Polyfoam is not just for concrete and it does not always refer to expanding foam (check out our Polyfoam blog). Typically, settled concrete is most noticeable and it is easier to understand how Polyfoam could help in that situation. Foam expands, concrete is lifted, end of story. Did you know that Polyfoam has many applications where concrete is not present? We recently had a discussion with a client on Earth Dam repairs, so I thought it would be beneficial to highlight that below.

The Problem

There are many factors at play within soil that you and I cannot see with the naked eye. When

water is present, we have a whole new bag of worms. Whether it is a flowing river or a lake/reservoir/pond, water is creating hydrostatic pressure on its barrier(s). For our discussion, we are referring to an Earthen Dam, or a dam built out of compacting successive layers of soil. Over time, this hydrostatic pressure can cause weak areas in an earth dam. These weak areas could result in a void followed by a leak through the dam.
Traditional repair methods include filling these voids with more soil or backfilling with a cement mixture. These methods have only addressed the result of the problem, not the problem itself, which is water infiltration.

The Solution

Enter Polyfoam! Our polyurethane resins have many properties that aid in the diversion and sealing of water. Our single component, hydrophobic resin is specifically designed to seek out and disperse any water in the treated area, this includes sealing high-flow or slow leaks. After water is diverted and displaced, this resin permeates (not displaces or disrupts) the existing soil, creating a solid, water impermeable barrier. Once the problem has been solved, high density, lightweight, expanding Polyfoam can be utilized to fill and compact any voids created by the water leak. This is much lighter on already weak soil than traditional methods and it provides compaction pressure that back fill soil and cement slurry simply cannot match, especially at the depths that Polyfoam is capable of reaching