Parkades, Concrete Restoration, Institutional and Industrial projects in Alberta & Western Saskatchewan

For industrial and commercial restoration and/or waterproofing projects we will bid to your specifications and work with your in-house or contracted engineering staff.  We can also assess and recommend a repair method on our own and submit it for your approval.  We are factory trained, approved applicators for both Kryton International; a manufacturer of a crystal growth waterproofing system and Sika Canada; a manufacturer of repair grouts, injection resins, and concrete coatings.   We have also installed other liquid applied and sheet waterproofing systems.  We have a proven track record and we pride ourselves in being able to solve very difficult problems.  We made our mark in this industry by having successful results with dry side waterproofing repairs; often on leaks that other contractors had determined were impossible to repair.  Dryside repairs (outside the tank) are completed against actively flowing water and are usually only attempted when wet side repairs (inside the tank) are impossible or impractical.  Ramco began as a primarily industrial waterproofing business.  Over time we have transitioned more to the residential side, but concrete restoration and waterproofing work still make up a significant part of our business.

We are factory trained applicators for Kryton Canada, a crystalline waterproofing grout manufacturer and Sika Canada, who manufactures an extensive line of concrete repair products.  We are also experienced with liquid and sheet applied membrane and traffic systems.  We can solve all types of parkade problems from simple crack repairs to full structural rehabilitation and replacement of traffic coatings.  We can bid to your engineering and specifications or come up with a repair strategy for you.

This area of work was once the backbone of our business and we have completed repairs and linings to facilities across northern Alberta.  We have solutions that range from potable water treatment and storage tanks all the way up to industrial disposal tanks requiring resistance to aggressive chemicals and oils.

Here is a list of some of our past projects.  This is by no means a comprehensive list; they were chosen to give a sample of the variety of work we do and to highlight a few particularly challenging projects. 

Albert Pacific Pulp Mill (Alpac) – Athabasca
Water Re-use Clarifier and Filter Assembly

Repaired 2,200 feet of cracks from the exterior of the tank, against water pressure.  The tank is completely contained inside a building but is subject to seasonal changes in incoming water temperature ranging from 2 to 20 degrees Celsius.  The tank is also divided into filter tanks, and numerous troughs and chambers.  This along with the fact that the tank could not be taken out of service for more than three days a year during an annual shutdown made an interior repair impractical.  The concrete experienced extensive cracking during the construction process and the cracks were then repaired with an injection system.  The repairs held until the seasonal influx of cold water into the system caused thermal contraction of the concrete and subsequent failure of the urethane injection system.  The leaking continued for five years while Alpac tried various unsuccessful test repairs.  We were then contracted to conduct a test repair with Kryton’s Krystol Waterproofing System alongside a competitors repair in the fall of 1997.  The repairs were monitored for an eighteen month period with only our repair being successful.  We were then awarded the complete contract which was performed over a ten week period while the facility was operational.  The repairs were done against water pressure, with no disruption to service.  To this date the repairs have remained completely dry.

BP Amoco – Kaybob North, Fox Creek Operations
Sulfur Storage Pit

The work included repairs to over 1,400 feet of cracks and extensive surface rehabilitation to the sulfur pit lid.  This work was done while the system was operational.  The sulfur environment is extremely harsh and repairs were usually required on a regular basis.  The lid on a second sulfur pit at the same site had already failed, collapsing into the pit.  This forced them to permanently shut down an entire sulfur extraction stream.

Encana Corporation (Now Cenovus)
Foster Creek SAGD Plant, Primrose Air Weapons Range
Septic System Valve Chambers

Pipe penetrations were poorly sealed in three valve chambers.  The chambers were constructed in sandy soil with a very high water table (less than 3 feet below grade).  The 12 foot deep chambers rapidly filled to the height of the water table and all attempts by the general contractor to stop the water from the interior were unsuccessful.  The soil conditions and the requirement of a massive de-watering system made potential costs for exterior repairs to these chambers in excess of $150,000.  We completed repairs from the inside at a cost of $17,000 in three weeks time and the chambers remain dry to date.

4 Wing Cold Lake, Primrose Air Weapons Range
Water Treatment Facility

This is a precast underground tank that was built in the mid 1950’s; it is used as a potable water storage tank after the lake water has been treated.  The facility is located on the shores of Primrose Lake and the bottom of the 28 foot deep tank sits approximately 15 feet below the water table.  The treated water was being contaminated by ground water penetration and was unfit for human consumption.  Inspection determined that ground water was entering through the precast joints (6 of them) and several pipe penetrations.  The tank is located under the water treatment plant building, so an exterior repair was impossible.  Another contractor attempted repairs before we were called and they determined that due to the high water pressure, repairs were impossible.  The military was considering replacing the tank at a cost of $1,000,000 or more.  We were consulted and submitted a price of $50,000.  We were awarded the contract, which we successfully completed over a three week period on budget.   During the repair process we were dealing with an inflow rate of over 1,000 liters per hour.

New Water Treatment Facility, Lac La Biche
Filter and Clarifier Tanks

All of the tanks experienced extensive cracking during the construction process.  Urethane injection repairs had been completed before the facility was put into service but they failed during the first six months of operation.  Numerous other repairs were attempted over a six month period using various injection and grout repairs from several different contractors, without success.  Interior repairs of the tanks were not practical due to water requirements for the town and the presence of filter media in the filters and equipment in the clarifiers.  Repairs were successfully completed from the exterior of the tanks against water pressure, with no disruption of service.

Cold Lake Water Treatment Plant
Filter Tank Rehabilitation

As part of a major upgrade to this facility, we repaired over 300 feet of cracks and construction joints in the filter tanks.  The tanks were then re-lined with a Sika epoxy-cement system that met the stringent requirements for the new state of the art membrane filtration system that was subsequently installed.