. A lot of times you have to say, "Well, you know there's a solution." And their response is, "Oh, really? You know how to fix that? We've tried everything. We've put hydraulic cement in, and we've tried to plug it with silicone." They've tried everything. I say, "Yeah, there's actually a fairly simple way to fix this."

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This post is part of the Alchemy-Spetec Contractor Lens series, featuring views, news & case studies written by our customers. This article, written by Lewis Evans of Stable Soils, provides an overview of polyurethane concrete repair material. If you're an Alchemy-Spetec customer and you'd like to discuss writing content for our blog, please send an email to marketing@alchemy-spetec.com today!

In Orlando FL there was a new commercial development that included a pharmacy to be constructed. Prior to the commencement of construction, a geophysical survey was undertaken to determine if site conditions were suitable for building. The survey included soil borings and DCP (dynamic cone penetrometer) readings to determine soil compaction.

The results of the survey indicated a layer of Florida muck between 10’ and 5’ below grade: this is very typical in Florida. The engineers recommended excavation down to 10’ to remove the muck from the entire building pad area as well as the entire parking lot area. After the de-mucking process, fill was to be brought in and compacted prior to pouring the building pad and preparing the parking lot for asphalt paving.

When the site work contractor informed the general contractor that the site was prepared, the GC called in the engineer to do some testing and sign off on the site work. Testing revealed that in a majority of the parking lot area, only the upper area of the soil had been excavated and replaced but the muck still was in place between 5' and 10’ deep. Some corners had been cut and the project came to a halt.

At this point, the curbs were in, the crush and run had been put down, and all utilities were already in the ground including water, gas, sewer, electrical, and fiber optic. The engineer presented them with two options:

1. Remove all the utilities, dig up the entire parking area site, and do it as they had recommended in the beginning.
2. Use 2-component polyurethane injection in a grid pattern and at different depths, to densify the soils and muck.

To remove everything and start over was going to take in excess of 2 months to complete. Facing liquidated damages from the property owners for the delays, this was going to be extremely expensive and would most likely end up in litigation. The soil stabilization with the polyurethane foam was selected as the method for the following reasons:

1. Installation in less than one week
2. No excavation required
3. Clean installation and environmentally safe product
4. Proven system used by departments of transportation - DOT
5. Factory trained, engineer approved contractor

Powerful Polymers

The polyurethane material used in this project was Alchemy-Spetec's AP Lift 475. Alchemy-Spetec rigid polyurethane foams start out at 7000 PSF bearing capacity. This rating is based on the unconfined strength of the foam. In the soil or beneath concrete the polymer will increase in strength up to 15X. For comparison, the compaction requirements for pouring slabs or building roads are about 2000 to 2500 PSF. 

Painless Procedures

AP Lift 475 was installed in a grid pattern and at different depths. The polyurethane expanded as it was installed (up to 24X by volume), and solidified the muck and unstable soil. The parking area soils were densified to the requirements of the engineer.

Rapid Results

The job was completed in just 5 days. No curbs, road base, or utilities had to be removed or relocated saving enormous amounts of additional cost and delays.

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This article is an excerpt from Episode 14 of Alchemy-Spetec's podcast The Injection Connection, featuring veteran coatings expert Murray Heywood. (If you'd rather view or listen, an audio/visual version of this excerpt is posted at the bottom of the article.)

Charlie Lerman: From your point of view when it comes to grouting, what are some of the common mistakes or problems you see that people just deal with repeatedly?

Murray Heywood: Well, when it comes to my world, the coatings world, one of our biggest challenges is water, keeping it where you want it or not letting it get in where you don't want it. That water molecule creates a lot of damage. Concrete, which is predominantly the work that we do in the infrastructure world, 85% of water and wastewater structures are concrete. And concrete has very poor elongation properties, it doesn't stretch very well but it does move a lot because of settlement and this and that, and inflection when you're loading tanks, unloading, so you get cracks. If we don't address the water coming in or whatnot, it creates even bigger issues. So grout plays a huge role in doing that. And I think one of the challenges that I see is people don't understand that you just can't fill it with some cement because if it cracks again it's going to leak again. You just can't fill it with an epoxy injection because that's rigid. So just the misconception of how to deal with it is prevalent and it's something that we try to explain a lot. Mistakes are made where they'll, well, "We're just going to put hydraulic cement in and fix it that way." Or, "We're going to do this or the coating should handle it and we shouldn't have to do this extra work". So I just see the mistakes in the materials they select to do the repairs and not understanding necessarily that it has to be treated or you're just spending thousands and thousands of dollars to rehab this and you're going to skip that part. That's going to wreak havoc on your system. Those are the common mistakes. It's a lack of understanding really when you get to the bottom of it, of how it all works together.

Charlie: Yeah. And neither of us are engineers who have gone and got those types of degrees, so we're not always the smartest person in the room.

Murray: I may not be the smartest person in this room right here.

Charlie: I’ll give you that one. I'll take that. Thank you. But really what you find is, that it's not that this industry is rocket science or hard to figure out. It's that it's non-intuitive and most of the time, people just overlook it, they don't even understand. Again, it's not a fear thing of, "oh, you're just never going to figure this out and be able to launch a rocket to Mars". It comes down to people just making common mistakes with it. Like you mentioned with the epoxy, there's no elongation or very little elongation for concrete at all and you'll have people, they waterproof epoxies all the time and then they get a mirror crack right by it and they're like, "Whoa, didn't we just fix this last year?" And you're like, there it is.

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Save Time, Hassle, and Money!

Spray foam insulation guns are made for the process of spraying foam at constant pressures. Slab lifting requires a gun that is designed to deal with changing pressures and backpressure without backing up or crossing over.

• Get the new MixMaster Pro Version 7.0 for $2,450 (that's a savings of $355).
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Contact your regional manager or call 404-618-0438 to place an order. (Be sure to mention your T-shirt size.)
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MixMaster Pro 7.0 Features

• New CNC machined handle.
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MixMaster Pro 7.0 Benefits

• End-of-day cleaning time cut in half.
• The handle is built to last through the toughest of jobs.
• The nipples can be removed easily.
• Less threaded connections = fewer leak possibilities.

Want more info about the MixMaster Pro?

Leveraging technology is essential for contractors to stay competitive and grow in the modern era. As the Inside Sales Manager for Alchemy-Spetec, I have the daunting task of maintaining our ever-increasing lead, customer, and project database. There is no room for hesitation in today’s competitive landscape, and we need easily accessible, precise information at a moment’s notice. Organizing your day-to-day tasks with a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system can give you a powerful, painless, and rapid advantage over the competition.

Centralize Data & Information

We all at some point have likely had to contend with endless emails, spreadsheets, and documents siloing or isolating important data and information about our leads and customers. With a CRM, you can integrate your data into one single source of information. You can use it to manage customer data and leads as they enter your pipeline through various channels and integrate them into a linear sales process.

Increase Productivity & Results

Enable your entire sales and marketing team to get more done. Leads can be tracked through a linear sales process with access to information displaying critical data points for whatever the user needs. Having a centralized database reduces your paperwork and helps you limit the headache of digging through old emails. With a clear view of your leads and customers to access at any time, you will be able to focus on execution instead of endless email chains and spreadsheets.

Clear Reporting and Greater Visibility

With CRM dashboards and reporting features, your team and management will be able to make key decisions to improve and scale the business. You'll be able to quickly identify inefficiencies and take swift action to address them. Real-time reporting allows you to quickly assess what is going on and how the health of the business is looking without having to rely on exporting and aggregating data on a spreadsheet over and over. I can’t stress enough the importance of being able to quickly and efficiently generate sales forecasts and analyze the profitability of your various service offerings.

Contact Us for CRM Tips and Guidance

Please contact me (David Park - Inside Sales Manager) at dpark@alchemy-spetec.com if you have any questions or need technical guidance on choosing or using a CRM.

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Episode 14 of The Injection Connection features Charlie "The Grout Geek" Lerman interviewing veteran coatings expert (and punk rock drummer) Murray Heywood. Don't miss this info-packed and entertaining discussion!

The Injection Connection features in-depth discussions with thought leaders and professionals in the infrastructure repair industry and is produced by Alchemy-Spetec, the premier manufacturer of Leak Seal and Geotech polyurethane concrete repair products.

Watch this episode in its entirety below, or check it out on TheInjectionConnection.com and the following platforms:

• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• SoundCloud
• Google Podcasts
• YouTube

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If you run a contracting business, you're probably handling hundreds of tasks on a daily basis with a limited and overworked team. Not only is it overwhelming, but key action items like lead follow-up or estimate requests fall through the cracks leading to more time wasted backtracking them later. Luckily, automation software like Zapier can execute many of your repetitive tasks and enable your business to become more efficient and organized. This advantage is crucial in order for your team to do what matters most and scale your business to the next level.

At Alchemy-Spetec, we leverage automation tools in every possible scenario to support our team to be more effective and efficient. We are excited to share some of the core features we have implemented that can be used to help your business grow as well. As always, we pride ourselves on supporting our customers so please feel free to contact me (David Park - Inside Sales Manager) at dpark@alchemy-spetec.com if you have any questions or need technical guidance on growing your business through automation.

Three Simple Ways Automation Can Scale Your Business

Your most valuable resource is not your product or your customer list, but the team of people who make your company a success. Your team’s most valuable resource is their time and attention, and tedious repetitive tasks have a habit of showing up in everyone’s daily routine. The software and digital tools we use to run our businesses come with data and information overload. We noticed at Alchemy-Spetec that simply aligning and keeping data updated between platforms was requiring a great deal of manual effort. Thanks to automation tools like Zapier, we have been able to implement three simple automation strategies.

1. Automate Data Entry

At Alchemy-Spetec, much of our data and information is stuck in a variety of fractured applications and online tools. We've used Zapier to link these applications and transfer data back and forth when a new lead or email arrives. If you find yourself manually entering lead or customer information over and over, it might be worth looking into an integration and automation tool. 

2. Automate Communication Internally

There are many different ways team members communicate, but it’s likely that email is still the most common means of communication in most organizations. If your email platform is Google-based, Zapier integration offers a variety of ways to utilize automation and tags to organize the clutter of your inbox. By implementing Google’s filtering system and Zapier automation, our team has been able to create multiple automation workflows that will perform repetitive tasks such as forwarding emails to another team member over and over. (If your email platform is not Google-based, Zapier may still offer automation options. Contact me for assistance if needed.) If you find yourself too busy organizing and forwarding internal communications, it might be worth looking into integration and automation tools like Zapier to do the work for you. 

3. Automate Communication Externally

Thanks to automation tools like Zapier, we have been able to configure many outward-facing emails to automatically send when a specific event occurs (such as a new lead being added to our database). Automation tools like Zapier enable us to automatically respond with customized response times and messages on a case-by-case basis. If you find yourself manually answering and replying to every lead, it might be worth looking into automation tools like Zapier to do the work for you.

Contact me (David Park - Inside Sales Manager) at dpark@alchemy-spetec.com if you think you have some tasks that can be automated. I'd be happy to assist you!

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Sewers can be aggressive to downright hostile environments for concrete. Composite and fiberglass manholes are becoming more popular due to their superior resistance to sewer gases. While chemically resistant, composite manholes still have penetrations and joints. And any structure with penetrations and joints is still susceptible to infiltration.

The good news is that your everyday go-to grouts for concrete manhole water mitigation work just as well on composite or fiberglass manholes. Spetec PUR Highfoamer is a single component hydrophobic semi-rigid grout that is ideal for curtain grouting behind and around leaking penetrations and joints. When it comes to crack injection for penetrations and or joints, Spetec PUR GT380 and Spetec PUR F400 have the flexibility and chemical resistance you will need for the tough sewer environment.

Industries and technologies change over time and Alchemy-Spetec offers a full line of grouts that can provide for your long-term waterproofing needs - whether for composite, fiberglass, concrete or brick manholes and lift stations. 

Want more information on polyurethane leak seal products?