Page 454 - Construction Waterproofing Handbook

11.10 CHAPTER ELEVEN
MAINTENANCE

No building or structure is maintenance-free. In fact of total costs, 30 percent consist of
original construction costs and 70 percent of maintenance costs. Considering the possible
damage and costs that might occur, it is just as important to maintain the exterior as the
interior of a building. Regular exterior maintenance prevents water intrusion and structural
damage that might be associated with water infiltration.
An effective maintenance program involving the building envelope depends on using
qualified inspection procedures to determine the required maintenance. A building requires
complete inspection from top to bottom, including a review of all exterior elements, at rec-
ommended intervals of every 5 years but no longer than every 10 years.
Any building portion inaccessible by ordinary means may require hiring a contractor
for scaffolding and inspection. Only competent building trades personnel should make
these inspections, be it an architect, engineer, or building contractor.
In view of 90 percent of all leakage being caused by 1 percent of the building envelope,
all components of an envelope must be inspected. All details of inspection, including exact
locations of damage and wear, that will require attention after an inspection should be
documented.
Among envelope components, the following require complete and thorough inspection:
● Roofing, with particular attention to terminations, flashings, protrusion, pitch pans, sky-
lights, and copings
● Above-grade walls, with attention to expansion and control joints, window perimeters,
shelf angles, flashings, weeps, and evidence of pollutant or chemical-rain deterioration
● Below-grade walls, checking for proper drainage of groundwater, signs of structural
damage, and concrete spalling
● Decks, with attention to expansion and control joints, wall-to-floor joints, handrails, and
other protrusions
These are only the highlights of maintenance relating to waterproofing materials.
Inspection procedures for existing damage and buildings that have not been maintained are
discussed in Chap. 8.
During inspections, the effectiveness of a waterproof system should be monitored. This
includes water testing if necessary, to check systems already in place. This requires inspec-
tion for items such as clogged or damaged weeps, cracks or disbonding of the elastomeric
coating, deteriorated sealants, damage to flashings, and wear of deck coatings.
Most waterproof systems require maintenance procedures of some type, and these rec-
ommendations should be received from the manufacturer. Certain items will require more
maintenance than others, and provisions need to be made to monitor these systems more
frequently. For instance, vehicular traffic deck coatings receive large amounts of wear and
require yearly inspections. Maintenance for traffic areas includes replacement of top coat-
ings at regular intervals to prevent damage to base-coat waterproofing.
Dampproofing behind a brick veneer wall usually requires inspection to ensure that the
weeps continue to function. Other unexposed materials, such as planter waterproofing