Alchatek Blog

Leak Seal & Geotech Products & Procedures

March 18th & 19th, 2020 at Alchemy-Spetec HQ in Tucker, GA

Get ready for a thorough education in Leak Seal, Slab Lifting, Soil Stabilization and the Alchemy-Spetec Deep Lift™ process. You’ll get hands-on training from a technical staff with decades of on-the-job experience.

Wednesday - Leak Seal

• Leak Seal Product Line Overview
• Curtain Grouting
• Permeation Grouting
• Leak-Seal Product Mixing
• Pump & Packer Overviews
• Leak-Seal Accessories
• Municipal Applications
• Live Injection Demos
• Open Discussions

Thursday - Geotech

• Geotech Product Line Overview
• Soil Stabilization
• Geotech Product Mixing
• Rig & Mobile System Overviews
• Geotechnical Accessories
• Slab Lifting Live Demo
• Deep Lift™ Overview
• Soil Testing with the
• GPR & Penetrometer
• Maintenance Discussions
• Pricing / Estimating / Cost Savings
• Open Discussions

Unstable Loading Dock Slabs

The soil beneath a loading dock slab needs to be stable and strong on a consistent basis.  Sinking or rocking slabs can cause injury and litigation risk that no property owner should have to deal with.  The good news is that you have a choice, even if your slabs are not sinking or rocking yet!

Loading Dock Slab Repair with Polyurethane

As the premier manufacturer of polyurethane lifting and stabilization products, we sell to slab repair contractors all over North America.  Wherever your property is located, we likely know a contractor in your area who can provide an estimate for repairing your loading dock.

Alchemy-Spetec's network of factory-trained contractors can fill voids, stabilize soil and lift sunken slabs with high-strength polyurethane foam.

If you own or manage a building with loading docks, do NOT ignore the risk of injury and litigation that stems from unsupported, unstable or sinking slabs.  We can help you find a well-trained contractor, specializing in loading dock concrete repair.

Call Alchemy-Spetec now at 404-618-0438 or...

Click below, fill out a form for a slab lift brochure & we'll contact you ASAP.

Dams Across the U.S. in Dire Need of Repair

On a cold morning last March, Kenny Angel got a frantic knock on his door. Two workers from a utility company in northern Nebraska had come with a stark warning: Get out of your house.

Just a little over a quarter-mile upstream, the 92-year-old Spencer Dam was straining to contain the swollen, ice-covered Niobrara River after an unusually intense snow and rainstorm. The workers had tried but failed to force open the dam's frozen wooden spillway gates. So, fearing the worst, they fled in their truck, stopping to warn Angel before driving away without him.

Minutes later, the dam came crashing down, unleashing a wave of water carrying ice chunks the size of cars. Angel's home was wiped away; his body was never found.

"He had about a 5-minute notice, with no prior warning the day before," Scott Angel, one of Kenny's brothers, said.

State inspectors had given the dam a "fair" rating less than a year earlier. Until it failed, it looked little different from thousands of others across the U.S. — and that could portend a problem.

A more than two-year investigation by The Associated Press has found scores of dams nationwide in even worse condition, and in equally dangerous locations. They loom over homes, businesses, highways or entire communities that could face life-threatening floods if the dams don't hold.

Excerpted from AP: At least 1,680 dams across the US pose potential risk
By David A. Lieb, Michael Casey And Michelle Minkoff

Specialty Grouting of Dams with Polyurethane

The recently released news story excerpted above is bringing major attention to the widespread problem of deteriorating dam infrastructure. In most cases, cementitious grout is used to repair dams at risk. But there are certain types of geologies that cementitious grout cannot penetrate or gets washed out of. This is where specialty grouting with polyurethane (and microfine cement) comes in. The following products can be used alongside cementitious grout for optimal results:

Spetec PUR F400
This is a is a solvent and phthalate free, water reactive, hydrophobic, closed cell, low viscosity, shrink-free, flexible, one-component polyurethane injection resin.  It can be used to seal fine cracks in dams that cementitious grout cannot reach.

Spetec AG200
This is a is a three-component, water-swelling hydrogel based on acrylic that hardens into an elastic product.  It can be used to stablize loose soil around dams.

AP Microfine 10
This is a microfine cement that penetrates very small openings such as soil pores and microscopic rock fissures in order to improve strength and reduce permeability.  It can be used in conjunction with Spetec AG200 to add strength to soil stabilization repairs around dams.

While cemententious grouting is the most common grouting method used to stop water flows and strengthen soils for dams, specialty grouting with polyurethane and/or microfine cements can be used to supplement or even replace standard centmentious grouting in areas it has troubles in.

Want more info on Alchemy-Spetec products?

Maintenance managers at schools and universities should be keenly aware of the dangers posed by sunken concrete slabs.  Campus walkway slabs can settle and create trip hazards for students and teachers.  Sunken concrete parking lot slabs can create trip hazards and damage vehicles.

Alchemy-Spetec provides high-strength polyurethane concrete leveling foam to contractors all over North America.  These highly trained professionals can spot danger areas during a routine inspection and lift concrete back into place if the slab is still intact and the conditions allow.  Given our extensive customer base, we can very likely help you find a contractor.

Wherever your campus is located, we'll do our best to connect you with a contractor in your area who can perform an inspection and provide you with a repair estimate.

Call Alchemy-Spetec now at 404-618-0438 or...

Click below, fill out a form for a slab lift brochure & we'll contact you ASAP.

Why Voids Under Your Slabs are Dangerous

If you own or manage a property with concrete slabs, you need to understand the danger posed by voids in the supporting soil. Large gaps in the soil beneath your slabs are a red-alert problem for a couple of key reasons:

• Any equipment or vehicles on your slab are at risk. We have linked to this video before, but it is very relevant here: click to view cars falling through a collapsing floor. You definitely do not want this happening in your warehouse, parking area, showroom or garage.
• People are more valuable than any vehicle or piece of equipment could ever be. Don't put your employees, tenants, customers, friends or family at risk.

Signs You Might Have a Void Under Your Slab

There are a few key indicators you should look for when trying to determine the stability of soil underneath your garage:

• Are there cracks in your slab?
• When you gently tap on your slab with a hammer, does it sound "hollow"?
• Is your slab sinking?

Filling the Void and Repairing the Slab

The good news is that filling voids with high-strength polyurethane is generally an efficient fix when you're dealing with a qualified contractor. And you can use the slab in as little as 45 minutes after the repair job is done. If you find any of these signs of distress, call Alchemy-Spetec at 404-618-0438 or fill out the form linked below for help finding a geotech contractor in your area. 

Want to schedule a consultation for assistance finding a contractor?

Alchemy-Spetec's Fall 2019 training event is officially SOLD OUT!  If you're still interested in training, we'll be conducting another event in the Spring of 2020.  Click the button below and fill out the form.  We'll keep you updated on the Spring 2020 event an all other training opportunities!

Alchemy-Spetec two-day training events typically consist of the following...

Leak Seal Day

• Leak Seal Product Line Overview
• Curtain Grouting
• Permeation Grouting
• Leak-Seal Product Mixing
• Pump & Packer Overviews
• Leak-Seal Accessories
• Municipal Applications
• Live Injection Demos
• Open Discussions

Geotech Day

• Geotech Product Line Overview
• Soil Stabilization
• Geotech Product Mixing
• Rig & Mobile System Overviews
• Geotechnical Accessories
• Slab Lifting Live Demo
• Deep Lift™ Overview
• Soil Testing with the GPR & Penetrometer
• Maintenance Discussions
• Pricing / Estimating / Cost Savings
• Open Discussions

Want to be alerted when Spring 2020 training registration is available?

Register NOW before the September 25th deadline!

October 9th & 10th, 2019 at Alchemy-Spetec HQ in Tucker, GA

Get ready for a thorough education in Leak Seal, Slab Lifting, Soil Stabilization and the Alchemy-Spetec Deep Lift™ process. You’ll get hands-on training from a technical staff with decades of on-the-job experience.

Wednesday - Leak Seal

• Leak Seal Product Line Overview
• Curtain Grouting
• Permeation Grouting
• Leak-Seal Product Mixing
• Pump & Packer Overviews
• Leak-Seal Accessories
• Municipal Applications
• Live Injection Demos
• Open Discussions

Thursday - Geotech

• Geotech Product Line Overview
• Soil Stabilization
• Geotech Product Mixing
• Rig & Mobile System Overviews
• Geotechnical Accessories
• Slab Lifting Live Demo
• Deep Lift™ Overview
• Soil Testing with the
• GPR & Penetrometer
• Maintenance Discussions
• Pricing / Estimating / Cost Savings
• Open Discussions

Participants receive a Samsung tablet loaded with training material.

Your Instructors:

Stephen C. Barton (President/CEO), Jim Spiegel (VP Sales & Business Development), Andy Powell (Southeastern Regional Manager), Anthony Sandone (Eastern Regional Manager), Charlie Lerman (Western Regional Manager), and Michael Binyaminov (Western Sales Representative). 

A Microfine Cement from Alchemy-Spetec

AP Microfine 10 is a blast furnace slag ultrafine cement intended for use in specialty grouting applications. With a D95 particle size of ten microns and a D50 particle size of three microns, this microfine cement is able to penetrate very small openings such as soil pores and microscopic rock fissures in order to improve strength and reduce permeability.

Advantages

• Excellent permeability.
• Environmentally friendly.
• Long-term durability.
• Highly adaptable.
• Brine tolerant.
• Highly predictable.

Applications

• Pre and post-excavation grouting.
• Water cut-off grouting.
• Dam and embankment grouting.
• Foundation stabilization, new and existing.
• Soil consolidation.
• Oil and gas well remediation.
• Hazardous waste containment grouting.
• Maintenance grouting of existing dams and tunnels.

Packaging

• 44 lb (19.96 kg) plastic pail.
• 6 oz (0.17 kg) bottle of plasticizer included.

Want more information on Alchemy-Spetec Geotech products?

Concrete Leveling & Stabilization for Showroom Floors

Do you own or manage a business with concrete showroom floors? Auto dealers, large wholesale stores, convention centers and other businesses need strong and stable floor slabs to function properly. Unstable slabs can put merchandise, customers and even ownership at risk.  See our two-part blog series on trip hazards and litigation risks...
Concrete Leveling to Prevent Trip Hazards & Litigation Risks - Part 1
Concrete Leveling to Prevent Trip Hazards & Litigation Risks - Part 2

You should also understand the larger danger of complete slab collapse if the voids underneath your floor are large enough. See this stunning security cam footage from the National Corvette Museum for an example in action. Ownership was completely unaware of the large voids that eventually caused this showroom floor to collapse, taking all those Corvettes with it.

Concrete Leveling & Stabilization Contractors

Alchemy-Spetec can help you find a contractor to detect, level, and stabilize slabs at risk. Even if you aren't noticing any immediate problems, it may be worth getting your slabs tested for dangerous voids lurking beneath. Call us now at 404-618-0438 for help finding a contractor in your area!

Want more info on commercial & industrial slab repair?

Sunken concrete slabs can be lifted back into place with two-component polyurethane foams designed to work in wet or dry conditions. The expansion force of the concrete leveling foam coupled with the pressure of a specialized pump generate enough controlled force to lift virtually any structure back into position with 1/8” precision.

- From the Alchemy-Spetec blog post Polyurethane Slab Lifting Explained. (Read more and watch an animation that explains the slab lifting process in detail.)

If you own or manage a facility with loading docks, it is essential to understand the dangers of unstable concrete.  Warning signs include rocking, cracking, and unlevel seams between slabs.  If you notice any of these red flags, you need to contact a professional concrete repair contractor immediately. (For assistance on that front, contact Alchemy-Spetec at 404-618-0438.)

This very real risks of ignoring unstable loading dock slabs include:

• Damage to vehicles and equipment.
• Personal property damage.
• Sudden slab collapse.
• Trip hazards.
• Employee injuries.
• Limitless liability issues.

As industry experts consulting with contactors around the world, we've seen all these scenarios play out unfortunately.  Here's a photo from a slab collapse that prompted the owners to call in a contractor to inspect and stabilize the rest of their slabs...

Don't wait for this to happen on your property.  Contact Alchemy-Spetec at the first sign of any issue and let us help you find a contractor in your area!  Call now at 404-618-0438.

Want more information on warehouse & industrial slab repair?