How to Stop water Seepage?

Stop seepage from External Walls, Bathroom, Kitchen, Terrace, Windows etc. .

Problem: Leakage from External Walls of the building

Observation: Rainwater ( Water leakage) entering inside house through walls.

Analysis: Rain water coming in through external walls due to cracks developed on walls. These cracks are developed due to expansion/ contraction of civil structure and micro movements.

Action Plan: Make v- groove and expand the cracks using grinder or manual tools. Clean the crackline/ groove, apply Supex PU 25 sealant to cover the cracks completely, excess sealant to be tooled away. After curing ( drying of sealant, 2-3 hrs) paint the crack filled area.

Supex PU 25 is a polyurethane sealant with exceptional elongation, gap filling and tensile strength properties. It is also used to seal expansion joints, bond building material.

Seepage from Walls adjacent to bathroom

Observation: Wetness or dampness on external side of bathroom walls.

Analysis: Water leakage from tiles joints of bathroom or leakage from plumbing joints of bathroom, Water seepage from soil below foundation, External cracks on walls.

Action Plan:

Remove old joint filler from tiles of bathroom, seal with new tile joint sealant, Supex Bond all HT, replace old cracked tiles.
Check the plumbing joints for leakage and seal seepage through joints.
seal external cracks with Supex PU 25.
In case of rising dampness due to capillary action of water coming from below foundation- injection grouting with epoxy or Polyurethane.

Water leakage through cracks from terrace, parapet wall of terrace. seepage due to water leakage from bathroom/kitchen of the flat above.

Seal the cracks on terrace and parapet wall using Supex PU 25. Apply waterproofing membrane or coating for long life after crack sealing.

In case of leakage from Bathroom/kitchen from upper floors the source of leakage has to be plugged, there is nothing much you can do but request the flat resident to repair the leakage areas.

Water leaking through the windows during heavy rainfall

Gap between window frame and wall not sealed adequately. Aluminium frame fitted on granite or any stone not proper, leaving seepage path for rainwater.

Remove old sealant and apply Supex PU 25 / Supex 501 to seal gaps between window frame and wall.

Seal the edge of window frame and horizontal granite slab with Supex PU 25.

Stop water seepage through the metal roof sheet

Gap between metal roof and concrete wall.

If gap is < 20 mm apply PU sealant from top and seal the gaps. If gap is more then apply PU foam, cover the exposed PU foam with paint to protect it from sunlight.

Why seepage & leakage happens ?

To find the root cause of leakages and find solutions to stop seepage from buildings, houses, civil structures let us answer Where and whys.

Where are the general water seepages and leakages observed.

Walls of the houses
Walls in the rooms adjacent to bathrooms
seepage from ceiling
water leaking through the windows during heavy rainfall
water seeping through the metal roof

What is the source of water ingress in each of the cases:

rainwater entering through the cracks developed on external walls
water seeping through the bathroom tiles and apprearing on the room wall due to capillary action
water seeping through the tile gaps in bathroom and cracks of the floor ( cracks formed on the slab)
water seeping through the gap between beam and external walls
rainwater entering through the gap between wall and window frame
gap between the metal sheet and concrete wall

What is the problem caused due to such leakages and seepages

damp walls
dripping Ceilings
rooms flooded with rainwater
tmt bars from the slabs start to rust. With time the slab weakens, swells and in some cases falls down endangering lives of people.

Root cause of such leakages in civil structures

Concrete is the chief constituent in civil structures. By design, concrete expands and contracts as per changing weather. This furthar aggravates due to air pollution, acid rains, poor construction quality, improper waterproofing, inefficient design etc. Being inflexible the structural members like beams, slabs, columns develop cracks over time. Such cracks allow water to pass through and also damage the tmt bars.
Similarly the external walls also develop crack with time and become leak path for water to enter.
Ineffective sealant used to fill gaps between wall and window frames or no selant applied to seal such gaps lead to wate ringress from windows.
gap between metal roof and concrete walls leads to rainwater getting inside.
gaps between tiles in bathrooms allow water to percolate.

We will discuss about how to proactively stop seepages from gaps between slab( beam) and walls.

Why leakage from walls and beam

This problem usually occurs during the monsoon seasons. During the rainfalls, water from the external walls seeps inside through the beam joints. This seepage causes moisture damage to the interior portions of the walls.

This entry of water occurs because there are minute gaps present between the beam and wall joints. The usual reasons for these gaps in new buildings are : inflexible material like thermocol or cement grouting is rigid and cracks with time. It can’t withstand expansion- contraction cycles , building movements.

Such seepages lead to shabby homes with the paints peeling off, deterioration of walls, beams and columns. Thus, it significantly reduces the structural integrity of the building.

Traditional Method : Mortar used to fill gap between Wall & Beam joint.

Traditionally this joint is sealed using regular mortar and chips of bricks. However, this combination is rigid.They are exposed to weather fluctuations which cause expansion/ contraction and subtle building movements. Such joints crack and makes way for rainwater to seep into the walls.

PU foam spray to stop seepage from walls

What is required : A gap filling isolation joint expanding foam spray sealant which

Has high gap filling capability ( up to 1 inch or more)
can be plastered, painted, sanded like concrete
low cost material
easily applied
long life
mildly flexible to sustain building movements
proven technology used in India and abroad.

ISOLATION JOINT PU FOAM SPRAY SEALANT

1 component PU, packed in 750 ml can. Applied using a gun.

When extruded to fill the gaps/ cracks formed, Supex 100 Gun grade PU foam spray sealant expands to fill the gap effectively and seal the joint. Initially in liquid form, the foam cures upon expansion into a flexible material which can compress and decompress like foam.

The property to expand and contract is a highly desirable one. The joints can now offer a higher coefficient of linear expansion than that is shown by the rigid mortar technique. This, in turn, further reduces the probability of Beam- wall joint to crack. Another desirable property of the foam is that it also provides acoustical, thermal insulation.

Depending upon the requirements of the construction to be made, Supex 100 PU Foam is available in FR and non-FR variants.

Isolation joint PU foam spray sealant – Advantages

100 % seepage-free beam-wall joint till the life of the building
Faster process than applying cement mortar – reduced labour costs
Provides acoustical, thermal and Electrical insulation too
Reliable and long-lasting construction

Summary

Polyurethane Foam Sealant, Expandable PU foam

68% cost saving using Expanding Polyurethane(PU ) Foam Spray Sealant to seal Tie rod holes .