Alchatek Blog

 The Problem

Structural concrete cracks are often caused by shrinkage occurring while concrete dries if not mixed properly, thermal contraction/expansion due to seasonal temperature changes, and sub-grade settlement (changes in the soil that is supporting the structure). If not repaired, these types of cracks can expand and cause structural instability. Using epoxy resin for crack repair provides a durable and effective solution to stabilize and restore the integrity of the concrete.

The Solutions

Epicol T

As I mentioned in my recent blog article on this product...

Epicol T is a putty with a simple mixing ratio that's primarily used for surface sealing cracks before the application of Epicol INJ for structural repair. Due to its malleability, it can be worked even after curing to fix mishaps. Its adhesive power is extremely high and once fully cured for a few hours it will become hard and impermeable. (Epicol T can also be applied underwater. It sticks to wood, stone, concrete and metal.)

Click here to read more on Epicol T...

Epicol INJ LV

Here's how I described this product in a recent blog post...

Epicol INJ LV is a low-viscosity, long pot life epoxy resin designed for the structural bonding of cracks and micro cracks in dry or wet concrete. The low-viscosity allows this epoxy resin to deeply penetrate micro cracks and the long pot life allows the material to be injected as a single component. It has good chemical resistance to alkalis, petroleum derivatives, acid, diluted organic acids, salts and other solutions.

Click here to read more on Epicol INJ LV...

Want more information Alchemy-Spetec products?

The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) gives the EPA latitude to impose criminal and civil penalties on industries not in compliance. In 2014 enforcement efforts policing clean water netted $163 million in penalties and fines, 155 combined years of incarceration for sentenced defendants, and $16 million in court-ordered project clean-ups.

Having products that may come into contact with drinking water certified to NSF 61-5 (approved for contact with drinking water), ensures compliance with the SDWA and guarantees peace of mind for stakeholders on construction projects where this could be an issue. Even when possible contact with drinking water is not a factor, this process assures the contractor that the product is safe for the environment in general.

To receive NSF approval, each product must undergo rigorous testing and the manufacturer's plant and quality assurance practices must pass a thorough inspection. Voluntarily undergoing such a rigorous certification process is invaluable because it provides assurance to all that, at the end of the day, our arsenal of products are not only the top-performers in the market, but also protectors of the environment.

The following Alchemy-Spetec products have received the official NSF seal of approval for contact with drinking water: AP Lift 430, AP Lift 475, Spetec F400, Spetec F1000, AP Seal 500, AP Fill 700, Spetec H100 and AP Soil 600.

Want in-depth information on Alchemy-Spetec Products?

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.

Alchemy-Spetec's H40 is a solvent and phthalate free, water reactive, hydrophobic, one-component low viscosity polyurethane injection resin designed for soil stabilization. You can use this product to stabilize soil underneath bridge approach slabs, warehouse floors, side walks and many other concrete structures.

You can also use H40 for curtain wall grouting, the process of injecting water reactive resin behind a leaking wall in a grid pattern. The water on the other side mixes with the grout and cures to a solid mass covering the surface of the wall on the other side.

Want more information on soil stabilization products?

The past few months have been a little hectic in the upper west side of the country lately. 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 the construction of these links have been in progress. They've also been patching cross hatches (the short passage way between two sections of tunnel). The main product being used for these projects happens to be Alchemy-Spetec's GT350.

Click here to read our previous blog post on GT350.

This particular polyurethane resin is ideal for waterproofing and shutting off water leaks permanently.
Want more information on Alchemy-Spetec leak seal products?

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.

Leaks - Concrete Walls

This is the most common problem in the residential market, most often found in basements. You can repair leaks in poured concrete and pre-cast walls with Alchemy-Spetec’s F400. This hydrophobic grout will not shrink after application, during spells of dryer weather. In addition, this product has a thin composition and can penetrate fine, hairline cracks. The application process involves injecting the cracks with the resin, which then reacts with the leaking water to form a durable watertight seal. 

Leaks - Non-Concrete Walls

Many basement walls are made of brick, block, stone or rubble. Leaks in these types of walls require a process called curtain wall grouting (a.k.a. “through-wall” grouting). Curtain wall grouting involves drilling holes in a grid pattern and injecting Alchemy-Spetec’s AP 700 through the wall to form a waterproof curtain on the other side.

Leaks - Floor/Wall Intersection

Sometimes builders will neglect to use a leak seal product at this critical joint in the structure where the floor and wall meet. Even if they do seal these joints initially, with a mediocre product there will be failure over time. When faced with these types of issues, you can inject F400 for a lasting, durable repair. This application process is similar to crack injection for leaks in concrete walls as described above.

For more details on these application methods, click here for my blog series on Crack Injection and Curtain Wall Grouting.

Want more information on Alchemy-Spetec leak seal products?

At the very bottom of each Alchemy-Spetec blog post, you'll see what we in the blogging world call "category tags". These indicate the general subject matter covered by the blog article. Clicking on the tag will reveal a list of every blog post that has fallen under that category. Sometimes you'll a few category tags on the same post, because the article covers a variety of subjects. Today I want to shine a spotlight on our Business Tips category.

Blog articles falling under the Business Tips category are meant to help you, the contractor, optimize your business in a variety of different ways. For example we've recently posted articles on the following subjects...

How to Market Your Contracting Business

Armed with the right approach and the right tools, you can increase your market presence significantly while attracting more and more leads. I'll briefly mention a few basic points in this article. First and foremost, your website design should be user friendly. A frustrated website user often becomes a lost lead. In addition, your website text should be optimized 

for search engines. Find a specialist to research relevant key words most often searched in your city or state. It's important for site to be well designed, easy to navigate, and easy for search engines to find.

Read more... 

Benefits of Buying Through Distribution

On a really busy job, it is much more convenient to buy from a distributor that can deliver product directly to your job site, as opposed to depending on a freight company to deliver it from the manufacturer. To make it simple: a distributor already knows the local job site, the area, the traffic patterns, and the key people to make seamless drop offs.
 
We have experienced first hand the frustration of trying to get materials to a project address. The logistics, the timing, the limitations of a freight carrier's route and schedule can drive someone mad. Having someone else handle that can be a no brainer.

Read more...

Finance Your Contracting Business

We're happy to annouce that equipment financing is now available through Accord Financial Group. Accord has been helping countless businesses finance their equipment since 1992. They are a small, family owned business with an emphasis on taking care of their customers. Check out the interview below with Dough Richter of Accord Financial Group.

Read more...

We hope you find the tips we share to be useful as you scale up your business. If there are any subjects you'd like to see covered, or if you have any questions about the articles linked above, please call us at 404-618-0436. We're here to help!

Want information on the Alchemy-Spetec product line?

What Is GT1100?

GT1100 is a water reactive, hydrophilic, one-component flexible polyurethane injection gel that is designed to cut off water leaks.

What are the applications & advantages?

GT1100 can be used in many applications. It can be used to shut off water leaks in concrete, brickwork, sewers, diaphragm walls, piling sheets, secant piles as well as curtain grouting behind tunnels, concrete, brickwork and sewer walls. This resin can be used to seal water-carrying cracks and joints in tunnel segments by injecting water-cut off membranes and liners. It's also used for curtain grouting and soil stabilization.

Depending on the amount of water you mix it with, this resin can be set to cure to a rubbery foam or a stable gel. Once cured, GT1100 is highly flexible. That's why, as I mentioned earlier, it's suited for structures that have a high degree of settlement and movement.

Packaging

GT1100 is available in 5 gallon pails and 10.5oz. cartridges (12 per case).

Want more information on Alchemy-Spetec products?

Today I am reporting in from the APWA conference in Greenville NC. This is the annual event for public works professionals in the state of North Carolina. I'm join Carolina Foundation Solutions in their booth this week as a guest host.

 

Today we've spoken with cities both large and small, as well as DOT engineers and managers.  As far as polyurethane suppliers we are the only company here representing our industry.  So we're getting a lot of attention.

 

You know what we're hearing from these folks? Pipe joints separating and leaking, roads settling, concrete sinking, problems with the storm water systems, sidewalks out of whack. Makes me glad we're here to help. 

 

Alchemy Spetec manufactures an array of polyurethane systems for solving the above mentioned issues. Carolina Foundation Solutions is our certified contractor in the area and they're doing a great job uncovering opportunities to showcase slab lifting, leak sealing, and soil stabilization.

Want more info on Alchemy-Spetec products?

A few weeks ago, the start of "hurricane season" was officially recognized. 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.

Thanks to meteorologists, the death toll from those storms were kept to a minimum. If you didn't know, water and flooding are responsible for 88-90% of deaths from hurricanes. The worst on record being the Galveston hurricane of 1900 where between 6,000 and 12,000 perished. The property damage, however, is unavoidable no matter what the time period.

Last year after the hurricanes, we saw scouring/erosion underneath building footings and parking lot slabs. We saw stairways undermined, as well as historical buildings with huge voids underneath them. Not to mention, roadways, sidewalks, marinas, and infrastructure equally impacted from erosion of soil. A few of the contractors we work with were hired to do void filling underneath some of these buildings, but in a lot of cases these repairs are not addressed immediately - leaving a lot of the market still open.

The AP Lift series of structural polyurethane foams can be used to fill voids caused by scouring, to support suspended slabs by preventing further damage from settling, and to lift concrete that has sunken due to erosion from water. Not only can these products be applied rapidly, they can be pumped into places other products like concrete can’t reach. Displacing water as they react, and having the ability to support loads within 15 minutes, polymers are ideal for these types of repairs. Additionally, polymers are the only product you can shoot under an overhanging slab or footing that will expand and fill up completely.

If you call on people from FEMA or other local emergency management agencies this year, or insurance companies for that matter, let them know there is a solution that is readily available, permanent, and can prevent further damage from occurring to an undermined structure. We can assist with preparing and giving presentations in many cases.  Just give us a call at 404-618-0438.

Want more information on slab repair with polyurethane?

What is Epicol T?

Epicol T is a putty with a simple mixing ratio that's primarily used for surface sealing cracks before the application of Epicol INJ for structural repair. Due to its malleability, it can be worked even after curing to fix mishaps. Its adhesive power is extremely high and once fully cured for a few hours it will become hard and impermeable. (Epicol T can also be applied underwater. It sticks to wood, stone, concrete and metal.)

What is the installation process for Epicol T?

Preparing the Application and Mixing

Make sure the surface is clean. Wear plastic gloves. Fill a bucket with water and wet the gloves.

Use equal quantities of Component A and Component B. Knead both components together until they become a homogeneous grey color. Keep the gloves wet while kneading. For better malleability: place both packets in warm water before mixing.

Application

Apply the putty with a good amount of pressure. Extra pressure ensures better adhesion, even on a rough surface when it is not perfectly clean. The surface can be smoothed out with wet gloves.

Use

Epicol T is cured after 12 hours. It is fully mechanically loadable after 4 days and chemically loadable after 7 days. The curing process can be sped up with warm air (maximum 158°F).

Want more information on structural repair products?