CASE STUDY: Seawall grouting saves client big bucks

It is inevitable that a seawall or bulkhead will need repair at some point. Sometimes the cost and disruption of an excavation repair or replacement make those options impossible or undesirable. That was the case with the busy Port of Palm Beach. The project engineer approved the use of chemical grouting to address significant problems with the port's seawall. Seawall Doctors of Boca Raton used probe grouting with Prime Flex 920 to solve the problem while saving the port authority tens of thousands of dollars.

Problem:  The Port of Palm Beach is the busy base of operations for many different types of businesses. These range from container shipping to cruise ship departures. One of its clients refurbishes luxury yachts. The port engineer found significant cracks in the seawall adjacent to this client’s main work area. The cracks created major voids behind the wall as the tidal activity washed away loose soil.

Solution: Port officials contracted Seawall Doctors to repair the seawall. The company could have done a rehabilitation using excavation and backfill and some type of sheet pile or a cementitious patching of the concrete. However, besides being disruptive to the port’s operations, particularly those of the client in that area, such a large-scale rehabilitation is an expensive proposition. In addition, depending on the repair method chosen, patching might be only a short-term solution.

Seawall Doctors recommended curtain grouting the seawall using Prime Flex 920, an expansive polyurethane foam, to fill the voids, stabilize the loose soil, and seal the cracks in the seawall. When reacted, the hydrophobic foam forms a rock-hard watertight mass.

The crew initially pumped Prime Flex 920 with probes in five locations. This filled the original void, the known cracks, plus fissures underwater that had not yet been discovered. A floating boom contained any reacted grout, which is inert, as it flowed through the cracks in the seawall. Seawall Doctors and port officials chose Prime Flex 920 a crew curtain grouts with polyurethane foam to repair a seawall because it is certified compliant with NSF/ANSI Standard 61 for contact with potable water. Though the waterway is not a source for drinking water, choosing an eco-friendly product to use was an easy decision.

After the initial grouting phase, port officials chose to have additional grout installed to fill other voids and ensure the sealing of cracks not yet discovered.

Outcome: The crew completed the project successfully over three days without disrupting port operations or interfering with the client’s job of getting a luxury yacht back on the water.

The port authority official said this solution saved $100,000 from the other options that were explored.

Four Ways To Stop Leaking Manholes

Repair, seal and protect manholes situated near the river or high water tables

Floodwater that infiltrates leaking manholes costs thousands of dollars as it flows through the manhole into the city’s wastewater treatment system. Studies done in the USA show that up to 40% of groundwater infiltration in sewer systems enters through manholes. With Prime Resins grouting (and other solutions), manhole leaks can be permanently stopped in a matter of minutes with immediate cost-savings.

Here are four ways you can fix your manholes without excavating and replacing them:
1. Gushing Leaks – fix a gushing leak in a manhole with Prime Resins 920 or Prime Flex EXP. These products rapidly expand to stop gushing leaks then cure to form a rigid, watertight foam.
2. Slow Leaks – stop water leaking through small cracks in a manhole with Prime Resins “Prime Flex XLV”.  This low-viscosity resin reacts with water outside of the manhole barrel and forms a flexible, closed-cell, watertight foam that seals the manhole and stops the leak.

3. Leaking through the Manhole Chimney or Grade Rings – eliminate infiltration through the grade rings of precast manholes using APM’s I/I Barrier chimney seal.

4. Corroded or Deteriorated Manholes – Microbiologically Induced Corrosion (MIC) corrodes sewer and sanitary manholes. The corrosion on the concrete occurs when hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S) is converted into sulfuric acid (H2SO4) by Thiobacillus bacteria that grow on the concrete surfaces above wastewater flows.

You have the option to quickly and efficiently reline a corroded manhole with APM Permacast centrifugally-cast concrete liner.

Stop Erosion Around Culverts And Extend The Culvert's Service Life

Erosion never gets better on its own. Erosion always accelerates and makes things worse.

Culverts can only manage storm water when the surrounding soils are stable. The soil around culverts needs attention and inspection after a flood event. If the soil around the culvert has begun to erode, proactive repairs need to be initiated to make sure the culvert doesn’t wash out during the next flood.

Normally, soil that is carried away from a culvert by groundwater will result in the settlement, slumping and potholes in the roadway above. The worst case scenario is if a culvert fails during a heavy rainstorm or flood event which results in a washout with a lot of expensive damage to the road and possibly people driving on the road.

Martech strongly recommends initiating an inspection and repair program for your culverts and spillways. If the soil around any culvert is weak or eroded away, inject Prime Resins grout resin around the culvert to fill in voids and stabilize the soil.

Preserve your culverts so they can do the job they were designed to do – channel water safely from one place to another!

How To Save Your Infrastructure, Even If It's Next To A River

Stabilize riverside paths, bridges and walkways

You can stop a road from washing out. Proactively reinforce the soil under roads, paths, walkways and other infrastructure using permanent soil stabilizing foam.

The foam resin is injected underground where it bonds with soil to create a permanent, solid wall underground to hold soil in place, prevent erosion and prevent damage on the surface from instability below the ground.

Polyurethane addresses the source of the problem therefore it is ideal for erosion of soil due to water permeation. This is a good option for:

• roadways and bridges
• pedestrian and bicycle pathways
• buildings and structures
• at-risk, eroding riverbanks

The environmentally-friendly foam resin is injected underground where it expands, bonds with the soil and then hardens to form a permanent, stabilizing layer of solid, rock-like material inside your riverbanks.

Sinking Weigh Station Repaired With Prime Resins Soil Stabilization Grout

Unstable soil could be affecting the accuracy of your truck weigh station

This May, spring rains caused significant amount of subsurface erosion at a Calgary truck weigh station. This erosion weakened the soil that supported the weigh station. With heavy trucks sitting on the weigh scale day after day, the concrete piles under the scale began to shift and sink in the unstable ground.

Calgary-based contractors Concrete Specialists were called into action with Martech and Prime Resins to fix the unstable weigh scale and stop it from sinking into the ground.

Soil stabilization diagram: 1) Surface water infiltrating the soil and eroding away supporting material from below weigh station’s concrete piles. 2) Prime Resins “Prime Flex 920” grout injected 24” below the base of the pile. 3) Grout expands and fills underground voids then hardens with the soil to form a new base for the concrete pile. The foam-fortified soil reestablishes the necessary frictional forces around the pile for long-term stabilization.

Methods: how to fix sinking weigh station sinking in unstable ground

1. Place a 14′ soil probe down next to each of the pillars that support the weigh scale (14′ deep, 2′ below the 12′ pillar)
2. Inject the grout resin (Prime Flex 920)
3. Resin expands and hardens underground.
4. Do this for all eight pillars, injecting a total of 200 gallons (about 25 gallons for each).
5. Soil is now stable, the concrete pillars will no longer further sink or shift.
6. Now the weigh scale is being monitored to ensure success. We are following up with the client every three months.

Soil stabilization contractors using 14" long soil probe to inject Prime Resins "Prime Flex 920" grout into the ground and create permanent solid base for the weigh scale pillars.

After the Prime Flex 920 grout is injected, the resin fills subsurface voids, expands and hardens with the soil to become a solid foam block underground that supports the weigh scale pillars.

Stop Leaking Manholes And The Cost Of Treating Groundwater

Are you paying to treat groundwater that leaks into your sewer and wastewater treatment system?

In the spring time, most people are excited about the snow melting and summer starting, but it also means more leaking manholes for municipalities, (especially in areas that have a high water table). This costs a lot of taxpayers’ dollars.

WATER COST EXAMPLE:

One manhole has a ¼” diameter hole. 225,000 gallons of groundwater leaks into the sewer system through this manhole every month. An average water treatment cost is about $1.75 per 1000 gallon, so this single ¼” diameter hole is costing the owner $393.75 per month.

If your system has 5 leaking manholes, you’d be spending an extra $1,968.75 to treat the groundwater that leaked into your system. A lot of people don’t recognize this problem and realize just how much they are paying to own a leaking manhole.

ALBERTA LEAKING MANHOLES

One of my local municipalities in Northern Alberta has about 200 manholes. Over 60% of their manholes are leaking groundwater into their sewer system.

Martech is helping this town’s Public Works department use Prime Resins to stop the leaks

• Prime Resins pump and applicator equipment ready to go
• Arranged for in-field training for their crews from a Prime Resins factory representative
• Grouting materials and supplies delivered

By stopping the ingress of groundwater into their wastewater treatment system, their investment can be paid back within a couple of months. If you look at the math, we can help save hundreds of thousands of dollars for this municipality within a year.

Fix Basement Leaks And Wall Cracks With Prime Resins 900XLV Foam

Cracks in basement walls and floors is fairly common in homes older than 10 years. Well designed basements actually develop hundreds of distributed hairline cracks as the concrete walls age and shrink. Sometimes, though, a crack forms that is large enough to allow groundwater to leak into the basement.

Some people fix these basement cracks with epoxy. Epoxy is a strong material, but it is very rigid when cured and cannot flex with the wall. Future movement in the structure will result in another crack in the wall next to the epoxy.

Prime Flex 900 XLV is a thin liquid resin that reacts with moisture and expands to form a closed-cell, watertight foam. When cured, 900 XLV forms a hard but flexible foam that can move with the structure. 900 XLV is usually used to seal actively leaking joints and cracks in concrete structures.

The 900 XLV resin from Prime Resins is ideal for concrete crack repair jobs where there is potential for future movement and settling in the structure. In the photo gallery below, you will see a Prime Resins leak-sealing repair job in a basement that had lots of vertical cracks in all four walls.

*NOTE: if your basement has a large horizontal crack in the wall, you should seek advice from a foundation contractor or structural engineer. A horizontal crack could indicate the wall is about to fail.

PHOTO GALLERY
Fix Leaking and Cracked Basement Wall with Prime Resins 900XLV Foam

Leaking basement crack prior to preparation and repair.

Crack is prepared and holes are drilled for resin injection.

Starting at the bottom of the wall, Prime Resins 900 XLV is injected into the basement crack through the holes.

Resin foam expands outside the wall to seal the crack in the concrete basement wall. Note the foam has sealed a crack in an old expoxy surface patch seal.

After injection, the cured foam and injection ports are cut off the wall to leave a clean, dry surface. The leaking basement wall has been fixed.

If you have cracked basement walls that leak, please contact Martech to find a company that can fix your basement with Prime Resins 900 XLV.

Concrete Slab Lifting Improved Efficiency With Prime Resins Equalizer Flush

Prime Resins Equalizer Flush means better efficiency and less material required when lifting concrete slabs with Precision Lift polyurethane foam.

Equalizer Flush is a biodegradable flushing solvent for cleaning Prime Resins pumps, hoses and applicators. During Precision Lift slab lifting jobs, Equalizer Flush can also be used as a surface lubricant to prevent the cured resin foam from bonding on the concrete slab.

By preventing a bond between the cured foam and the surface of the concrete, the lifting performance of the foam becomes more efficient.

• Less material is required when using equalizer for the same amount of lift.
• Faster slab lifting jobs.
• Lower cost for end-users and owners.
• Cleaner results on the concrete driveway, sidewalk and floors after the slab lifting is finished.

PHOTO GALLERY:
Concrete Slab Lifting with Prime Resins Precision Lift and Equalizer Flush

Measure gaps, ridges and joints in the concrete driveway.

Drill holes through concrete into subgrade.

Inject Equalizer Flush into the subsurface void before injecting the Prime Resins expanding polyurethane resin.

Prime Resins Precision Lift resin has been injected under the slab and it is expanding and lifting the concrete driveway slab.

Due to the presence of Equalizer Fush solvent, the foam is NOT bonding to the concrete and the lifting process is more efficient.

Finished job, the concrete driveway slabs were lifted back to a flush grade with Prime Resins Precision Lift foam and Equalizer Flush.

Prime Resins Slab Lifting Repair On Anthony Henday Highway

This summer, the concrete leg of the Anthony Henday ring road on the south side of Edmonton underwent a maintenance and repair project.

QUICKLY REPAIR ROAD SURFACE SETTLEMENT ISSUES

Both concrete and asphalt road surfaces are susceptible to settling due to the compaction or erosion of subsurface soils.

With asphalt roadways, Martech would recommend a subsurface soil stabilization foam like Prime Flex 920 permeation grout. This concrete slab lifting project used Precision Lift 3.5 compaction grout. Precision Lift 3.5 can also be used to lift sidewalk slabs, warehouse floors, concrete driveway, airport runways and other transport facilities.

In 3 days, the contractor's Prime Resins team repaired settled concrete slabs along the 11 km stretch of highway.

PRIME RESINS SLAB LIFTING RESULTS

In this section of the ring road, the six-year-old highway had settled as much as 2″ (51mm). Using Precision Lift 3.5 resin, the local Prime Resins contractor was able to quickly drill and inject the lifting foam into the subsurface space to lift the slab back to a level grade.

Using Prime Resins Precision Lift compaction grout, the contractor was able to lift and repair concrete panels approximately 3m x 6m in size in less than 60 minutes. This made the repair work go weeks ahead of schedule!

LEARN MORE ABOUT PRIME RESINS FOR YOUR SLAB LIFTING PROJECT

If you have a slab lifting project (either small or large scale), be sure to contact Martech before committing to a slab lifting material different than Prime Resins.

Prime Resins Repairs Concrete Bridge Cold Joint Separation Crack

Repair Solutions for Concrete Dams and Bridges

The Vermillion dam and bridge crossing has been an integral part Central Alberta’s reservoir and irrigation system for decades. The cold joints at either end of the dam have recently separated. This deterioration has created a gap in the wall as wide as 3.5″ at certain points.

This cold joint separation can lead to increased amount of pollutants in the reservoir, road deterioration and, if left untreated, a catastrophic failure in the dam and bridge.

Alberta Transportation investigated several repair options for this bridge, but they all required the reservoir to be drained to facilitate the rehabilitation project. Draining the reservoir was a massive expense that went far beyond the budget scope for this type of project. They needed another way to repair the cold joint separation.

How they fixed the cold joint separation crack without draining

Prime Resins and a local contractor partner were able to provide an innovative cold joint repair.

Using Prime Resins Oakum saturated in Prime Flex 900 to seal the surface of the cold joint gap. With a new surface in place, Prime Flex 900 was injected into the annular space to seal the remaining subsurface gap. Finally, a protective epoxy cover was applied to the surface.

Cold joint Prime Resins repair “before and after” results:

All of the products used to fix this cold joint separation are NSF61 Certified, safe for drinking water. This means the reservoir water is not at risk from toxic sealants or roadway contaminants. Alberta Transportation saved substantial costs by completing this repair project with Prime Resins instead of a) trying alternative repair methods or b) doing nothing and allowing the problem to continue into the future.

Let us answer your Waterworks and Transportation Repair questions:

Contact your local Martech representative to discover what innovative solutions we can bring to your transportation rehabilitation projects. Martech’s infrastructure experts will make your job easier.

Saskatchewan City Restores Leaking Concrete Water Clarifier

Water treatment in large urban communities is an ongoing concern for utility operators, administrators and citizens. Water clarifiers play an important role in water treatment cycles by removing heavier sludge and solids from raw untreated water. Due to population growth, a community in Saskatchewan completed a water clarifier refurbishment project and brought an old piece of infrastructure back online.

Repairing leaks in old cracked concrete

This concrete water clarifier developed flaws and defects over years of use. Cold joints in the concrete had started to leak and large cracks were allowing significant amounts of ground water to infiltrate into the clarifier body. Honeycombing in the concrete was beginning to appear and that added to the leaking problems. Before this clarifier could be used again these leaks had to be stopped.

The city needed a durable leak-sealing solution that would stand up to the demands of daily water production. New Shield Restorations, a Martech partner contractor, was contracted to solve this problem. The contractor was very experienced in using polyurethane resins and had no reservations taking on this large undertaking.  New Shield Restorations relied on Prime Flex 900 XLV by Prime Resins to solve all the leak issues.

Leak-sealing solution: Prime Flex 900 XLV chemical grout

Prime Flex 900 XLV is an environmentally friendly polyurethane resin that bonds with concrete to form a tough, flexible, watertight seal.  It is safe for drinking water (meets the NSF 61 standard) and is the best injection product for sealing leaks. Prime Flex 900 XLV is a “hydrophilic” resin – it chases water as it reacts. The resin gets into the smallest cracks where water is leaking then reacts with the water and expands to seal the leak permanently.

Using one touch packers and high pressure mechanical injection ports, the New Shield team injected the Prime Flex 900 XLV resin into active leaking cracks, cold joints and honeycombed concrete voids. This refurbished concrete clarifier structure was quite large, approximately 100′ x 100′ x 25′ deep. After a week of carefully sealing all leaks, the project was finished and the clarifier was ready to be brought back into production.

Are you a UTILITIES OPERATOR with leaking concrete infrastructure?
Are you a CONCRETE REPAIR CONTRACTOR searching for better leak repair solutions?

To learn how to use chemical grouts to stop leaks and seal all manner of concrete infrastructure (water channels, manholes, storage tanks, anywhere water is leaking through concrete) contact us to request more information from Martech’s Municipal Infrastructure team.

Stop Groundwater Infiltration And Leaks In Water System

In the spring of 2009, the community of Redwood Meadows, Alberta contracted MPE Engineering to solve their aging below-grade infrastructure that was deteriorating due to a high groundwater table. Martech’s Derek Traquair helped the engineers at MPE find their solution in Prime Resins manhole chamber sealing grout and PSI Riser-Wrap heat shrink sleeves for manhole barrel joints

Problem One: groundwater infiltration in leaking manholes entering the sewer treatment system

The large amount of groundwater infiltration was entering in to the sanitary system and creating extra treatment costs for Redwood Meadows. In some cases, the deterioration was so much that the entire chamber would need to be replaced, but the majority of chambers were able to be rehabilitated using Prime Resins 920, Prime Resins Oakum and certified installation techniques.

Derek Traquair from Martech and a local certified Prime Resins applicator developed a cost-effective solution. Originally, five manhole chambers were marked for rehabilitation. The first project went so well that Redwood Meadows extended the contract to include the rest of the leaking chambers.

In the end, ten leaking manhole chambers were completely sealed with Prime Resins sealing grout. Derek was on hand to get some pictures and answer technical questions from MPE Engineering and the community, providing local support and value in the field.

Problem Two: Preventing Future Groundwater Infiltration

MPE and Redwood Meadows also contracted Tyson Construction to install a replacement sewer main and manhole chambers to replace the ones that had suffered the worst deterioration. In order to prevent infiltration problems from happening again, MPE specified the use of PSI Riser-Wrap heat-shrink polyethylene sleeves to be wrapped around the manhole joints.

Tyson and MPE contacted Derek again to help them with their first installation and show the crews how to install the Riser-Wrap as effectively as possible. Derek worked with the Tyson crew in sealing their first chamber. Tyson Construction was then able to seal the rest of the chambers preventing groundwater problems in the future!

Take a look at MPE Engineering’s Mark Steffler’s comments on this project!

Groundwater Infiltration Prevented By Prime Resins And PSI Riser-Wrap Seals

Sales professional Derek Traquair successfully introduced Prime Resins manhole chamber sealing grout and PSI Riser-Wrap heat shrink sleeves to permanently seal new manhole barrel joints against groundwater infiltration.

Riser-Wrap seals manholes against groundwater infiltration

Sundre, Alberta is a fast-growing town north-west of Calgary. To serve its growing population, the town commissioned a new sewage line in an area that had experienced severe flooding in the past. Susceptibility to flooding and a high water table meant that the manholes along this new service line would need to be sealed and protected from groundwater infiltration.  High Mountain Hoe was contracted for the line’s construction.

The designing engineer recommended PSI’s Riser-Wrap, a heat-shrink polyethylene sleeve, to seal the joints of the new manhole barrels to keep water from infiltrating the structures in that area. The Riser-Wrap was easily installed by the High Mountain Hoe crews.

The manholes were successfully sealed against rising ground water levels. Repeated inspections of these joints have shown that Riser-Wrap is a permanent solution for preventing water infiltration in new construction.

Martech’s leak calculator determined that just one leak in a joint would cost $1300.00 per year to treat. The materials cost for PSI Riser-Wrap was $200.00 per joint, giving the town of Sundre a payback of less than 30 days!

Prime Resins seals prevents groundwater infiltration at leaking pipe penetrations

Leaking pipe penetrations in other manholes meant the chambers needed to be rehabilitated before the service went on line. Other sealant products were unable to stop the groundwater infiltration.

Bob Vennard from High Mountain Hoe contacted Martech’s Derek Traquair to get technical support for this installation. Derek came to Sundre and worked with High Mountain Hoe to seal two of the chambers with Prime Resins Oakum and Prime-Flex 900 XLV. High Mountain Hoe then continued sealing chambers along the rest of the installation.

Contact Martech and use Riser-Wrap and Prime Resins to seal your underground infrastructure

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Testimonial letter from High Mountain Hoe Service Ltd for Martech technical sales professional Derek Traquair:

From:
 Bob Vennard, High Mountain Hoe Service Ltd
 RR#1 Sundre, Alberta
 T0M 1X0

To whom it may concern:

This letter is in regards to our recent experience using Prime Resins polyurethane grouts and Pipeline Seal & Insulator (PSI) Riser Wrap for the sealing of below-grade structures against groundwater infiltration.

In the summer of 2008, the Town of Sundre contracted us to install a 10″ HPDE force main in the area of the Red Deer River and Bearberry Creek. The location of the construction had a very high water table and the design engineering firm, Brisbin & Sentis Engineering Inc., had specified the use of Riser-Wrap heat shrink polyethylene sleeves around the barrel joints of the manholes to prevent water infiltration. This installation proved to be successful as there have been no instances of groundwater leaking into any of the manhole barrel joints.

Separate from these barrel joints, three manholes experienced significant water infiltration around pipe penetrations at the bottom of manholes. Kevin Wiley from Brisbin & Sentis recommended Prime Resins polyurethane grouts as a sealant against this infiltration and suggested that we contact Derek Traquair at Martech for training and technical support.

On Septemer 10, 2008, Martech’s Derek Traquair came to Sundre and worked with our personnel to seal two of the manholes using Prime Resins Prime-Flex 900XLV sealant grout. This product proved to be successful and successive inspections of these manholes have shown the chamber has stayed dry since the repair.

Due to water migration, a new leak began around the pipe penetration of a third manhole. Our crews tried several different products by other manufacturers to seal this new infiltration until we were contacted again by Derek Traquair at Martech who was following up on the initial Prime-Flex repair. Derek made a second appointment and came to the site in Sundre on October 28, 2008. The Martech representative worked with our crew using Prime Resins dry oakum soaked in Prime-Flex 900XLV and Prime-Flex 900XLV injected behind the oakum to create a watertight seal.

High Mountain Hoe would like to thank Derek Traquair and Martech for providing this innovative solution to water infiltration as well as for their continued service and follow up on this project. We continue to work with Martech and recommend the use of PSI Riser-Wrap and Prime Resins for inflow and infiltration control.

Regards,

BOB VENNARD
 Owner
 High Mountain Hoe