Water intrusion can be a very costly problem for facilities and structures. CJGeo specializes in performing water intrusion repair using methods such as permeation grouting, crack injection and void filling to fill and block water passages through soils and structures to address water intrusion. Along with injection of plural component polyurethanes to seal open joints and fill voids adjacent to structures. CJGeo’s water intrusion repair experience ranges from weeping leaks in pedestrian tunnels under hospitals to 25 million gallon per day leaks into mines.
Our Water Intrusion Repair Experience
CJGeo has repaired leaks in structures from simple weeping basement cracks to gushing leaks at pipe penetrations, squirting leaks in floors and many other tricky situations. Whether it’s a small leak that takes a single tube of polyurethane to stop or a week of chemical grout permeation grouting, CJGeo has the experience, knowledge and equipment to tackle any facility or infrastructure water intrusion repair.
Causes of Water Intrusion In Facilities
There are a few general causes of water intrusion. Changes in ground water levels can overwhelm a facility’s original waterproofing system. Waterproofing systems generally have finite lives–eventually they fail. Failed stormwater & sanitary pipes can introduce sufficient water to overwhelm a waterproofing system. Leaks can be caused by cracks larger than the waterproofing system was designed to tolerate.
Methods of Water Intrusion Repair
Undersealing
Frequently, water intrusion can be addressed from the surface. This includes redirecting surface flows away from structures. A very frequent water stopping repair related to surface sources of water is polyurethane undersealing. Undersealing fills voids below concrete slabs adjacent to structures. An example would be a void under a slab adjacent to a pit where water accumulates under the slab and then seeps through the pit wall. Or, voids under floors adjacent to inspection pits or other underground structures where surface water can accumulate in the voids below the floor. This causes hydrostatic pressure to build up along the pit wall, forcing water through the wall.
This is a frequent problem in automotive repair and industrial facilities. Surface void filling is usually accompanied by chemical grout injection through point leaks. Chemical grouting is done from the surface or through the structure’s walls. Surface void filling to stop water intrusion is usually completed using waterproof, high density polyurethane grouting.
Crack Injection
Completely buried structures, such as steam tunnels, pedestrian & automotive tunnels, or stormwater pipes and culverts frequently leak. Stopping water intrusion into completely buried structures typically involves injecting materials through the walls of the structure in the affected areas.
The specific material and method chosen depends on many variables. They include presence of voids outside of the structure, the soil characteristics adjacent to the structure, and the quantity and flow of water present. Crack injection stops water coming through discrete cracks. This seals the crack by injecting a water stopping material directly into the crack. Material choice primarily depends on crack size and leak volume. Whether or not the crack is stable or moving also helps drive grout selection.
Curtain Grouting
Curtain grouting stops diffuse water migration through walls. The process coats the exterior of a wall with grout, and can also permeate the adjacent soils to form an impermeable mass adjacent to the wall. Curtain grouting can be performed from the surface or through the affected structure wall(s). Curtain grouting with acrylic permeation grouting is very effective at cutting off water flow through old masonry walls, such as stone & brick. Colloidal silica, an exceptionally low viscosity mineral grout, is excellent for curtain grouting, as well.
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