With weeping or small leaks, a major focus is on the viscosity, or thickness, of the resin. Low viscosity resins easily penetrate the cracks to ensure all leaking areas are repaired.
Hydrophilic chemical grouts are attracted to water and ‘chase moisture.’ In doing so, the grout follows all paths along the crack to reach and seal the leaks. When sealing leaks with chemical grouts, a hairline crack is one that is 1/16” or less. Several Prime Resins products are independently verified to meet NSF/ANSI Standard 61.5 for contact with potable water. This makes them ideal for water treatment, transport and storage structures. Other environmentally sensitive areas, such as seawalls or bulkheads, are also great candidates for our NSF-compliant products.
When encountering a gushing leak, quick reaction or ‘set’ times are important. This ensures that the resin has the opportunity to react with the water present and expand quickly enough to form a watertight, rigid foam before the leak can wash grout away. Catalysts or activators control set times. Where hydrostatic pressures are high, a hydraulic cement patching material or oakum can stop or slow the flow enough for the chemical grout to react.
Equally important is the expansion rate. Gushing leaks are caused by larger water flows, so a large area must be sealed to stop the leak. Using products with higher expansion rates allows for greater coverage of the void area. In below-grade structures, the large expansion rate also serves to fill any voids behind the structure and thus forms a curtain that serves as a 360-degree shield.
Weeping leaks, hairline cracks |
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| AR 800 | Acrylate, very low viscosity, low toxicity, elastomeric gel, primarily for geotechnical applications, NSF/ANSI 61.5 compliant for potable water use |
| AR 870 | Acrylate, very low viscosity, low toxicity, elastomeric gel, for crack injection in structures |
| Prime Flex 900 XLV | Hydrophilic, polyurethane, single-component, low viscosity, NSF/ANSI 61.5 compliant for potable water use |
| Prime Flex 900 MV | Hydrophilic, polyurethane, medium viscosity, single-component, for medium to wide cracks |
| Prime Flex 920 | Hydrophobic, water-activated polyurethane, low viscosity, variable set time, NSF/ANSI 61.5 compliant for potable water use. Requires catalyst. Use for curtain grouting if leaks are not high-flow gushing leaks. |
Gushing leaks |
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| AR 800 | Acrylate, very low viscosity, low toxicity, elastomeric gel, NSF/ANSI 61.5 certified for potable water use, primarily for geotechnical applications |
| Prime Flex Hydro Gel SX | Hydrophilic, polyurethane, extra low viscosity, single-component, NSF/ANSI 61.5 compliant for potable water use |
| Prime Flex 920 | Hydrophobic, water-activated polyurethane, low viscosity, variable set time, NSF/ANSI 61.5 compliant for potable water use. Requires catalyst |
| Prime Flex 940 | Hydrophobic, water-activated polyurethane, variable set time, highly expansive flexible foam, NSF/ANSI 61.5 compliant for potable water use. Requires catalyst |
| Prime Plug | Hydraulic cement product to stop water flow prior to crack injection |
| Oil-free oakum | Oil-free jute roping |