Premier On-The-Job Technical Support

Alchemy-Spetec offers onsite training for qualified geotech and leak seal customers. Starting up a contracting business, tackling a larger job than you're used to, getting new personnel trained, or adding a new service to your arsenal can be daunting. Our industry-leading technical support team specializes in training contractors on the job site. 

Always Be Prepared for Lucrative Jobs

With the backing of Alchemy-Spetec's technical support team, you'll never have to worry about your crew's ability to take on the next opportunity - whether it be a first-time geotech or leak seal job, or a bigger job than they are used to. Qualified customers can schedule an onsite visit from an Alchemy-Spetec specialist in order to ensure that the process goes as planned.

Estimation and Job Planning Assistance

Speaking of planning, your technical support specialist can also work with you in the estimation and preparation stages of your project as well.

Call 404-618-0438 for more information on Alchemy-Spetec technical support.

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A geotech contactor was called to Livingston, NJ to evaluate a settling man-made waterfall. The waterfall was constructed to continuously pump water from the pond below to the very top, so it could flow back down over the rocks. Over time, leaks and voids began to form through the entirety of the structure due to erosion. The structure itself started to settle as the water began washing out the soil underneath. In order to remediate the problem, the contractor advised undersealing the entire structure to seal it and fill voids underneath. This process would stabilize the entire structure and prevent any further movement.

Powerful Polymer

To complete the job, the contractor selected Alchemy-Spetec's AP Fill 720 structural polymer due to its ability to permeate and encapsulate loose supporting soil into one solid mass. This material is a single component, closed cell, hydrophobic, water-reactive, solvent and phthalate-free, low-viscosity polyurethane injection resin for stabilizing soil and filling voids around structures (cutting off any existing leaks in the process).

Painless Procedure

The crew drilled small holes, installed injection ports, and injected the material into the soil below, every four feet, eventually creating a grid pattern across the entire structure. They started this process at the top of the structure and worked their way to the bottom, injecting the material into each spot until the void was full (a.k.a. grouted to refusal).

Rapid Result

From the start of the project, planning, and evaluation took about a month. Once the injection plan was in place, the crew completed the job in just a day and a half with a four-man crew. The man-made waterfall is now leak free and will continue to see decades of further use. 

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The Problem

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 property and can damage, degrade, and even destroy a number of structures, such as residential dwellings, garages, driveways, and pool decks. There are a variety of factors that can cause unstable soil including erosion, poor compaction, freeze/thaw cycles, and decomposition.

The Solutions

Soil can be stabilized with:
AP Soil 600
AP Fill 700
AP Fill 720
AP SoilGel 200

Once the bearing capacity of the soil has been increased with this process, then the structure can be lifted if necessary.

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As one of the most impenetrable permeation grouting products on the market, AP Soil 600 is a single-component, moisture-activated, hydrophobic, low-viscosity, soil stabilization grout. This permeation grout is ideal for stabilizing loose sand and soil around all types of concrete structures, as well as sinkhole remediation.

Applications

• Permeation grouting.
• Stabilizing loose sand and soil.
• Sinkhole remediation.

Advantages

• Encapsulates and strengthens loose soil.
• Very low viscosity for good soil penetration.
• Watertight.
• Adjustable set time.
• Pumped as a single component.
• Phthalate-free (more environmentally friendly).
• Certified To NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 (approved for contact with drinking water).

Check out this Soil Stabilization explainer video! 

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Single component, water-activated, hydrophobic, low viscosity, closed-cell polyurethane injection resin for stabilizing soil. Also good for filling voids and cutting off high-flow underground leaks, AP Fill 700 is a proven polyurethane soil stabilization solution.

Applications

• Concrete void filling for all types of structures.
• Consolidating loose soil.
• Filling voids under concrete slabs.
• Cutting off underground water flows.
• Cutting off high-flow leaks.

Advantages

• Very low viscosity.
• Water-impermeable polyurethane resin.
• Adjustable set time – as fast as 20 seconds.
• Injected as a single component.
• Phthalate free available (more environmentally friendly).
• Certified to NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 (approved for contact with drinking water).

Check out the AP Fill 700 sample demo! 

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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 was written by Morgan Helms of Helms Polyfoam.  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!

Railroads are an integral part of our nation’s infrastructure, and Helms knows how important it is to maintain their structural integrity and operability. Unfortunately, soils beneath railroads and railbeds are subject to settling from water intrusion.

With our structural polyurethane resins that support over 14,000 lbs. per square foot, Helms Polyfoam can stabilize and lift railbeds back to their normal and safe levels. In fact, Helms recently succeeded in solving a railroad repair problem for one of our clients, Gulf Coast Sand, in Picayune, Mississippi.

For this client, a 75-foot section of railway approaching their railcar scale had settled 5-6 inches. This settling was causing inaccurate scale readings due to uneven weight distribution along the scale. When there’s a soil stabilization or settling problem, Helms has the solution!

In order to ensure an even distribution of lift and stabilization, it was determined that varying depths of injections should be made. These injections were spaced on 4-foot centers, at a span of 4 injections wide per track (one injection point on each outer rail and two injections inside of the rail track) for an approximate injection total of 80 injection points.

At each of the 80 total injection points, ½-inch galvanized tubes were probed to a depth of 6 feet and 4 feet, alternating at each injection point. Expanding resins were then injected into the shell mixture at each injection point for stabilization without adding additional lift to the track.

The result? Our injection pattern for Gulf Coast Sand created a soil squeeze where each injection point compressed against the adjacent points to create a solid, rock-hard mass below the surface!

If you need concrete lifting or soil stabilization work done in the Mississippi area, click here to contact Helms Polyfoam today!

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A property owner reached out to a geotech contractor for help with a leaking retention pond. The pond feeds into a creek via a concrete spillway. Over the years water has worked its way through the earthen dam and under the spillway, causing large voids and soil loss under the concrete.

Powerful Polymer

The technicians selected AP Fill 720 as the repair material for this job. AP Fill 720 is a single-component, closed-cell, hydrophobic, water-reactive, phthalate-free, low-viscosity polyurethane injection resin for cutting off large water leaks and filling voids around structures. This high-strength durable material will react and expand quickly upon contact with water and is one of the top soil stabilizers on the market. 

Painless Procedure

The spillway was about 15 x 15 feet in size, with one 15-foot side bordering the pond. After soil probe testing it was decided that the crew would inject AP Fill 720 directly next to the spillway on the pond side and then directly underneath the spillway via 5/8 inch drill holes in the concrete along the border with the pond. All injections were completed to a depth of four to five feet.

Rapid Result

This project was completed within a day. The AP Fill 720 structural polymer was cured within a couple of hours after injection. The homeowners were thrilled to see their pond system, which they were heavily invested in, finally functioning as it was designed.

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The owner of a home in Montana contacted Yellowstone Structural, a geotechnical specialty contractor, about a distressing issue: one side of their house was starting to settle into the soil. This 1970s-era home did not have the proper drainage systems in place, allowing rainwater to accumulate and erode away at the soil underneath. Poor compaction of soil during the construction process was another likely cause of instability. This property owner needed a permanent solution quickly before the exterior, interior, and even the roof of the home were damaged beyond repair.

Powerful Polymer

The contractor chose to perform deep soil stabilization with Alchemy-Spetec’s AP Lift 430. This high-strength structural polymer is ideal for challenging soil compaction and void-fill jobs. AP Lift 430 also meets NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 standards for contact with drinking water, an important quality for any material to be installed around a residential dwelling. 

Painless Procedure

Contractors performing the Deep Lock® soil stabilization process strengthen the soil at all levels with minimal imposition or downtime to the property owner. In this case, the crew installed a pair of injection tubes every three feet along the footing of the house on the side that was beginning to sink. Next, they stabilized the supporting soil with AP Lift 430, injecting the structural polymer to depths of eight feet, and then four feet at each injection point until full compaction was achieved.

Rapid Result

Two technicians completed this job within six hours. They permanently stabilized the soil underneath the sinking side of the house with minimal equipment and no collateral damage to the structure or surrounding property.

Want more information on the Deep Lock® process?

A property owner in Montana contacted geotech contractor Yellowstone Structural regarding a garage that was recently converted into a bedroom. The garage lacked effective rainwater drainage, thoroughly compacted supporting soil, and a proper foundation with a footing like the rest of the house. For these reasons, it had sunken several inches. Alarmingly, the “new bedroom” was now beginning to break away from the rest of the house. The property owner found cracks in the siding and wanted to make sure there would be no further movement.

Powerful Polymer

The technicians planning this deep soil stabilization job chose AP Lift 430, a widely used favorite in the industry. This multi-use structural polymer is ideal for compacting soil, filling voids, and lifting slabs and structures.

Painless Procedure

Without the option of a structural polymer repair plan, a contractor would likely have had to dig around the garage, add a new foundation underneath, and then use helical piers to keep it in place. This would require the demolition of decking and surrounding structures. Heavy equipment (which often causes additional concrete surface and lawn damage) would be needed to get all of this done.

Fortunately, contractors like Yellowstone Structural can achieve soil stabilization and compaction on projects like this with the smallest footprint and the least amount of heavy equipment required. These technicians chose to implement the Deep Lock® process to stabilize the soil at all levels with minimal imposition or downtime to the property owner. First, the crew identified the exact parameters of all the unstable soil. Next, they installed a pair of injection tubes every three feet along the footing of the house in the affected area. This job required 17 of these dual-tube injection points. Next, they created a high-strength durable polyurethane footer with AP Lift 430, injecting the structural polymer to depths of both eight and four feet at each injection point. The technicians performed these injections until significant backpressure was reached to confirm full soil compaction.

Rapid Result

This highly efficient “surgical strike” style job was executed by a crew of two within eight hours. No heavy equipment or messy excavation was needed. The structural polymer was cured in place within 30 minutes of injection. Water won’t erode it; insects cannot eat or bore into it. The property owner’s new bedroom is now sitting on stable soil.

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Recently Atlanta-based contractor Sitemix was called in for a highly urgent remedial project at a nearby university apartment building. A plumbing break quickly evolved into a bigger issue than just fixing some pipes. The breach resulted in large voids under the foundation slab that compromised the integrity of the entire structure. Sitemix answered the call and was immediately up to the challenge. 

Powerful Polymer

Alchemy-Spetec’s AP Lift 430 was chosen for the job due to its high density, high expansion rate, high yield, and cure strength. This two-component, high-strength, high-density, hydro-insensitive structural polyurethane foam is ideal for void fill and structural stabilization and void fill in situations like the one described above. AP Lift 430 weighs 2.75 – 3.25 pounds per cubic foot.

Painless Procedure

The structural polymer was injected through the slab to fill the voids and compact any compromised soil.

Rapid Result

The project was completed in a half day while most of the occupants were in class. The GC was ecstatic to have this emergency resolved quickly and painlessly.

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