G. Batista’s First Right Of Refusal
G. Batista’s First Right Of Refusal
What you need to know about concrete repair!
Greg Batista explains how to repair concrete spalls, why it’s important, and how to avoid a big problem.
Concrete repair is a fact of life for an old building. This is especially true for buildings in South Florida. The “salt air” is the main reason for this concrete failure. To put it another way, the chlorides in the air make their way into the concrete. Consequently, the rebar inside the concrete rusts and expands. As a result, the concrete cracks and ruptures. This breach is called a “spall”. These spalls are considered a failure and can lead to a collapse. For this reason, Cities and Counties in South Florida take these matters very seriously.
The picture shown here is an actual spall. The classical spalled concrete will show the reinforcing steel (or “rebar“) once the concrete comes loose.
Now that there is an expanding piece of steel inside the concrete, it will only be a matter of time until the concrete breaks. This rupture causes both small and large pieces of concrete to become dislodged. Those detached pieces of concrete is the spall itself. Needless to say, concrete spalls are potentially dangerous and even life-threatening. On high-rise buildings they can damage properties below or even make contact with a person. Spalling concrete should be repaired as soon as possible since it will spread and get worse. Eventually, the rusting rebar will render the structure unsafe.
When the original builder installs the rebar inside the concrete, it is typically in a pristine condition. That rebar has a protective layer that is called the “passivation layer”. Coastal areas have high concentration of salts (chlorides) that penetrate the concrete through microscopic hole in the concrete. Next, these salts come into contact with the steel and damages the protective “passivation layer” on the rebar. When this protective layer is gone, the rusting process will begin and will continue over time. At this point there is very little one can do to stop the rusting.
There have been many instances where structural collapses have occurred and people have been severely hurt as a result. Spalling concrete is a sign that your structure is under attack and this sign should not be ignored. Many people kick the can down the road and leave the repairs for a future date. The old adage of “a stitch in time saves nine” is most certainly true. A concrete repair that costs $1,000 today, will cost $10,000 a few years from now.
In reality, there is very little one can do to avoid any spalling to happen in a structure. However, if one follows a typical building maintenance routine, the chances that spalling can be found and identified increases. Buildings that are painted frequently and are maintained suffer the least from this malady.
Other Concrete Repair Services Provided:
Questions?
We service these and surrounding cities:
Miami Dade County
Miami | Miami Beach | Hialeah | Coral Gables | Homestead | Doral | North Miami Beach | Aventura | Miami Springs | South Miami | Sweetwater | Key Biscayne | Palmetto Bay | Cutler Bay | Pinecrest
Broward County
Fort Lauderdale | Hollywood | Pembroke Pines | Coral Springs | Davie | Sunrise | Plantation | Miramar | Pompano Beach | Weston | Deerfield Beach | Coconut Creek | Tamarac | Margate | Lauderdale Lakes
CLIENT TESTIMONIALS
I had a great experience with this firm. Provided an immediate appointment for my clients that were in a pinch with time constraints regarding their inspection period for a home purchase. They delivered fast, detailed, and professional service. Explained findings in understandable language so that my customers could be confident on what was on the inspection report. I recommend highly their services. Thanks Greg for all your help!
I am so impressed with the service that we received from this company!! Seamless……..Showed up for Structural and Electrical inspection on time.
Completed the inspection while being aware of the various retail establishments needs during the inspection. Advised us what was needed by the City of Fort Lauderdale for completion of certification – filing, filing fees and their address.
G Batista and Associates is a very reliable company. They are honest people with excellent communication skills with their customers and deep knowledge of what they do. This company did a big project for my condo in South Beach, they were impeccable.
G. Batista & Associates helped us with an inspection on one of our properties. They accommodated our short inspection time frame and made scheduling extremely simple. Our experience with the engineer was fantastic and I would highly recommend this company to others.
Great people to deal with. Very professional team, excellent communication, prompt results.
We used them for a 40 Year Certification and not only they gave us the best proposal, but also a fast response and great service. Highly recommend it!
We have been working with G. Batista & Associates for over 4 years. They have been easy to work with. We would highly recommend them to any Condominium Association looking for competent, affordable and professional Engineering services.
