Is water leaking from the walls of your house???

If there is a water leak through the walls of the house, the best thing to do is to make the walls waterproof. Even today, this article starts with a strange word. What is this waterproofing or waterproofing? If we take it in the Sinhala sense, it means protecting a house or building from water leaks. But do you know the methods of waterproofing, their advantages and disadvantages, and why there are several such methods? From today, this preparation is to provide a series of articles on waterproofing for those who do not know about it, and for those who know more about it.

Let's first look at what this is and why we do it. If we do this, it was first said to protect a building or a house from water leaks. If we buy a house, it is essential to waterproof special places like bathrooms, toilets, balconies, roof slab and basement. In fact, a few years ago, waterproofing was not very popular in houses. But with modern house models, for example, box type houses and attached bathrooms, the need for waterproofing started to arise. That's because in box type houses mostly a concrete slab is used for the roof. Also, balconies and basements are integral parts of modern houses. So there is a big chance of water leakage through this kind of construction. The other problem comes with the attached bathroom. In old houses, the toilet and bathroom are usually separated from the house or away from the bedrooms. Therefore, water leakage was not a big problem. But if water leaks into the bedroom through the bathrooms inside these bedrooms, it is a big problem. In a two-storied house, water can also leak from the upper floor bathroom through the slab to the lower floor. Due to many problems like this, waterproofing is coming to the fore. Not only that, the value of the house also increases.

Next, let's look at the technical side of waterproofing. The decision about waterproofing depends on the damage caused by water to the house or building and on the needs of the home owner.

                     

                                                                   Image from freepik

To clarify the first point, if the basement is waterproofed in an area with normal water level, but in an area subject to even light rain, in addition to waterproofing, more advanced methods should be used.

Residents may have to face many problems due to unnecessary water leaks. Due to plastering of the walls, changes in the finish of the walls, mold growth, etc. can be identified as visible problems. Not only is mold not pleasing to the eye, it can also affect the health of the body. Also, due to moisture entering the concrete parts, it can cause bad results on the strength of the parts by corroding their wires.

The existing waterproofing methods in Sri Lanka are still not adapted to the modern methods available in the world, but there is no big drawback in their effectiveness. The only difference between modern and old methods is due to excessive human labor and the differences in modern technology. Below are the waterproofing methods used in our country.

01. Cementitious type

02. Bitumen Membrane

03. Crystalline type

04. Sprayed type

We will meet again in the next article with the relevant surface treatments, advantages and disadvantages, as well as how to use and names of ingredients for these methods.