Wire Mesh Corp.'s (WMC) Conroe, Texas, facility manufactures prestressed concrete (PC) strand wire for construction applications. Inside the facility, large, below-grade cast-in-place concrete boxes are located underneath machinery to house spools that unwind the wire during the manufacturing process. When the manufacturer needed to install a new generator (aka wire straightener) in 2019, the installation area needed to be dry. However, one of the newly poured concrete box trenches had groundwater slipping through several exposed rock pockets in its walls, which introduced moisture to the installation area.
Building materials supplier White Cap worked with CTS Cement to find an ideal solution to repair the holes and prevent future water intrusion: Rapid Set®
Water Stop
and
Rapid Set®
WP Mortar HP
for concrete and masonry surfaces.
Water Stop is a water plug designed to stop water leaks quickly. It can be used in horizontal, vertical, and overhead applications, making it ideal for walls, floors, swimming pools, cisterns, water tanks, basements, fountains, and more.
WP Mortar HP is a high-performance and polymer-modified cementitious coating that resists water intrusion in both positive and negative side applications. It can be used to waterproof basements, foundations, and retaining walls as well as tilt-up, precast, and cast-in-place concrete. WP Mortar HP has a working time of 30 minutes and sets in two to three hours. It can be exposed to hydrostatic pressure and brought back into service in three to five days.
CTS Cement representatives arrived on the site to demonstrate how to use the Rapid Set products. After cleaning the area of any loose cement, they used a chipping hammer to cut into and open up the rock pockets. Next, they hand-mixed Water Stop with water and firmly pressed the repair material into each hole until it stiffened. They then finished the repaired surfaces with a trowel. Water Stop sets in five minutes, reaching structural strength in one hour.
While they worked, water would find another path to enter, causing cracks and leaks to occur in other areas of the trench walls. So, they applied WP Mortar HP to the leaky areas in multiple 1/16-inch-thick layers. The material was mixed by hand and applied with a trowel.
The products worked well, stopping all leaks and preventing moisture from reaching the generator installation area. Wire Mesh used Water Stop and WP Mortar HP for subsequent repairs.
