One of the well-known defects of the residential buildings is the leaking after a few years of its construction. There are specific leaking points: below the bath rooms, kitchen area, wall having input for water pipelines, waste water etc. I have seen several buildings where this problem is seen right from the second to third year of the construction. The weather and climatic conditions are also responsible. Mumbai type climate with a long monsoon season is also one important factor. Factors such as improper cleaning of sewage lines can also be responsible. But I think all these problems are common, and cannot be fully controlled. Thus, until, a proper design modification and special construction materials are used during construction and maintenance, these problems cannot be stopped. What are these special materials which must be used during initial construction that take care of leaking throughout the life of a structure. These are special 'water proofing' materials.Most important material for building construction is cement or cement-sand-water mixture. Unless an optimum ratio of these is maintained throughout the construction, the building will show the tendency to leak right from beginning or at a later stage. This is mainly because the cement is a porous material and has tendency to hold and release water. Thus, continuous logging of water can broaden these pores and holding capability of water in cement increases, leading to leaking. Hence the properties of cemented structure must be modified to take care of this factor. This modification concept is called 'water proofing.' In simple language water proofing is a technology in which the retaining power of water in cement is either eliminated or reduced to a minimum by the addition of some resinous material or by an additional material as a barrier layer. Most of the water proofing materials are based on modification of cement by either one resin or a combination of one or more resins. This practice is going on for a very long time. There are several paint companies now selling water proofing compounds. The input from market is that they work in Some and fail in others. Of course application process can be one variable, but the second most important variable is the tendency or the mechanism of the water proofing compound to blunt or block the pore in cemented structure. And for this the best solution is nano modified resins.What are the different technologiesTwo very conventional types of water proofing techniques are: cementitious waterproofing which involves applying a mixture of cement, sand, and chemicals. The mixture forms a thick layer that prevents water from seeping through it, and the second bituminous coating, which involves applying bitumen-based materials on the surface that needs to be protected from water damage. Another type of water proofing method is the use of membranes which are applied on roofs using an adhesive.<img src="https://cdn.magzter.com/1640066610/1763442819/articles/qa6qwPhGs1763447352382/6697773141.jpg" alt="image">Another technology, named as damp proofing is basically designed to prevent moisture in gaseous form from penetrating walls. It primarily protects against the dampness ascending from the ground, which can cause structural and health issues. It involves applying a damp proof course (DPC) or damp proof membrane (DPM) within walls or under concrete slabs to block the capillary action of water movement.Let us now discuss the latest technology of nano modified water proofing developed at IIT Bombay. The product called is DL-54, a nano modified acrylic based system. It works in three stages, for example on a leaking rooftop:Application of a diluted DL-54 on a fully cleaned concrete surface (free from dust and grease), resulting in reaching the product to all micro pores and making them blunt. This step is called absorption coat.Filling of all the visible cracks from a few centimeters and above with a paste made by equal volume of DL-54 and cement.<img src="https://cdn.magzter.com/1640066610/1763442819/articles/qa6qwPhGs1763447352382/9393533544.jpg" alt="image">After it is fully dried, a thin layer of DL-54 + equal weight of cement + water is applied.After complete drying of this layer, one additional layer of the above layer is applied.This is now ready for putting tiles or coba (cement) layer. Such a surface would give about 10 years of leak free life. If one wants a life of 12 - 15 years on the above three layer system, then add an additional reinforced geotextile layer followed by an additional layer of DL-54 + cement paste.<img src="https://cdn.magzter.com/1640066610/1763442819/articles/qa6qwPhGs1763447352382/9451543973.jpg" alt="image">The product is very good to use while construction of residential buildings, hotels, malls. Before putting tiles in the bathrooms and kitchen area, the floor should be first covered with one or two layers of DL-54 + cement. Also, the cement used to join the tiles should have 10 - 20% of DL-54.Here I am giving the case history of a roof leak in my own flat roof. On detailed investigations, it was found that the leakage was from the bathroom of the flat above my flat where sand/cement under the tiles on the bathroom floor got concentrated and left lots of empty space leading to water collection which seeped thru the rebars in the roof and started leaking at points where cement bonding was weak.This problem was then solved by breaking the bathroom floor, removing all old cement, followed by the application of a cement layer, and a layer of DL-54 + cement followed by another layer of the same as discussed above. After that the tiles were placed, and for the last four years there is not a drop of water leaking from this roof and the roof looks like fresh roof without any defect.

Waterproofing – an essential treatment during new building construction and maintenance

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