A variety of products supplied by construction products specialist a.b.e. Construction Chemicals are being used for several new major water reservoir projects currently under construction in Gauteng.

The company is part of additives and admixtures specialist Chryso Southern Africa Group. The company’s Boksburg plant is supplying the products to the contractors involved in building the new reservoirs.

The new projects include Benoni’s Northmead elevated water reservoir – the largest elevated type in Gauteng and one of the biggest in South Africa – says a.b.e technical sales consultant Rens Pelser.

The new tower has a capacity of 5.5 Mℓ and is 35 m tall and 30 m in diameter.

Additionally, the products are also being used for the construction of the 18 Mℓ

Sallies reservoir, in Brakpan; the 2 Mℓ Crown Gardens water tower, in Johannesburg South; and the 10 Mℓ Kliprivier Valley reservoir, also in Johannesburg South.

Pelser notes that the company’s products have been specified for Gauteng water utility Rand Water’s new Zuikerbosch water treatment works – one of the main sites supplying potable water to Gauteng metropolitan areas.         

Further, he explains that a.b.e. Construction Chemicals has several products that are suitable to enhance the quality of water-retaining structures; among the most frequently used in the new Gauteng projects are the silocoat cementitious coating, the durajoint flexband, the durajoint waterstop range and the duraflex.

For instance, the silocoat can be easily mixed on site and applied to the reservoir substrate to form an elastomeric impermeable waterproofing membrane.

It is widely used for the protection of new and old silos, as the silocoat forms a durable and effective barrier to sulphates and chloride, and can bond to green or damp concrete.

“The product is among a.b.e. Construction Chemicals’ revolutionary dustless cementitious products that protects the health of construction workers and the immediate environment,” Pelser enthuses.

Meanwhile, the durajoint flexband, a high-performance waterproofing bandage made from thermoplastic elastomers, is extensively used for the waterproofing and expansion of construction joints, including on water-retaining structures.

The durable resilient seal can be applied to damp substrates and is safe when in contact with potable water.

Additionally, the a.b.e. Construction Chemicals durajoint waterstop range is extruded from specially formulated polyvinyl chloride material, which is easily welded on site to provide the primary seal in the waterproofing of water reservoirs.

The product prevents water seepage through construction joints and has been successfully applied to reservoirs, dams, canals and water towers, as well as basements, car parks and retaining walls across the country.

The duraflex, a cementitious waterproofing slurry based on a special resin dispersion and blend of selected cements mixed with graded aggregates, forms an “exceptionally strong” waterproofing barrier.

The non-toxic slurry also has high bonding strength, strong resistance to chloride ion penetration, as well as freeze/thaw resistance. Forming part of the company’s dustless product range, it can also be used to overbridge hairline concrete cracks.

“Other a.b.e. Construction Chemicals products widely specified for the construction and repair of water-retaining structures include the durarep cement-based mortar in fibre-reinforced form and as a fairing compound applied prior to protective coatings, and the epidermix 389 crack injection compound,” Pelser concludes.