This article is an excerpt from Episode 14 of Alchemy-Spetec's podcast The Injection Connection, featuring veteran coatings expert Murray Heywood. (If you'd rather view or listen, an audio/visual version of this excerpt is posted at the bottom of the article.)

Charlie Lerman: From your point of view when it comes to grouting, what are some of the common mistakes or problems you see that people just deal with repeatedly?

Murray Heywood: Well, when it comes to my world, the coatings world, one of our biggest challenges is water, keeping it where you want it or not letting it get in where you don't want it. That water molecule creates a lot of damage. Concrete, which is predominantly the work that we do in the infrastructure world, 85% of water and wastewater structures are concrete. And concrete has very poor elongation properties, it doesn't stretch very well but it does move a lot because of settlement and this and that, and inflection when you're loading tanks, unloading, so you get cracks. If we don't address the water coming in or whatnot, it creates even bigger issues. So grout plays a huge role in doing that. And I think one of the challenges that I see is people don't understand that you just can't fill it with some cement because if it cracks again it's going to leak again. You just can't fill it with an epoxy injection because that's rigid. So just the misconception of how to deal with it is prevalent and it's something that we try to explain a lot. Mistakes are made where they'll, well, "We're just going to put hydraulic cement in and fix it that way." Or, "We're going to do this or the coating should handle it and we shouldn't have to do this extra work". So I just see the mistakes in the materials they select to do the repairs and not understanding necessarily that it has to be treated or you're just spending thousands and thousands of dollars to rehab this and you're going to skip that part. That's going to wreak havoc on your system. Those are the common mistakes. It's a lack of understanding really when you get to the bottom of it, of how it all works together.

Charlie: Yeah. And neither of us are engineers who have gone and got those types of degrees, so we're not always the smartest person in the room.

Murray: I may not be the smartest person in this room right here.

Charlie: I’ll give you that one. I'll take that. Thank you. But really what you find is, that it's not that this industry is rocket science or hard to figure out. It's that it's non-intuitive and most of the time, people just overlook it, they don't even understand. Again, it's not a fear thing of, "oh, you're just never going to figure this out and be able to launch a rocket to Mars". It comes down to people just making common mistakes with it. Like you mentioned with the epoxy, there's no elongation or very little elongation for concrete at all and you'll have people, they waterproof epoxies all the time and then they get a mirror crack right by it and they're like, "Whoa, didn't we just fix this last year?" And you're like, there it is.

View the video version of this excerpt...

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Episode 14 of The Injection Connection features Charlie "The Grout Geek" Lerman interviewing veteran coatings expert (and punk rock drummer) Murray Heywood. Don't miss this info-packed and entertaining discussion!

The Injection Connection features in-depth discussions with thought leaders and professionals in the infrastructure repair industry and is produced by Alchemy-Spetec, the premier manufacturer of Leak Seal and Geotech polyurethane concrete repair products.

Watch this episode in its entirety below, or check it out on TheInjectionConnection.com and the following platforms:

• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• SoundCloud
• Google Podcasts
• YouTube

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Sewers can be aggressive to downright hostile environments for concrete. Composite and fiberglass manholes are becoming more popular due to their superior resistance to sewer gases. While chemically resistant, composite manholes still have penetrations and joints. And any structure with penetrations and joints is still susceptible to infiltration.

The good news is that your everyday go-to grouts for concrete manhole water mitigation work just as well on composite or fiberglass manholes. Spetec PUR Highfoamer is a single component hydrophobic semi-rigid grout that is ideal for curtain grouting behind and around leaking penetrations and joints. When it comes to crack injection for penetrations and or joints, Spetec PUR GT380 and Spetec PUR F400 have the flexibility and chemical resistance you will need for the tough sewer environment.

Industries and technologies change over time and Alchemy-Spetec offers a full line of grouts that can provide for your long-term waterproofing needs - whether for composite, fiberglass, concrete or brick manholes and lift stations. 

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This post is part of the Alchemy-Spetec Contractor Lens series, featuring views, news & case studies written by our customers.  This article, written by Morgan Helms of Helms Polyfoam, is an overview of void filling with polyurethane foam.  If you're an Alchemy-Spetec customer and you'd like to discuss writing content for our blog, please send an email to marketing@alchemy-spetec.com today!

Water and wastewater treatment facilities are essential for communities and municipalities. They supply drinking water to communities and treat wastewater before it is discharged into lakes or rivers. Many water and wastewater treatment facilities are aging and badly in need of repairs and maintenance.

Concrete is one of the most common building materials for water treatment facilities. Whether part of new construction or an older structure, concrete can be susceptible to leaks. Leaks through concrete are generally going to be through cracks, joints, and honeycomb (areas in poured concrete of mainly coarse aggregate with voids in between). Depending on water volume and pressure, and the size of the joint or crack, you may encounter weeping leaks, steady leaks, and gushing leaks.

What’s the solution? Helms Polyfoam! With any aging concrete structure in which moisture is present, the need for maintenance is inevitable. When it comes down to dollars spent on water treatment, maintaining water leaks is paramount. Helms Polyfoam can repair and effectively seal leaks in water treatment facilities also while staying within budget.

The Alchemy-Spetec polyurethane leak seal resins we use are pumped into cracks in walls and water holding tanks to fill and seal them, both now and in the future. Anywhere water can go, these polyurethane resins can follow. Polyurethane crack injection repairs and prevents leaks by filling cracks in concrete tanks and pipes. Polyurethane concrete crack injection repair is waterproof and non-toxic. There is no need to worry about dangerous chemicals seeping into the ground or contaminating the water.

Helms is your Mississippi area expert on all structural, polyurethane resin repairs. Our repairs can be completed quickly without shutting down operations or taking anything offline for long periods. Plus, our repairs are much more affordable than other alternatives, such as replacing pipes or tanks altogether.

We implement a repair plan that doesn’t require you to shut down operations or leave you with a big mess. It requires no excavation. This means a smaller footprint on your job site or facility and minimum downtime.

And you know what is even better? ARPA!

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) includes in the Fiscal Recovery Funds (FRF) one of the largest fiscal advances to state and local government budgets in recent history. ARPA federal funding now makes it possible to address infrastructure and structural repairs – just like these water and wastewater treatment facility repairs – that are an ongoing challenge in our state.

Helms Polyfoam has water treatment facility repair experience using polyurethane concrete crack injections to seal off leaks. And now, you can use ARPA funds to help you cover these costs! Call us at 601-966-7821 or click here to fill out our contact form.

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Municipalities across the country have widespread problems with water infiltration undermining the integrity of manholes, pipes, lift stations, water collection systems, etc. High-flow leaks in these structures add millions of dollars to maintenance and water treatment expenses every year.

Limitless Leak Seal Market

We believe every qualified leak seal contractor should be prepared to take advantage of this type of job opportunity. Alchemy-Spetec offers environmentally-friendly leak seal resins for applications ranging from hairline cracks to gushing high-flow leaks. Our industry-leading technical support team (with decades of experience) assists infrastructure repair contractors on a wide variety of projects every day.   

Spetec PUR H200 is a one-component, water-activated, hydrophobic, low viscosity, closed-cell polyurethane injection resin. When used with Gen ACC Fast, it is the fastest one-component Alchemy-Spetec grout. So it’s an ideal solution for quickly cutting off high-flow leaks.

Spetec PUR H200 Applications

The primary application for Spetect PUR H200 is cutting off high flow leaks quickly and effectively in manholes, pipes, lift stations, tunnels, mines, water collection systems, parking garages, and more. It's also great for curtain grouting projects. In addition, it can be used for filling water voids in the soil around all types of structures, cutting off underground water flows, and consolidating loose soil.

Spetec PUR H200 Advantages

Spetec PUR H200 is certified for contact with drinking water. The low viscosity allows for very effective soil permeation. It's water impermeable. The set time is adjustable – as fast as 20 seconds. It's also phthalate-free.

Your 3-Step Action Plan

Eliminate the risk to your client’s property and call our team of experts now to partner with the industry's leading technical support team. With our assistance, you can save your client’s property, save them money, and save their peace of mind.

1. Start a conversation with one of our experts about your business and local market.
2. We will work with you to create an action plan custom-tailored to your market’s needs.
3. We will connect you with a local distributor and our technical service team to support you every step of the way.

One of the greatest threats to our nation's infrastructure is unseen water eroding away its structural integrity. Water is relentless and all types of structures and sewer collection systems are at risk. If left unchecked, uncontrolled water will end up causing massive rehabilitation and repair bills. The market for repairing and controlling water infiltration is limitless.

Contractors Should Be Prepared

We believe every contractor should have access to cost-effective and long-term solutions for their customers. Alchemy-Spetec offers a variety of environmentally-friendly polyurethane resins for sealing leaks in structures and water collection systems. Our dedicated technical support team has decades of experience on leak seal projects. 

Spetec PUR H100 is widely specified by engineers for the cut-off of large water leaks. It is a one-component, closed-cell, hydrophobic, water-reactive, solvent, and phthalate-free, low viscosity resin. Its low viscosity and hydrophobic properties make it ideal for both soil stabilization and cutting off large water leaks.

Spetec PUR H100 Applications

There are a plethora of applications for Spetec PUR H100. Some specific uses include cutting off sewer water leaks and soil stabilization around sewer structures. Other uses include water cut-off of leaks in foundations such as diaphragm walls, piling sheets, and secant piles. Spetec PUR H100 is also good for stabilization and water cut-off of large cracks, voids, and gravel layers. It has also been used to stabilize soil and anchors in porous geology and gravel layers in concrete structures. In addition, it is an ideal resin for probe grouting below-grade pipes and manhole injections. Last but not least, injections in combination with cement-based grout work very well with pre and post injections in mines, tunnels, pipe jacking, drill & blast, and TBM applications.

Spetec PUR H100 Advantages

The one component, closed-cell structure allows the cured polyurethane resin to seal large water leaks in cracks and joints permanently. It is also possible to alter the reaction times by adjusting the percentage of accelerator. When cured, it exhibits high strength and good chemical resistance. This in turn makes it harmless to the environment and resistant to biological attacks. Not to mention it is also certified for contact with drinking water.

Your 3-Step Action Plan

Eliminate the risk to your client’s property and call our team of experts now to partner with the industry's leading technical support team. With our assistance, you can save your client’s property, save them money, and save their peace of mind.

1. Start a conversation with one of our experts about your business and local market.
2. We will work with you to create an action plan custom-tailored to your market’s needs.
3. We will connect you with a local distributor and our technical service team to support you every step of the way.

Alchemy-Spetec offers a wide variety of online resources for current and aspiring infrastructure repair contractors. Let's take a look at what's available...

Literature Downloads

Looking for polyurethane concrete repair product Tech Data Sheets, Safety Data Sheets, Application Procedures, Case Studies, Environmental Safety Info, or Specifications?  All of these documents are available on one convenient page at Alchemy-Spetec's Comprehensive Download Resource Center.

Educational Videos

Watch brief, info-packed videos on crack injection, curtain grouting, slab lifting, and soil stabilization on the Videos page.

Spray Foam to Slab Lift Conversion

With just four additional pieces of equipment and one set of material, you can quickly and easily add slab lifting to your service offerings. Take a look at exactly what additional equipment and material you’ll need to get started on the Spray Foam to Slab Lift Conversion page.

Training Center

The Alchemy-Spetec Training Center is a password-protected resource-packed page featuring video presentations and product/equipment demos. This page is only available to established customers who have requested access from their Regional Manager.

Injection Connection Podcast

The Injection Connection podcast features in-depth discussions with thought leaders and professionals in the infrastructure repair industry.

Want more information on Alchemy-Spetec products?

Read through this list:

• Manholes
• Catch basins
• Drop inlets
• Wet wells
• The Grand Canyon

This is not a game of which one doesn't belong, as they all channel water and can cause erosion. The Grand Canyon is breathtaking. Likewise, washouts or sinkholes caused by leaking and neglected infrastructure are breathtaking - but in a completely different way. They're breathtaking in regard to the high costs of emergency repairs and the potential damage they cause.

This quote, from an article on KCCI.com, sums it up nicely...

“At first, crews resurfacing the pavement thought a large piece of machinery had fallen into a sinkhole 10 feet deep… It turns out an original clay storm sewer pipe had disconnected, leaking water for what appears to be a long time, eroding the earth around it.”

There is no downside to fixing these common infrastructure issues before they get out of control. Any repair costs are quickly offset by the reduction of sewer water requiring treatment. Who is not for lower sewer rates, a healthier environment, longer-lasting infrastructure, and fewer manmade washouts/sinkholes?

So why don’t we address infiltration more? It is as simple as the old adage "out of sight out of mind". Infiltration is a preventable and treatable sewage collection system problem. We have neglected our infrastructure for too long and we need to raise public awareness of the issue.

We at Alchemy-Spetec not only manufacture quality polyurethane chemical grouts for these types of repairs, but we also provide top-notch training and support for leak seal crews. Call 404-618-0438 and let us know how we can assist you in raising awareness about or repairing infiltration. We are all in this together.

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The Central Davis Sewer District (CDSD) is a publicly owned collection system and water treatment plant that serves three local cities in Northern Utah. With a new highway being constructed just outside their facility, a new pump station had to be installed on the premises. After installation of the new pump station, a large leak appeared in the manhole which caused it to fill up with about 10 feet of water. The CDSD contacted PolyFoam Solutions to see what could be done to seal the leaks. The PolyFoam Solutions crew pumped all the water out of the manhole and discovered that two of the manhole’s horizontal joints had large leaks. These leaks were allowing about 10-15 gallons per minute (over 20,000 gallons per day) of water to infiltrate the pump station.

Powerful Polymers

PolyFoam Solutions worked closely with Charlie Lerman, Alchemy-Spetec's Director of Technical Services for the Leak Seal Division. Together, they devised a plan to seal the large leaks using Spetec PUR F400. Spetec PUR F400 is a solvent and phthalate-free, water-reactive, hydrophobic, closed-cell, low viscosity, shrink-free, flexible, one-component polyurethane injection resin designed to stop water leaks. It is also certified to NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 (approved for contact with drinking water).

Painless Procedures

The crew drilled four holes around the lower manhole joint and then installed injection ports. As they pumped the polyurethane grout into the ports, it began to travel around the joint, sealing the leaks. Once the grout had traveled as far as it could from one port, the technician moved on to the next port until the entire joint had been sealed watertight. They used oakum to temporarily seal some of the larger leaks until the grout had time to cure. The upper joint only required 3 port injections due to the speed at which the grout traveled.

Rapid Results

The crew only took about 3 hours to completely seal all of the leaks and return the manhole to service. There was no way the leaks could have been left un-repaired due to the water treatment cost and the potential damage the erosion would have caused. Replacing the manhole would have easily cost three or more times the price of grouting. In this case, the community wins as many tax dollars are being saved.

Want more info on leak seal products and equipment?

Most people don’t realize that one of the greatest threats to their property’s infrastructure is unseen water eroding away its structural integrity little by little. Water is relentless and all types of structures and sewer collection systems are at risk from cracks, spalls, and large voids. If left unchecked, uncontrolled water intrusion and infiltration will end up in massive rehabilitation and repair bills costing significant money, time, and stress.

We believe every municipality, facility, and property manager or owner should have access to cost-effective and long-term solutions to these issues. Water is unforgiving and must be controlled properly with the right materials and repair methods. Alchemy-Spetec offers a variety of polyurethane resins for sealing leaks in structures and sewer collection systems. We are a global manufacturing company certified to ISO9001 and offer dedicated service and support with decades of experience. Our polyurethane resin technology has been proven in use around the world and is certified to be environmentally friendly.

Learn More About Our Solutions:

From hairline concrete cracks to gushing leaks, virtually any defect can be sealed with the Spetec series of polyurethane resins, optimized for leak seal applications.

Leaking concrete structures can be permanently repaired with concrete crack injection & curtain wall procedures using water-activated polyurethane foam. Pressure injection of these liquid polyurethane resins forces the material into cracks and joints, behind walls, pipes, manholes, and any kind of infrastructure in need of controlling water intrusion and leaks. After the polyurethane injection is complete, the polyurethane resin rapidly reacts with water to form a watertight gasket to seal off the affected areas.

The products offered by Alchemy-Spetec deliver the ultimate solution for hairline cracks, gushing leaks, and other leak seal issues.

Polyurethane Leak Seal Products:

• Spetec PUR H100
• Spetec PUR H200
• Spetec PUR GT350
• Spetec PUR GT380
• Spetec PUR F400
• Spetec PUR GT500
• Spetec PUR HighFoamer
• Spetec Boom! Seal
• Spetec AG200

Start a Property Preservation Plan in 3 Simple Steps:

1. Start a conversation with one of our experts about your specific challenge/property.
2. We will work with you to create an action plan custom-tailored to your needs.
3. We will connect you to a factory-authorized contractor who will help you solve your problem.