Applications
When damage in concrete is at the point that it prevents a structure's intended use or poses a threat to safety, there are essentially three choices.

• Remove and rebuild part or all of the structure
• Repair using traditional tear-out and replace methods
• Repair using vacuum technology

The first two options have significant disadvantages in terms of cost and disruption to service. Clearly the cost of removing and rebuilding a structure such as a building, bridge or tunnel is extremely high and completely disruptive. The second option may be less expensive but rapidly degrades in terms of structural integrity as it is largely cosmetic. Repair using vacuum technology is not only often the least expensive option but it also the most successful and stable in terms of structural integrity over the long-term. In addition, architectural, historical and aesthetic importance is not compromised as vacuum repair can be achieved with little or no visible sign. Finally, it is the least disruptive to the structure's intended use and can often be done with no disruption to service.

For the nondestructive testing service using impact echo, alternatives include naked eye inspection, x-ray, and thermo imaging. While certainly less expensive than the impact echo technique, the level of accuracy is significantly reduced. Furthermore, results for x-ray and thermo imaging take more time to determine compared to the immediacy of impact echo.

Once the true extent of flaws have been determined, clients can either tear out and replace the structure, apply traditional chipout and surface patching, pressure-inject flaws, or vacuum inject. Vacuum flushing and impregnation provided by Balvac is a vastly superior solution. First, it is very cost effective compared to tear our and replace. Second, it solves the root problem of the flaw filling cracks to 0.005". Third, the chance of further deterioration in the condition is significantly less than pressure-based methods of injection that can cause blow-out and ultimately can only fill up to 30% of dead-end cracks as air is trapped in the crack.