Alchatek Blog

If you’re in the chemical grouting industry, you have undoubtedly seen expanding polyurethane foams reacted in cups at tradeshows, trainings, and presentations.  When these water-activated polyurethanes come in contact with moisture, a polymerization reaction is initiated, which caused a large expansion of the cured polyurethane.  But not all foams are created equal. 

Spetec PUR HighFoamer polyurethane grout expands 40x the original liquid volume.  For high water flow scenarios, or large void filling, Spetec HighFoamer features industry-leading expansion rates which can be initiated in as little as 6 sec. with the addition of 10% accelerator.  This unique combination of reaction time and expansion can cut off even them most sever water infiltration issues seen on any construction site.  

The extreme high expansive nature of Spetec HighFoamer is a must see for all chemical grouting contractors performing the following work:

• Water cut-off of large flow and high-pressure water leaks.
• Stabilization and water cut-off of large cracks, voids and gravel layers.
• Pre and post injections in mines, tunnels, pipe jacking, drill & blast and TBM applications.
• Injections in combination with cement-based grout.
• Crack and gravel layer injections in concrete structures.
• Soil stabilization and anchors in porous geology.
• Water cut-off of sewer water leaks and sewer stabilization.
• Probe Grouting for below grade pipes.
• Filling of voids.

The HighFoamer injection resin is suitable for all single component injection equipment including electric airless pumps, drill-operated pumps, and larger pneumatic piston pumps.  

Want more information on Alchemy-Spetec leak seal solutions?

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. 

Want more information on Alchemy-Spetec leak seal products?

At Alchemy-Spetec, we truly believe our differentiating value lies in the technical expertise of our people. Along those lines, we would like to introduce our Independent Manufacturer’s Representative based in Houston, TX, John Ziebell...

If you’re familiar with the Texas chemical grouting industry, or a member of ICRI, there is no doubt that you are well-aware of John’s technical acumen, presentation skills, and field experience. During my 12 years in the industry, I often heard engineering firms and contractors alike cite John’s technical direction as the reason they chose a particular chemical grout for their injection needs. John is a true industry icon in the US chemical grouting industry, and we are very fortunate to have him on the Alchemy-Spetec team. John’s 34 years of chemical grouting experience is an instant value-add to all of the contractors, distributors, and design professionals working with Alchemy-Spetec. 

John Ziebell, TPCCI, Bio:

John majored in Chemical Engineering at the University of Texas, from 1961 to 1965. He worked in the chemical process and protective coatings industries in Houston until 1981. In 1981 he founded a manufacturer’s representative agency, Texas Protective Coating Consultants, Inc., representing protective coating and waterproofing product manufacturers.  He sold TPCCI in 2001 and served as Vice President of Operations for Deneef Construction Chemicals, Inc until 2010. Upon retiring from Deneef, he re-acquired TPCCI. He currently has 34 years in the chemical grout industry, including manufacturing, formulation, quality control, field technical service, specification writing, consulting and third-party witness experience. He lives in Magnolia, TX with his wife Nealene.

Want to learn more about Alchemy-Spetec products?

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.

Want more information on Alchemy-Spetec soil stabilization products?

Support. I’ve been in the chemical grouting industry for 12 years now. I have been in countless engineer presentations, distributor sales meetings, and contractor training programs during which the concept of support is thrown around rather loosely.

Alchemy-Spetec supports our industry. We have a team of Regional Managers, Independent Sales Representatives, and Field Technicians that cover the United States daily. Alchemy-Spetec team members are considered chemical grouting industry experts. There are no entry-level representatives on this team. The air fare and travel time expenditure within our company is relatively astounding.

When considering a company's commitment to support, the key issue is how much TIME a knowledgeable representative will spend with the customer to make sure they are successful. "Support" is not a cheaper price and a data sheet. Companies producing superior products, and with industry experts traveling daily, do not compete on price. Don’t get tricked by these tactics. Time is money in the construction world. When manufacturers step up and give their customers TIME, they are instantly adding value. True support cannot be quantified in a paper trail in the construction industry. Ask your suppliers HOW they support you post- sale. This is more important than any price.

Want more information on Alchemy-Spetec products?

Perhaps the most profound question we can all answer is our "Why". We all get up in the morning, get ready for work, and go about our day. But why do we work where we work? And, more importantly, why should our customers spend their hard-earned dollars with us? As Simon Sinak so simply states, “people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”

Any company can search for transactions. We all know the game those transactional companies play. They prospect, identify opportunity, send the me-too samples and info, and play their game on the price court. I call these accounts easy come, easy go accounts. But these aren’t brands with value cultures; these are businesses looking to make a quick buck. Sure, the P&L will always be the scoreboard of the business, but what is the revenue-generating culture, or the "Why" in your company?

In a recent relatively high-stakes situation that most managers would lose sleep over, we discussed ways to change our internal decision-making processes in one particular area. I won't get into specifics here, but in the end, we concluded that we would continue to do the exact same thing. Why? Because our existing process was ultimately better for the customer. And over any monetary consideration, that was the most important takeaway. This situation was a breath of fresh air to me personally. It revitalized my own personal "Why".

Everything is available on the internet. There are no secrets to the "What" and "How" a company operates anymore. The secret sauce is in the "Why". Of course, we’re happy to support the me-too needs of a busy contractor, but we genuinely hope that distributors and contractors have the time to see "Why" we do what we do in the chemical grouting world.

Want more information on Alchemy-Spetec products?

Finally! We are at the last basic step. Now for the fun part - injecting the polyurethane resin. If you only have one pump, be sure to flush the pump out completely with AP Flush 121 before you pump the resin (unless you like rebuilding Titan airless sprayers).

Check your safety gear - safety glasses are the most important item. Put on two pairs of latex gloves (so you can easily slip on a new pair once the outer pair gets sticky - it is tough to slide fresh gloves over sweaty hands.)

Turn the pump pressure all the way down. Squirt some resin into a cup to make sure the resin is clean. Start at the lowest port and slowly crack the valve. This is a two man job (unless it is a small job). Have your partner slowly turn up the pressure as needed. Develop hand signals if the jobsite is noisy from a generator.

If the resin is flowing, keep pumping. If not, slowly adjust the pressure up. Here comes the art of the game. You have two ways to control the flow of the resin. The pump operator can control the pressure and the valve operator can control the flow. The more experienced technician should control the show.

If I am on the valve, I will tell the pump operator how high to turn up the pressure. I will close the valve while this is being done. Once the pressure is up, I will control the flow of the resin from the valve. Very slowly cracking it open. This way, if I feel a shear start to form, I have a split second to close the valve.

If I am on the pump and the valve operator is less experienced, I will have them open the valve and I will control things with the pump pressure. I will turn it up and down as necessary. It is better to have the valve operator control the show in most circumstances since that person is closer to the action, but hey, I am a control freak when it comes to crack injection.

When to stop? My rule is this - if resin is flowing, keep pumping. What if it starts to run out the face of the crack? Again, my rule is this - if more resin is going in than is coming out, keep pumping. You only have a few minutes to get the resin where it needs to be. As the AP Seal 500 reacts with water it starts to thicken up and becomes more difficult to push into the tighter recesses of the crack.

If raw resin comes out of the crack (amber resin, not a white foam), then it is time to stop. This resin will seal the crack, but at this point there is not much water for it to react with and it will cure slowly. Stop injecting and move to the next port because it will be slow to seal. It is better to see white foam coming out the face of the crack.

What happens if the foam travels past the next port - should I stop? No way. This is a home run. In most cases, the further along the face of the crack the resin travels, the deeper it is travelling as well. This gives you a better seal.

If too much resin is flowing out or washing out due to high water flow, you can use AP Oakum and a screwdriver to create a temporary plug (large or small) to give the resin time to react, expand, and seal the leak.

There are many more nuances about resin injection that you can read about in the leak seal section of this blog. For now, you have completed the basic training of sealing leaks in concrete structures. Here are the basic steps one more time for review:

1. Drill the injection holes.
2. Flush the injection holes.
3. Set the injection ports.
4. Flush the crack with water.
5. Inject the resin.

Congratulations! You have now completed the five basic injection steps and are ready to give it a shot on your own. Of course, many readers are as experienced as I am. If you aren’t, please feel free to call us at 404-618-0438 and ask any questions. The team at Alchemy-Spetec is here to help!

Click below to read the previous articles in this series if you missed them:
5 Steps of Concrete Crack Injection - Overview
5 Steps of Concrete Crack Injection - 1. Drilling Holes
5 Steps of Concrete Crack Injection – 1. Drilling Holes (Continued)
5 Steps of Concrete Crack Injection – 2. Flushing the Holes
5 Steps of Concrete Crack Injection – 3. Installing the Ports
5 Steps of Concrete Crack Injection – 4. Flushing the Cracks

Want in-depth info on crack injection procedures and products?

All cracks that aren’t actively leaking at the time you are sealing them need to be flushed out with water. Flushing them gives you several advantages:

1. Let’s you know whether your drill holes have intersected the crack.
2. Flushes dirt and debris out the surface of the crack so your resin has a cleaner internal surface to bond to.
3. Reveals how far you can expect the resin to travel so you know if your drilled holes are close enough together.
4. The water will help open up tight cracks that the thicker resin may not otherwise have been able to penetrate.
5. Ensures that the resin has sufficient moisture to react with.

Start at the lowest point in the crack and flush clean water through your injection ports. It is best to have at least two pumps onsite. One for pumping water and one for pumping resin. Use the same type of high pressure pump that you use for resin. You can use a smaller pump if you like, as long as it is capable of generating between 2,800 and 3,500 p.s.i.

BE CAREFUL when flushing tight cracks! The low viscosity of water coupled with the high pressure of the pump can shear the concrete. The water can push into tight cracks and capillaries and all at once split your concrete. You can also shear concrete with resin, but it is more likely to happen with water because you are testing your crack and trying to open it up.

Always start every port with the lowest pump pressure and slowly turn it up as necessary. Also, slowly crack the valve open when you are first injecting water or resin. This is a critical moment in the process. If you forget to turn the pump pressure down after each port, you risk blasting high pressure into the port all at once which can result in shearing of the concrete or blowing out the port.

Keep injecting water as long as it is flowing through the port and moving further and further along the crack. Monitor the water coming out of the crack. Notice if it is clean or cloudy. Keep injecting until it comes out clean.

If the project is big enough, you can have one technician injecting water and another injecting resin right behind. Personally, I like to do both steps myself. That way I know what to expect when injecting the resin. In any case, keep the water pump nearby. Many times you will have to pop another hole in the wall here and there to completely seal the crack with resin.

Click below to read the previous articles in this series if you missed them:
5 Steps of Concrete Crack Injection - Overview
5 Steps of Concrete Crack Injection - 1. Drilling Holes
5 Steps of Concrete Crack Injection – 1. Drilling Holes (Continued)
5 Steps of Concrete Crack Injection – 2. Flushing the Holes
5 Steps of Concrete Crack Injection – 3. Installing the Ports

Click below to read next articles in this series:
5 Steps of Concrete Crack Injection – 5. Injecting the Resin

Want in-depth info on crack injection procedures and products?

Installing high pressure injection ports is pretty straight forward, so I won’t spend too much time on this topic. Just a few quick tips.

1. Hammer In Ports. Place the port in a clean 3/8” diameter hole and hammer it in. The high quality materials our ports are made of will take a pounding. But you don’t have to hammer them in too hard. With a little practice you will begin to notice the sound changes slightly when the port is seated. Use an electric screwdriver or drill with a 5/16” socket to seat the zerk fitting into the port. Also, make sure you have a “T” handle socket for use in areas where water is pouring down on your head (so you don’t short out your electric screwdriver or drill).

You may notice that the bag of ports is wet on the inside when you get them. The water helps the ports stay resistant to cracking.

The downside to Hammer In Ports is that they only contact the concrete in a very small area and make a seal (due to the tapered nature of the port). In good quality concrete this seal will hold back several thousand p.s.i. However, if the concrete is weak or the drilled hole is out of round, you can have a problem. In which case you want to use a Mechanical Port.

2. Mechanical Ports have dropped in price dramatically over the years due to inexpensive labor and cheaper materials from overseas. There is now little price difference between the Hammer In Ports and the Mechanical Ports compared to what there used to be. I have a personal affinity for Mechanical Ports because I used to make them in my father’s shop back in the early 1980s. They have a much larger surface area to create a seal and will hold more pressure than the concrete can take.

Make sure you seat the rubber all the way inside the hole. If it is partially outside of the hole, it can cause the surface of the hole to spall, chip, and crack. Setting it in at least ¼” past the surface of the hole will give you a great seal and reduce the chance of cracking the concrete unnecessarily.

Snug the ports down, but don’t over tighten. It is easier than you think to crack the concrete by over tightening (especially if you have drilled close to the crack or at a very steep angle).

Now that you have the ports installed, you are ready to clean out the crack by flushing water through the ports. I’ll discuss that in the next section.

Click below to read the previous articles in this series if you missed them:
5 Steps of Concrete Crack Injection - Overview
5 Steps of Concrete Crack Injection - 1. Drilling Holes
5 Steps of Concrete Crack Injection – 1. Drilling Holes (Continued)
5 Steps of Concrete Crack Injection – 2. Flushing the Holes

Click below to read next articles in this series:
5 Steps of Concrete Crack Injection – 4. Flushing the Cracks
5 Steps of Concrete Crack Injection – 5. Injecting the Resin

Want in-depth info on crack injection procedures and products?

Alchemy-Spetec is now accepting resumes to fill the position of West Regional Manager for our Geotech and Leak-Seal chemical grout product lines.

This position offers a very competitive compensation package including competitive base salary, bonus plan, benefits, 401(k), travel allowances, and expense account.

Candidates who will be considered for this role must have relevant industry experience with four year college degree and proven sales and/or management track record.

Territory will be the Western 13 states with considerable travel required.

We look forward to hearing from all interested candidates in the very near future.

Please contact Jim Spiegel at jspiegel@alchemy-spetec.com for more details on this exciting position. Join the fast-growing, technically-experienced team at Alchemy-Spetec.

Alchemy-Spetec is an equal opportunity employer.