Waterproof concrete: When, why and how to use! - SD Conmix

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Waterproof concrete: When, why and how to use!

Waterproof concrete protects your building structure and all of your assets and belongings in your building against humidity, damping, damaging moisture, heavy rains, and floods.  Waterproofing systems are an important feature of any building construction.  Waterproof concrete serves as an important construction material.  Waterproofing systems and Waterproof concrete although account for only a small fraction of the total cost involved in any building project play a very important role.  If it is not being installed appropriately, and if an incorrect solution is chosen, it could lead to adverse effects and the remediation could be enormous.

Water ingress is a process when the water penetrates its way into the property.  

The risk of water ingress is high when generally the amount of water that is being used to mix concrete is much more than it is required to hydrate the cement.  The excess water will take up space in the concrete and forms a network of capillary voids, providing channels for water to easily penetrate the concrete when it is being subjected to capillary action or hydrostatic pressure. There is a higher risk of water ingress when the construction is being carried out near areas where the soil is heavy or if the soil is more prone to carry a lot of moisture.

Making waterproof concrete.  Waterproof admixtures are made use of to create waterproof concrete.  The Waterproof admixtures are used to reduce the chance of water ingress to a great extent by reducing the permeability and also the drying shrinkage of concrete. 

When to use waterproof concrete

Waterproof concrete is also called integral concrete.  Waterproof concrete is best suitable for water retaining structures and in the case of less critical basements wherein the basements are less than 10 meters deep.  It is also generally used where soil conditions are not aggressive, and in areas that are less prone to heavy rains or floods.  The building spaces include some unfinished buildings, building under construction, or utility spaces such as workshops, garage, car parking areas; etc, where some water seepage or damp patches is tolerable.

Advantages and disadvantages of waterproof concrete

The two main benefits of using waterproof concrete include the easy application process involved and affordable material costs.  The ready mix concrete producer makes use of special admixtures into the concrete to produce waterproof concrete.  The building contractor need not worry about giving enough time for waterproofing the concrete separately.  A good concrete mix and proper quality control are important to prevent structure cracks or shrinkage cracks that will lead to water penetration into the building structure.

Repairing waterproof concrete.  All concrete cracks, Shrinkage cracks, temperature-related stresses, and similar related issues all result in cracking.  Even a slight crack will give room for a path for water penetration.  Waterproof concrete admixtures help reduce cracks; however, they do not completely eliminate them; hence, Waterproof concrete serves as the best construction material to ensure that the building structure remains strong for a long period.