Extreme heat and humidity and then incessant heavy showers wreak havoc on external structures. Cracks and water leakage and seepage are a common enough problem in many of buildings. At times the construction standards of some buildings are such that even the best skyscrapers in the plushest residential complexes have a leakage grouse. This is majorly because of lack of proper waterproofing and preventive external wall care.
Water leakage not only causes external walls to crack but also weakens the very structure of a building, causing grave danger to its occupants. While the cause of this problem maybe lack of foresight of the builders or a quick-fix solution by the contractors, there is no reason why occupants should avoid taking adequate precautions to maintain their external walls. After all, prevention is better than cure, and adequate waterproofing steps taken in time will save a lot of headache in future.
It is observed that in general, water seeps through external walls within the very first five years of building completion. Apart from humidity and abundant rainfall, it is also caused by high wind speeds that all high-rise buildings are exposed to. This also increases the likelihood of water seepage. Building envelopes must, therefore, be adequately designed and constructed to prevent ingress of water.
The first step to take to avoid leakages is to build walls with adequate thickness, proper designing at construction joints. While most builders deliberate over cosmetic and design features of the structure, it has been observed that very little attention is paid towards critical areas like gaps in between walls, wall coatings and tiling on the terrace. At times, gaps in walls can result in serious leakage through external walls. This can damage expensive internal paints and finishing too.
According to an industry survey conducted on a sample size of 10,000 private residential units, it was found that the most common cause of water leakage is the use of single layer brick walls. Almost 90 per cent of the water seepage occurred through cracks in the plastered brick walls.
According to experts, either cement or general exterior acrylic paint is not sufficient protection for your building. For effective waterproofing of external walls, the coating material should function as a strong impermeable layer around the structure. Hence it is a must to opt for a high quality acrylic polymer which are uniquely combined with weather durable pigments, graded fine fillers and additives and can act as a barrier to liquid water and carbon dioxide gas; but permeable to water vapor.
Another major source of leakage is the terrace. However, terraces remain the most ignored. Most residents don not even check the terrace area till a major leakage has already occurred. Given the lack of space common to most flats, if maintained well, terraces can serve as an extension to our living quarters.
It is recommended that waterproofing be done pre-monsoons with products that can resist heat, humidity, and rainfall and form a layer around the construction of external walls as well as terraces. The new innovative products available in the market also bridge existing cracks, maintain flexibility and strength over a broad temperature range, resisting dirt pick up and fungal/algal growth.
