Posts Tagged ‘Cavity Drain’

JUNE Social Media Post Roundup

๐Ÿ”นLarge Deck Over an Underground Car Park:

๐Ÿ” ๐—ฆ๐—ถ๐˜๐—ฒ ๐—ฆ๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐˜† & ๐—ช๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—”๐˜€๐˜€๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜
Our experienced surveyor recently visitedย this Bournemouth, mid-1970s purpose-built apartment complex comprising two 7-storey towers with a shared basement car park, to carry out a comprehensive inspection following reports of water ingress.
๐Ÿ’งย ๐—œ๐˜€๐˜€๐˜‚๐—ฒ ๐—œ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐—ถ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ:
Water penetration was observed through the roof slab of the basement car park. The original deck was constructed using asphalt membranes, which are known to degrade under prolonged UV exposure. Over time, thermal expansion and contraction can lead to fatigue and crackingโ€”especially at high-stress areas such as corners, structural junctions, and upstand details.

Ocean heights Deck

๐Ÿ”Žย ๐—ž๐—ฒ๐˜† ๐—œ๐—ป๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ต๐˜:
Itโ€™s important to note that visible leaks on the underside of a concrete slab donโ€™t always indicate the exact point of water entry. Water can migrate through construction joints, and movement joints before becoming visible below.
๐Ÿ—๏ธย ๐—ฆ๐˜๐—ฟ๐˜‚๐—ฐ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ข๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜„:
The basement structure consists of reinforced concrete downstand beams supporting a 150mm thick slab. The ground-bearing slab includes perimeter edge thickenings and reinforced concrete walls to retain surrounding ground levels. Our inspection also highlighted the need for upstand and concrete repairs in several areas.
Weโ€™re now working closely with the client to develop a robust waterproofing solution tailored to the unique challenges of this buried deck system.


 

๐Ÿ”นSemi-Basement Extension, Salisbury: Following our pre-construction waterproofing survey, our technicians are now on site installing aย ๐—ง๐˜†๐—ฝ๐—ฒ ๐—– ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐˜๐˜† ๐—ฑ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ฏ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฒ ๐˜€๐˜†๐˜€๐˜๐—ฒ๐—บย to protect the newly built semi-basement extension at thisย ๐—š๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ ๐—œ๐—œ ๐—น๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฑย property in Salisbury.
Although not a full basement, the structure still requires effective protection against water ingress to ensure it remains dry and habitableโ€”fully compliant withย ๐—•๐—ฆ ๐Ÿด๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ:๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฎย standards for below-ground waterproofing.

๐Ÿ’งย ๐——๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ฒ ๐—ฆ๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ด๐˜† โ€“ Gravity-Fed System:
As part of our design, we offered the option of aย sump and pump systemย to manage any potential water ingress. However, the client opted for aย gravity-fed drainage solution, which is a passive system that relies on natural fall to direct water away from the structure.

nunton House

This approach involves:
โœ… ๐——๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ฒ ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—น๐˜€ย integrated at the base of the cavity membrane system.
โœ… ๐—ฃ๐—ถ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜„๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ธ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐˜€๐˜ ๐—ถ๐—ป๐˜๐—ผ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜€๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ฏย designed with sufficient fall to ensure continuous flow.
โœ… ๐—” ๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ป-๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ป ๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜ƒ๐—ฒย fitted to prevent any risk of backflow from the external surface water system.

Gravity-fed systems are highly effective where site levels allow, offering a low-maintenance, energy-free solution for managing groundwater ingress.
Weโ€™re proud to support projects that combine modern construction with heritage sensitivityโ€”delivering long-term protection and peace of mind.


 

๐Ÿ”นCambridge House Walkthrough Video

๐ŸŽฅย Take a behind-the-scenes look at our installation work on the prestigious Cambridge House renovation project!

This video captures just a glimpse of the scale and complexity involved in transforming this iconic London landmark into a luxury 5-star hotel. With multiple phases and intricate detailing, itโ€™s a project that demands precision, expertise, and collaborationโ€”and weโ€™re incredibly proud to be part of it.

From heritage preservation to cutting-edge waterproofing solutions, our team has been working closely with contractors and consultants to ensure the highest standards are met at every stage.

maclennan basement waterproofer

Why servicing is critical in waterproofing?

Inspection ports for servicing repairing

Servicing pumps and waterproofing channels

 

Servicing pumps and channel is a huge benefit over every other waterproofing system. Where other systems just fail and flood, the serviced system pre-empts any issues so that they can be resolved before causing problems. With all other systems, the connection with the designer and installer of the waterproofing system is lost straight after the contract. With a serviced system you have experts on tap and your waterproofing is reviewed every year.

For the first few years, servicing the channel is critical. Pumps will alarm before flooding occurs. Channels will not. The channels are the arteries of the system. They must be clear and clean, so they need an inspection. Servicing Repairability and serviceability are the main theme of the revised BS8102:2022 Standard.

servicing inspection ports
maclennan basement waterproofer

Type C cavity drain waterproofing systems are the only systems that can be easily repaired and serviced, but only if they are correctly designed and regularly serviced. The updates in Paragraph 10 of the BS8102 focus on serviceability. They emphasize that the waterproofing designer responsible for the design must ensure that it complies with all requirements for drainage serviceability and maintenance. There are more specific details on pumping systems and their discharge options, as well as the importance of system maintenance, repair, commissioning, and future servicing. This is โ€œTo maximize the long-term integrity and effectiveness of a waterproofing system.โ€

Also โ€œAccess points that allow routine maintenance of channels and outlets should be incorporated into the design of the waterproofing system. These should be located such that they are accessible for maintenance.โ€ We would like to add that access points should accommodate the use of cameras for service checks. Many do not. The maintenance schedule requirement should be seen as a benefit. It is the only system that is accessible for inspection every year and in the event of an issue with a well-designed and maintained system. Any potential issues will be seen or signaled with an alarm before damage occurs. Issues are normally easily resolved.

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