06-10-2018

Waterproofing
PART 01 – INTRODUCTION, MATERIALS, METHODS AND DETAILS
 WATERPROOFING BY DEFINITION

• Any system or material (s), which helps in preventing ingress of water into structures can

be broadly termed as waterproofing.

• Waterproofing is defined as treatment of surface or structure to prevent the passage of

water under the hydrostatic pressure

 NEED FOR WATERPROOFING

• Rotting of timber structures and finishes such as floor joints, beams, floors, studs, skirting,
architraves and frames.

• Corrosion of metals such as steel reinforcement in concrete, steel beams, lintels, metal
door frames etc.

• Swelling of plasterboards and the subsequent debonding of ceramic tiles.

• Electrical hazards causing the possible short circuit of lighting and power points.

• The blistering of paint.

• Unsightly deterioration of the building facade.

• Health problems due to dampness, which may lead to respiratory problems.

 SOURCES AND CAUSES OF LEAKAGE
Sources of leakages

• Subsoil water rising by capillary action.

• Cracks in external plaster

• Vegetation growth

• Separation gaps between partition wall and beams and the columns

• From expansion joints

Causes of leakages

• Defective structural design

• Use of poor quality construction material

• Porous structures

• Improper methodology of construction

• Improper slopes on top surfaces.

SOURCES AND CAUSES OF LEAKAGE

Different kind of water ingress

 SOURCES AND CAUSES OF LEAKAGE

• Positive Side Waterproofing

• Negative Side Waterproofing

• Blind Side Waterproofing

• Interior applications

• Exterior applications
Methods
 CONVENTIONAL METHODS OF WATERPROOFING

• Brick Bat Coba system or Lime Terracing

• Bituminous Treatment/Systems

• Metallic Sheet Wrapping

• Poly-urethane based Water- proofing treatment

• Epoxy Based Waterproofing Treatment

• Box Type Waterproofing System

 MODERN TECHNIQUES OF WATERPROOFING

• Crystalline Waterproofing System

• Flexible membrane waterproofing system

Materials
 CHEMICALS AND PRODUCTS USED IN WATERPROOFING
TYPE PRODUCTS
Sheet membranes APP/SBS modified Bitumen
Membranes, TPO, HDPE, PVC and
EPDM membranes
Integral water proofing Liquid and powder admixtures
added to concrete and mortar.
Crystalline compounds Cement based brush applied or
dry shake products as well as
concrete additives
Cementitious coatings One or two component polymer
modified cement based products
Polyurethane membranes PU based coatings applied at 1-
2mm thickness
Water based coatings Single pack acrylic or SBR based
coatings
Epoxy based coatings Two or three pack solvent or
water based products.
USES
Roofs, Basements, Water Tanks,
Roof/terrace Gardens, Lakes,
Swimming pools and UG
structures
All concrete structures and
external plasters
Basement, water retaining
structures
Terraces, Damp areas, Sunken
portions, Basements
Terraces, Balconies, Parking decks,
Basement, water tanks, sunken
portions
Roofs, balconies, sunken portions,
exterior walls
Water tanks, covered roofs,
COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT WATERPROOFING PRODUCTS
WATERPROOFING DETAIL OF ROOF SLAB
WATERPROOFING DETAIL OF PLANTER BOX
WATERPROOFING DETAIL OF PLANTER BOX
WATERPROOFING DETAIL OF WATER BODY
WATERPROOFING DETAIL OF WATER BODY
WATERPROOFING DETAIL OF SUNKEN PORTIONS
WATERPROOFING DETAIL OF BASEMENT - INTERNAL
WATERPROOFING DETAIL OF BASEMENT - INTERNAL
WATERPROOFING DETAIL OF BASEMENT - EXTERNAL
WATERPROOFING DETAIL OF BASEMENT - EXTERNAL
WATERPROOFING DETAIL OF FRENCH DRAIN
WATERPROOFING DETAIL OF FRENCH DRAIN
PART 02 – DETAILS OF A FEW METHODS
 BRICK BAT COBA SYSTEM

This system was developed during the initial stages of flat roof construction with lime mortar
& burnt clay brick aggregate

This system involved laying of lightweight mortar on the roof and spreading it to give gentle
slopes for draining away the rainwater immediately. The mortar consisted of lightweight brick
pieces as aggregates and ground brick with lime as binding matrix
 BRICK BAT COBA SYSTEM - PROCEDURE

• All existing treatment, coatings on roof slab top is to be removed and surface cleaned by
hard wire brush and washed with water.
• The surface should be free from any oil, grease, dust etc. Remedial measured by provided
to all structural cracks.
• Expansions joints should be treated as per standard practice
• All non-structural cracks more than 0.5 mm wide and construction joints if any, should be
cut in “V” shape, cleaned with wire brush and washed, the cracks are then filled by
polymer modified cement or mortar using acrylic polymer, with addition cement slurry mix
is spread upon cleaned SSD roof surface. Over this 15 mm thick cement, sand mortar, 1:4
admixed, with water proofer is laid.
• On the above green mortar, a layer of brick bats, soaked over night in water, is laid, having
an average thickness of about 110 mm, about 70 mm near rain water pipe and 150 mm at
ridge.
 BRICK BAT COBA SYSTEM - LIMITATIONS

• Possibility of improper compaction

• Chances of crack development on the top surface.

• Brickbat coba is a source of water retention and absorption.

• If slab has cracks the retained water may leak.

• The absorbed water may allow penetration to the slab level.

Bituminous Systems
 BITUMINOUS SYSTEMS

• Bitumen is more commonly used in the form of felt or flexible membrane formed by
sandwiching jute fabric or fibre glass/polypropylene mats with chemically modified
bitumen.

• These membranes are laid on the roofing system over a bitumen primer.

• There are two types of membranes one is cold applied and the other is hot applied which
means one needs to heat the edges of the felt ,so that they melt and stick to the second
layer in the overlap area.

• On the RCC flat roofs, the bitumen felts have not been successful because of the
unacceptable black appearance and inaccessibility of the terrace for other social uses
 BITUMINOUS SYSTEMS - PROCEDURE

• There are certain essential pre-requisites for any bitumen based water proofing system to
be successful.
• The surface to be treated should be smooth, having proper slope.
• There should be no depression or cracks
• The surface should be dry.
• Any structural defaults in the roof or the parapet wall should be attended to before starting
the treatment.
• Detailed steps in laying of the bitumen based surface barrier systems will i) Make surface
smooth, even and dry, remove local depressions and loose dirt. ii) Paint the dried surface
with bituminous primer and allow it to cure. iii) Apply foundation coat of bitumen. iv) Lay
surface barrier membrane i.e. bitumen felt. v) Apply on coat of bitumen and finish with grit
or coarse sand.
 BITUMINOUS SYSTEMS - PROPERTIES

• Technically, it is not preferred because bitumen layer or felt on the terrace not only makes it
watertight but also airtight. Concrete has the breathing property.
• It takes water/moisture and breathes out water vapour.
• Hindrance of this breathing property of concrete develops pore pressure which causes blisters in
the felt.
• After a few seasons, the blisters multiply and eventually delaminate the felt from the concrete
surface.
• Hindrance of breathing property of concrete, makes the concrete weak.
• But on the asbestos cement sheets and zinc sheets in factory roofs, this bitumen felt is the only
dependable waterproofing system. Hence most of the factory roofs in India adopt this
waterproofing system Bitumen is still the product of first choice where it is commonly
recommended, in areas such as industrial roof waterproofing, basement water- proofing, and
damp-proof course.
• Moreover, bitumen is the most economical product presently available for waterproofing
Polyurethane Based Waterproofing Treatment
 POLYURETHANE BASED WATERPROOFING TREATMENT
• Polyurethane consists of two liquid components one is called the Base component and the
other is called reactor or curing agent

• Base is a polyol and the reactor is an isocyanide.

• The combination of these two ingredients results in a formation liquid applied rigid
membrane or a foam depending upon the selection

• In waterproofing, this rigid liquid membrane was tried with fibre glass reinforcing mats.
The systems failed because coefficients of thermal expansion of concrete and rigid PU
membrane being different lateral movement or creep occurred with the passage on one
working climatic cycle. When exposed to ultra violet rays or direct sunlight, most
polyurethane rigid membranes became brittle and crumbled. Apart from this, the
application of polyurethane coating needed very rigorous surface preparation.

• Surface Preparation : needed, neutralization , alkalinity.

Epoxy Based Water- proofing System
 EPOXY BASED WATER- PROOFING SYSTEM

• Like polyurethane epoxy is also a two-component system having a base resin and a reactor
or curing agent.

• Base resin is obtained by dissolving Bis-phenol ‘A’ flakes in epichlorohydrin. This base is
available in various viscosity ranges to suit different application conditions.

• The curing agent is an amine/polyamine aliphatic or aromatic or an amine-adduct for

general applications and polyamide or an amino-amide for coating purposes.

• After mixing base and reactor components, the resultant viscous liquid or paste if some
fillers are added to it can be brush applied like a paint or trowel applied like a mortar.
Box Type Waterproofing
 BOX TYPE WATERPROOFING
• This type of waterproofing system is used only for basement waterproofing or structures
below the ground level from outside to prevent leakages of subsoil water into the
basement. In this method, limestone slabs (Shahabad Stones) are first laid in the excavated
pit over blinding concrete in a staggered joint fashion to avoid the continuity of the mortar
joints.

• The joints are effectively filled with rich cement, sand mortar admixed with integral
waterproofing compound and cured. Over this, the raft is laid and shear/brick walls
constructed.

• The limestone slabs are erected around the walls in a similar fashion leaving a gap of one to
two inches between the external surface of the wall and the inner face of the stone
surface.

• The joints again effectively sealed with rich admixed mortar and the same mortar is filled in
the gap between the wall and the stones. This stonework is continued up to ground level.
 BOX TYPE WATERPROOFING - LIMITATIONS/DISADVANTAGES

• Use of Shahabad tiles, joints should be grouted properly or else the leakage would be from
the joints.

• It is a labour intensive work for which it requires more time for installation

• Waterproofing membrane such as Bituminous, polymer modified bituminous of APP

(Atactic Poly Propylene)

• SBS (Styrene Butadine Styrene), PVC, HDPE can be used for basements

• Since APP membrane is torch applied, it requires more skilled labour and a protective
screed to avoid any damages to the membrane.

• SBS is cold applied by simply sticking with a paste. But it is not suitable for high water table.
It also requires a screed for protection
CRYSTALLINE WATERPROOFING SYSTEM
 CRYSTALLINE WATERPROOFING SYSTEM

• The method of treatment involves saturating with water the surface to be treated.

• Then mixing two and half volume of the powder with one volume of water to form neat
consistency hot slurry.

• This slurry is brush applied on the saturated surface. The active ingredients in the slurry
pass through the water bearing capillaries and react with calcium oxide present in the
concrete to form insoluble crystals, which effectively block the capillaries.

• Further the chemical ingredients of the product remain in concrete to reactivate the
process of crystallisation and when a new capillary is developed.

• This system of waterproofing, the water retaining structures is practiced in most of the
developed countries
 CRYSTALLINE WATERPROOFING SYSTEM - PROCEDURE

• Cracks if any should be cut into ‘V’ shaped grooves one inch wide and proper size width &
depth Cut honey combed areas back to sound concrete.
• Repair these areas first by priming with crystalline waterproofing slurry and then by filling
them with crystalline modified mortar produced by mixing crystalline waterproofing
powder OPC and zone II sand in the proportion of 1:1:4 and water enough to produce a
stiff consistence paste. Allow the repair mortar to dry.
• Thoroughly sprinkle water on the area to be treated till the surface becomes saturated.
Some recommend overnight ponding for effective results
• Prepare crystalline waterproofing slurry by mixing the powder and water in the proportion
of two and half volume of powder to one volume of water to form a hot slurry. Brush apply
this slurry on the water saturated surface in two coats.
• When the second coat is still wet plaster the surface with 1 : 4 cement sand mortar
admixed with an integral waterproofing compound and cure properly.
Flexible Membrane Waterproofing System
 FLEXIBLE MEMBRANE WATERPROOFING SYSTEM

• The main product used in this system, comprises two components one liquid and the other
is a powder packed roughly in the proportion of 1:4 by weight. The liquid component is an
acrylic emulsion and the powder component is a polymer- modified cement with film
forming chemicals and fillers
• When these two ingredients namely the pre-weighed powder and the liquid are mixed
together an uniform slurry results.
• This slurry is brush applied on the roof surface, which upon drying forms a flexible film.
Since there is cement in this product, its compatibility with concrete is excellent.
• The film further allows the breathing of the concrete without any hindrance hence there is
no problem of its de-lamination from the concrete surface.
• This film being flexible takes care of the deflections in the slab and the movements caused
because of primary or secondary settlements, movements due to wind loads and
temperature stresses developed in the concrete