Waterproofing And Dampproofing

Waterproofing verses Dampproofing

There is a distinct difference between dampproofing and
waterproofing. Dampproofing is intended to keep out soil
moisture while waterproofing keeps out both moisture and
liquid water. The International Residential Code (IRC), in
Section R406, specifies the conditions that require either
dampproofing or waterproofing. Any concrete or masonry
foundation walls "that retain earth and enclose interior
spaces and floors below grade shall be dampproofed from
the top of the footing to the finished grade." The IRC then
provides a list of the permissible materials, which include
bituminous coating and acrylic-modified cement.
Waterproofing is only required by the IRC "in areas where a
high water table or other severe soil-water conditions are
known to exist."

Dampproofing is a coating, usually asphalt-
based, that is either sprayed on or hand applied
to the outside of the wall. But with proper
surface drainage, correctly installed foundation
drains at the footing, and the absence of
hydrostatic pressure to drive water infiltration,
dampproofing can supply adequate and long-
lasting protection for many crawl spaces and
basements.

Waterproofing a foundation requires the same
care as dampproofing in regard to surface
treatment and drain pipe, but is much more
exacting in the treatment of the wall itself.
Damp proofing in construction is a type
of waterproofing applied to
building foundation wallsto prevent moisture
from passing through the walls into interior
spaces. A damp-proof course (often
abbreviated to DPC) is a horizontal barrier in a
wall designed to resist moisture rising through
the structure by capillary action - a
phenomenon known asrising damp.
Bituminous Damp proofing
Bituminous damp proofing materials fall into 2
categories.
-Hot applied and Cold applied

Hot applied
Hot applied Bituminous dampproofing may be
either coal tar or asphalt.
Both are used majorly in exterior applications.
Hot applied asphalt DPM is occasionally used
in interiors.
This is applied on the exterior and foundation
walls where dampness is expected from the
adjacent soil.
This applied usually over smooth concrete or
masonry coated with cement or motar.
Criteria Hot applied
Cold Applied
1.Exterior
Large Projects
x
Small Projects
x
2.Interior
x
3.Where solvents are
involved
x
4.Where breathing is
required
x
Hot applied DPM is occasionally used in
interior location because of the problems
involved with transporting hot materials and
the danger of operating heating equipments
in interior application sites.
Cold applied damp Proofing
CADP is usually emulsion type.
Its Available either in liquid ,semi-fibrated and
heavy fibrated forms.


Damp proofing treatment in building

Damp proofing treatment in building can be
broadly divided into the following categories
1. Treatment of foundation
2. Treatment of floors
3. Treatment of walls
4. Treatment of parapet wall
5. Treatment to pitched roof

1. Damp proofing treatment to foundation
Depending upon the depth of the
ground level, the treatment to be given to the
foundation can be subdivided into the
following four categories.
I. Treatment to foundation on ordinary soil
II. Treatment to foundation on damp soil
III. Treatment to basement in ordinary soil.
IV. Treatment to basement in damp soil

I. Treatment to foundation on ordinary soil
Building foundation on ordinary soil where the sub
soil water table not high is also liable to get damp. Bricks being
porous, brick masonry below ground level can be absorbing
moisture from adjacent ground. This moisture travels up from one
course to another by capillary action and can make the wall damp
for a considerable height. This can be checked by providing DPC at
appropriate place.
In case of building without basement the base
portion for damp proof course lies at plinth level. In case of
structure without plinth, DPC should be provided at least 150 mm
above ground level. If the damp proof course is just laid at the
ground level, earth, dust or leaves might accumulate outside the
wall and y the passage of time the level of outside the earth may be
raised above theD.P.C.level. In such case, moisture can travel from
outside ground level to brickwork above D.P.C.and hence the
purpose of providing D.P.C. will no be served.

I. Treatment to foundation on ordinary soil
II. Treatment to foundation on Damp soil
In case of building constructed on damp soil in wet areas, both the
walls as well as the ground floor are liable to become damp due to
capillary rise of moisture from ground. In such case the DPC is laid
over the entire area of ground floor including wall thickness.
Bitumen felts can be used for damp proofing treatment. The
sequence of lying DPC can be divided in the following steps:
I. Apply hot bitumen at the rate of 1.5
kg/m2 over the prepared surface to serve as primer coat.
II. Lay bitumen felt in the singe layer
over the primer coat.
III. Apply hot bitumen at the rate of 1.5
kg/m2 over the bitumen felt to serve as finishing coat.
Immediately after laying, the DPC is protected with a
course of brick laid flat on a cushion of fine sand. This prevents
damage to the DPC specification on account of droppage of sharp
edge implement or other materials during construction.

II. Treatment to foundation on Damp soil
III. Treatment to basement in ordinary soil
In sites where subsoil water table is low, or where the hydrostatic pressure is not
much, the treatment consist in a providing a horizontal DPC over the entire area of
basement floor and then existing it in the form of vertical DPC on the external face
of the basement walls. The DPC material thus function like waterproof tank on the
external faces of the basement and keep it dry.
It is common to use bitumen felt in multiple layers for damp proofing treatment to
the basements. For normal duty treatment or in places where the moisture ingress
is not considered excessive, two layers of bitumen felts are used. In case of heavy
duty treatment or in places where heavy moisture ingress is encountered, three
layer of bitumen felts are used. The sequence of operations for laying of DPC in a
basement for normal duty treatment can be divided in the following steps.
I. Apply hot bitumen at the rate of 1.5kg/m2 over the prepared surface to serve as
primer coat.
II. Lay bitumen felt in a single layer over the primer coat
III. Apply hot bitumen at the rate of 1.5 kg/m2 over the bitumen felt.
IV. Lay another layer of bitumen felt in a single layer over the hot bitumen layer in
step III above.
V. Apply hot bitumen at the rate of 1.5kg/m2 over the bitumen felt laid in step IV.

The horizontal DPC is laid on the smoothened top of the
lean concrete bed. The lean concrete should be thick or
strong enough to withstand the construction traffic. As
explained earlier immediately after laying, the DPC is
protected with a course of brick laid flat on a cushion of
finesand to prevent to damage to DPC specification on
account of droppage of sharp edge of implement or other
material during construction.
The vertical DPC is laid continuous with the
horizontal one on the external face of the basement wall
and it is continued 150mm above the ground level where it
is tucked into 65 mm deep groove made in the wall. The
groove is subsequently filled with cement mortar 1:4. The
vertical D.P.C., unless protected is likely to get punctured by
roots of trees or get damaged by salts/acids in the soil.
Necessary protection in this regard is given by constructing
half brick outer skin wall.

IV. Treament to Basement in Damp Soil
Ground water always produces hydrostatic
pressure and as such poses great problem in
design of basement. In sites where the ground
water table is high, the problem of damp proofing
of basement can be tackled by one of the
following methods.
I. By providing foundation drains and DPC.
II. By providing RCC floors and wall slab and DPC.
III. Water proofing treatment by using grout
consisting of cement mortar admixed with acrylic
based chemicals along with rough stone slabs.

Damp proofing treatment to floors
In places where the soil water table is low and rainfall is not much,
a 75 to 100 mm thick layer of coarse sand is first spread over the
entire area of the flooring on the prepared bed of rammed earth.
Alternatively this layer can comprise of stone soling with voids filled
with smaller stones. This layer is known as base course and its
material is well rammed. A75 to 100 mm thick layer of lean cement
concrete (1:3:6 or 1:4:8) mix or lime concrete is thereafter laid over
the base course. This form the base for floor topping which may
comprise of tiles, stone or cement concrete etc.
In place where the sub soil water is high, or in damp or
humid areas, where there is a possibility of moisture rising up in the
floor, it is necessary to provide membrane DPC of flexible material
like bitumen felt etc.over the entire area of flooring.

Damp proofing treatment to walls
The walls can get damp due to penetration of moisture
from its external face to internal one, due to porosity of
bricks and mortar joints. Various treatments given to
exposed surface of the walls to prevent dampness include
pointing, plastering and painting etc. It is observed that
plaster made out of cement, lime and sand mixed in
proportion of 1:1:6 serves as very effective rendering to
protect the walls against dampness in normal weather
conditions. In areas of heavy rainfall, cement plaster 1: 4
mixed with water proofing compounds like Pudlo, Permo,
etc. serve the purpose effectively. In exposed brick work,
dampness can be prevented by painting the surface with
water proof cement paint or with colourless liquid water
proofing compound.
Damp proofing treatment to flat roofs
Flat roof required relatively heavier and costlier water-proofing treatment as compared with
pitched or sloped roofs. The specification of material used for the purpose should be such that it
should perform the function of water proofing as well as provides adequate thermal insulation.
Stagnation of the water on the roof is considered to be the root cause of leakage and dampness in
the flat roofs. This can be avoided by providing adequate roof slope and rain water pipes. In case of
R.C.C. or R.B.C. slab roofing with proper grading above, a slope of 1:40 to 1:60 is considered
desirable. This may be achieved by varying the thickness of the terracing material or by
constructing the roof slab with a slope, or by providing part slope in the roof slab and part in the
terracing material. In addition to the slope, the size and the spacing of the rain water pipes or the
outlets require due consideration for the proper drainage of the roof. In general practice one 10cm
diameter pipe is considered suitable for every 30 sq.m. of the roof area to be drained.
In case, where the slope for the drainage of the roof are given in the roof slab itself or in
situation where thermal insulation is not important and the problem of slopes in the flat roof is
tackled suitably, the waterproofing treatment for the roof may consist in laying bitumen felt directly
over the surface of roof slab after painting the roof top with hot bitumen. The bitumen felt may be
Hessian based or fibre based. Depending upon the type of building, climate and atmospheric
conditions of the site, the treatment with the felt may be with four courses, six courses or eight
courses. The four course treatment is recommended for moderate conditions, where as six and
eight course treatments are recommended for severe and very severe conditions respectively. The
1)Four course treatment and 2)six course treatment are brifly given below.

The following method of grading is adopted to
meet the requirement of water proofing.
1. Grading of lime concrete.
2. Grading of lime concrete with tiles.
3. Grading of mud phuska with tiles.
4. Grading of brick coba laid with grout
consisting of cement mortar admixed with
acrylic based chemicals.

Treatment to parapet wall:
If the flat roof has the parapet and there are crack in
it or its plaster is very porous or defective, rain water
may find and easy access to the wall below and make
the wall and some portion of the ceiling damp.Rain
water may also leak through cras at the junction of the
parapet and roof slab. In case where asphalt layer is
provided over the grading material for the
waterproofing treatment to the roof slab, the asphalt
layer covering the roof is turned up against the parapet
for a height of at least 15 cm. The parapet wall is
further protected by providing coping of brick,
concrete or stone on its top.
Water Proofing in green roof:
Water Proofing in swimming pool:
1.wall panel
2.overflow gutter
3.gravel backfilling
4.natural ground
5.buttress frame
6.base frame
7.footing (reinforced concrete)
8.waterproofing material -
reinforced PVC, thickness
1.5mm
9.pool floor with reinforced
mesh
10.gravel drainage bed