As the Northern Hemisphere basks in summer sun, now is a great time to think about final parking ramp maintenance and repair tasks before winter returns. These multi-million-dollar parking structure investments suffer heavily from deicing salts that get tracked in during the winter and accelerate rebar corrosion and premature concrete deterioration.
Credit: Cortec® Corporation
A spiral ramp in a concrete parking garage.
What can parking ramp owners do to mitigate damage and get the most service life possible? Sean Hightower, Regional Sales Manager for Cortec® MCI®, explains why incorporating Migrating Corrosion Inhibitor™ (MCI®) technology is a very attractive option: “Parking garages are tremendously expensive investments, so tearing them down to rebuild is rarely on the table. Using MCI® products can help contractors and owners get more life out of their concrete in a fairly inexpensive manner versus the alternative.” A great place to start? Preventative maintenance.
Why Parking Ramps Should Prioritize Preventative Maintenance
Parking ramp corrosion is easier to prevent than repair. Once damage occurs, repairs become more invasive and costly, underscoring the value of de Sitter’s “Law of Fives.” In simple terms, money invested in preventative measures during early planning, maintenance, and repair phases can generate a five-fold return in later life-cycle stages by helping owners avoid more serious repairs. Standard preventative maintenance practices such as applying water repellents every seven to 10 years or traffic membranes every decade or two can be enhanced by prior application of surface-applied corrosion inhibitors (SACIs) such as MCI®-2020. This high-concentration Migrating Corrosion Inhibitor™ SACI penetrates deep into concrete pores, forming a protective molecular layer on the metal surface that delays time to corrosion initiation and reduces oxidation rates once corrosion starts. For those who want to reduce maintenance time and labor, MCI®-2018 offers a dual SACI/water repellent (100% silane) that can be applied wet-on-wet for a faster turnaround. Both MCI®-2020 and MCI®-2018 are available in vertical/overhead versions for easier protection of parking ramp pillars and ceilings.
How to Help Parking Ramp Repairs Last Longer
If preventative maintenance has been neglected or age has simply caught up with a parking structure, repair is still more attractive than total replacement, with a potential for millions of dollars of savings. One important key to getting the most benefit from a repair investment is to be aware of and avoid the incipient ring anode effect, in which a new high-alkalinity concrete patch creates an imbalance in corrosion potential with surrounding areas and pushes the corrosion reaction into nearby reinforced concrete. Applying SACIs to the entire structure at the time of the repair can help even out the corrosion potential to protect undamaged areas from a reroute in corrosion potential. For the repair itself, MCI® CorrVerter® Rust Primer can be used to passivate rusty rebar where blasting is not a practical surface prep option. MCI® admixtures can be added to repair mortars to enhance the level of protection in the patch itself.
Credit: Cortec® Corporation
Entrance to parking garage structure with height warning sign
How to Get More ROI Out of a Multi-Million Dollar Parking Ramp Investment
If worse comes to worst and replacement is unavoidable, adding MCI® admixtures into the ready-mix is an economical way to promote a longer service life for the new structure. In addition to inhibiting corrosion at the rebar level, concrete admixtures such as MCI®-2005 and MCI®-2005 NS do not accelerate concrete set time, an important feature for summer concrete pours when temperatures skyrocket. MCI® admixtures can be added at a fraction of total construction costs and are typically easier on budgets than strategies such as epoxy-coated rebar.
Now Is the Time to Prepare for Winter Deicer Attacks
Summer is going all too fast with autumn close on its heels, making now an important time to finalize any parking ramp maintenance and repair plans in preparation for the coming winter. Preventative maintenance is ideal, with repair and replacement following in order of importance and cost-effectiveness. Using MCI® adds value to the investment at any stage by slowing down the debilitating corrosion process at a budget-friendly price.