BASEMENT WATERPROOFING Introduction A below ground basement is subjected to external hydrostatic pressure.

Due to their exposure to surrounding soil conditions and high groundwater table, basements tend to suffer from a faster rate of deterioration than other building elements. Protecting a basement against aggressive agents from the soil surroundings is a challenging task. Concrete being the main materials for proposed basement construction, is not fully waterproofed as a material. Positive side waterproofing which allows water-proofing to be installed to the outside surfaces of a basement possible due to space availability Water Seepage Water seepage of a basement could take place through one or a combination of (a) Porous concrete (b) Crack (c) Joints Concrete consists of micro pores caused during the migration of excess water during the hydration process. As these excess water dries off, they form channels or capillary pores. When subjected to water pressure, the pores allow the passage of water resulting in leakage. Porosity of concrete coupled with crack lines, allows the ingress of water and subsequently efflorescence A crystalline deposit of water-soluble salts. This is exacerbated by the formation of cracks due to the weak tensile strength of concrete, against stresses resulting from shrinkage, differential settlements, etc. Another easy path for water seepage in a basement is through discontinuities such as cold joints, movement joints and structural joints. Cold joint is formed when there is a time lapse between two consecutive concrete pours such that the second pour started only after the first one has set. They are common in basement construction as in general, the volume of concrete for slab and wall is huge. Movement and structural joints are installed to allow movement in structural members to avoid restraint-causing cracks. However, these locations are very weak points where water can penetrate easily if not constructed carefully

Design waterproofing method The failure to achieve water-tightness is the most significant problem in basements. Watertightness of basements relies mainly on the waterproofing design detailing including the adequacy of waterproofing over penetrations, projections and joints. Selection of waterproofing systems of basement structures is dependent on the proposed usage of basement. This building basement is proposed to use for Vehicle Park and since there is more space to construction works, it can use cut and cover method. So it can be used membrane protection on external surface of the basement. Admixtures are added to concrete during batching to improve the waterproofing properties. (a) Admixtures Admixtures are added to concrete during batching to improve the waterproofing properties. Conventional admixtures used for waterproofing of basement concrete structures include water reducing types, air-entraining types and water repellant types. (b) Membranes Membranes consist of either preformed types which are factory manufactured and available either in sheet form or rolls, or the liquid-applied types known as waterproof coatings. Membranes work by forming a physical barrier against the passage of water and are used mainly as positive-side waterproofing systems. Positive side waterproofing (External waterproofing) External basement waterproofing is a so called positive side waterproofing, what means that the waterproofing material is applied to that side of the construction which is or will indirect contact with water. An example would be the outside of a basement wall. be

the positive side waterproofing applied to

Surface Preparation Surfaces to which the bituminous membrane is to be installed must be properly prepared prior to installation. All surfaces must be clean, dry, smooth, and free of sharp edges, loose or foreign materials, oil, grease, and other materials that may damage the membrane. If concrete has moisture on surface use gas torch to dry and warm before priming, apply one coat of primer at a coverage rate of guided by manufacture and allow curing for at least 3 days prior to proceeding. Priming Prior to the application of the membrane all prepared surfaces should be primed with manufactures instruction at a given rate and allowed to dry. Application of membrane Membrane should always be applied from the lowest point to enable laps to shed water. All edge and enlaps must be overlapped a minimum of 60mm. Internal and external corners shall be reinforced with an extra layer of membrane 300mm wide. All end laps and exposed edges should be sealed. On vertical surfaces the installation should start at the lowest point with the joints overlapping by at least 100mm, and formed so that they will shed water. All rolls of membrane are marked with a 60mm line for overlapping. Ensure that the membrane is properly adhered to

the surface at perimeters or around penetrations. On completion of the installation of membrane it is recommended that a protection board be used before back filing to protect the membrane from damage. Membrane should be installed by approved applicators, well trained in the application of self-adhesive membranes. Installation shall be strictly in accordance with manufactures recommendations. Competed water proofing of basement

Installation detail drawings

I.

Lapping

II.

Capping the membarne

III.

Construction joints

IV.

Expantion joints

JOINT IN BASEMENT AND WATERSTOPS Construction joints in basement structure should be protected by waterstops. These waterstops should be compatible with the waterproofing system. They can be placed internally or externally. However, choice of waterstop design should be appropriate with the characteristic of the joint to which they are applied, external waterstops should be at least 240 mm in width to be effective. Waterstops must be fixed and firmly held in place until concreting is completed. Otherwise, the waterstop may fold during concreting andprevent the effective performance of waterstops. For internal waterstops, tie flanges of waterstops to the reinforcement steel at an interval as recommended by the supplier. Placed waterstops in position prior to the lying of steel in order to prevent accidental abrasion and puncturing the waterstop. Place bulb of the waterstop directly in the midpoint of the joint to facilitate efficient expansion actions. Avoid puncturing during steel fixing by nails and debris. When hydrophilic waterstops is used, avoid exposure to liquid prior to concreting to prevent expansion.

Application of waterstops

Basic types of waterstops used