Alchatek Blog

Seawalls embody the very image of long-lasting endurance and stability. Without proper maintenance and repair, however, the reality can be a bit different.  If your seawall is showing any of the signs listed below, you may want to look into repair options.

Here some telltale signs your seawall may need repairs...

• Clogged Weep Holes
  Weep holes are small openings in concrete structures that allow water from behind the seawall to drain through it.  If these holes get clogged with debris, water pressure can build up and cause the wall to eventually crack and fail (or cause the water to find ways around the wall).

• Visible Rust Colored Cracks/Stains
  Rebar that has been exposed to water will stain the surrounding area. This causes the rebar to expand, further introducing cracks into the seawall and risking failure.
  
  
• Sinkholes or Settling Concrete Near the Seawall
  Sinkholes or settling concrete appear due to loss of soil. This is essentially a feature of a compromised seawall in that water is seeping through or underneath the seawall, weakening the structure and contributing to soil erosion.
  
  
• Sand or Soil Deposits on the Water Side of the Seawall
  These deposits will typically show up at the joints and are a sign that you are losing soil from behind the seawall.

Solution - Polyurethane Seawall Repair

I summed it up in this previous blog post An In-Depth Look at Polyurethane Seawall Repair...

Polyurethane installation equipment and procedures allow for a non-invasive, clean approach to repair that often allows the property owner to continue use during the process. In all cases, the property owner can resume activity on and around the structure within hours after a repair. As explained in our blog post Alchemy-Spetec's NSF Certification Spells Environmental Protection, most of our products have been rigorously tested not only for contact with typical recreational and commercial bodies of water, but even for contact with drinking water. So there is NO doubt about the environmentally friendly advantages of Alchemy-Spetec seawall repair materials.  Read more...

Want more info on Alchemy-Spetec seawall repair products and applications?

Using oakum with chemical grout is a way of sealing gushing leaks, as well as sealing the area (annular space) around pipes passing through concrete structures. When a pipe passes through a concrete structure and the annular space around the pipe is large, the saturated oakum technique can be used to seal off the water infiltration. Oakum saturated with grout can be used alone to seal off water flow. It can also be utilized to build a surface seal or “dam” behind which grout can be pumped. 

Procedures

This is a two-person process.

1. Clean the crack or space to be sealed of any loose debris and foreign material.
2. Cut the oakum in various lengths to fit the perimeter requirements of the area to be sealed.
3. Soak the oakum in the grout.
4. One person will wring out the soaked oakum and hand it to the other person, who will...
5. Dip the oakum into a pail of water to activate the grout and then place the activated oakum into the crack or space using a screw driver or a similar tool.

After the space has been packed with saturated oakum, you can inject grout behind the seal with an injection needle. 

For more information, see our previous post on this subject and call us at 404-618-0438.

Want more information on Alchemy-Spetec leak seal products?

Don't miss out on the AP Lift 430 and MixMaster Pro slab lifting gun product bundle offer!

AP Lift 430 Concrete Leveling Foam

AP LIFT 430 is a two component, high strength, high density, hydro insensitive slab lifting foam. 

• Traffic ready in 15 minutes.
• High strength.
• Works in wet environments - displaces water.
• Bonds with soil and concrete.
• Closed cell.
• Certified by Truesdail Labs to NSF/ANSI 61-5 (approved for contact with drinking water).

MixMaster Pro Concrete Leveling Gun

Two-component resin injection gun manufactured specifically for lifting concrete slabs, designed to handle back-pressure. As the essential piece of foam jacking equipment for Alchemy-Spetec’s expanding polyurethane foams, the resin injection gun provides highly-efficient concrete leveling. 

• Completely mechanical actuation
• No side seals or O-rings in the mixing block to replace
• Integrated rebuildable check valves to save your whip hose
• Easy break down and clean up at the end of the day
• Utilizes smaller 3/8” injection port
• Uses water based flush

Call 404-618-0438 to order your Slab Lift Product Bundle NOW!

Want more information on Alchemy-Spetec Geotech products?

Today’s guest blogger is Bill Stivers, an experienced salesman at Alchemy-Spetec distributor Sunshine Supply.

As a Salesman at Sunshine Supply, I’ve dealt with a lot of leak seal products over the years.  But I don’t often get the chance to try them out on my own property.  I recently, however, had an issue with a leaking swimming pool in my own back yard.  Water was draining through the seams between the slabs of my pool deck and causing erosion.  In addition, ground squirrels and rabbits had been digging around the area over the years, causing further issues with soil displacement.  The pool deck was destabilized along with the wall surrounding the pool.  They had both slipped about a half an inch down a small hill on one side.  Some bricks around the pool had settled about 2 inches.  My extensive experience in this field told me that this was just the beginning of a much more serious problem.  The leaking water had to be contained and the soil around the structures had to be stabilized immediately.

Due to my position at Sunshine Supply, I am familiar with a wide range of leak seal products, and there was one that I knew would be ideal for this job: Spetec PUR H200.  We injected deep into the soil on the hillside via 6-foot injection pipes.  We used an F-Valve to simultaneously inject water along with the resin to jump-start the reaction process.  (The wet soil would have caused the resin to react anyways, but the added water kick started the reaction process for a quicker install of the material.)  This process prevents the wall and pool deck from further slippage by stopping the seeping water and stabilizing the supporting soil.

If you live in any of the following areas and want to buy your leak seal supplies from distributors with expert knowledge of the products, make sure you contact Sunshine Supply at any of the following locations:

• Anaheim
• Denver
• Ontario
• Salt Lake
• San Diego
• San Marcos

Want more information on Alchemy-Spetec leak seal products?

The new stainless-steel block for the MixMaster Pro concrete leveling gun is an option you may want to consider. This stronger, more durable gun block was developed to prevent stripping of injector ports (which can sometimes happen with the aluminum block if the ports are over-tightened). 

There are no problems with the aluminum block as long as all your crew members are trained not to over-tighten the ports.  But if you would like that extra level of projection and durability, consider spending a little more for the stainless-steel option.

Want more info on the MixMaster Pro concrete leveling gun?

It's important every now and then to take a look at what's popular on the Alchemy-Spetec blog.  Topics that are important to other customers may be important to you.  Our 3 most popular blog posts in the last 30 days are:

• Hydrophobic vs Hydrophilic: Polyurethanes
• Stop Erosion Through Your Seawall with Polyurethane
• An In-Depth Look at Polyurethane Seawall Repair

The Hydrophobic vs Hydrophilic post always been popular.  It's critical to understand the difference between hydrophobic and hydrophilic resins if you want to choose the right product for the job at hand.  The other two top performers in the last 30 days are seawall repair articles.  That's no surprise as we are smack-dab in the middle of the summer season.  People are more likely to be spending time in the water around their property and noticing seawall issues.  If you're contractor, refresh your seawall repair knowledge by reading those articles!  If you're a property owner with a seawall issue, read those articles to educate yourself and then call us to help you find a contractor!

In addition to checking out those three currently popular posts, you can browse all our posts by topic:

• Seal Leaks (125)
• Lift Slabs (112)
• Stabilize Soil (71)
• Business Tips (66)
• Equipment & Accessories (45)
• Repair Seawalls (30)
• Waterstop (23)
• Deep Lift (18)
• Repair Cracks (14)
• NSF Certification (13)
• Floor Repair (9)
• Fill Voids (1)

Want more information on Alchemy-Spetec products?

Leak Seal & Geotech Products & Procedures

October 9th & 10th, 2019 at Alchemy-Spetec HQ in Tucker, GA

Get ready for a thorough education in Leak Seal, Slab Lifting, Soil Stabilization and the Alchemy-Spetec Deep Lift™ process. You’ll get hands-on training from a technical staff with decades of on-the-job experience.

Wednesday - Leak Seal

• Leak Seal Product Line Overview
• Curtain Grouting
• Permeation Grouting
• Leak-Seal Product Mixing
• Pump & Packer Overviews
• Leak-Seal Accessories
• Municipal Applications
• Live Injection Demos
• Open Discussions

Thursday - Geotech

• Geotech Product Line Overview
• Soil Stabilization
• Geotech Product Mixing
• Rig & Mobile System Overviews
• Geotechnical Accessories
• Slab Lifting Live Demo
• Deep Lift™ Overview
• Soil Testing with the
• GPR & Penetrometer
• Maintenance Discussions
• Pricing / Estimating / Cost Savings
• Open Discussions

Participants receive a Samsung tablet loaded with training material.

Your Instructors:

Stephen C. Barton (President/CEO), Jim Spiegel (VP Sales & Business Development), Andy Powell (Southeastern Regional Manager), Anthony Sandone (Eastern Regional Manager), Charlie Lerman (Western Regional Manager), and Michael Binyaminov (Western Sales Representative). 

I recently consulted with the city of Othello, WA on an interesting application for the leak seal product Spetec PUR HighFoamer.

A galvanized corrugated steel pipe was being used for stormwater drainage to an irrigation canal. The pipe had rusted over time, and water was coming out around the pipe causing the bank to erode. The city put a 25' stick of HDPE pipe inside the existing steel pipe. A hole was Vactor'ed out and two zerks were tapped into the to the metal pipe.

Spetec PUR HighFoamer was injected between the metal host pipe and the smaller HDPE pipe. The system was in-service and had flow during the procedure. The Spetec PUR HighFoamer filled the annular space between the two pipes and stopped the water traveling between the pipes.

As you can see in the "before" photograph below, there was a separate outflow stream to the right of the main stream due to leaking in between the pipe layers (outlined by a red oval).  The red circle below shows where the stream from the leak was hitting the side of the bank.  After Spetec PUR HighFoamer is installed between the pipe layers, the leak is sealed, that separate outflow stream is gone and the bank is no longer getting soaked.  The pipe is now functioning exactly as it should.

Want more information on Alchemy-Spetec leak seal products?

Alchemy-Spetec offers a variety of accessories for use with the geotech product line.  In this post, we'll take a brief tour.  If you have any questions about these products, don't hesitate to call us at 404-618-0438.

Alchemy-Spetec offers a variety of accessories for use with the leak seal product line.  In this post, we'll take a brief tour.  If you have any questions about these products, don't hesitate to call us at 404-618-0438.

Electric Injection Pumps

Alchemy-Spetec offers world-class Titan electric injection pumps for sealing both small and gushing leaks as well as filling voids behind and below structures.  Read more here...

Additional Equipment

Additional leak seal equipment includes the High Pressure Crack Injection Valve, the F-Valve Assembly, the Flush Wand, Oakum, and an extensive line of Packers and Ports.  Read more here...

Spetec Pump Cleaner

Spetec Pump Cleaner is a non-flammable solvent for cleaning uncured polyurethane from injection equipment. 

AP Soak 130

AP Soak 130 is a reusable, non-flammable solvent for cleaning cured resin from metal components.

Spetec Surface Guard

Spetec Surface Guard is a temporary coating for protecting concrete from polyurethane resin stains during  injection jobs.

AP Lube 190

AP Lube 190 is a lubricant for preventing isocyanate from setting up inside pumps or hoses.

Spetec Gel Reinforcing Agent

Spetec Gel Reinforcing Agent is an acrylic latex additive used to increase the strength and flexibility of our AG series of acrylic gels.

Want more information on the Alchemy-Spetec leak seal product line?