Basement waterproofing and basement conversions and

INTRODUCTION

This guide is an aid for private owners to assess the council conflict, which are often present when using different ask "experts" within the industry on how best to solve a problem of waterproofing the basement.

Humidity Chamber

PART 1: - the variety of uses and BASEMENT STRUCTURES.

Quite simply, a basement waterproofing perspective fall into three categories: -

A. Non-waterproof concrete

B. Integral waterproofStructures

C. drained cavity structures

Their questions are often classified into four grades: -

Low order 1 (garage, etc., where the water on the floor played no role, that much)

2 Storage class (which has very dry environment, but not living standard is not as important as ventilation, etc., and some moisture may still be tolerated)

Grade 3 room (walls and floors must be dry and humidity controlled to within) Live

4 Special needs (where total control over temperature and humidity is necessary for the preservation of the archives, fine wines, computer installations, sensitive, valuable works of art, etc..)

Category 4 is not usually necessary for normal home use and will be ignored here-on-in.

Expressed as simple as that, the cellar or A, B or C and you want to use it to 1.2 or 3

What could be easier than ABC 123?

A bit 'processing is based on the ABC I needthinking ...

Type A, which are not waterproof masonry brick block work, stone. The floors and walls mineral most often the individual elements of the structure, ie they are not connected with steel reinforcement, and then can move to each other in a different way. This is a crucial point in the choice of a waterproofing system, as a rigid structure, systems need to work effectively for this.

Most of the older houses are within the domestic type STYLECATEGORY.

Type B, which (presumably) fully sealed structure. These are usually constructed of reinforced concrete, which are linked with reinforced walls and floor and the entire structure was designed appropriately thick and strong and water resistant without the need for sealant. Unfortunately, engineers or architects, designs and theoretical calculations do not always translate perfectly in place and a small deviation in a bar in water (the plasticCan strip, sealing the joints of the structure) is a little 'just compacted concrete pour on the bottom one, maybe a little' too much water causes shrinkage cracks in the mix all lead to loss, in which there should be no !

Many modern structures BASEMENT fall into the category of type B - we will have failed only with the "Type B is concerned that the success, of course, not seals!

C. Type of engineering works Many are built with deep cellarsThe size of the cavity drained. The next time you find yourself in a basement parking lot of a large shopping mall, maybe two or history and look down in a beautiful landscaped DRY concrete block wall, you may ask, why it is so dry, so deep under the Earth - and maybe not - but if your basement is flooded to a house plan you may be wondering how to achieve this.

Quite simply, the block work wall, are separated by a gap between it and the land, retaining wallsbeyond. The earth retaining wall is often very wet, perhaps even running water to enter, but the inner wall is kept dry by the "dry cavity 'between. The water must be drained from the cavity somewhere, and it is usually in a room in the cockpit, where you can download download.

While released on a property inside a hollow wall or concrete wall to be built rarely a cavity "in miniature" drainage is often hampered by use of a diaphragm, which createsEarth retaining wall, creating a cavity between the retaining wall and the membrane itself. Thus, a type A brick can often lead to a structure of type C, which are converted by applying the membrane.

But this brings us to the estate .....

PART 2 sealing mode.

Towards the end of the last section that describes how the "structure" and "seal" in a situation cavity was drained completely connected. If the structure has a dryCavity and then drained the cavity is a part of the structure, but it is also an integral part of the estate. The same applies to a type of tank, a structure in which the structure is as important as the waterproofing as the former have to keep them in place. This is crucial to understand is the failure to appreciate how to work the structure and seal each other and depend on a common cause for the failure of waterproofing systems.

Sealing of Type AStructure

There are basically two different approaches: -

1 The application of a 'Tanking System' This will result in a coating of some kind, the walls and the floor of an inside-out "tank", a tank where the water to create on the outside.

2 Convert the structure to structure 'Drained Cavity' a type C through the installation of a drained cavity membrane with drainage systems and sump and pump.

There are divisions within these generic methods, but basically it isor try to "hold water", or you are 'on the discharge.

Let's take a closer look at each method.

1 Tank

To paint anything from bitumen, asphalt (a mixture of sand and tar) sand / cement plaster and screed with waterproof coatings, additives and special manure may have been used.

The big disadvantage of this method is that you are fighting the water pressure (at least potentially, not all of the basement under the water pressure all the time, butYou should assume that all the basement could be subjected to water pressure at some point in the future).

This method is totally dependent on the quality of the structure which it is applied.

Failure to appreciate this attention has led to many failures, unnecessary costs, pain and tears.

Most of the structures of type A are subject to differential movements - that the walls and the floor may move in a different way to each other and form a small crack in the wall, floor profiles, and the walls andEarth may turn slightly inward, but enough to break the system tank.

In contrast to the differential movement, but equally important is the "unifying influence of the substrate," especially the tensile strength.

Now I do not want to leave too technical here, so what I say in simple words to explain myself.

Imagine a waterproof fit inside a wall. The water on the outside of the wall tends to "push" on the back of the coat, as if to prove,push it out. I say "as if", because obviously "trying", not the water, everything, to do what he does not have a mind of its own, it's just a reaction to gravity and obey the laws of physics.

So if you have the picture now, I imagine that the waterproof coating was perfectly well that the link between the bricks and the coating is applied heavily. The tile is a "force that covers the face of experience as a tile is pushed away from the wall.

And, yes, does not needto see a lot of imagination, what happens next, the side of the stone breaks away from the stones of waterproof coating to resist not stretch very well (the technical term is that they have a low tensile strength).

The problem does not occur in a pool, though. Here the water pressure on the opposite side, and tends to push the waterproof coating on the wall, the wall behind it compresses. Now masonry is good in compression, the system does not. Fail

Another serious problem is the accumulation of salts behind the water tank.

Many people will deal with this phenomenon every day.

When the water evaporates, leaving behind small traces of substances that have been dissolved in it. We see this element of a kettle. The same thing happens when water evaporates in the wall of a cellar or basement. Salt crystals can often be seen on the surface of the wall (often mistaken for mold), these crystals sometimes form behind paintingand press the color bubbles appeared in, back to reveal the crystals of salt.

Supply as many systems are "breathable" makes it sold. They should stop liquid water passes through, but allow the walls to "breathe", that allow evaporation to take place and the escape of water vapor.

Sun ..... when the water is evaporated, then leave behind a layer of salt crystal growth, the crucial question, in a system bound, where exactly is the spaceFor these crystals? "

The simple answer is that there is, as the crystals of salt they make their own space for rendering or other coating of the wall, and we have another tank to grow failure.

Well, this is the point where I can be accused of prejudice against the systems of the tank, but I'm not! I am against systems that fail, that's for sure, compared to systems that are applied to substrates partially inappropriate.

It must be said. "Application of a tank BONDEDSYSTEM OF STYLE wall of an old error is ask. "

And the vast majority of projects are in the basement waterproofing masonry old-fashioned.

D. Because supply seems to work a lot of time?

A. because there is A LOT OF TIME PRESSURE WATER. As soon as the water pressure, ie a broken water main, unusually heavy rains, land reclamation changes due to construction work, etc. will "fail" the tank.

I lost count of the numberhow many times people have told me that the supply has worked for years and then randomly the day that the water pressure failed. - "The day we were leaving the hose on" or "Day of the rupture of the pipe in the ground."

Systems to charge so, in conclusion, are bound to be used only if it is foreseeable that there will never be any pressure water or if the structure is rigid and second place in an appropriate manner to the substrate has a high tensile strength for sealingPlace through the structure, without de-lamination or cracking. These circumstances are relatively rare and represent where tanks could be used, should not be used.

CONVERTING 2 the structure of a C DRAINED CAVITY TYPE '

And 'expressly provided in the British Standard BS8102 "Protection of structures against water under the earth", this method is reliable and trouble-free sealing is detected in the basement.

Many specialized companies (that need to fill in "until used specialistsChanges to this method in recent years and appears to be a one-way street. I've never seen a specialist contact cavities drained to "supply" heard.

In its simplest form this consists in the definition of a plastic membrane (usually but not always) on the walls and floor with dimples. The idea of ​​the dimples is to create a flow of "space" for water - usually 8 mm to 20 mm for the walls and floor.

These membranes are not "tied" to the wall, but with mechanical fastenersPlastic caps and spacing, so that in-between the membrane-bound UN.

Now, in reality, when the water runs down the wall is usually not in a movie immensely thin, 8mm thick, when the amount of water was still coming down to the inner surface of the wall without oil pan and pump, which would always be to deal with it and the wall material will probably not last long, so that the need for the dimple 8mm waterproofing the basement is a myth!

One of the disadvantages of plastic membranes that preventThe water vapor to move through them, but not heat, so you can create a collection of water vapor on a cold surface - a recipe for condensation. I've seen caused by these puddles on the floor.

Membrane integrated with a thermal insulation that keeps the vapor barrier keeps warm and some basic information on the response of heat, possibly with a dehumidifier.

Ventilation, while the need to remove the stale air and fresh oxygen is not the answer to condensation, as they canbring more humid air from the outside. If the heat and dehumidify the air basement - you do not want to keep the vent away!

A cavity drainage system depends entirely on the oil sump and pump, which eventually drained the water from underground. This is an area that is not on, as nothing more work needs to be saved without them. There would always be advisable to use a frying pan and oil pump on order, which is a pre-film format, and include the pump alarm. Coatings are often coverperforated to allow water to directly from the soil beneath the slab. This "draining" of the earth under the floor, often stops the walls and floor, reducing the losses at all and so the importance of the role of the diaphragm wall and floor. In fact, in many cases the "Cavity Drain membrane 'is nothing but a vapor barrier as a channel for water flow. Need even less dimples then more emphasis on the insulating properties of the membrane (the membrane to avoida non-condensed).

The sump pump easier for a single network. Battery backup pumps are available and should be seriously considered habitable for the degree as the consequences of failure can be very large, with carpets, furniture, drywall, carpentry endangers everyone.

Battery-run pumps typically 12V DC directly from the battery, but others run off AC (how you get from the network), which converts DC (battery) power from a DC-ACConverter. The date of conversion is not efficient and much larger batteries are needed to give the same output, if you use a converter.

Drum pumps are a bit 'limited compared to the pump power, tend to be less powerful in an office complex and depends on n limited battery life. So it may be considered useful to have a second pump power, as the primary backup (for protection against any other cause of a power failure to act - and then aThird pump, the pump takes over the battery during a power outage.

In any case, must be evaluated carefully selecting a good quality casing and pump system, which are given for the project. For larger wineries and a sump pump may be required.

While the water can run down a wall of light - how gravity works in this way - it is not so easy for the water horizontally above the earth. So the idea of ​​a "dimpled membrane at the bottom," that watermeanders somewhat below and find the oil pan is quite obsolete. The modern way is a floor system perimeter of the duct so that water is directly under the floor directly in the oil pan.

Once the membranes are present, an inner surface of plasterboard on wooden slats or metal stud is usually used to support the walls and of which a coating of cardboard on the ground floor or diaphragm.

There is a decent ground as a heat treatment Tile Floor Cleaning are knowncombines the waterproofing to the floor in the form of a tooth made of plastic tiles that do not require additional support.

"Other methods"

In effect, what we have discussed, refers to about 95% of the existing winery.

However, there are some "other" things that are worth a brief mention, because it must be relatively rare, but if they are relevant: -

1 A variant of the substrate channeling is an "above the lower channel,as a cable attached to the baseboard floor. This is for structured soils, which can not be driven to a floor heating duct to accept help.

Injection of resin 2. They are drilling and injecting the common structure with water-reactive, dealing with incoming water in a chemical reaction and turn the mixture of resin and water in a waterproof material deep into the "flight-path", thus preventing further losses. This method is relevant only on a soundClack with defined structures or joint lock, such as cracked concrete wall support, not for general porous surfaces like brick o.

3 "drainage system" E 'can often stop a basement from flooding and achieve a grade 1 or 2 of the environment through a perforated liner and sump pump to the floor and led by himself - without a membrane to the wall or floor so that the system is not a "drained cavity system as such, but a" de-watered system. "

Combination 4System. Sometimes the best approach is to use a combination of systems, rather than just one. Grouting resin may be used for high flows of water through a tank or a downloaded cavity followed by stem cells. A de-irrigation system for extra waterproofing on the walls or floor can sometimes be significant. With floor drain divides the outer walls and the floor, so that different systems can be used together, either membrane or other types of generic systems such as membranewaterproof concrete wall and the floor. This is useful when you paste ceramic tile and necessary as the final coating.

If you are considering a combination system, you should really genuine with an expert, to speak, to determine what will work and what does not - can not count on friends or the local builder general, if not the basement waterproofing experts!

And one last point: if the "cheapest" way, want to learn how to waterproof your basement, then say,You ...

Do it first!

I so people can know and do, then a dry layer of bitumen £ 500.00 to £ 3000 'manure tank "of a system of cavities € 5.000,00.

They thought that £ 500 was the cheapest, but in the end pay £ 8,500.00.

If not work, then it is not the cheapest.

€ 5000.00 less than £ 8,500.00!

And what is the basement waterproofing do it yourself?

Now, with various professionalsSystems with full on-site support is a totally professional job can get covered by the warranty with full service, after-sales service and most of the work yourself and save € '000 's!!

So happy and seal hope this guide useful!

Basement waterproofing and basement conversions and