Dampness causes most of the damage to the contents of the building. It often leads to the growth of molds and bacteria and creates an unhealthy environment for those who occupy it. Dampness gradually impairs the affected part of the building so this problem should be attended as soon as possible.
Precautions you can take during a new construction:
- Build proper drainage system.
- Implement proper slope in the floors of the kitchen, the bathroom, the roof and on the “Chhajja” for the proper flow of water.
- Fit the water supply pipes tightly.
- Fit the joints of the rainy water pipes tightly and properly to avoid the leakages in the joints.
- Make sure that rainy water does not penetrate through the joints of the structure. As you see in the diagram below, water is penetrating into the walls due to an untreated joint. If the joint was treated during the construction, the water would have flown without being penetrated into the building.
- Plaster the top surface of “Chhaja” and maintain proper drip course to avoid the leakage.
- Finish the joints of the parapet with the tile tracing or with rainy water pipes and any expansion joints smoothly. If the joints are not finished, the water may be stagnant at the corner and could eventually penetrate into the building. As you see in the image below, the cement concrete gola in the corner ensures smooth flow of the water to avoid dampness in the long run.
Leakage through Parapet
Protective methods for an existing building
Dampness problem is often noticed in the building. You can use the methods below to eradicate the dampness problem in an existing building.
- Re-plaster the affected area with a waterproof plaster or cement mixture.
- Install a proper Damp Proof Course (DPC), a continuous layer of damp proofing material, by removing a line of bricks close to floor level followed by insertion of plastic sheet along the same line of bricks by replacing the old mortar with waterproof mortar.
- Cover all the outer walls with vertical DPC from ground to the floor level.
- Apply the most widely used “Pressure Injection of a higher Alkyl Siloxane solution” into the holes of the bricks.
- Place the “Delivery Tubes” of specific designs into the holes of the bricks and transfuse the liquid into the wall under the influence of gravity.
- Lay the water proofing membrane, on the top of the surface of existing floor, which acts as a barrier against dampness.
- Let all the sanitary and the water supply fittings be tight and leak proof.
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