Guest Blogger
Geoffrey Spencer
If your home has ever been affected by subsidence, settling or foundation issues, you’re probably aware of the devastation it can cause. The usual treatment is underpinning the foundations to re-level them, which can be harmful to the environment as well as pretty expensive.
The process involves excavating the surrounding grounds and although very effective at dealing with foundation problems, doesn’t take into account the value of the natural world and can have a lasting, damaging impact on both plants and animals in the area.
Alternatively though, there is now a more eco-friendly solution in the shape of geopolymer resin injections.
What Are Geopolymer Resin Injections?
These geopolymer resins offer a green alternative to the sometimes messy underpinning techniques. The resins are injected directly to the local site they are needed and have been described as ‘non-disruptive’.
That’s because the need to dig and disturb the laying ground is eradicated. Nothing is taken away from the soil meaning that plants and animals still have their food and water sources and the clean method has also been certified as ‘eco-neutral’, contributing no harmful fumes and gases to the air.
Sustainability
As far as your foundations are concerned, both methods should amend the problems you’re having and last for a good few decades at a minimum. When it comes to property, sustainably of both is rather impressive.
As eco-conscious folk, we think about more than just ourselves. We take into account the surrounding area and the environment and geopolymers do just that too. Wildlife is preserved and no pollutants are emitted, ensuring the longevity of the regional atmosphere.
Time
Excavation for traditional underpinning methods are by no means a quick task, sometimes it can even take months. The longer the process goes on, the more harm that can be inflicted to the environment.
Resins on the other hand are good to go in a few hours. They are pumped into the foundations (and only the foundations, exactly where they’re needed) and set in a short period of time. They’re barely intrusive at all, allowing your day to continue as normal as well as retaining the world around you.
Costs
Protecting the environment doesn’t have to be expensive. Some eco-friendly processes may be slightly more expensive than their alternatives and sometimes it’s a price we’re willing to pay to safeguard nature.
In most cases however, injections are considerably cheaper than traditional underpinning. There’s less time and labour to pay for and the method comes at no cost to the atmosphere.
A Greener Future?
Construction and maintenance industries have long been depicted as smoky, polluting businesses but with a conscious effort, many practices can be altered to accommodate for the beauty that is all around us.
Eco-friendly geopolymers have done just that, offering a green and clean alternative to one of the most pressing home headaches.
Hopefully more sectors will begin to pick up on and implement new ways to achieve eco-friendly results in the future.
Geoffrey Spencer works for URETEK, supplying modern and clean ground engineering and foundation repair solutions. The company dedicates time to ensuring that homes and workplaces can be sufficiently repaired without harming the environment