Alchatek Blog

When it comes to floor and wall joint leak repairs, there are usually two scenarios to consider. These repair jobs usually come about because of leakage where the floor and wall typically meet. Each scenario determines where drill points should be placed for repair procedures using polyurethane.

Scenario 1:

In this scenario the floor has been poured first before a wall is made to confine a space. To fix leaks that occur in this type of joint, a hole is drilled at the bottom of the wall. This is usually about 6-8 inches above the floor and at a 45 degree angle. Once drilled, soaked oakum is then placed in the hole. Once cured, the oakum serves as a gasket and initial leak seal. Polyurethane grout is then pumped into the hole for a deeper seal, while the oakum gasket prevents it from spilling back out.

Scenario 2:

In this scenario the wall has been poured first before the floor. The hole is drilled on the floor about 6-8 inches from the wall and at a 45 degree angle. Soaked oakum is placed into the hole to create an initial seal and gasket. Polyurethane grout then injected behind it for a thorough leak seal solution.

Materials often used for these applications:

AP Oakum: for creating gaskets

AP Fill 700: for drilled holes that are about 2 inches wide

Spetec F400: for drilled holes that are between ½ and 1 inch wide

AP Seal 500: for tight joints with multiple hairline cracks

Spetec F1000: works well if curtain grouting is needed to drill through brick walls

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Not too long ago, I had the opportunity to assist on a concrete leveling job involving a sunken garage slab.  This particular slab had a massive void underneath that needed to be filled before the slab would lift.  In just a few hours, we had the void filled and the slab level again.

Quick recap for those who are new to polyurethane slab lifting: Concrete slabs settle due to voids or unstable soil below. By pumping a polyurethane foam through the concrete, you essentially push the concrete slab back up from below. Using polyurethane foam is very cost effective, environmentally friendly, and causes very little downtime.

Check out this incredible time lapse footage our marketing team captured!

Want more information on concrete leveling with polyurethane foam?

As contractors who are on the road a lot, there is something you definitely need to be aware of: if you're involved in an accident, an attorney may summon your phone records to look for evidence of distracted driving.

My brother-in-law Eric was driving through an intersection in Tucker when a car pulled out in front of him. He hit that car, which in turn hit another car. Eric was not ticketed as the other driver was at fault.

Just last week Eric was served papers at home. He is being sued by the driver he hit. The only thing the attorneys want are his cell phone records to see if he was emailing or texting while driving. If he was, even 30 seconds prior, they have a case for distracted driving.

Fortunately for Eric, he was not on his phone at anytime during that drive so he'll be okay. It's a shotgun approach for the lawyers; go for the phone records and hope to get lucky. I suspect they get lucky quite often.

If you do not know the distracted driving laws in your state, be sure to check out Idrivesafely.com for more information. The minute I heard this story, I knew it would be an important safety and business tip to share with you - because we've got your back!

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I recently assisted on a job in which a large void underneath a homeowner’s garage had caused the slab to sink. Our marketing team got some GREAT time lapse footage of the slab lift.

Quick recap for those who are new to polyurethane slab lifting: Concrete slabs settle due to voids or unstable soil below. By pumping a polyurethane foam through the concrete, you essentially push the concrete slab back up from below. Using polyurethane foam is very cost effective, environmentally friendly, and causes very little downtime.

Check out this awesome time lapse footage! 

Sunken concrete slabs can be lifted back into place with two-component polyurethane foams designed to work in wet or dry conditions. The expansion force of the concrete leveling foam coupled with the pressure of a specialized pump generate enough controlled force to lift virtually any structure back into position with 1/8” precision. 

Alchemy-Spetec's AP Lift 430, AP Lift 440 and AP Lift 475 are the most dependable foams for jacking and leveling concrete slabs.

Watch this animation for an explanation of the the slab lifting process...

 Want more information on lifting slabs?

The terms hydrophobic and hydrophilic may not mean anything to the average person. But, to a contractor, these terms can mean a world of a difference. Hydro means water while phobic means “to fear” and philic means “to love”.  Alchemy-Spetec offers both hydrophobic and hydrophilic polyurethanes, so it is important to be aware of the differences between the two types.  

Hydrophobic Polyurethanes

Hydrophobic polyurethanes naturally repel water (similar to the way oil would repel water and stay separate if you were trying to mix them in a glass). These products push water out of the area in question as they expand. Hydrophobics are used with catalysts which allow you to adjust the set time. They also have zero shrinkage after curing.

Check out these hydrophobic polyurethanes:

• AP Fill 700
• Spetec F400
• Spetec F1000
• Spetec H100 
• Spetec H40 
• AP Lift 475
• AP Lift 440
• AP Lift 430
• AP Soil 600 

Hydrophilic Polyurethanes

Hydrophilic polyurethanes naturally mix with water before curing (similar to the way gin and tonic mix thoroughly in a glass). This characteristic allows for a very strong chemical and mechanical bond, as water helps pull the material into the pores of the concrete. These products do not require a catalyst. You can pump them straight out of the pail.

Check out these hydrophilic polyurethanes:

• AP Seal 500
• Spetec GT350

Don't Oversimplify These Concepts

Don't get caught in the trap of oversimplifying hydrophilic vs. hydrophobic.  There are varying degrees of each (see chart below for more information on how this is measured) .  

Some hydrophilic materials will keep absorbing water (10-15 times their original volume).  Others (such as our AP Seal 500) only absorb as much water as is necessary for their reaction and then they reject the rest.  Yes, hydrophilic gels will shrink like crazy in the absence of water, but the AP Seal 500 won't.  It is completely safe to use in a dry environment.

Want more information on Alchemy-Spetec products?

Continuing with this week's essential blog post roundup, let's review the best of recent leak seal articles. First we have a profile of a tunnel patching job with Spetec GT350. Next we have an overview of common residential leak seal opportunities. Finally, we'll leave you with a post on sealing pipe penetrations. Hopefully these three posts will get you thinking about leak seal job possibilities for your business.

Northgate Link Extension with GT350

By Thad Brown

In Seattle, Washington there has been construction taking place in the region’s most congested traffic area. The Northgate Link tunnel is being extended to connect the Northgate, Roosevelt and U District neighborhood transit stations to downtown Seattle and the airport. One of our contractor customers has been an ongoing asset to this project as they have been patching the tunnel walls while during the construction process.

Click here to read more...

Waterproofing Residential Spaces

By Anthony Sandone

The residential waterproofing market is huge and can be quite the cash cow for contractors who enjoy tending to a constant stream of smaller jobs. Let's review common residential waterproofing issues and the Alchemy-Spetec products you can use to address them.

Click here to read more...

Sealing Pipe Penetrations

By Thad Brown

Over the years, I have been asked countless times for the best way to seal pipe penetrations and other irregular annular spaces. Pipe penetration scenarios often have to do with water supply lines, electrical conduits and gas lines just to name a few. The main concern is creating a durable watertight seal between the outside of the pipe and the structure the pipe is penetrating through.

Click here to read more...

Want more information on leak seal products?

Continuing with this week's review of essential recent blog posts, we'll take a look at three articles on soil stabilization. The first post is a very informative case study on a sinkhole repair job. The next two posts profile key soil stabilization products that every contractor should be familiar with.

Case Study: Sink Hole Repair

By Anthony Sandone

Kiawah Island is located in Charleston, South Carolina. Due to the makeup of this area, water flows abundantly in every area naturally. In this post I'll discuss a sinkhole that appeared on one of the island's bike trails. This was caused by the soil eroding away under an asphalt sidewalk. This particular bike trail rested on and around a pond that contained fresh fish. The only acceptable route to fix this issue was to use Alchemy-Spetec's H100, which has been certified as safe for contact with drinking water.

Click here to read more...

Stabilize Soil with H40

By Thad Brown

Unstable soil can be defined as soil that will not stay in place on its own, and there­fore requires extra support. It should be noted that unstable soil can threaten the stability, security, and safety of infrastructure and can damage, degrade, and even destroy a number of structures, such as buildings, bridges, and roads. There are a variety of factors that can cause unstable soil including erosion, poor compaction, freeze/thaw cycles and decomposition.

Click here to read more...

Soil Stabilization with AP Soil 600

By Thad Brown

AP Soil 600 is used mainly for three types of applications: permeation grouting, the stabilization of loose sand and soil, and sinkhole remediation. This product does not require a catalyst. It's great for encapsulating and strengthening loose soil. AP Soil 600 provides excellent soil penetration due to its low viscosity.

Click here to read more...

Want more information on stabilizing soil with polyurethane?

Needless to say, there's been an abundance of content posted on this blog lately. This week we'll round up the best content from our 3 post popular topics: Lifting Slabs, Stabilizing Soil and Sealing Leaks. You may or may not have missed some of these posts the first time around. Regardless, it's always helpful to pause and review this information in order to process it more thoroughly. Today's focus is lifting and stabilizing slabs. Here are three essential recent posts...

Structural Polyurethane Foams For Hurricane Season

By Andy Powell

Per usual, meteorologists predicted a higher than average degree of activity for this year. It’s easy to pile on the pressure for accuracy from the weather people, but last year they accurately predicted and tracked two storms that affected our coasts.

Hurricane Matthew and tropical storm Hermine both caused significant damage in the gulf and on the east coast. Matthew especially caused a tremendous amount of flooding as opposed to wind damage because of the way it tracked parallel to the coast for so long before making landfall.

Click here to read more...

Commercial and Industrial Slab Lifting

By Andy Powell

Sunken concrete slabs can be lifted back into place with our two-component polymer foam designed to work in wet or dry conditions. The expansion force of the concrete leveling foam coupled with the pressure of a specialized pump generate enough controlled force to lift virtually any structure back into position with 1/8” precision. Polyjacking and concrete lifting can be accomplished at a fraction of the cost and time required for replacement using our AP Lift series of resins.

Click here to read more and watch an excellent demo video...

Stabilizing a House with AP 475

By Andy Powell

Eroded soil and voids underneath a structure can result in settlement and damage to the structure. These dangerous voids can be filled with high strength polyurethane foam that supports up to 14,000 pounds per square foot. The video in the linked article shows the stabilization of the back half of a residence resting on nothing but its frame and thin air.

Click here to read more and watch the video...

Want more info on lifting and stabilizing slabs with polyurethane foam?

Alternately, oakum can be soaked in Alchemy Spetec leak sealing resins first, and then packed into leaking cracks and joints.  There the resin impregnated oakum will react with the water and expand to form a dense, yet flexible seal.  This seal will also keep contained, any resin that is injected behind, allowing for the injected material to stay in the crack or joint where it is intended to be.

Click here to read the Oakum Datasheet.

Want information on additional leak seal products?