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Spray Foam Equipment for Concrete Slab Lifting

By Kevin Malone

Takea stroll around an old park or neighborhood and the chances are high you'llencounter some uneven concrete sidewalk slabs. This kind of settlement happensover time, after a significant event like an earthquake or flood, or whenconcrete is set on shifty foundations like shale or over natural moisturepaths.

Unevenslabs can be time-consuming to fix if the contractors choose to demolish theslabs and set new concrete. To save money and time, applying spray foamunderneath existing concrete slabs can make the surfaces even again withouthaving to perform time-consuming operations and wasting the existing materials.Lifting with spray foam can add years of additional use to your concrete andmake your driveway, walkway, or other concrete structure functional oncemore.

Contractors who perform this kind of work need spray foam equipment that's specifically suited to lift concrete slabs. At Intech Equipment and Supply, we have the right concrete lifting spray foam equipment that you need to safely and effectively lift slabs.

Spray Foam Machines

Machinesprocess and pressurize spray foam materials and present them at the rightconditions in the spray foam gun. This allows them to form a chemical reactionand create spray foam for concrete lifting.

Many of our Graco and PMC machines can process both open-celled and closed-cell spray foam. However, lifting spray foam has its own unique needs that some proportioners process better than others. For example, Graco personally recommends two proportioners for concrete lifting-- the Reactor series and Gusmer Hydraulic proportioner.

The Reactor line of Graco proportioners offers a wide variety of turnkey systems that make it easy to get to work quickly. This product line comes in a regular and elite form to meet the demands of small to large concrete lifting jobs.
The Gusmer? H-20/35 GH-2 hydraulic proportioner?is a simple, durable machine that the company also recommends for raising concrete. It comes at a great value but still offers an impressive performance. Hydraulic machines are known for their power coupled with low maintenance, so it's a great pick for busy contractors.

SprayFoam Guns

Tomix the materials and send them underneath the concrete, you'll need a gun thatcan properly mix the materials without frequent clogging, jamming, ormalfunctions. Graco and PMC are the top manufacturers for spray foam guns thatcan send the materials underneath concrete. For this kind of job, you shouldonly use mechanical purge guns because they prevent any material cross over.

An unequivocal industry favorite is the PMC PX-7 Mechanical Purge Gun. Its robust design and mechanical purging capability make it ideal to apply lifting foam. This model incorporates a valving rod that mechanically purges the mixed material, eliminating the need for solvent flushing or air purges.

OtherTools

Toinsert spray foam underneath concrete, you'll need a few specialized tools tohelp you access the areas underneath the concrete surface. You can easily findthese products at your local hardware store or online.

HammerDrill
A3-4-foot drill bit, and a few extras in case you need replacements.
6Mil Heavy Duty poly sheet to prevent concrete stains.
AnInjector
Rubbermallet to hammer the injector into place.
Wrenchto tighten down the injector.
Aleveler to detect even the slightest changes in the concrete's position.
Quickset mortar mix to patch up holes.
StandardSafety Equipment

Spray Foam Material

Not all spray foam is right for concrete slab lifting. When you shop for materials, you need to find a fast reacting foam that won't stick to concrete. You also need the right density of spray foam that remains pliable enough so you can work with it as you raise individual slabs to be even with each other. It should also expand to 20-25 times its original volume to have the right 'aggressiveness' to raise concrete.

After you purchase your equipment from Intech, you can find the right materials from various vendors. HMI is one company that specializes in manufacturing fresh concrete-lifting spray foam materials. They carry closed-cell spray foam, not the open-celled type that is used for insulation. Geolift is another brand that manufactures spray foam that can raise heavy slabs.

Ifyou have any questions about what materials we recommend using with yourcurrent equipment, contact our customer service associates and we can recommendyou our top picks for slab jacking contractors.