During renovations of the chapel at the Holy Sepulcher Catholic Cemetery in Alsip, maintenance workers discovered an air duct problem. The underground air ducts beneath we heavily rusted and deteriorated, allowing dirt and debris to blow throughout the chapel. The church now faced the potentially expensive question of abandoning the ducts and turning the entire system overhead. Seeking another option, they contacted Trenchless Innovations.
The building consisted of five different systems of spiral-wound metal underground ducts. The ducts ranged in diameter and led to four different chapel rooms. Trenchless Innovations devised a plan for the air duct problem without turning the system overhead or breaking up floors.
First, we restored the the structure of the ducts. Trenchless Innovations uses a method called spin cast mortaring to restore the integrity of the deteriorated ducts. Our technicians apply mortar to the old ducts, creating new structurally sound ones inside them.
Next, we spray lined the ducts with an acrylic polymer containing a mold inhibitor. This created a rubberized liner on the inside of the new concrete ducts, sealing them. Lastly, we rebuilt and lined the heavily deteriorated plenums under each furnace.
We completed the project over the course of approximately ten days, during which services were still taking place. Trenchless Innovations and the cemetery worked closely together to prevent disruptions to the cemetery operations. When completed, the chapel had like-new ducts and a healthier breathing environment for visitors. Not to mention the hundreds of thousands of dollars they saved by not turning the system overhead.