Waterproofing under pipes and repairing a cold joint was the next stage of the project at Yaya Foods. As mentioned in our previous blog, doing concrete repairs in a food-processing facility is challenging due to the very nature of such business. Not only must the area be kept clean, but also production cannot be stopped.
Cold Joint
So far, over 220 linear feet of cold joint (a weak area where two concrete slabs meet, as is the case between walls and floors) have been repaired, with more work scheduled for later this month.
We had to accommodate our client in terms of scheduling for part of the work by carrying out the repairs on Christmas Day – one of the two days in the entire year when the plant is shut down. This made it possible to work in an area where foot traffic is constant (between bottle sanitisation and bottle filling rooms). In preparation for our work, the transformer located right against the wall to be repaired had to be temporarily disconnected and moved.
Another challenge had to do with working around a sanitized beverage production line which had to be wrapped to ensure its cleanliness.
Patching under Pipes
Doing concrete patches in such a hard-to-access area poses its challenges too. To gain enough access to parts of the floor located under the pipes, we had to jack them up slightly.
Another issue was diverting water overflowing from the vats in order to isolate the area being repaired (it would not be possible to install a patch with water constantly flowing over the surface). Holes were made to allow water to pool to then be pumped out.
Next Phase
Besides completing more cold joint repairs, our next task is air compressor room ramp restoration