FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
This construction chemicals FAQ answers the questions contractors and specifiers ask most often about Galaxie products, application and troubleshooting.
Product Selection
What's the difference between a rigid and a flexible crack repair?
As a general rule, epoxy suits dead, non-moving cracks needing structural load transfer, while polyurethane suits active or moving cracks and joints, since it can stretch with the structure without cracking again. Galaxie EP FLEX is an exception — a flexible epoxy offering 100% elongation for structural cracks that still need some movement tolerance.
When should I use acrylic resin instead of polyurethane?
Galaxie AC200/AC300 acrylic is the right call for near-water viscosity penetration into very fine cracks or honeycombed concrete that PU foam can't reach, and for non-toxic, environmentally sensitive applications such as near potable water infrastructure.
What's the difference between Galaxie PU CUT, PU FLEX, PU FLEXGEL and PU SF?
PU CUT is a fast-reacting hydrophobic foam for cutting off active flowing leaks. PU FLEX is a semi-rigid version of PU CUT, for cracks needing a firmer set. PU FLEXGEL is a slow-setting, very flexible gel suited to cracks and joints needing a long-term flexible seal. PU SF is a low-foaming, very flexible, hydrophilic foam our top performer for expansion joints and high-movement applications.
Is slab jacking cheaper than replacing a concrete slab?
Generally yes, polyurethane slab jacking avoids demolition and full re-pour, so it's typically faster and less disruptive than replacement.
Can this be used to fix a settling house foundation?
Yes, expanding polyurethane injection is commonly used for residential foundation lifting and stabilisation as well as commercial and industrial slabs.
Are your products suitable for structures near drinking water?
Selected non-toxic, low-VOC systems in the Galaxie range are suitable near potable water infrastructure, check the specific product's data sheet to confirm.
What's the difference between Galaxie EP LV, EP SLV and EP FLEX?
EP LV is a moisture-tolerant epoxy suited to damp or wet structural cracks. EP SLV is a super-low-viscosity epoxy with added vibration resistance, suited to cracks near live machinery or roads where cyclic loading is a concern. EP FLEX offers 100% elongation, giving genuine flexibility for cracks that need some movement tolerance without switching to a polyurethane system.
What's the difference between an integral admixture and a surface treatment?
An integral admixture is added during mixing and waterproofs the concrete from within. A surface treatment is applied afterward and protects the exposed face. Many projects use both together.
Application & Technique
Can I inject a crack that's underwater or fully submerged?
Yes, with the right resin, hydrophilic and hydrophobic PU and acrylic resins are designed to react with and seal in wet or submerged conditions. Most epoxies need a dry surface to bond and cure properly, but Galaxie EP LV is a moisture-tolerant epoxy formulated to perform in damp or wet cracks where a rigid structural repair is still needed.
What's the best time of day to inject a crack affected by thermal movement?
Early morning, when the concrete is coolest and the crack is at or near its widest point. Avoid injecting during peak heat if the crack is still moving, as the structure cools overnight and contracts, a repair done at the crack's narrowest point can be put under tension and fail.
How do I know when I've injected enough resin into a packer?
Two signals: resin appears at the adjacent packer, or the current packer stops accepting volume at your working pressure. Don't keep pumping past refusal, you risk splitting the concrete or blowing a packer.
My packer keeps blowing out under pressure, what's going wrong?
Either the drill hole is oversize for the packer, the surrounding concrete is crumbling or carbonated, or the packer hasn't seated fully. It's also possible the hole missed the crack or joint entirely, so there's nowhere for the resin to go and pressure just builds against a dead end. Try a larger packer, redrill in a better spot, or confirm you've actually intersected the crack before reinstalling.
Troubleshooting
The resin is gelling inside the packer before it reaches the crack, what's causing that?
Usually substrate temperature, in hot weather, reduce catalyst dosage, switch to an Extended Set Time grade if available, or inject early in the morning before the structure heats up. Moisture trapped in the pump or hoses can also trigger the resin to react prematurely before it reaches the crack. Make sure equipment is properly dried between jobs and kept separate from your water flushing equipment.
Why is the resin coming straight back out of the crack face instead of penetrating?
The crack face isn't sealed between the packers. Seal the full length of the crack surface with epoxy paste or hydraulic cement before injecting, leaving only the packer ports open.
The leak came back a few weeks after injection, why didn't it hold?
Possible causes: the resin didn't reach the full crack length, the crack is still active and a rigid repair has re-cracked beside it, the original cause (e.g. hydrostatic pressure from poor drainage) wasn't addressed, or the foam wasn't sufficiently compressed within the crack to form a fully waterproof seal.
There's no resin travelling between packers, how do I know the crack is connected?
Do a water flush test before loading resin. No travel means the crack is blocked, discontinuous, or your drill angle is missing it. Check you're drilling at 45° and deep enough to intersect mid-wall.
Ordering & Documentation
Do I need to register to download an SDS?
Where can I buy Galaxie products?
Galaxie Construction Chemicals are distributed through Hinkler Court Distributing in Bendale, Queensland and NSW, and supplied direct by TAM Australia in all other Australian states and territories.
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