Alchatek Blog

Structural polyurethane foam for concrete leveling is revolutionizing the slab-lifting business.  These powerful polymers are some of the most resilient lifting solutions ever created, requiring less manpower, lower costs, and bigger profit margins.

In our previous blog post, we discussed the essential tools that make up a polymer slab lifting rig.  However, there are still some accessories and miscellaneous items that will be helpful for your success.  We’ve included a categorized list below to help you out...

Site Evaluation/ Job Documentation

While evaluating a site and creating a quote, we recommend using:

• A Note Pad and Pencil
• A Calculator
• A Camera with Still and Video Capabilities
• A Tape Measure
• A Soil Probe or a Fiber Glass Driveway Marker (for checking soil density)
• A Laser Level or Transit or Zip Level (to detect slab movement and know when to stop lifting)
• A Dial Indicator (to determine movement of a slab adjacent to another slab)

A word of advice: taking before and after photos using a tape measure is a great way to showcase the work on your website.

On-Site Job Tools

For completing slab lifting jobs we recommend the following tools on-site:

• A Hammer Drill
• 3/8” Hammer Drill Bits
• Clean Buckets
• Extension Cords
• Trowels with a Thin Flexible Diamond Shaped Blade
• A Sawzall with Diamond Blade and Regular Blade
• A Concrete Saw
• A Garden Hose (to connect to nearby water source)
• Channel Locks, A Pry Bar
• Airless Sprayer such as a Titan 440 for pumping gun flush through the MixMaster Pro Gun
• Miscellaneous Hand Tools and Wrenches
• 3/8” Nylon Ports for the MixMaster
• A Regular Drill for the Paddle Mixer
• A Paddle Mixer for Mixing Flush Concrete
• Teflon Tape
• Shovels

Safety Tools

• Disposable Gloves (keep a few boxes on site)
• Safety Glasses (for all crew)
• Respirators (for environments with little to no ventilation)

Clean-Up

• Hole Patching Material
• Garbage Cans and Bags
• Plastic Sheeting
• A Broom and Dustpan
• Rags
• Brake Cleaner
• MixMaster Cleaning Kit
• Can of Acetone (for cleaning injectors)
• White Lithium Grease (included with rig)

Every job will be different, and this is by no means an exhaustive list, as you go along you will learn what tools your specific company needs. These lists should cover all the basics for now.

Want in-depth info on slab lifting procedures and products?

Slab lifting with polymers is rapidly replacing old technologies because it’s fast, strong, doesn’t shrink, and has a low impact on the environment. So it’s no surprise that we get a lot of inquiries from contractors interested in adding this service, in addition to individuals wanting to create a startup slab lifting business. So what exactly are we talking about in terms of the essential gear?

A slab lifting rig is a rolling business unto itself. It is a self contained, turnkey, mobile unit that has all of the equipment necessary to perform the work. There are a variety of configurations but all of these setups will contain the following: Trailer or Box Truck, Power Source, Compressed Air System, Fluid Transfer System, Proportioner Pump, Heated Hoses, and Impingement Gun. Let’s look at these in more detail.

Trailers and Box Trucks

This is a matter of preference but since this business is mobile, you need to have one or the other (unless you start out with the ultra-mobile PolyBadger system for small jobs). I prefer trailers because they are easier to load material into if you don’t have a forklift. They are lower and can be equipped with a ramp door for the back of the unit. A trailer can be dropped at the jobsite freeing up the pickup truck for scouting other jobs or for grabbing supplies. Box trucks do have their place too and in some cases may be required for performing slab lifting for DOT work. In both cases we recommend a high ceiling height and at least 16’ of floor space to work with.

Power Source

Although some slab lifting rigs are designed to work off of shore power, most of them contain a generator to provide power. A rig that is properly built will have a breaker panel allowing the operator to switch on and off the different systems that require power. Depending on the type of proportioner installed in the rig (and the size of the heaters), the generator can be either a gasoline powered unit at approx 18kw, or a diesel powered generator ranging from 22kw to 40+kw power.

Compressed Air System

There are some proportioner pumps such as PMC’s PA-25, where the main pumping action is done through pneumatic power. These units have high CFM requirements and thus need a larger air compressor. Other proportioners like PMC’s PH Series operate off of hydraulic motors and don’t require air at all.

Some air is always needed though, for running the pumps that transfer the polyurethane from drums and totes over to the proportioner. A complete compressed air system will always include an air compressor and air drying system. An air drying system can be either desiccant style or refrigerated.

Fluid Transfer System

Polyurethane lifting foams are two component systems which means there is an “A” side and a “B” side. When these two components meet they react and form structural foam. Because the reaction is so fast, great care is taken to ensure the A and B components are kept separate until the actual point of spraying or injecting. A typical slab lifting rig is going to use either drum transfer pumps (sometimes referred to as stick pumps) or diaphragm pumps to pull material from the drum or tote sets and then transfer that material over to the proportioner. There will be a dedicated “A” side pump and a dedicated “B” side pump.

Proportioners

The proportioner is the heart of the slab lifting rig. Every proportioner should have the power to heat the A side and B side materials to the required temperatures while the materials are actually flowing. Additionally, a proportioner must then also have the pumping power to push the two preheated materials through up to 410’ of heated hoses, maintaining up to 2000 psi the entire way. Because the A material (ISO) is thinner than the B material (Polyol), separate temperatures must be maintained both within the proportioner and through the length of the heated hose. Solid state controls are used to monitor and adjust the temperatures.

Heated Hose

The heated hose system is actually a bundle of a few different hoses. There is an individual hose for the A (ISO) material and B (Poly). Each of those hoses has a heating element to keep the materials at their correct temperatures. PMC makes a superior heated hose that has braided heating element s that completely surround the hose for even heat. Heated hoses usually come in 50’ sections and between the second to last and the last section will be a temperature sensing unit (TSU) that relays temperature information back to the proportioner.

This TSU is sending the info through a thermocouple wire which runs the length of the hoses out to the TSU. The temperature information relayed to the proportioner lets it know whether to send more power or to back off the power as necessary.

For example, on a hot day there may be very little hose heat required while on a cold day a constant stream of power will be keeping the materials in the hoses up to temperature. Also within the heated hose bundle will be an air hose for compressed air to power air purge impingement guns. For fluid purge impingement guns designed for slab lifting, a fluid line will also be bundled together to transfer the flush required to blast clean the mix chamber of the gun.

Click the MixMaster gun link to see this type of gun used for slab lifting and resisting back pressure inherent in this line of work. Finally, all of the hoses are contained within a durable scuff jacket to keep the hoses from being damaged while dragged around the job site.

Impingement Gun

Whether spraying foam or injecting foam for slab lifting, these A and B materials must finally meet. This meeting occurs within an impingement gun. The materials are “impinged” or squeezed through tiny orifices which generates a high pressure stream of A and B (Iso and Polyol). When the preheated, high pressure streams of material meet, the reaction is almost immediate. At this point the mixed materials are ejected through the end of the gun, and beneath a slab.

The ensuing reaction, in addition to the pressure from the pump, generates the force required to lift. This could be either lifting a small sidewalk slab or lifting a railroad track or building foundation. Frankly it is incredible what the entire system working together can do. Because of the incredible back pressure generated from this operation, a gun like the MixMaster Pro is recommended because it is designed specifically for this application. It is not a spray foam gun modified for lifting.

Well this covers all of the main components that make up a slab lifting rig. There are other accessories like fresh air systems, air conditioning, heaters, etc that can be incorporated into a rig but how you customize it is up to you and your wallet. The next blog will include other tools of the trade that will assist you in your success.

Want in-depth info on slab lifting procedures and products?

Marketing your new slab lifting business takes time and the right approach. If your slab lifting business is a small to medium-sized operation, tools and strategies that increase your market presence and help you attract leads are extremely important. Here are a few you may need to get started...

A Website That's Attractively Designed, User-Friendly and Optimized for Search

Regardless of your industry, a website is an imperative tool that validates your business and arguably serves as your first line of sales and marketing attack. Professional design, photography and content will help you stay competitive and either depict you as a confident, articulate leader in your field or just the opposite (if it's not professional). Even as a B2B website, up-to-date design and user-friendly navigation that creates clear information pathways is important. 

Did you know that a significant number of website visitors make up their mind within seconds whether or not they “like” the business based on the look of the site? And frustrated users who are forced into repeated clicks to arrive at their intended destination, or who must sift through poorly presented messaging are likely to leave and not return. Just as you invest in the tools of the slab lifting trade, investing in your website with regular content updates and a design refresh every 3 years or so is a sound best practice.

It is also imperative to make sure that your website is Search Engine Optimized. Designing a search friendly site for your industry niche and market location will make a world of difference in the amount of leads you capture via your online presence.

All of this means turning to a professional and reputable website firm to do the work – even if you’re starting out with a small brochure site for now.

Marketing Strategies

Partnering with Complimentary Companies

You may want to find companies that serve your market, but offer slightly different services. For example, foundation contractors, pool contractors and landscaping professionals in your area may be interested in trading leads.

Exhibiting at Home Shows

Home shows are a great place to meet potential customers and partner companies. Contractors tell us over and over again that home shows are a GREAT source for leads.

Presenting at Professional Associations

Giving presentations at local chapters of professional associations like the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) and similar organizations is a great way to network, meet potential customers and lead sources, etc. Activities like these establish you as a local expert, and encourage people to come to you when they have slab settlement problems.

Want more contractor marketing strategies and additional resources?

The first question any engineer will ask is “Does the solution fit the needs of the application?” When it comes to structural foams used for slab lifting repair projects, you can confidently answer “yes.”

But if you want to guide your customer to a concrete leveling repair solution, you should also be able to illustrate the pros, explain the cons, and enunciate the selling points.

Enduring Strength of Polyurethane Foam

Concrete, a mixture of cement, sand and aggregates, weighs on average 150 pounds per cubic foot, and high-density concrete can weigh in at 300 pounds or more. Any material used to serve as an elevating cushion of support between concrete and soil is literally caught between a rock and hard place – the concrete and the natural soil on which it rests.

By definition, structural foams need only be strong enough to heft sinking slabs back to level ground and durable enough to stop them from sinking again once cured. But polyurethane foams are actually one of the most resilient foundation repair solutions ever innovated.

Rated on density and compressive potency, the strength-to-weight ratio of lifting foams is staggering. Successful applications include airport runway and railway bed repair projects – in other words, structural polyurethane slab lifting foams like AP Lift 475 are heavy-duty enough to support the lift-off and landing of a 747 or the constant travel of a freight train.

Cost-Effective Option

Demo and rebuild or rethink and repair – these are, generally speaking, the two available resolution options when shifting soils give way under structural foundations and existing slab work. When possible, remediation repairs for settling concrete require far fewer resources than reconstruction.

Traditional mud jacking, which requires hydraulic pressure to inject mud into the void or weak soil beneath the slab, can’t hold a candle to the power or expanding, high-density polyurethane foam. Lifting foams are injected in bursts and rapidly expand 15-25 times or more the original volume, filling voids or strengthening soil in the affected space and creating comprehensive support. These stronger-than-bedrock polymers also subdue the kinds of stress points that mud jacking applications can create, eventually causing cracking and a second round of expensive repair work.

Another contrast with traditional mudjacking materials is the fact that polyurethane does not shrink or wash out over time, saving property owners the extra cost of re-treating the problem at a later date.

Rapid Delivery

Slab lifting foams don’t just save money, they save time. Because of their expansion properties, they can be applied quickly to lift slabs, and curing doesn’t require the same amount of time as other solution applications, such as mudjacking with cement slurry. That means a seasoned slab lifting technician can deliver project completion – with drive-on capability – in a much more efficient manner. Depending on contingencies and project timelines, that savings alone can be worth its weight in gold to potential customers.

Want in-depth info on slab lifting procedures and products?

Slab Lifting Markets Include Residential, Commercial & Municipal

Once you’re ready to make the move to start up a slab lifting business, one of your first areas of focus should be identifying and defining your service areas and your potential customer base within each sector or area. Broadly speaking, there are three viable market segments to explore for slab lifting services: Residential, Commercial and Municipal. We'll cover all three in this article.

For spray foam contractors and foundation repair specialists, adding slab lifting to your available services is more than mere expansion – it’s good business. It not only adds an extra dimension of foundation support solutions to offer to clients, it also organically increases word-of-mouth referrals and is more cost-effective for you as a business owner. By managing remedial foundation repairs in-house rather than outsourcing those projects, your company increases its profitability and controls timeline, budget and final results – that’s a win-win for you as well as your customers.

Now let's take a look at those market segments we mentioned...

Residential (Single and Multi-Family Structures)

Dwellings – both privately owned and rental properties – offer multiple potential hot zones for slab lifting repair solutions. Many factors can cause concrete foundations and slabs to settle and sink: location in a flood zone, high local water tables, unusually wet climate conditions, weak soil density, and more. These can directly impact:

• The entire structure
• Dedicated parking areas
• Walkways
• Patios
• Porches
• Outbuildings
• Hardscaped areas
• Swimming pools and surrounds
• Leisure and recreational areas, such as picnic tables, gazebos, private tennis and basketball courts

Limiting long-term damage and helping owners protect their investment is where you stand to gain as a supplier of a unique and cost-effective service.

Commercial (and Industrial)

Sinking foundations and slabs cause not only property depreciation issues for commercial owners, but liability concerns as well. Bucking sidewalks, unlevel floors, wonky stairs and sinking walkways create dangerous conditions that - when neglected - often prove far more costly than repairs. Slip and fall cases make up a significant portion of the 20 million civil actions filed in courts each year in this country, and the U.S. Department of Justice reports that personal injury plaintiffs overall are successful litigants about 50% of the time (and in premises liability cases 39% of the time). The potential risks that slab lifting can mitigate for commercial property owners are very nearly endless.

Municipal (and Government in General)

Federal, state, county, and city budgets are never without limits, and administrators will always seek to cut taxpayer-supported costs where and whenever possible. This factor alone makes slab lifting an attractive and viable alternative to complete foundation and concrete slab replacement. The most viable areas of opportunity for slab lifting solutions providers for governmental entities include:

• Transportation pathways that include highways, state and county roads; culverts, curbs and berms; railways, light rails; mass transportation platforming areas; and airport runways and parking areas.
• Public buildings and monuments, administrative buildings, hardscaped areas and outbuildings located in parks, courthouses, public transportation hubs and all commons and parking areas connected to any and all of the above.
• Public healthcare facilities, hospitals, and public assisted living accommodations.
• Public housing - both single-family and multi-unit structures.

Whether you choose to focus on a single specialty area or multiple areas within a service region, these are but a few of the potential hot zones where slab lifting can offer an alternative solution that falls within safety margins as well as budget constraints.

Want in-depth info on slab lifting procedures and products?

Why Slab Lifting?

Slab lifting is an economical alternative to complete concrete replacement, be it a simple sidewalk repair or providing a cost-effective remedy for an entire building foundation.

If you want to corner the market in this potentially profitable business, begin by scoping out a specialized area, such as residential, commercial, or civic/municipal.

Next, make a simple short written list of the assets you absolutely must have to get started. Do you need a full sized slab lifting rig to get rolling? Or maybe just the portable PolyBadger lifting system? (Review both options here.) Are there any special licenses or certifications required for operation? Do you have a good relationship with an equipment and materials supplier? Having the right slab lifting equipment, top-of-line materials, vendor support, and deep expertise in this unique industry are the first keys to success for startup companies.

Do You Have a Business & Marketing Plan?

If someone asked you to drive to Seattle, would you get in your car and take off, or would you look at a map first? A business and marketing plan is the roadmap for your slab lifting/concrete leveling business. It will help you define and stay true to your path, and it’s a tool you will need to attain startup financing. In it, you should define your target market segments, project revenues and milestones for the first 3 to 5 years in business, define fixed and variable costs, and outline how you plan to get the word out among potential customers.

Do You Have Vendor Support in Place?

Whether your goal is to launch a slab lifting venture that caters to home or business owners, you will need a dependable, knowledgeable supplier who will not only sell you slab lifting pumps, guns and foams - but also serve as a trusted advisor.

At Alchemy-Spetec, we go the extra mile to help guide you to the best solutions, choose the right lifting foams and equipment for each project, and watch out for your ROI. We also offer field training, both for beginners and as ongoing professional development. We are always willing to offer you the benefit of our decades of experience. If you’re considering going into the slab lifting business, we not only applaud your decision, we want to be your first phone call!  (The number is 404-618-0438 if you want to call ASAP.)

Subjects Covered in This Series

In this blog post series, we will address some of the key points and considerations that slab-lifting startups frequently face. With so many years of market experience, we are uniquely positioned and qualified to offer this guidance. Because we are passionate about what we do, we are motivated to be part of your success story! Some of the topics we will cover include:

• Identifying your target market
• Selling to your potential customers
• Marketing your business
• Essential gear & accessories for starting your business

Some of these subjects may be familiar territory to current business owners, such as spray foam or foundation contractors - but even if that's the case, a quick review will be well worth your time!

Want in-depth info on slab lifting procedures and products?

Alchemy-Spetec is already known for providing the most powerful polymers and painless procedures contractors need to achieve the rapid results their projects demand.

However, on construction projects of almost any scope and size, ensuring the safety of public drinking water is also mission-critical. That's why the following Alchemy-Spetec' polyurethane resin products have received the official NSF seal of approval for contact with drinking water: 

AP Lift 430

AP Lift 475

AP Soil 600

AP Fill 700

Spetec PUR H100

Spetec PUR H200

Spetec PUR F400

Spetec PUR GT500

Spetec PUR HighFoamer

Spetec AG200

This single designation ensures compliance with the Safe Water Drinking Act (SDWA) and guarantees peace of mind for in-the-field stakeholders on construction projects of almost any scope and size.

The SDWA helps ensure the water we drink, bathe in, cook with, and use in myriad other ways in daily life is safe for consumption. The federal law was put in place to maintain public health standards for drinking water systems. It defines what is considered a contaminant – both man-made and naturally occurring; and outlines the agencies responsible for regulating, monitoring, and enforcing adherence to the law, primarily the Environmental Protection Agency.

The 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.

Because so many of those defined contaminants are pertinent to even the most basic construction projects – turbidity from soil runoff, leaching from PVC pipes, potentially harmful and corrosive chemicals, and more – understanding and adhering to the law is particularly important for industry stakeholders. Contractors and engineers must be able to confidently choose vendors whose products and services won’t become the source or cause of drinking water contamination either in the short or long-term. NSF certification offers assurance that such problems won’t occur or will, at a minimum, be addressed.

“NSF, an independent, private, not-for-profit, third-party certification organization founded in 1944, has developed numerous health-based certification programs and consensus standards including those that relate to drinking water,” reads an NSF compliance brief. “The purpose of its certification program is to promote public health and enrich the quality of life. Through its Council of Public Health and Health Advisory Board, which includes EPA health professionals, it obtains guidance in developing and maintaining programs and standards. NSF also partners with code councils to ensure ongoing compliance.”

The products Alchemy-Spetec offers that can help net the most reliable and cost-effective results for contractors. NSF-certified products and materials are evaluated and lab-tested, and production facilities such as our own are inspected and annually audited for re-testing to maintain certification.

Alchemy-Spetec voluntarily undergoing such a rigorous certification process is invaluable to customers because it provides assurance 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.  Powerful polymers, painless procedures, rapid results!

Want in-depth info on Alchemy-Spetec products?

Whether the culprit is poorly compacted or eroding soils, excess moisture from leaking HVAC systems, too little moisture brought on by drought, or just a sinkhole no one knew about until it opened its gaping maw, concrete slab settlement is a fact of both life in general and the construction industry in particular. And one that has to be addressed before it creates bigger, more costly issues.

Concrete slab lifting is a unique solution to this age-old problem. In a process also known as slab jacking, sinking concrete slabs are lifted and leveled, most frequently these days with the aid of a high-density polyurethane foam.

Though simple enough in theory, slab lifting is a fairly remarkable feat that allows residential and commercial property owners the option of repair versus a total rebuild. Below is a timeline of the early foundations of concrete, and how slab lifting has come to be a reliable, cost-saving means of putting sinking concrete slabs back on solid ground.

Historical Timeline of Concrete Slab Lifting

• 600 BC – The Greeks discover that volcanic ash, a natural pozzolan material, develops hydraulic properties when mixed with slaked lime. When stored underwater, the mixture’s strength increases.
• 200 BC – Romans “borrow” (sound familiar?) the cementious mix from the Greeks and continue to perfect it, adding gravel, sand, ground pottery shards – even animal products to the mix.
• 126 AD – Under the auspices of Emperor Hadrian Pantheon, the Romans complete the Pantheon, a circular temple of worship commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus. The pozzolana concrete and stone aggregate are used to construct the thick walls and 142-ft domed roof. The building still stands and the dome remains the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world. However, time, settling soils, a few earthquakes, and other natural disasters have taken their toll and have caused cracking throughout.
• 1793 – John Smeaton is tasked with building a lighthouse on Eddystone Rocks in England. He tinkers with different mortar mixtures and discovers that the best ones are made from calcined lime containing a goodly amount of clay minerals. It’s the first time clay is mixed with lime for hydraulic-setting cement.
• 1824 – Inventor Joseph Aspdin mixes, experiments, scratches his head, then voila, creates and patents Portland cement – the basic ingredient of concrete. By 1897, Sears Roebuck is selling Portland cement in 50-gallon drums and urban settings evolve into so-called “concrete jungles”.
• 1900 – When the shifting sands and soils of terra firma meet the unbudgeable weight and heft of concrete, the laws of science and physics say the heavy always wins. By the turn of the century, “mudjacking” is the standardized means of leveling the playing field, as it were. Hydraulic pressure is used to lift concrete slabs and fill in the void areas with a mix of mud, limestone, and often, additional cement. Over time, this “solution” compounds the problem because it too sinks into degrading or shifting soils.
• Today – A slab-jacking technique using polyurethane foam affords big results with a small footprint. The foam is used to support sagging concrete, and application is relatively minor in terms of downtime. In most applications, the repair site is traffic -ready in about 15 minutes.

Want in-depth info on slab lifting procedures and products?

Alchemy-Spetec products will now officially be promoted under the Leak Seal and Geotech lines.  As holds true with most mergers (Alchemy Polymers and Spetec formed Alchemy-Spetec in 2017), the integration of products and services can take time.  This rebrand will be reflected in two separate product catalogs.  One for Leak Seal products and one for Geotech products. We are confident that the two-catalog offering is the best solution for our partners and customers. 

Both product types are now easily discernible by the Spetec or AP nomenclature in which Spetec represents Leak Seal, and AP represents Geotech. 

The Geotech line encompasses all two-part rigid polyurethanes used for void filling, slab lifting, permeation grouting, and soil stabilization; as well as acrylic grout used for permeation grouting, and all associated pumping equipment and accessories. Due to the technical support requirements of geotechnical applications in terms of equipment use, accessory setup, and application technique, this line will remain a direct sale to contractors performing slab lifting and soil modification applications.  

Conversely, the Leak Seal line remains a distributor sale through our continued support of distribution partners.  The Leak Seal line encompasses all water-activated grouts, acrylic grouts, waterstop products, mechanical packers and ports, and all associated dispensing equipment.   Since structural repair products are also sold through distribution, they are included in the Leak Seal catalog.

If you have any questions about the Alchemy-Spetec Leak Seal or Geotech product lines, please contact Jim Spiegel at jspiegel@alchemy-spetec.com for further assistance. 

Want more info on Alchemy-Spetec Leak Seal products?

Want more info on Alchemy-Spetec Geotech products?

Are you a property owner/manager looking for a geotech contractor to help you with unstable soil, sinking slabs or structures, etc?  As a leading manufacturer of polyurethane lifting and stabilization products, we sell to contractors all over the United States.  Wherever your property is located, we likely know a contractor in your area who can provide an estimate for repairing your geotech problem. 

For a brief overview of the types of services these contractors may offer, see the video below...

Want more info on Alchemy-Spetec slab lifting products?