Concrete Joint Maintenance is Crucial for Your Facility: Here is why
Proper maintenance of concrete joints is essential in facilities where forklifts and lift trucks are operated. Failing concrete joints can have serious consequences, including decreased production, damage to inventory or equipment, and even harm to employees. Ultimately, these issues result in lost revenue.
Impact of Poor Floor Conditions
Most common brands of lift equipment share similar characteristics, such as hard tires and no suspension. Consequently, poor floor conditions, such as uneven or failing joints, transfer shock to wheels and other related parts, causing damage. Surprisingly, even a small variation of a few hundredths of an inch at the joint between slabs can lead to problems.
Over time, uneven and moving joints progressively deteriorate with each pass made by a lift or other equipment. This can be likened to a hammer repeatedly striking the concrete. The impact of these issues is particularly significant in areas where joints have curled. Uneven floors pose stability issues with forklifts, and in certain cases, they can create extreme hazards, especially with high-reaching racking systems.
Importance of Joint Filling
To prevent major failures, it is crucial to keep joints filled. Moisture intrusion and the penetration of other materials between joints and under the slab can deteriorate the subgrade conditions and cause additional expansion and contraction, resulting in unwanted movement.
Regular concrete maintenance is the most cost-effective solution. Ignoring small issues such as cracks or uneven joints will exponentially increase maintenance costs. The difference between refilling a half-inch wide joint where joint filler has started to fail, compared to one that has increased to over an inch with cracks and spalling concrete, can be tenfold or more. This is because the latter situation requires a more invasive approach, increasing labor time and material cost. Moreover, facility downtime adds to the substantial costs.
Considerations for Concrete Maintenance
While do-it-yourself approaches are viable if the right materials and processes are followed, they may not be feasible for most facility managers. Finding a trustworthy contractor can be a challenging task. It is essential to seek a contractor with credibility and a track record of success. Reputable companies often belong to trade organizations and prioritize innovation and the improvement of their trade.
Using an inexperienced or unqualified contractor may yield subpar results and lead to costly consequences. While it may seem tempting to save money in the short term, it usually results in expensive outcomes in the long run.
