To compete with watered down products, you can provide your client with the manufacturers spec sheet when you submit your proposal and explain to them that over diluted products can cause many problems. There is a section on the spec sheets that show test results for suspended solids, unit weight, scurb test and wet track abrasion. These tests are on the concentrate, but you can calculate the results if you use the manufacturers specified dilution rate. Take the test result and multiply it by 0.75 (75%) if the dilution rate is 25% to get the desired results for the tests. Recommend that your client have suspended solids and unit weight tests done on your material at the time or application to show you are in compliance and not watering down your product to get a better bid. Take care though when diluting and not to introduce air into the seal coat material. This will mess up your unit weight test because air will not come out once it is blended in seal coat, which will cause your tests to fail. Your client can have a pavement consultant or geotechnical testing firm do the tests for them. For more information on how to monitor materials, you can purchase our book Guide to Pavement Maintenance at http://www.pavementbook.com. Keeping your client educated is a key to success and helping you eliminate the competition that violates specifications. You can also inform your client that over diluting seal coat materials will result in premature wear and they will need to seal more often then using a material that is diluted and applied correctly according to specifications. This costs the client more over time than using the right blended material.
Tom McDonald
PMIS
