Alchatek Blog

On May 31^st, Paul ‘Captain Grout’ Layman officially announced his retirement from the chemical grouting industry. As those in this  industry well-know, there are few people with as much technical and field experience as Captain Grout, and even fewer with personalities as large. 

Paul put himself through college as a concrete finisher and graduated from Andrews University in 1970. He then taught Physical Education and Math at the High School level, as well as being a Jr. High School Principal throughout the 70’s.

Paul began working in Construction sales in the late 70’s with L&M Construction Chemicals, and then joined Dayton Superior, becoming their floor and grout specialist, which led to him being known as “Captain Grout”. In 2005 he joined DeNeef as their Western Regional Manager, covering the western United States and Canada. After DeNeef was purchased by W.R.Grace Paul left DeNeef to join Resiplast U.S., which later merged with Alchemy Polymers to form Alchemy-Spetec. For the last couple of years, Paul has been a member of the Alchemy-Spetec team as the Pacific Northwest Manufacturer Representative. 

Throughout the years Paul was privileged to work with many of the most competent professionals in tunneling, mining, and dam repair. He travelled extensively and got to indulge his love of flying his own airplanes for several years during the week and sailing most weekends. Now, at age 71, he says it is time to go home to Maine and spend much needed time with his two grandsons, be able to travel with his wife, and to just enjoy his family and his friends. He also plans on lending a helping hand to his old alma mater, Pine Tree Academy in Maine, teaching some of the skills he has learned along the way to the next generation of concrete finishers and chemical grouters, maybe even sales people. As Paul says, it is time to give back.  

In honor and appreciation of Paul’s 40 years in the concrete repair ad chemical grouting industry, Alchemy-Spetec is proud to announce Paul ‘Captain Grout’ Layman as the first recipient of their Lifetime Achievement Award honoring individuals who have exhibited exemplary dedication to, and advancement of, the chemical grouting industry. These award winners will also be recognized as lifetime technical advisers to the Alchemy-Spetec product line. 

Those who know Captain Grout well, recognize his signature cap and love for airplanes and boats. The entire Alchemy-Spetec Team, as well as the chemical grouting industry tip our caps to you, Captain Grout, as you sail off into the sunset of retirement. 

Alchemy-Spetec is pleased to announce the addition of Charlie Lerman to our team!  Charlie will join us as the Western Regional Sales Manager, covering all states that are color-coded yellow on this distributor territory map. He will support Alchemy-Spetec customers on a wide variety of grouting jobs from dams to tunneling, municipal to sewer system work, residential, commercial, and industrial.

At the beginning of his career, Charlie served nine years in the U.S. Navy (six as a mechanic on a nuclear submarine and three as a recruiter). Mr. Lerman brings 18 years of construction experience to the team. He was with a restoration contractor for six of those years and earned his bachelor's degree in Business Management during that time. Charlie has been providing technical support and training to polyurethane grout applicators for over twelve years and has been involved with the International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI) and National Association of Sewer Service Companies (NASSCO).

Alchemy-Spetec V.P. of Sales & Business Development Jim Spiegel is excited about bringing on another skilled expert to assist customers: "Talk to Charlie for 5 minutes about chemical grouting, and you will recognize the high level of understanding he has for the products.  Talk to him for 30 minutes, and you will recognize the high level of business acumen and creativity that will be extremely valuable for his clients.  With over 12 years of chemical grouting experience, he's a great fit for the quality of team we are working hard to build."

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The month of June kicks off hurricane season and the forecasters are calling for a higher than normal level of activity (don’t they always?). Last year I posted a blog noting hurricane season arriving and I had no idea how prophetic it would turn out to be. 2017 brought some of the worst hurricane damage in years to the United States.

After the storms, of course, there was a flood of phone calls to both Alchemy-Spetec headquarters and to our contractor network. Homeowners and businesses on the water suffered catastrophic damage to their seawalls and bulkheads. The city of Punta Gorda, FL alone lost over 9 miles of seawall with another 17 miles damaged. The bright spot of all this was what we discovered when we inspected seawalls that had been grouted with polyurethane. These particular seawalls held up remarkably well.

Here’s what we learned in the aftermath:

Many people that live or work on the water often observe sinkholes that develop on the landward side of the seawall. Tides, wakes, and heavy rain events create hydrostatic pressure that is constantly trying to equalize on both sides of the wall. If water behind the wall cannot relieve itself through drains or weep holes, it will force its way beneath the wall carrying soil with it. This is called “piping”. Over time these pathways will funnel more and more soil out from behind the wall, creating sinkholes and dangerous voids.

Last year, especially with Irma, the eye of the hurricane was off the west coast of Florida and it created a
huge sucking action. You probably saw footage of Tampa Bay being emptied by the suction. At the
same time, all those seawalls and bulkheads with the voids and the piping experienced panel rotation.
That is what happens when the upper part of the wall remains secured with a deadman or tieback, and
the lower portion of the wall blows out. After that it is game over for the wall and the entire property is
in jeopardy.

When contractors inject a seawall with Alchemy-Spetec polyurethane, they drive injection probes several feet below the toe of the wall. Permeation and void filling resins like AP Fill 700 penetrate sandy soil, plug up voids or piping pathways, and stop the loss of soil from behind the wall. We are literally building the seawall down instead of up, and it works!

If you have made a decision to live or locate your business beside the water, then you know too well the
risks. Consider having an Alchemy-Spetec certified contractor come by and evaluate your current seawall
condition. Remember, once a wall fails the entire property is at risk of being lost. I know adding a
couple more feet to the seawall cap is real popular these days but consider building it down this year
instead.

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Have you ever been in a room with a group of people talking around an issue, but no one is directly addressing the problem? Or you are working with a group of people on an acknowledged problem, but there's no agreement on how to tackle the issue? These are signs of bad communication! According to some research I have found, companies practicing good communication have a 20% higher employee retention rate on average. 

Alchemy-Spetec holds weekly company meetings to facilitate ongoing communication between employees. Something as simple as a regularly scheduled company meeting can keep the lines of communication open at your organization as well. Contracting firms, engineering firms, municipalities and property management companies can all benefit from the practice of honest and direct interchange between key decision makers and departments.

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To backer rod or not to backer rod?  That is the question.

Alchemy-Spetec has stepped into the world of industrial floor repair.  For years we have developed products for lifting and stabilizing concrete slabs.  Now we have taken the next step and developed a couple of products for repairing and protecting the edges of the interior concrete joints.  This latest development has re-opened discussions I used to have on a regular basis about joint sealer, joint fillers, and the use of backer rod.

Let me cut to the chase.  There is a big difference between a joint sealant and a joint filler.  Joint sealants are mostly for exterior applications.  The purpose is to prevent water from entering the joints and eroding the soil beneath the slab (call me if that happens, I have the best solution for rocking slabs).  Joint fillers, on the other hand, are typically used indoors and their purpose is to protect the edges of the concrete joints from chipping and spalling.

In order for a concrete Joint Sealant to work, it has to be flexible and adhere tenaciously to the concrete.  These materials are typically silicone, polyurethane, or polysulfide based caulks.  The cured material should end up in an hour glass shape (picture an hour glass laying on its side).  This allows the material to deform and stretch in the thin part of the hour glass.  The hour glass shape is formed by installing a round backer rod pushed down in the joint so that the top of the backer rod is at a depth that is half the width of the joint.  The material is installed into the joint and then tooled so the top forms the shape of the hourglass.   

Joint Fillers, on the other hand, have a different purpose and different method of installation.  These materials are typically epoxy, polyurea, or a polyurea hybrid.  You should NEVER use a backer rod at a depth of less than two inches when using joint filler.  If you do, it will result in the material failing.  You can use a maximum of ¼” of dry silica sand at the bottom of the saw cut to help prevent the liquid material from flowing into the crack below the saw cut.  Faster set materials (polyurea hybrids) also help prevent leakage into the crack. 

Joint fillers are designed as a structural component.  They absorb the impact of hard-wheeled traffic (forklifts and pallet jacks).  They protect the joint edges.  To work properly, they should be installed to the full depth of the control joint saw cut or at least the top 2 inches of a construction joint. 

Yes, using backer rod can save you money on installation cost, but it will bite you in your hind quarters eventually.  Joint fillers do not stretch.  They are designed with low adhesive strength (aka bond strength) and low cohesive strength (aka tensile strength) so that they won’t weld the concrete together.  Saw-cut joints (aka control joints) are there for a purpose – to allow for thermal expansion and contraction of the concrete.  Joint fillers are designed to de-bond or crack if the concrete moves too much. This is not a failure of the material, but rather a built-in safety mechanism.  

If you install a joint filler properly (full depth), it will rest on the shoulders at the bottom of the saw cut and will not push down into the joint (unless you ignore my advice and use backer rod).  It will absorb the impact of hard wheel traffic and protect the joint edges.  We chose to develop a polyurea hybrid material that cures in seconds.  You can overfill the joint slightly, then shave off the top flush with the concrete in a matter of minutes.  Powerful, painless, rapid.

Quick Reference:

Joint Sealer:  Exterior use, high flexibility, installed in hourglass shape using backer rod, and prevents water intrusion beneath a concrete slab.

Joint Filler:  Interior use, low flexibility, installed full depth (normally don’t use backer rod), and protects the edges of the concrete joints from chipping and spalling.

Joint Filler Product:  AP Joint Fill 800.  Available in 10 gallon units or 22 ounce dual cartridges.

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The Alchemy-Spetec R-ITS system is a re-injectable system for acrylic resins and combination grouting with microfine cements. It can also be used as a standard single-use injectable tube system with polyurethane
resins and foams. Due to the specialty nature of this system, it is not sold in kits.

Ordering details are outlined below (and in our price list)...

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The Alchemy-Spetec Gel Pump is a pneumatically-operated, high pressure, stainless steel, dual-component chemical injection machine designed primarily for low viscosity acrylic gels like Spetec AG100 and Spetec AG200.  A third component, or flushing agent, is pumped through an additional piston assembly that is operated at the mixing manifold.  

Advantages:

• Stainless steel design suitable for acrylic oxidizing agents
• Convenient pneumatic operation
• Portable machine able to be picked up
• Wheeled cart design for easy mobility
• Complete hose sets and applicator
• Single air drive runs both pistons to maintain true ratio
• Able to produce >2000psi of output pressure

Field of Application:

• Acrylic gels
• Low-viscosity, 1:1 chemical resins
• Combination grouting of microfine cements and polyacrylate gels

Click here to download the Gel Pump datasheet for more info.

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The Alchemy-Spetec Drill Pump is a high pressure, single-component chemical injection pump suitable for low to mid viscosity chemical injection grouts. It’s most commonly used for the application of polyurethane injection grouts. The drill-mounted design offers a convenient and portable solution for chemical injection applications.

The Drill Pump offers an unmatched ease of access to the piston assembly and ball/springs through just a few allen screws. The small reservoir and direct-feed design allows for small batch mixing and eliminates excessive losses due to mixing and priming. The portable design (20lbs with drill) provides a unique and high pressure solution that can easily be carried onto swing stages, scaffolding or scissor lifts.

Click here to download the Drill Pump datasheet for more info.

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The Dynamic Cone Penetrometer allows you to perform continuous dynamic penetrometric tests. The fact that it is exceptionally small means you can use it on sites that are inaccessible to normal machines. A hydraulic extractor is used to extract rods, casing tubes and samplers. The penetrometer is controlled via a pedal-operated distributor. The hydraulic connections on the various components use quick connectors. Its reliability is proven by hundreds of units operational around the world.

The penetrometer is equipped with a 66 pound (30 kg) hammer with a 7.87 inch (200 mm) stroke, operated by a hydraulic motor. It is driven by a motor-pump unit (the motor can be either electric or a gasoline engine).

The Dynamic Cone Penetrometer can be used not only for dynamic tests, but also for soil sampling with limited disturbance, which guarantees improved ability to interpret the penetrometric data.

Click here to download Dynamic Cone Penetrometer datasheet for more info!

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Frosted Flakes could be more relevant to your project management than you may think. 

In the USA Today on April 26^th, Paul Davidson writes, “If you see prices creeping higher for everything from cereal to socks in the next few months, you can probably blame this stark reality: There aren’t enough truck drivers delivering the goods to stores.”

The same article reports a driver shortage of almost 60,000 in 2018, with that number almost doubling by 2022.  The causes of this phenomenon are attributed to several factors.  Tighter regulation and electronic tracking of fleets regarding their road time and breaks, Baby Boomers comfortable with cross-country treks and weeks away from family retiring, and Millennials uninterested in this career path are some of the theories.  In addition to this, many fleets are considering automated driver technologies that further decrease the demand and resulting training programs, budgets, and overall relevance. 

Adding to the dilemma is that large mainstream retailers such as Amazon and Wal-Mart are able to absorb a portion of these costs for commoditized goods through economies of scale. What this means for other resellers is incremental increases in prices that could soon leave them uncompetitive at the register. 

In the building products industry, these effects could be much more pronounced.  Order and deliveries often involve specialty production and delivery considerations.  We certainly don’t represent the Frosted Flakes of the world.  In the world Alchemy-Spetec operates, we would be more analogous to an artisan baker producing specialty products to serve a specific need.  Shipping and handling does play a role in this price point. 

The importance of distribution could once again rise to the forefront in the coming years.  While there is an industry trend to stock less, and drop-ship more, the shipping industry could play a much larger role in the building products vertical. So, next time you are walking through the isles at your local market, pay close attention to the price of those Oreos, and consider what that very trend could mean on your job site.  Your children may have a very valid argument that it’s a good idea to stock up. 

For information on Alchemy-Spetec’s Stocking Distributor program, please contact your Regional Manager available at the contact map linked here.

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