Table of Contents
- Causes of leaks
- Examination of leaks- Detections of leak sites
- sealing methods and materials for eliminating leaks
- The cost of sealing leaks
Causes of leaks
The main reason for the formation of leaks in the premises of a building and a house is improperly made waterproofing or its absence in principle.
In the absence of high-quality waterproofing:
- If the room is located underground – the Temporary perched water, ground water and moisture are absorbed into the foundation and walls of concrete or brick (these materials easily absorb water), and then gradually destroy it. The destruction of concrete occurs due to the impact of various minerals in the water, as well as due to seasonal temperature differences.
In winter, the moisture that has soaked into the concrete freezes, and in spring it thaws, thereby destroying the concrete. As a result of such destructions, pores, voids and microcracks form in concrete, brick, Solid Foundation Blocks, etc., through which water subsequently penetrates into the room, forming more and more leaks every year. - If we are talking about leaks in the locations of the roof or balcony, rainwater gets on the concrete base, soaks into it and exits on the ceiling inside the room in the weakest place. Constant water pressure and temperature difference destroys the concrete ceiling covering in the same way as in the case of underground water.
What is the danger of permanent leaks:
- Constant leaks lead to an increase in voids and microcracks in concrete or other substance, which in fact leads to increased leaks from year to year.
- Formation of mold and mildew is dangerous to health.
- Flooding of premises, damage to property, and finishing materials.
The main places when leaks can be found
Leaks, as a rule, are formed in the weakest places in the structure, and then spread further as other elements of the structure are destroyed. As a rule, the first thing leaks begin to form in the following places:
- Cold seams, concreting joints, and interlocking seams – we are talking about the places where the slab joints the wall, the ceiling joints the wall, or the interruption of the concrete pouring procedure.
- Places of entries of pipes or other communications to the building
- Cracks – if there is a crack in the wall, then the water will first go through it.
- Destroyed section of concrete
Examination of leaks- Detections of leak sites
One of the most common problems faced by the owner of a house or building is dampness, water leakage, and damage, resulting from them. Often, difficulties in finding the source of moisture leaks lead to unsuccessful measures to eliminate them and, as a result, even to financial losses, since the source was determined incorrectly. With the appearance of the advanced methods of expertise and non-destructive testing, it became possible to determine accurately the location of the leak.
Before performing work to eliminate various leaks, it is necessary to determine their source. The most important aspect of the inspection or examination will be the detection of the penetration of water or moisture into the room. To do this, it is best for you to contact an experienced and large company whose specialization is waterproofing itself. It is such an organization that will be able to send its engineer to you to conduct an examination and identify places where water can pass.
More detailed information about the examination of waterproofing systems you can be read in the article – “Construction expertise of waterproofing – Methods of tests, surveys, and inspections”.
sealing methods and materials for eliminating leaks
For different types of leaks, there are different methods of sealing and waterproofing. There are suitable materials for each sealing method. When leaks are detected, it is best to solve the root of the reason that caused these problems, which means restoring a high-quality waterproofing coating from the outside of the roof or basement walls.
Elimination of leaks from the outside
In order to eliminate the penetration of water into the building, it is necessary to correct the shortcomings of the waterproofing coating from the outside. If there is a problem with the underground part of the building, then in most cases it is necessary to excavate the area where the problems were found and repair the waterproofing.
When deciding on the repair of the waterproofing coating from the outside, it is worth considering the fact that it most likely will not be possible to do it locally, since the presence of a leak in one corner of the building does not mean that the problem is in waterproofing there. In fact, there are cavities in waterproofing systems by the type of membrane and surfaced insulation materials, respectively, water can enter in one place and exit completely in another (in the weakest).
If a leak is detected on the ceiling and you want to repair the waterproofing from the outside, you are also faced with the fact that the water detected inside often did not appear as a result of a violation of the sealing of the protective coating directly above it.
As in the situation with the underground part of the building, and with the roof, most traditional waterproofing materials do not have 100% adhesion to the surface and have cavities that allow water to enter under the membrane in one place, and exit completely in another – the weakest. Waterproofing from the outside is an effective and proven solution to eliminate water problems. However, in some cases, this is not possible. Then the leaks should be eliminated from the inside.
The following materials are suitable for performing works outside:
All these materials, when applied, form a single coating without seams with 100% adhesion to the surface and an increased coefficient of elasticity.
Sealing leaks from the inside
The depth of the foundation, the location of the object in the city center, and other restrictions often make it impossible to repair waterproofing from the positive external side. Fortunately, solutions have been developed that allow contractors to eliminate active leaks confidentially from the inside (from the negative side) of the structure.
To perform works related to sealing the basement or concrete from the inside, it is best to use the following methods and materials:
Hydraulic seals
Hydraulic seals are a set of special mixtures designed to seal the places of water passage. These sealing mixtures are able to stop active leaks within a few seconds. Basically, they are just pressed tightly against the active point and react immediately to stop the flowing liquid.
Hydraulic seals are designed to stop active and regular periodic leaks, but in most cases, these are just half-measures that require additional comprehensive waterproofing. Hydraulic seals are excellent for eliminating the active flow of water in places where pipes enter the building, cold seams, and shuttering holes.
Injectable compounds
To eliminate the ingress of moisture and water from inside the basement or foundation walls, it is best to use injection waterproofing.
Its meaning is that polyurethane resins or acrylate gels under pressure penetrate into all the voids of a concrete or brick structure, squeeze out all the moisture from there and fill them, thereby making the surface more waterproof and resistant to moisture. There are a number of injection resins and foaming agents for sealing – from single-component urethane solutions to multicomponent systems. The choice of the optimal composition depends on the application and the presence or absence of an active leak at the work site.
Some injection sealing materials need water to react, while others do not react if moisture is present. When injected, polyurethanes are almost always recommended over epoxy resins because they remain permanently elastic and bond well with brick and concrete.
How is sealing performed by injection:
- If we are talking about sealing cold seams, joints of the wall plate, ceiling wall, or cracks in the ceiling or wall, then it is important to point up these seams or cracks, make swallow-shaped indenting, and then seal the expanding repair mixture there according to the HydroExpand type. This procedure is performed so that, when injected, the resin gets exactly where it needs to go and does not come out through weak cold seams back. If we are talking about injecting concrete into the body, then there is no need for pointing up;
- Then, small wells are drilled, wells are drilled along cracks, seams, or on a damaged surface in a checkerboard manner;
- Hollow tubes (packers) are installed in boreholes or ports;
- Polyurethane resin of various viscosities is pumped into the working area under pressure through the installed packers;
- The packers are removed, and the holes made are sealed with a special hydraulic seal or sealant.
You can read more detailed information about injection waterproofing in the article – “Injection waterproofing”
Polymer cement waterproofing
Cement-based coatings are often part of a systematic approach to eliminating and preventing active or permanent leaks. These materials are used as waterproofing, but they are not glued to the surface. Instead, the reactive chemicals in these materials, with the help of abundant moisture, migrate through the capillary tracts inside the concrete to become an integral part of the concrete mass and seal it from moisture. Such materials can withstand enormous hydrostatic pressure even when applied to the negative side of the wall.
One of the most effective materials of this type is HydroPaz, but, unfortunately, such a material is not available in free sale, and it is mainly used by large companies whose specialization is waterproofing since they are the ones who worry about the quality of their work and future warranty.
You can read more about cement waterproofing in the article – “Cement-based waterproofing: Features, types, and methods of its application“.
Penetrating waterproofing:
It is used for sealing concrete and reinforced concrete structures by increasing their water resistance and acquiring the properties of “self-healing” by concrete. When penetrating compounds are applied to wet concrete, a high chemical potential is created on the surface, while the internal structure of concrete retains a low chemical potential. Osmosis tends to equalize the potential difference and osmotic pressure arises.
Due to its presence, the active chemical components penetrate deep into the concrete structure, creating a waterproofing film. Among experienced companies specializing in waterproofing, this method is considered extremely unreliable, since this type of waterproofing will not work in areas where there is no high-quality or poorly vibrated concrete, as well as in places where there are voids, and these are most places with leaks
You can read more about penetrating waterproofing in the article – “Penetrating waterproofing: A detailed description of its work on concrete, types of materials and application technology“.
Recommendations for fixing and sealing leaks in the basement and concrete wall
To eliminate existing leaks in the basement once and forever, it is best to follow the following steps of sealing:
1. Sealing of all seams and cracks. All seams and cracks are pointed up in the room, then a special sealant is sealed in layers there (expanding ones are best);
2. All seams and cracks are injected with a double-component injection compound, according to the type of polyurethane resin HydroInject;
3. Problem areas of the wall, floor, or ceiling with active water supply are locally injected into the body of concrete or brick;
4. Polymer cement waterproofing according to the type of HydroPaz or HydroPaz + Acril is applied to the floor surface with access to the walls up to ground level. This insulation, unlike many others, works on negative water pressure from the outside to the inside.
If you follow these methods, then your base will be guaranteed to be dry, and leaks will be eliminated. When performing such a complex of works, most companies, specializing in waterproofing will give a guarantee of at least 6-7 years.
sealing the ceiling from leaks
If you have a problem with waterproofing the roof, and you have identified leaks on your ceiling, then, of course, it is best to solve the problem from the outside. If this is not possible and you want to eliminate leaks on the ceiling from the inside, then here you can use the same technology as for waterproofing an underground room – pointing up, sealing, and injecting seams and cracks in the ceiling, and then using mineral compounds to cover the problem area. The injection can also be done locally in problem areas on the ceiling at a rate of 1 m2.
The cost of sealing leaks
| Works description | Unit of measurement | Prices in $ |
| sealing of cold joints: -Works on installation of indenting -clearing the indenting -layer-by-layer sealing of non-shrinkable composition | running meter | 10 |
| sealing of interblock seams: -Works on installation of indenting -clearing the indenting -layer-by-layer sealing of non-shrinkable composition | running meter | 7 |
| sealing of expansion joints: -Works on installation of indenting -clearing the indenting – sealing of the elastic profile -sealing of non-shrink compound -a complex of works on injection | running meter | 81 |
| Injection waterproofing of seams / cut-off waterproofing -Works on installation of indenting -clearing the indenting – layer-by-layer sealing of non-shrinkable composition -works on installation of boreholes and packers -a complex of works on injection -the dismantling of packers and sealing of injection holes | running meter | 20 |
| Injection waterproofing into the concrete body -marking, works on installation of boreholes and packers -a complex of works on injection -the dismantling of packers and sealing of injection holes | m2 | 31 |
| Injection waterproofing into the brick body -marking, works on installation of boreholes and packers -a complex of works on injection -the dismantling of packers and sealing of injection holes | m2 | 31 |
| Cement-mineral waterproofing | m2 | 10 |
| Penetrating waterproofing | m2 | 10 |
| Sealing of pipes entry points: -Works on installation of indenting -clearing the indenting – layer-by-layer sealing of non-shrinkable composition -works on installation of boreholes and packers -a complex of works on injection -the dismantling of packers and sealing of injection holes | pieces | 115 |
