Waterproofing articles

Article concerning issues with podium deck buried roof waterproofing systems and why they suffer issue, including example of failures

Slurry tanking systems, what are they, how do they work, is it effective? We answer these questions and more.

The basics of why your cellar/basement may be flooding, and thoughts on what questions to ask, and what steps to take, in what order.

This article digs in to the main differences between cavity drainage and external tanking systems for use in new construction waterproofing.

Waterproofing systems are not 'one size fits all'. Is cavity drainage right for you? We look at some of the problems, and the solutions, associated with cavity drainage waterproofing systems.

What does basement waterproofing cost? Probably the question we're most often asked. Let's try and shed some light on the matter.

Managing risk is crucial in structural waterproofing. No client or consultant wants to deal with problems, even with advancements in materials, design, and installation. Choosing the right approach can be confusing due to varying advice in the market.

Basement structures can be formed using varied methods and materials, each with implication upon resistance (or otherwise) to groundwater penetration, which in turn has an implication on the waterproofing design, with this also being influenced by proposed usage and site conditions.

This article chronicles our experiences in remedying failed habitable/converted basements, where cementitious slurry tanking has been installed by non-specialist Contractors, who have been provided with minimal training by materials suppliers. Those suppliers will offer to write specifications for the job, and the contractor can then install. It's a difficult system to get right and these examples are testament to that.

As I understand it NHBC have approximately 70/80% of the structural warranty insurance market, and so they have felt the effects of basement waterproofing failures more than any other. More specifically, between 2005/6 - 2010/11 they published the detail of a spend within the region of £21m on failed basement waterproofing claims. As a result chapter 5.4 calls for design by qualified persons. Trace can assist with this.

BS8102 (2022) defines four grades of environment, which in simple terms is a way of classifying how dry or otherwise a space is, or should be. We were on the update panel for the 2022 revision and we party to the discussions around revision of this guidance from the previous standard.

This is the story of an unfortunate homeowner let down by a poor waterproofing design, and an installing contractor that ceased trading, leaving substantial problems and costs in their wake.

While basements and cellars suffer water penetration more visibly than sub-floor voids, this does not mean to say that below ground (sub-floor voids) are any less prone to water penetration and flooding.

We find that ‘water table’ is often mentioned where issues of water penetration affect basements & cellars, however the theory in many cases may not be well understood. The intention of this article therefore, is to comment upon the basic theory and background to water table and some of the implications that this has on basement and waterproofing design.

Heard this one before?

Why do basements and cellars suffer issues of water ingress? Simplistically, this is as a result of HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE coming to bear, but what is hydrostatic pressure? When the ground becomes SATURATED (all voids full of water), the weight of that water in a standing column exerts hydrostatic pressure.

Sometimes we design for the out of the ordinary. One such case involved dealing with a converted mill building on a flood plain, this including flooding within an external courtyard area, a ground floor apartment and internal communal areas.

'Combined Protection' is a section within BS8102 Code of practice for protection of below ground structures against water ingress; it advises that designers consider the use of two forms of waterproofing, either where there are aggressive site conditions (it's a wet one), or the consequences of failure are high (few pennies required if it goes wrong).