Alchatek Blog

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?

In the previous post we discussed Alchemy-Spetec equipment offerings. While using the best equipment is essential, using the best accessories is just as important. Let's take a look at what's available.

Crack Injection and Soil Stabilization Accessories

• Ports for Injecting Grouts Into Concrete
  • 5/8″ Mechanical Packer
  • 1/2″ Mechanical Packer
  • 13 mm Mechanical Packer
  • 3/8″ Hammer In Port with Zerk Fitting
  • 3/8″ Plastic Drive In Port
    
    
• High Pressure Crack Injection Valve
  • Controls resin flow at the point of injection.
    
    
• Flush Wand
  • For flushing concrete dust from the holes you have drilled for crack injection.
    
    
• Oakum
  • Seals cracks and slows down gushing water during leak repair. Oakum can be used alone or in combination with leak seal resins.

Slab Lifting Accessories

• Button Head Fittings
  • Designed for high volume flow and provide a smooth working surface for easy coupler engagement & removal.
    
    
• Packers
  • For injection of chemical grouts beneath the slab.
    
    
• Couplers
  • Provide airtight seals when used with packers or hammer-in ports.

Cleaners, Flushes and Soaks

• Spetec Pump Cleaner
  • A non-flammable solvent for cleaning uncured polyurethane from injection equipment. (Read more…)
    
    
• AP Flush 125
  • For flushing out the MixMaster Pro slab lifting gun and preventing resin stains on concrete. (Read more…)
    
    
• AP Soak 130
  • Cleans cured resin from metal components. (Read more…)

Want more information on Alchemy-Spetec accessories?

Using the best equipment is just as important as using the best material. In this post, I'll provide a brief overview of Alchemy-Spetec's equipment offerings.

Equipment Overview

MixMaster Pro

Two-component resin injection gun manufactured specifically for lifting concrete slabs and designed to handle back-pressure.  

Advantages:

• Two-component resin injection gun.
• Manufactured for lifting concrete slabs.
• Low operation cost.
• Handles back pressure.
• Built to last.

PMC Pumps

PMC plural component proportioners are used to inject AP two-component structural polyurethane foams for concrete leveling. Rugged and dependable, these pumps utilize relays and circuit breakers instead of circuit boards, vastly increasing reliability and preventing maintenance problems.

Advantages:

• Used for concrete leveling & slab stabilization.
• Rugged and dependable.
• Uses relays instead of circuit breakers (less maintenance).
• Pumps range in output from 25 lbs/min - 40 lbs/min.
• Hydraulic or pneumatic.

Titan Pumps

Modified for injecting polyurethane resin, these world-class Titan pumps are essential tools for sealing both small and gushing leaks, as well as filling voids behind and below structures.

Advantages:

• Customized for crack injection.
• Output range of .54 gal/min - 2.35 gal/min.
• Pressure range of 3300 psi - 3600 psi.
• Seals both small and gushing leaks.
• Can also be used for some soil stabilization and void fill projects.

Want more information on Alchemy-Spetec Equipment?

Acrylates were introduced in the early 80s to the waterproofing industry as a less toxic alternative to acrylamide for repairing structures. Acrylamides are sold in powder form, while acrylates come ready for use in a liquid form.

Acrylate grouts are used to stabilize soil, seal leaks in concrete and brick walls, repair joints in sanitary sewer pipe laterals, and repair rock fissures. Due to their low viscosity ratings, these acrylates can be used in a variety of applications such as industrial, commercial, and municipal.

Here is a general overview of Alchemy-Spetec acrylate grouts:

Spetec AG100

• Ideal for municipal applications.
• Repair joints in sanitary sewer pipe laterals.
• Curtain grouting and soil stabilization.
• 20 cps mixed viscosity.

Spetec AG200

• Consolidate soil and prevent erosion around floors, walls, etc.
• Curtain grouting and soil stabilization.
• Crack injection.
• 40 cps mixed viscosity.

Want more information on acrylate grouts and other leak seal products?

While similar in function, there is a difference between leak seal products and waterstop products. Waterstop products are designed to prevent water leaks from occurring, while leak seal products are designed to repair existing leaks.  

Here's an overview of Alchemy-Spetec waterstop products:

Spetec WT400

This is a caulk designed to swell and/or expand in the presence of water.  It is safe for marine environments and can be applied under water. Spetec WT400 is used to seal pipe penetrations, wall joints, and sheet pile joints. It is available in two package sizes:

12 Cartridge Case (10.5 oz)

12 Sausage Case (20 oz)

Spetec ITS Kit

The Spetec ITS Kit (Injection Tubing System) is used as a complete and primary waterstop system for post-injection sealing of construction joints in concrete. It is used to seal cold joints, expansion joints, pipe penetrations, and tunnel segment joints. This kit includes four parts:

100 lf of injection tube. 20 lf of 3/8" reinforced PVC tube. 1/4" clips (100). 12 3/8" elbow hose barbs.

Spetec SST500

This is a black hydrophilic synthetic waterproofing strip. Spetec SST500 swells up to 500% of its original size upon contact with water and is used to seal pipe penetrations as well as wall/floor joints. This product comes in two package sizes:

5 Roll Case (10 Meters) & 9 Roll Case (10 Meters)

Spetec MSA

Spetec MSA is used in conjuction with Spetec SST500 as an adhesive sealant that cures into an elastic compound with excellent adhesion to nearly all surfaces.  It is used for sealing joints between walls and slabs. This product comes in one package size:

12 Cartridge Case (9.81 oz)

Want more information on Alchemy-Spetec waterstop products?

I have been in a number of elevator pits harboring around two feet of water due to water leaks. These pits are usually at or below the water table, underneath the first floor of buildings with concrete poured around them. Over time the water tables rise and fall due to seasonal changes. This causes the soil to move, creating problems in the structure. These leaks are common in commercial buildings, especially if the elevators are not properly maintained.

There are several reasons why these elevator pits spring leaks and cause problems.

One of the main causes of these leaks is faulty waterproofing that was incorrectly installed during the construction phase. This allows joints that go around the elevator pit to leak due to imperfections or cracks in the base or walls. Another cause is simply time itself. As the elevator pit ages, the waterproofing system in place naturally begins to fail. The outside membranes begin to break down and negatively affect the performance of the waterproofing system.

What Can You Do?

The solution depends on the type of structure. You're usually looking at either poured concrete walls, block walls or brick walls.

Poured Concrete Walls

In the case of concrete walls, water will seep through by way of cracks. You can counteract this problem by crack injecting with Alchemy-Spetec’s Spetec F400 or AP Seal 500. They both work well in wet conditions and are water reactive.

Block and Brick Walls

In the case of both block and brick walls, movement in the soil due to water table changes can move the individual blocks or bricks - causing gaps to occur. These gaps result in issues like leaking floor/wall joints and border joint leakage/decay. You can counteract these problems by injecting grout through the wall into the outside soil (a process called curtain wall grouting) with Alchemy-Spetec’s AP Fill 700 or Spetec H100.

All of these products can also be used as part of preventative measures during the construction phase.

Want more information on sealing leaks with Alchemy-Spetec products?

ST500 is a black hydrophilic synthetic waterproofing strip that is designed to fasten to existing joints. 

Overview

Application

Want more information on SST500 & other waterstop products?

Some call it redundancy. Some call it insurance. Most everyone agrees it's a good idea.

The Alchemy-Spetec injection tube system kit (a.k.a. the I.T.S. Kit) is a great and comparatively inexpensive way to seal floor to wall joints. It is easy to install, and does not require extra parts. The attached hose can be adapted to any size joints. For tilt-up or poured in-place applications, this system can be installed prior to the placing of floor to wall or wall to floor concrete construction.

The system can be injected with Spetec H100 or AP Fill 700  once the concrete is cured as a water-stop or it can be left in place and injected if/when the joint begins to leak. Using this system, the resin will flow into any irregular formed joint. All in all, it serves as a perfect way to take care of any problematic joint.

Did I mention that there is virtually no risk of damage or interruption occurring during your construction process? 

Redundancy? Insurance? Whatever you want to call it, it's a great idea to include on all your concrete floor to wall or wall to floor applications. 

Want more information on the I.T.S. Kit and other Alchemy-Spetec waterstop products?