Alchatek Blog

Alchemy-Spetec has a reputation for the best technical support in the business. Our technical consultants have years of on-the-job experience and give the best guidance and training you'll find anywhere. No job is too challenging when you know we've got your back.

But what about getting those jobs in the first place? Did you know that we also offer marketing support? If you want assistance finding and reeling in the best, most profitable concrete repair jobs out there, give us a call. The Alchemy-Spetec Marketing Department is very proactive in assisting customers.

Some of the materials and services we offer include:

• Referrals to professional consultants on web design, search engine optimization, online advertising campaigns, etc.
• Illustrations depicting infrastructure repair processes.
• Photographs of jobs, products and/or equipment.
• Videos and/or animations depicting infrastructure repair processes.
• Customizable slab lifting graphic files for large format signs.
• Customizable marketing brochures.
• Guidance in creating sales presentations.
• Ongoing advice on any marketing issues that arise while you’re doing business with us.

These are just a few of many marketing offerings available to our customers. If you have any further questions in this area, please contact our Marketing Department for assistance at 404-618-0436.

Want more information on how to market your contracting business?

Part of managing a stormwater or sewer system involves vacuum, inspection and sealing. Municipalities that own these systems either do this work themselves or sub out a portion or all of the process. Here’s an overview of the process:

Assuming that the pipes have been vacuumed, your next step is to inspect them with a remote operated pipe crawler camera (as depicted in the bottom left side of the graphic below). You can use these types of cameras to thoroughly inspect the area.  In particular you’re looking for separated joints and cracks which exhibit water infiltration. The video is monitored from the street level. 

The images coming from the camera’s location in the pipe are compared with existing plans or blueprints for the sewer or stormwater system. When leaks are observed below, the point on the ground directly above is marked for insertion of a grout pipe. You continue this process until all the repair spots are marked on the  ground above.

After all the points are marked, your injection crew begins driving the grout pipe(s). Once the pipe(s) are in position, you inject AP Fill 700 or Spetec H100, while continuing to monitor via video. When the observed water infiltration is cut off, you stop the grouting process. Your choice of product, combined with your specific amount of catalyst or accelerator, depends on the exact conditions you are working with.

The end result is a sealed system where pipe joints and manhole structures are stabilized, sealed and protected from further infiltration. As always, you can rely on Alchemy-Spetec’s expert tech support for answers to any questions regarding this procedure.

Want more information on sealing leaks?

Even though we sell to contractors, we get a lot of calls from property owners or managers with slab issues after their internet searches lead them to our website. Part of my job consists of talking to them to determine if their situation merits forwarding to one of our contractors in their area. What follows are the most common questions I hear from property owners or managers interested in slab lifting, along with the most accurate answers. This is extremely valuable info for any polyurethane slab lifting contractor.

1. How strong is your slab lifting foam?

AP Lift Foam can support up to 14,000 lbs per sq ft. That's in a free rise foam. Underneath a slab it will be many times stronger than that.

2. Have these products been specified?

Yes. In the later 1990s various Departments of Transportation started testing high density foams underneath bridge approach slabs. These polymers have proven to hold up and are now used by just about every DOT In the United States to support highway loads.

3. How long will the installed foam last?

Polyurethanes are made from derivatives of oil and natural gas. Their lifespan is similar to that of plastics. They have high chemical resistivity and should last a hundred years.

4. What if you over lift?

The lifting is done in a very controlled manner, moving the slab millimeters at a time. A trained slab lifter is usually able to get within one eighth of an inch tolerance.

5. Can the foam lift a very thick slab or a slab with a piece of equipment on it?

Yes that is not a problem. If you run the math and apply PSI (pounds per square inch) over square feet you'll realize that it doesn't take very much pressure to lift something heavy.

6. Is the foam safe for the environment?

Our polyurethane foam does not shrink, degrade, or leach anything into the environment. We are one of only two companies that has an NSF certified (approved for contact with drinking water) structural lifting foam.

7. How is the foam used in a warehouse or industrial facility?

In industrial facilities or warehouses, polyurethane foam is used to stabilize rocking slabs, to lift sunken slabs, to fill voids beneath slabs both in and outside the building, and to fill massive voids that occur right behind loading dock walls.

Want more information on slab lifting? 

What Causes Leaks & Voids in Concrete Infrastructure?

Imperfect Construction

Concrete construction is by no means a perfect science. New construction often requires leak seal treatment follow up work. If the initial construction isn’t properly sealed at the time of construction, leaks are bound to appear sooner rather than later.

Weather and Wear

Concrete naturally decays over time. Exposure to extreme hot temperatures and extreme cold temperatures can take their toll over time. Even structures located in mild climates will begin to decay purely due to the aging process.

Unstable Soil

Unstable soil can undermine the integrity of concrete structures to cause cracks and voids to appear. Loose soil has four main causes: soil erosion, poor compaction, freeze/thaw cycles, and biological decay. If soil is the main culprit, additional stabilization and slab lifting treatments may be required in order to prevent further cracks from appearing.

How Does Injection Grout Help?

Water Activation

Leaking concrete structures can be permanently repaired with concrete crack injection by using a water activated flexible foam.

Pressure Injection

Pressure injection of these liquid polyurethane resins forces the material into leaking cracks, joints, voids and other defects.

Flexible, Watertight Seal

After the polyurethane crack injection is complete, the polyurethane resin rapidly reacts with water to form a flexible, watertight seal.

Want more information on infrastructure leak seal and void fill?

We're happy to announce that Alchemy-Spetec has been featured on SprayFoamInsider.com. This is a good match, since we get a lot of interest from spray foam professionals looking to expand their skill set into slab lifting and other forms of concrete repair. Editor Jay Davidson provides some background on the company and then embeds a nice collection of our slab lifting videos...

"Alchemy-Spetec, a merger between Alchemy Polymers and Resiplast US, is located in Tucker, Georgia. Their CEO Stephen Barton has been in the concrete repair business for over 30 years. In addition to slab lifting foam, they also offer leak seal resins, soil stabilization grouts and water stop products."

You can read more and view the slab lifting videos at this link on SprayFoamInsider.com.

Want more info on slab lifting with Alchemy-Spetec products?

As I wrote in a previous blog post The Benefits of Buying Through Distribution:

1. A distributor can serve as a one-stop shop.
 
2. Local distributors serve as experts in their area. (They often have the scoop on new projects, change orders, supplemental materials, and emergency repair needs.)
 
3. Having a distributor on hand is extremely convenient. Nothing is worse than having to call the factory again to have more product shipped after a mis-calculated estimate.
 
4. Many distributors actively work to get products specified for local jobs. That in itself can be a huge benefit. The distributor in a sense can sometimes be an extended part of your sales force.

With those benefits in mind, we publish a semi-regular Distributor Profile Series to provide more information on Alchemy-Spetec's distribution network.

In this article, we feature Indcon Inc.

They are an industrial maintenance solution provider, supplying repair materials to the industrial maintenance and construction industries.

Established in 1998, Indcon was formed in Lexington, South Carolina by Tony and Jean Atkins as a small family-run operation. The company grew quickly through their combined efforts and soon outpaced their limited capabilities. As business opportunities grew, so did Indcon, spreading its footprint first across the Southeast and later into the rest of the country. Indcon quickly outgrew its original office and eventually established a warehouse operation in Columbia and moved the company headquarters to Greenville, South Carolina.

Today, Indcon’s reach is nationwide. With sales professionals and locations placed strategically throughout the country, they are able to assist customers throughout the country to quickly get exactly the expertise, products, and services they need to reach optimum performance.

Indcon offers next day delivery to most locations on the East Coast!

A few Alchemy-Spetec items you'll find at Indcon Inc:

A warehouse is only as good as the foundation it’s built on. And regardless of how well-constructed your warehouse may be, most foundations settle. That’s just a fact of life. Shifting soil, compaction, and many other environmental conditions tend to cause settling. Sometimes warehouse floors settle gradually, and in other cases they may just suddenly cave-in. These situations obviously create problems for property owners, and opportunities for the contractors who know how to fix them.

Alchemy-Spetec manufactures the AP Lift 430, 440 and 475 polyurethane lifting foams for slab jacking and structure lifting. Among the most dependable products for jacking and leveling concrete slabs, these two-component, high-strength, hydro-insensitive structural foams serve as an extremely effective solution for contractors.

Want more info on warehouse and industrial slab repair?

It was about 2 AM when the fire alarm when off in my hotel room.  I have never heard an alarm so loud in my life; all I wanted to do was get out of the room but it was so disorienting that I could barely throw some pants and a shirt on.  My instincts told me this was a false alarm as I trudged down 5 flights of stairs to the bottom level.  I was behind an elderly couple so it was slow going as we navigated our way out.

This particular stairwell brought us out on the side of the building and I noticed it was dimly lit.  This was a nice ocean front resort hotel and the lighting in my opinion should have been brighter.  About the time I noticed that, the elderly lady in front of me tripped and fell right on her face on the sidewalk.  She was about 5 yards in front of me and I was first to her side; she had fallen behind her family.  Fortunately a quick responding fire department rolled up right then and I ran over to get their help.  They got her up and into the paramedic truck. 

Want more information on slab lifting?

The bane of slab lifting equipment is the iso.  It turns your hands black if you get it on them and it is the main culprit that causes pressure imbalances.  For some reason, in the past few years the problem has gotten worse.  I suspect is has something to do with changes in the chemistry of the raw materials.

Contractors who use their rig on a daily basis have less of a problem.  If your rig sits for any length of time, the iso (A side material) can start to setup in the hose.   We see this most often at the end of the whip hose right next to the gun.  The solution is simple, but you have to be vigilant.  Make sure you have greased up the threads on the A side drum, change your desiccant drum cartridge when the desiccant changes color, and follow the instructions below to recirculate the A side material every 10 days that your rig sits unused.

Step 1:

I recently consulted with LJS Waterproofing on a job involving leaking concrete slabs. This job involved a control joint (a planned crack which allows for movement caused by temperature changes and drying shrinkage). The joint seal that had begun to leak rain water into a conference room below.

To fix this problem, I suggested the use of Spetec F400. This polyurethane resin was chosen due to its high flexibility. When dealing with structures that move, such as parking decks, you do not want to use a resin that is rigid in any way. It will lead to cracking in the near future, which can result in job failure.

Armed with Spetec F400, LJS Waterproofing contractors began drilling into the control joint and pumping resin. After filling in the cracks, the leaks were completely repaired - with no water leaking into the room below. This job was completed within one work day.

Want more information on leak seal with Alchemy-Spetec resins?