Alchatek Blog

The choice of a polyurethane material provider for your geotechnical contracting business is a critical decision with far-reaching consequences. In addition to top quality concrete and soil repair material, a premier provider will offer reliable high-performance equipment, rock-solid tech support, extensive training resources and even marketing assistance.

Polyurethane Materials

All polyurethane materials are not created equally. Make sure you ask around the industry to see which materials are the most reliable.

Characteristics of High-Quality Materials

• 100% virgin (do not contain recycled polyurethane).
• Easy on your reactor (does not create high-pressure that wears out your equipment).
• Unlikely to catch fire (yes, some sub-par materials out there will char or catch fire while setting up).
• Capable of bonding to concrete.
• Strong and durable after they set up.
• Approved for contact with potable (drinking) water after curing.

Rigs and Equipment

The quality of your geotech rig is not something you want to compromise on. A premier provider will offer state of the art rigs set ups, customized to fit your exact needs. You’ll want multiple door options (side door, choice of barn door vs ramp door), multiple power outlets and slide-out equipment options. These features allow for maximum flexibility in all types of job situations. In addition, a well-insulated rig allows for operation in a wide variety of climates.

Your pumps, air compressors and slab lifting guns need to be reliable as well.

Characteristics of High-Quality Equipment

• Easy to use (not overly complicated).
• Easy to maintain (easy to clean, not a lot of complicated parts to replace all the time).
• Reliable, reputable brands.

Tech Support and Training Resources

A major differentiator separating serious material manufacturers from the rest is the availability of on-the-job technical support and service. A premier provider will offer field service to assist customers on challenging jobs. Phone support should readily available as well, with support techs ready to answer questions when you need the answers. You will also want to look for comprehensive training resources on material installation, equipment use and maintenance, and estimating/billing jobs. A good combination of online videos and articles, training literature and live events is the sign of a manufacturer dedicated to educating their customers.

Marketing Assistance

Look for a provider offering robust marketing assistance. Geotech contractors have many marketing needs, including website content (illustrations, photos, descriptive text), videos, vehicle sign design, advice on lead capture, etc. A manufacturer willing to go the extra mile in this department can help give you an edge of the competition in your market.

Do Your Own Research, Make Your Own Choices

Did we just describe Alchemy-Spetec in the paragraphs above? Of course we did. This is the Alchemy-Spetec blog after all. That being said, we encourage you to do your own research and contemplate your own needs in a material provider. Ask around in the industry. Seek out users of different brands and find out all you can about their experiences. If you think we missed anything in this article, let us know. We’d be happy to hear from you.

Want more info on Alchemy-Spetec products?

One request we often receive is to explain the difference between AP Fill 700 polyurethane foam and cement grout for soil stabilization. When you're asked a question repeatedly, it's probably a sign that the answer(s) would make a good blog post. So here they are...

AP Fill 700 is a one-component, water activated, hydrophobic, low viscosity, closed cell foam. It adds no weight to the soil, has a quicker set time, resists erosion, and displaces groundwater, and expands during installation - penetrating small soil gaps in the process. AP Fill 700 can also be adjusted to work in flowing water and installed in any climate. These are all very beneficial characteristics for soil stabilization. As you'll see in the comparison table below, the characteristics of cement grout are not exactly the same.

Comparing AP Fill 700 & Cement Grout for Soil Stabilization

Environmentally Safe

AP Fill 700 is NSF approved for contact with potable water, ensuring compliance with the Safe Water Drinking Act (SDWA) and guaranteeing peace of mind for in-the-field stakeholders on soil stabilization projects.

Want more information on soil stabilization with polyurethane?

Alchemy-Spetec is pleased welcome Colt Hullander! Colt will join us as the new Director of Technical Services – Geotech Division, supporting Alchemy-Spetec customers on a wide variety of polyurethane jobs, from slab lifting to soil stabilization and seawall repair. He brings a decade of geotech experience to the team.

Colt put in many years as a project manager for Stable Soils of Florida where he oversaw polyurethane rig assembly and chemical grout installation projects. After that he briefly worked for Alchemy-Spetec as a Tech Services Rep for about a year. Colt then amicably moved on to Ramjack South Florida to become a Project Manager for their Seawall Division. We are happy to welcome him back in this new role.

Alchemy-Spetec VP of Sales & Business Development Jim Spiegel is excited about the ways in which this hire will benefit the market: “Colt brings many years of invaluable field experience with expertise in a wide range of equipment, products, and techniques. His field experience coupled with his technical acumen for equipment improvements will undoubtedly offer our Geotech customers another industry-leading resource. As most grouting contractors agree, there is no substitute for field experience, and Colt has no shortage of it.”

Want more info on Alchemy-Spetec products?

We all know the destructive power of earthquakes, hurricanes, and other forces of nature and while I was aware of expansive soils, I had no idea the amount of damage they cause. We at Alchemy-Spetec focus on industry education, so I am pleased to share this video about expansive soils from Grady Hillhouse at Practical Engineering.

Here's a text excerpt to whet your appetite...

"When most people think property damage, they think about natural disasters. But what if I told you there’s a slow-moving, geologic phenomenon that causes more damage in the United States than earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes combined?

Hey, I’m Grady and this is Practical Engineering. Today we’re talking about expansive soils.

Certain types of clay soils change their volume depending on moisture content. They swell when they get wet and shrink as they dry.  This is a microscopic mechanism where the shape and arrangement of the molecules actually change according to the amount of water mixed in. And large portions of the U.S. Gulf Coast and Great Plains have these kinds of soils. If you’re starting a foundation repair or road paving business, this is an important map for one very good reason – expansive soils break stuff."

Click the video below for more...

Want some information on soil stabilization?

On Episode 7 of The Injection Connection, host Jim Spiegel sits down with Ann Thaxton, from Concrete Titans, a marketing and advertising agency offering services to the concrete lifting, and residential foundation repair markets.  Ann offers great insights into the most current lead capture strategies, trends in the industry, and how marketing dollars are actually worth more in the current Covid-19 crisis.  (Jim Spiegel is Vice President of Alchemy-Spetec and a Board Member at the International Concrete Repair Institute.)

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

• Spotify
• iTunes/Apple Podcasts
• SoundCloud
• TuneIn
• Google Podcasts
• YouTube

Want info on Alchemy-Spetec slab lifting products & applications?

Polyurethane – Quality and Selection

Alchemy-Spetec offers one of the most technologically advanced grout product lines currently on the market, including our unique, highly-effective Spetec PUR HighFoamer. Known in the industry for its expansive properties, this product is the only one in its class that can shut down gushing leaks and fill voids as quickly and effectively as it does. We offer a wide variety of materials, including slab lifting foams, deep-soil lifting foams, soil stabilization foams, injection resins for crack leak seal, foams for curtain grouting leak seal, acrylic injection resins that penetrate thin cracks and saturate soil, epoxy resins for structural repair and preventative waterstop products. The superior quality of these materials guarantees fewer callbacks from your customers. Many of these products are also certified for contact with potable water, making them safer for the environment.

Equipment and Accessories Selection

We’re a one-stop shop for all things polyurethane concrete repair, with one of the most versatile equipment and accessory product lines in the industry. Once you’ve picked out the product that best fits your needs, we can provide it all: pumps, hoses, packers/ports, and specialty accessories.

Tech Support – Experience and Dedication

Do you need technical support? You’re in luck—we’re home to the industry’s premier technical support squad. Averaging decades of experience, we also pride ourselves in being incredibly responsive. For example, our team was recently called on to assist with a large metro project in the Western United States. The customer informed us at 4pm on Monday evening that assistance was needed at 9am the very next day! Our Technical Services Director Charlie Lerman, Vice President Jim Spiegel, and Western Regional Sales Manager (that's me!) traveled to the site Monday evening to help diagnose the location of the leaks and develop an action plan. Our Technical Services Manager Charlie remained on site for two more days to ensure that the project was successful. Depending on the size and scope of the project, response time and participating team members may vary, but this story serves to illustrate the lengths we will go to assist customers.

Training and Education

We offer the industry's most thorough training and education for both Leak Seal and Geotech polyurethane infrastructure repair. We conduct training workshops at distributor locations, consult with contractors on job sites, and hold intensive programs twice a year at our headquarters in Tucker, GA. We also offer in-depth online training videos to current customers.

Marketing Support

Our Marketing Department provides qualified customers with product application illustrations and photos for use on websites, customized brochure PDFs for printing, and truck signage graphics. We also offer the use of our educational videos and animations. Lastly, we’re available for guidance on everything from online lead capture strategies to internet advertising, and more.

We’re Committed to Your Success

The overriding theme here is our commitment to your success. Obviously, this is not totally altruistic in nature.  The more successful you are, the more materials and equipment you buy.  But it is 100% genuine.  Our entire team understands the relationship between YOUR success and OUR success.  This point of view is thoroughly ingrained in our company culture.

Want more information on Alchemy-Spetec products?

The northeastern region of the United States faces a wide variety of infrastructure issues, caused by unstable soil, that contractors and property owners should be aware of.  These issues include:

• Freeze/thaw cycles.
• New construction compromising soil under neighboring structures.
• Frequency of intense rainstorms, which cause flash flooding and erosion.
• On coastal areas, erosion and soil disruption are also caused by rising sea levels.

How Does Polyurethane Soil Repair Help?

• Strengthens the Soil
  Alchemy-Spetec soil stabilization foam allows contractors to strengthen soil for support of heavy structures.
• Reinforces Eroded Areas
  Polyurethane foam displaces water and cures into a solid mass to reverse the erosion process.
• Compacts the Soil
  The Deep Lift™ process compacts loose soil to create a strong substrate.
• Fills Voids
  Polyurethane foam fills voids as it expands and before it cures, making it a great solution for instances of soil consolidation or biological decay.

What Are the Results?

• Use of Surface and Surrounding Structures on Same Day as Repair
  Alchemy-Spetec soil stabilization foam cures to 90% full strength in 15 min­utes. In most cases the site is ready for traffic after clean up. 
• Support for Up to 14,000 lbs/Sq. Ft.
  The Alchemy-Spetec series of geotech foams improves soil to support structural loads up to 14,000 pounds per square foot.
• Stabilization Lasting Decades
  Alchemy-Spetec structural foams are a permanent fix.

Environmentally Safe

Alchemy-Spetec polyurethane soil stabilization polymer products have received the official NSF seal of approval for contact with drinking water (this also protects water-dwelling wildlife as well). This 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.

Want more information on polyurethane soil stabilization?

JR Crowell and Morgan Helms of Helms Polyfoam are the guests on Episode 5 of The Injection Connection. In this episode, host Jim Spiegel discusses the history of the Helms business, the future of customer support, and the importance of relationships. (Jim Spiegel is Vice President of Alchemy-Spetec and a Board Member at the International Concrete Repair Institute.)

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

• Spotify
• iTunes/Apple Podcasts
• SoundCloud
• TuneIn
• Google Podcasts
• YouTube

Want more information on Alchemy-Spetec products?

I'd like to share a case study from a recent job that I consulted on with one of our contractor customers.

A two-story residential house in North Carolina was built on poorly compacted fill dirt. After about 20 years, it began showing evidence of settling. Interior cracks appeared in the sheetrock and some of the floors were no longer level (indicating that the footings were slowly sinking). These symptoms of unstable soil were caused by about 1 inch of settling. The engineer on the project determined that the problem was not severe enough to require helical piers. The contractor was called in to stop the sinking and reinforce the soil via deep soil polyurethane injection.

Powerful Polymer

Among the most dependable products for geotech applications, AP Lift 440 structural foam provides an exceptional DOT grade solution for these types of situations. This 4 lb. density, high-strength, hydro-insensitive structural polyurethane foam is perfect for densifying soil and stabilizing foundations (as well as lifting).

Painless Procedure

I worked with the contractor to draw up a plan, indicating exactly where the injection points would be located. The engineer reviewed the plan for feasibility. The contractor installed 18 injection tubes to a depth of 7 feet. 50 lbs of foam were administered through each tube, split between two different depths: 7 feet and 3.5 feet below grade. First, they injected from outside the house, installing foam beneath the exterior footings. Next, they injected from inside the house, installing foam beneath the load bearing interior walls. Spacing between injection points was approximately 5 feet.

Rapid Result

The deep soil stabilization process densified the soil and stopped the settlement. In addition, the contractors achieved a half inch lift from the exterior injections and another half inch lift from the interior injection sequence. The customer was extremely happy with the results. The engineer was impressed as well and said he would recommend this procedure in similar future scenarios.

Want more information on soil stabilization?

The MixMaster Pro slab lifting gun was designed based on years of feedback from slab lifting contractors working in the field. Every known point of frustration and difficulty has been addressed in this sturdy, single-purpose gun. Further benefits include a lower cost of consumables (you can reuse ports with this gun), beefy check valves designed to handle the back pressure, and a short 10-minutes or less breakdown/cleaning session at the end of each day.

This gun is also is a production BEAST - no leaky port connections, no fumbling with clamps. Watch your man hours on each project shrink accordingly. Did we mention you’ll have less replacement part orders? There are only a few inexpensive replacement parts on this gun - PERIOD.

Ask about the quick 10-minutes or less breakdown/cleaning session on the MixMaster Pro at our World of Concrete 2020!  Drop by to see us at our Geotech Exhibit Space - # O40551 in the Silver Lots (same location we were in last year). 

There will be a LOT to see and do at our Geotech space this year: 

• See the Polybadger Lifting System in action. 
• Mix foam samples at our live mixing station. 
• Learn about the Deep Lift process. 
• Tour a fully stocked slab lifting rig.

Read more about our separate Leak Seal and Geotech exhibits for WOC 2020.

Want more information on the MixMaster Pro?