Professional slabjacking contractors repair cracked and sunken concrete by using a special cement slurry mixture to fill empty spaces in the soil underneath. Once all of the air pockets are gone, pressure lifts the concrete back to a stable, level position.
Spaces or voids in the soil under concrete obviously aren’t visible to the naked eye. To find them, professional contractors rely on ground penetrating radar (GPR). Here, the Lift Right Concrete team explains how it works.
When it’s time to figure out where to pump the cement mixture, professional slabjacking contractors pull out a high-frequency ground penetrating radar system.
The equipment, which is about the size of a small lawn mower, is driven across the repair area. As the GPR moves along, it sends radio pulses down into the earth. Whenever it detects an anomaly, a signal goes to the receiver. The process is quick, and the results are highly accurate.
Once finished using the GPR equipment to survey the area, slabjacking contractors look at the results on the system’s LCD screen.
Interpreting the GPR data can be challenging, as the screen shows a wavy line map – not actual pictures. And, every anomaly may not point to an empty space in the soil. Some of the radio signals may indicate underground pipes, cables, boulders or other subsurface objects. However, professional slabjacking contractors have the skill and training to understand the GPR results and spot air pockets that must be filled to restore the integrity of the concrete slab.
After identifying the empty spaces under a cracked and sunken concrete slab, professional slabjacking contractors take the steps to fill them.
First comes drilling a few small holes through the slab, each of which is about two inches in diameter. Next, the contractors attach a hydraulic pump and use it to send the cement slurry into the air pockets under the concrete. Once they’re all filled and the slab has been lifted, the holes and cracks need to be caulked to prevent water infiltration – a task either the contractors or the property owner completes.
Slabjacking is a highly effective method of concrete repair, and in most cases, the results last for at least a decade.
At some point, however, the soil could develop new empty spaces that threaten the concrete’s stability. Often, this is due to poor soil conditions, but burrowing animals, tree root growth and underground plumbing leaks can also create new air pockets. Still, a repeat repair likely won’t be necessary for several years.
Do you have cracked and sunken concrete? If your home or business is located in the greater Salt Lake City area or along the Wasatch Front, turn to the professional slabjacking contractors at Lift Right Concrete.
We offer free, no-obligation consultations, and our expert team can provide you with effective and affordable concrete repair. For more information on our slabjacking contractors or the services we provide at Lift Right Concrete, contact our West Jordan or Grantsville, Utah, office today.
