Alchatek Blog

One of our geotech customers in Australia, Meric Selvi at Alchemy Inject, was recently interviewed about his concrete repair business.

Alchemy Inject's parent company Antidote Remedial is a remedial building company which was established in 2007. Over the last decade the business has grown to become a team of licensed skilled trades including builders, tilers, painters, plumbers and concreters with a diverse background and a common passion for delivering the best results for their clients.

Antidote/Alchemy Inject is dedicated to providing exceptional levels of service to their clients. Their team is made up of skilled licensed tradespeople, plus admin staff and certified project managers to make sure the projects are completed on time, on budget and to a high quality.

Based in Manly, Australia, they operate throughout the Sydney metro area. They recently posted a great 10 minute video interview with Alchemy Inject owner Meric Selvi.  Enjoy this profile of their slab lifting business, Alchemy Inject.

Want more info on Alchemy-Spetec products?

We all know the destructive power of earthquakes, hurricanes, and other forces of nature and while I was aware of expansive soils, I had no idea the amount of damage they cause. We at Alchemy-Spetec focus on industry education, so I am pleased to share this video about expansive soils from Grady Hillhouse at Practical Engineering.

Here's a text excerpt to whet your appetite...

"When most people think property damage, they think about natural disasters. But what if I told you there’s a slow-moving, geologic phenomenon that causes more damage in the United States than earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes combined?

Hey, I’m Grady and this is Practical Engineering. Today we’re talking about expansive soils.

Certain types of clay soils change their volume depending on moisture content. They swell when they get wet and shrink as they dry.  This is a microscopic mechanism where the shape and arrangement of the molecules actually change according to the amount of water mixed in. And large portions of the U.S. Gulf Coast and Great Plains have these kinds of soils. If you’re starting a foundation repair or road paving business, this is an important map for one very good reason – expansive soils break stuff."

Click the video below for more...

Want some information on soil stabilization?

A lot of customers have recently been asking about the hand sanitizer that we sell vs. others they are finding on the market. It turns out that there can be a significant difference. For example, my parents bought a 16 oz bottle of ethyl-based hand sanitizer from the grocery store, and after reading through the label, we realized there was a critical differentiator between that version and the one we sell.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, hand sanitizers deemed most effective against COVID-19 pathogens contain 80% ethanol or 75% isopropyl by volume. The brand that my parents bought, as well as a few other popular offerings I researched, contained between 60-70% ethyl by volume. This formula, according to the CDC, is not as effective against the current outbreak.

On the other hand, our FDA-approved hand sanitizer contains 75% isopropyl by volume.  This hand sanitizer was formulated specifically according to the World Health Organization guidelines for killing COVID-19.

Embedded below is a crack and curtain grouting video demo I recently recorded.  For those not familiar with me, my name is Charlie Lerman. I'm the Director of Technical Services for the Leak Seal Division at Alchemy-Spetec (and I'm also known as the Grout Geek). I have been involved in a wide variety of grouting jobs from dams to tunneling, municipal to sewer system work, residential, commercial, and industrial.

Prior to joining the Alchemy-Spetec team, I was with the Navy in the submarine and recruiting services. I have 20 years of construction experience – I was with a restoration contractor for five of those twenty years and earned a bachelor degree in Business Management during that time. I have been providing technical support and training for polyurethane grouts for over fifteen years and have been involved with the International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI) for a decade.

Social distancing does not have to mean downtime. This is an excellent time to learn about polyurethane chemical grouting. From my home "studio" I bring to your home office demonstrations on crack injection, curtain grouting, and pump operation/maintenance.

Want more info on Leak Seal products?

Pocket-Sized Squeeze Bottles

A 2.1 Oz (63 ml) Bottle Size Will Soon Be Available:

• FDA Approved
• WHO Formula
• Ideal for Field Work

Join the notification list for this new hand sanitizer option and you'll be the first to recieve pricing and availability details.

We often get calls from spray foam insulation installers who are interested in adding slab lifting capability to their rig set up. If you're reading this article, you yourself may be looking for info on the matter. If so, we have good news for you. With just four additional pieces of equipment and one set of material, you can quickly and easily add slab lifting to your service offerings. Let’s take a look at exactly what additional equipment and material you'll need to get started...

Slab Lifting Equipment

MixMaster Pro Slab Lifting Gun
The MixMaster Pro is a two-component resin injection gun manufactured specifically for lifting concrete slabs, designed to handle back-pressure. 

Titan Impact 440 (Modified) Pump with Flush Hose
The Titan Impact 440 (Modified) pump is used for flushing the MixMaster Pro gun in between foam injections. (It's also used for pumping one-component material in soil stabilization and seawall repair applications.)

3/8” MixMaster Ports
These heavy duty ports create an airtight seal for injecting foam into drill holes. 

Dial Indicator Crane
This precision tool is used to measure the lift of the slab within 1/10” of an inch.

Polyurethane Slab Lifting Material

AP Lift 430, AP Lift 440, or AP Lift 475 (100 Gallon Unit)
Sunken concrete slabs can be lifted back into place with these two-component polymer foams designed to work in wet or dry conditions. The expansion force of these concrete leveling foams coupled with the pressure of a specialized pump generate enough controlled force to lift virtually any structure back into position with 1/8” precision.

AP Flush 125 (5 Gallon Unit)
Water based gun flush specifically used for flushing out the MixMaster Pro impingement gun. Also used to protect concrete from resin stains.

AP Lube 190 (5 Gallon Unit)
This product is a multi-purpose lubricant for use with both airless electric injection pumps and proportioner/reactor pumps.

Want more info on adding slab lifting to your rig setup?

On Episode 7 of The Injection Connection, host Jim Spiegel sits down with Ann Thaxton, from Concrete Titans, a marketing and advertising agency offering services to the concrete lifting, and residential foundation repair markets.  Ann offers great insights into the most current lead capture strategies, trends in the industry, and how marketing dollars are actually worth more in the current Covid-19 crisis.  (Jim Spiegel is Vice President of Alchemy-Spetec and a Board Member at the International Concrete Repair Institute.)

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

• Spotify
• iTunes/Apple Podcasts
• SoundCloud
• TuneIn
• Google Podcasts
• YouTube

Want info on Alchemy-Spetec slab lifting products & applications?

Jim and guest Jack Whitworth, 26-year chemical grouting sales professional, discuss the importance of education, mutual benefits of competitors working together, and driving our families crazy during the Covid-19 lockdown time. (Jim Spiegel is Vice President of Alchemy-Spetec and a Board Member at the International Concrete Repair Institute.)

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

• Spotify
• iTunes/Apple Podcasts
• SoundCloud
• TuneIn
• Google Podcasts
• YouTube

Want more information on Alchemy-Spetec products?

Polyurethane – Quality and Selection

Alchemy-Spetec offers one of the most technologically advanced grout product lines currently on the market, including our unique, highly-effective Spetec PUR HighFoamer. Known in the industry for its expansive properties, this product is the only one in its class that can shut down gushing leaks and fill voids as quickly and effectively as it does. We offer a wide variety of materials, including slab lifting foams, deep-soil lifting foams, soil stabilization foams, injection resins for crack leak seal, foams for curtain grouting leak seal, acrylic injection resins that penetrate thin cracks and saturate soil, epoxy resins for structural repair and preventative waterstop products. The superior quality of these materials guarantees fewer callbacks from your customers. Many of these products are also certified for contact with potable water, making them safer for the environment.

Equipment and Accessories Selection

We’re a one-stop shop for all things polyurethane concrete repair, with one of the most versatile equipment and accessory product lines in the industry. Once you’ve picked out the product that best fits your needs, we can provide it all: pumps, hoses, packers/ports, and specialty accessories.

Tech Support – Experience and Dedication

Do you need technical support? You’re in luck—we’re home to the industry’s premier technical support squad. Averaging decades of experience, we also pride ourselves in being incredibly responsive. For example, our team was recently called on to assist with a large metro project in the Western United States. The customer informed us at 4pm on Monday evening that assistance was needed at 9am the very next day! Our Technical Services Director Charlie Lerman, Vice President Jim Spiegel, and Western Regional Sales Manager (that's me!) traveled to the site Monday evening to help diagnose the location of the leaks and develop an action plan. Our Technical Services Manager Charlie remained on site for two more days to ensure that the project was successful. Depending on the size and scope of the project, response time and participating team members may vary, but this story serves to illustrate the lengths we will go to assist customers.

Training and Education

We offer the industry's most thorough training and education for both Leak Seal and Geotech polyurethane infrastructure repair. We conduct training workshops at distributor locations, consult with contractors on job sites, and hold intensive programs twice a year at our headquarters in Tucker, GA. We also offer in-depth online training videos to current customers.

Marketing Support

Our Marketing Department provides qualified customers with product application illustrations and photos for use on websites, customized brochure PDFs for printing, and truck signage graphics. We also offer the use of our educational videos and animations. Lastly, we’re available for guidance on everything from online lead capture strategies to internet advertising, and more.

We’re Committed to Your Success

The overriding theme here is our commitment to your success. Obviously, this is not totally altruistic in nature.  The more successful you are, the more materials and equipment you buy.  But it is 100% genuine.  Our entire team understands the relationship between YOUR success and OUR success.  This point of view is thoroughly ingrained in our company culture.

Want more information on Alchemy-Spetec products?