Alchatek Blog

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:

As I stated in a previous blog post, Polyurethane Leak Seal in Cold Weather, twin streaming can be an effective way to ensure that water reactive resin sets up quickly and thoroughly after injection. In that post I only mentioned twin streaming briefly. Here are some more details:

What is Twin Streaming?

Twin streaming is a technique in which you use a high pressure F-valve to inject resin AND water at the same time. As you can see in the photo, the F-valve has two supply connections - one for water and one for resin. The water and resin come into contact right before they exit the nozzle.

Advantages:

1. Ensures there is enough water for the resin to react with.
2. Starts the reaction immediately.
3. Allows you to inject in cold water.

When Filling Voids Above the Water Table

When working on jobs that require void filling behind walls, also known as curtain grouting, it is imperative that you are prepared for any obstacles that may occur. If the voids are large and dry, resin may not have enough water to react with when injected in the conventional manner. In this case injecting water behind the wall prior to injection might not be sufficient (especially if the void is open or filled with gravel, giving the water an easy path to escape). With twin streaming you are guaranteed there is enough water for the resin to fully react and fill the voids.

While Injecting Under Cold Water

Twin streaming also works well if you find yourself having to inject into a cold, underwater environment. You can inject warm water along with the resin to jump start the reaction process before the cold water gets a chance to slow down the process.

The ratio of water to resin can be controlled by opening the valves at different angles. Some products such as AP Fill 700 and Spetec H100 only need a little water to react with (10:1 resin to water is plenty). In this case, you would crack the water valve slightly, then open the resin valve all the way. Other products such as AP Seal 500 and Spetec GT350 need more water. A 2:1 or 1:1 ratio of resin to water both work well. In this case, you may want to open both valves all the way.

Want more information on Alchemy-Spetec products & equipment?

People buy the MixMaster Pro because they want the most dependable, high production slab lifting gun on the market. Sometimes they can't wait for hands on training and we have to go ahead and ship a gun to a customer we haven't been able to train face to face. To help get you up to speed on the MixMaster Pro, we captured some footage at recent job where I'm using the MixMaster Pro and discussing best practices.

Want more informaton on the MixMaster Pro?

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?

In this post I'll provide an overview of the concrete repair equipment that we offer, including slab lifting pumps, crack injection pumps, air compressors and accessories.

Hydraulic Proportioners Customized for Lifting  

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

Airless Sprayers Customized for Crack Injection  

Modified for injecting Alchemy-Spetec leak seal and soil stabilization resins, the world-class Titan pumps we offer are essential tools for sealing both small and gushing leaks as well as filling voids behind and below structures.  Read more...

Air Compressors

The FS Curtis series of air compressors we offer are the go to choice for powering your PMC drum pumps and air powered proportioners.  Dedicated to their customers, this brand name is synonymous with legendary reliability.  Read more...

Custom Slab Lifting Gun

We also manufacture an injection gun designed specifically for slab lifting. It is custom built to handle back-pressure. For detailed information, read this blog post: MixMaster Pro- The Reliable Slab lifting Gun.

Accessories

Want more detailed information on Alchemy-Spetec equipment?

While consulting with a customer on a recent job, I happened to capture a great video clip of the MixMaster Pro slab lifting gun in action. I've included the footage at the bottom of this blog post. It's important to note that this video was NOT sped up. You'll see a slab lifted in real time by the MixMaster Pro.

This two-component resin injection gun is manufactured specifically for lifting concrete slabs, and is designed to handle back-pressure. 

Want more info on the MixMaster Pro?