All you need to know about sunken concrete problems

Are you dealing with sunken concrete problems? Sinking concrete slabs can cause massive problems for any structure, particularly building foundations. Catching the problem before it starts is very hard to do, Soil is eroded away under the concrete slabbing from excessive rains, underwater rivers or seismic events. The eroded soil leaves a gap below the slab and it begins to sink into the void under the stress of its own weight.

Unfortunately, by the time you have realized you have sunken concrete problems, they are often out of hand and require complete repair or restoration of the ground below the slab. Solving the problem is done by filling the void below the slab to restore the support and the level back to its original position.

Out with the old methods

Traditionally, a method known as ‘mud-jacking’ was used as the preferred method of raising concrete slabbing, however; this method was imprecise raise1and messy. The slab is drilled with a large two-inch hole and then concrete or cement slurry is pumped into the hole until the void is filled. Slurry has the disadvantage of losing volume as it dries, so most slabs are raised higher than the original position so that they settle into the correct level as the slurry dries. This leads to ineffective leveling of the surface and slabs that can be over or under raised.

A new innovation

Around two decades ago, the department of transportation began to use what would become the new industry standard in solving sunken concrete problems. Polyurethane concrete raising was introduced to solve the problems of sinkholes developing under roads and bridges. This system was a complete innovation on raising concrete slabbing when compared to mud-jacking.

Using polyurethane injection is much more efficient and a lot cleaner than mud-jacking. A much smaller hole, around 5/8 of an inch is drilled into the slab and an injection nozzle delivers expandable polyurethane foam into the void under pressure. The foam expands and fills the void, raising the level of the slab as it expands and cures.

A full cure of the material can be achieved in as little as 15 minutes and the entire process is monitored by a qualified technician using technical electronic equipment that monitors the delivery of the foam and the rate of its expansion. There is no need for long periods of waiting around while the material cures, you can put weight on it straight way.

The quality of the polyurethane foam is much better than a simple slurry solution. The foam will not wear away like slurry or soil will and it offers a permanent solution to the problems that will last for decades to come. There is no mess to clean up as with mud-jacking and the slabbing is raised to the correct level, with no over, or under-raising.

The obvious solution

With so many advantages of polyurethane foam injection over traditional mud-jacking techniques, it’s no wonder that polyurethane injection has raise3become the new industry benchmark to solve your sunken concrete problems. Being that it is a relatively new technology, not all contractors will offer this service, so you may have to search a bit for a local contractor that can assist you.

When you are looking into the right contractor to get the job done right, take the time to review their past client testimonials to ensure they deliver quality, guaranteed workmanship. There are many fly-by-night operators that will take advantage of your lack of knowledge and leave you with an incomplete job, meaning that the slab will eventually fail.

Making sure that you work with an industry approved and regulated contractor. They should have qualified technicians and staff that are experienced with solving sunken concrete problems with polyurethane foam injection.

If you select the right contractor, they will be able to solve your sunken concrete problems timeously and efficiently, restoring the support for your concrete slabbing and preventing problems in the future.

 


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