Protect Your Structure with Concrete Field Testing

Corrosion is reinforced concrete’s number one enemy. Corrosion is the result of an electrochemical reaction among ferrous metal, water, and oxygen where rust or other corrosion is formed. This rust expands 5 to 7 times its original volume, and there is no stopping it.

Concrete that is very strong in compression is also very weak in tension. As a result, as the rusted rebar expands, the concrete cracks and eventually spalls.

Concrete has a naturally high pH which protects the reinforcing steel from corrosion. However, the presence of chlorides from saltwater and the process of carbonation occurring from oxygen in the atmosphere serve to lower the naturally protective pH.

The resulting atmosphere promotes corrosion and deterioration of the concrete exponentially over time. Corrosion also occurs at a faster rate and is more concealed in prestressed concrete than conventional reinforced concrete due to more surface area of exposed steel.

Initial Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) recommended:

• Instantaneous Corrosion Rate Measurement: to measure the rate of corrosion to see how active the corrosion is and predict longevity of reinforcing from a known condition.
• Impulse Echo: to check thickness and detect voids, delamination, and discontinuities of slabs, walls, footings, pile caps, and piles (concrete, steel, or wood), and to measure in situ concrete compressive strength. Pile testing may require minor excavation.

Optional Minimally Invasive Testing:

• Chloride Ion Content and Depth to predict service life of reinforced concrete.
• Carbonation Depth: requires cores sprayed with pH indicator solution to predict service life of reinforced concrete.
• Half-Cell Potential: to locate different intensities of active corrosion.

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The IEI Advantage: Concrete Restoration

The engineers at IEI specialize in concrete restoration! We’re happy to walk your facility and let you know of any conditions that require immediate attention and what maintenance activities you can perform now to extend the life of your facility. Since the back of IEI business cards contain a crack gauge, one can easily evaluate cracks within your structure. Give us a call today!

Field Testing of Concrete

Want to know the health of your concrete structure?

Want to upgrade your concrete structure but don’t have as-built structural drawings?

Non-destructive and minimally invasive concrete field testing can determine the health of your concrete structure and predict its useful remaining life. It can also determine or verify the reinforcement in your concrete structure. Non-destructive testing can also be used to determine the actual concrete compressive strength which supports as-built analysis and determination of reserve load carrying capacity.

Corrosion is reinforced concrete’s number one enemy. Corrosion is the result of an electrochemical reaction among ferrous metal, water, and oxygen where rust or other corrosion is formed. This rust expands 5 to 7 times its original volume, and there is no stopping it.

Initial Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) recommended:

• Visual Examination: to identify wood and concrete deterioration, efflorescence, and leaks.
• Probes: to identify soft spots requiring further investigation. Crack gauge to determine crack width and identify which cracks need to be sealed or epoxied (glued) back together.
• Hammer and Rotary Hammer Testing (sounding): to identify delamination and future spalls on horizontal and vertical concrete surfaces.
• Electrical Resistivity: to identify the presence of a corrosive environment (corrosion potential) containing chlorides and moisture penetration.
• Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR): to identify corroded rebar, rebar size, cover, and location. Check for voids behind concrete.

Read more on our website!

The IEI Advantage: Concrete Restoration

The engineers at IEI specialize in concrete restoration! We’re happy to walk your facility and let you know of any conditions that require immediate attention and what maintenance activities you can perform now to extend the life of your facility. Since the back of IEI business cards contain a crack gauge, one can easily evaluate cracks within your structure. Give us a call today!

How to Prevent a Burst Water Pipe This Winter

Water expands 9% when it freezes. There is no stopping it, so it can burst pipes, fittings, and valves. If you live in the southern United States or a warmer climate where below-freezing temperatures occur infrequently, your business may be at a higher risk of a burst pipe.

Many commercial property owners have experienced this issue. To avoid sharing in their misfortune, it is imperative that you take the necessary steps to prevent your own water system from freezing.

You can save your property from total loss by taking these steps in freezing conditions:

1. Shut off the main water valve: Find the main water valve for your property and turn it off to keep additional water from flowing into the affected portion of the system. If your fire protection sprinkler pipes burst, you will need to post a full-time fire watch.  
2. Turn off the electricity to the affected area: Live current near a flooded area can present shock hazards. Turn off the power at the electrical panel to prevent dangerous conditions.
3. Contact a plumber: If you see standing water but can’t tell where the frozen or burst pipe is, call a plumber to diagnose and start the repair process. Fixing the source of the leak is your top priority!

Need more help recovering from a burst pipe? Make sure you take these steps to prepare your building for winter!

For a free download of our winter preparedness checklist, please click here.

Read how you can save your property from total loss on our website.

The IEI Advantage for Structural Engineering

Innovative Engineering Inc. has been a trusted structural engineering, waterproofing engineering, and restoration engineering resource to some of the largest property owners and managers across the United States for over 25 years.

Our passion is showing real estate professionals how to self-inspect their facilities in order to reduce repair and replacement costs and know when to call in an expert. Our engineers are glad to walk your facility, let you know the condition, what and when repairs or replacement are necessary, and provide reports with construction costs and recommend quality contractors to perform the work.

Contact us today to get a quote!

How to Deal with Frozen Pipes in Your Building

Are you prepared to deal with frozen pipes in your building this winter?

Most buildings have preventative measures – such as insulation in exterior walls, attics, and crawl spaces – which do a good job of holding in the heat and protecting water pipes, but if you have extended periods of long-term cold weather or widespread power outages, your pipes could suffer.

Here are the basics:

• Water freezes at 32 degrees (Fahrenheit) or colder
• Pipes in 20 degrees or colder for prolonged periods will freeze
• Exterior pipes freeze much faster than internal pipes

Water expands 9% when it freezes. There is no stopping it, so it can burst pipes, fittings, and valves. If you live in the southern United States or a warmer climate where below-freezing temperatures occur infrequently, your business may be at a higher risk of a burst pipe.

Many commercial property owners have experienced this issue. To avoid sharing in their misfortune, it is imperative that you take the necessary steps to prevent your own water system from freezing.

Read how you can save your property from total loss on our website.

The IEI Advantage for Structural Engineering

Innovative Engineering Inc. has been a trusted structural engineering, waterproofing engineering, and restoration engineering resource to some of the largest property owners and managers across the United States for over 25 years.

Our passion is showing real estate professionals how to self-inspect their facilities in order to reduce repair and replacement costs and know when to call in an expert. Our engineers are glad to walk your facility, let you know the condition, what and when repairs or replacement are necessary, and provide reports with construction costs and recommend quality contractors to perform the work.

Contact us today to get a quote!

Essential Winter Preparedness Checklist for Facility Managers & Owners

Is your facility ready for winter?

Have you done everything to ensure your staff are safe and warm during the cold months ahead?

Winter preparedness shouldn't be overlooked, and it's important to follow a checklist to make sure you don't forget any essential items that keep your facility up and running this winter:

Test Heating Systems: Ensure heating systems are functioning properly. Replace filters utilizing high efficiency filters and consider cleaning ductwork and installing a UV sanitizer to minimize the spread of viruses. Also, bringing in more air from the outside can help dilute the number of viral particles in the air. This may cause higher energy bills, but the payoff is healthier, safer employees and guests.

Test Emergency Generator: Service and test emergency generators. Ensure you have the appropriate amount of fuel, and that fuel is tested periodically to determine if fuel polishing is required to keep the fuel clean and free of contaminants.

Shut-Off Landscape Sprinklers: Shut off and completely drain irrigation systems.

Inspect Building Envelope: Visually inspect the roof paying particular attention to areas where work has been done, loose flashing, debris removal from roof, drains and gutters. Visually inspect the façade of your building paying particular attention to doors and windows. Avoid having to fix a roof, door, or window leak in the middle of a winter storm.

Snow and Ice Removal: Have On-Call Service provider(s) available 24/7 for snow and ice removal. Have them work overnight as required to remove snow and ice before occupants arrive each morning. The property owner usually has 48 hours to remove the accumulation of snow or ice to avoid being sued for a slip and fall. If this is done in-house, the property owner or manager should make sure equipment is available and has been serviced, ice melt is available, and shovels and snow blowers are ready. Ice melt such as Calcium Chloride, Magnesium Chloride, and Calcium Magnesium Acetate are not harmful to concrete. Rock salt (sodium chloride) is often the first deicing agent turned to because it’s inexpensive and effective. However, it’s very corrosive and can cause significant damage to concrete surfaces and even pose a threat to pets and plant life. Also, ensure winter wear is available to your workers.

Read the full list on our website!

The IEI Advantage for Winter Preparedness and Parking Structure Inspection

Innovative Engineering Inc. has been a trusted resource to some of the largest property owners and managers across the United States for over 25 years.

Our passion is showing real estate professionals how to self-inspect their facilities in order to reduce repair and replacement costs and know when to call in an expert. Our engineers are glad to walk your facility, including parking structure inspection, let you know the condition, what and when repairs or replacement are necessary, and provide reports with construction costs and recommend quality contractors to perform the work.

Contact us today to get a quote!

Emergency Preparedness for Winter

Is your facility prepared for winter?

Winter can be a challenging season for property owners and building managers. Inclement weather can strike without notice, and if you’re not prepared, your building and occupants could suffer costly damage.

As the seasons change and temperatures drop, make sure you plan adequately and take these essential steps for winter preparedness:

• Emergency Preparedness: While the following activities ahead of winter will minimize the likelihood or magnitude of unforeseen losses, not having an “Emergency Preparedness Plan” in place can be considered negligence. While insurance typically covers property losses, it likely does not cover lost revenue of affected tenants which can be much more than the cost to repair property damage.
• All actual tenants should be notified before winter threats, such as low temperatures, of steps to be taken to minimize losses to them and other tenants. This may include ensuring unheated spaces are either insulated and heated and/or the affected plumbing lines either drained or heated with heat tape and fire sprinkler lines heated with heaters or heat tape. Also, ensure heaters and heat tape are actually functioning correctly.
• On-Call Property Manager(s) should be identified and be available 24/7, including holidays.
• On-Call Service Provider(s) should be identified and available 24/7, including holidays. Service providers should be familiar with where all utility shut-offs are located.
• A current list of emergency contacts with backups for owners, managers, tenants, utilities, and on-call personnel should be made available and distributed to all tenants and owners.
• Keys for each tenant space should be kept by the property owner or manager and be available to the On-call Property Manager and service providers.

Read more about winter emergency preparedness on our website!

The IEI Advantage for Parking Structure Inspection

Innovative Engineering Inc. has been a trusted resource to some of the largest property owners and managers across the United States for over 25 years.

Our passion is showing real estate professionals how to self-inspect their facilities in order to reduce repair and replacement costs and know when to call in an expert. Our engineers are glad to walk your facility, including parking structure inspection, let you know the condition, what and when repairs or replacement are necessary, and provide reports with construction costs and recommend quality contractors to perform the work.

Contact us today to get started!

Get the Biggest Bang for Your Buck with Parking Structure Maintenance

Most people, including professionals in the commercial property industry, are either unaware or refuse to accept that parking structures require maintenance. The truth is, they begin to deteriorate before they are open to the public and do so exponentially after just a few years. Unlike the structure of the building or buildings they serve, which exist in a controlled environment, parking structures are exposed directly to the elements. Exposure to precipitation, road salt, thermal expansion and contraction, and vibratory loads, all contribute to the exponential degradation of a parking structure. As can see in the graph below produced by the National Parking Association, simply kicking the maintenance can down the road only results in higher maintenance costs. You will notice that performing maintenance early at A to A’ costs less than performing it later at B to B’. And delaying maintenance too long can result in an unsafe structure or worse, failure.

Biggest Bang for Your Buck

The top level of your parking structure typically serves as the roof of the facility. Focusing on this level will provide the largest return on your maintenance investment. Since water is the number one enemy, causing the largest repair expenses, it is important to remove water from this surface quickly and efficiently. This can be accomplished by managing precipitation runoff from the surface so that it does not have a chance to soak into the concrete or leak through the joints to reinforcing steel below and cause corrosion and spalling of concrete. Maintenance of surface sealer and joint sealant will provide the biggest bang for your buck.

Read more on our website.

Innovative Engineering Specializes in Parking Structure Maintenance

Innovative Engineering helps owners with parking structure maintenance and reducing restoration costs. Unlike most other building systems that are protected by a conditioned building envelope, parking structures are directly exposed to the elements which results in exponential or accelerated deterioration.

Our engineers are glad to walk your facility and let you know about any conditions that require immediate attention. Since the back of IEI business cards contain a crack gauge, you can easily evaluate any cracks within your structure to determine if it is of concern. Give us a call today!