Leakage thru concrete condo exterior walls
Leakage thru concrete condo exterior walls
(OP)
Has anyone ever encountered leakage thru reinforced concrte walls of condo tower i.e. from the exterior environment into the condo? I never before heard of such a thing.
It is claimed that this is the case in a 30 year old condo, and the condo oaord has an item in the reserve fund study to put a silicone coating on the exterior of the wall. That seems to me to be the wrong thing to do because silicone can trap water behind the coating (even though the silicone is caimed to be breathable, there is no agreed Standard for breathability).
It is claimed that this is the case in a 30 year old condo, and the condo oaord has an item in the reserve fund study to put a silicone coating on the exterior of the wall. That seems to me to be the wrong thing to do because silicone can trap water behind the coating (even though the silicone is caimed to be breathable, there is no agreed Standard for breathability).






RE: Leakage thru concrete condo exterior walls
RE: Leakage thru concrete condo exterior walls
Check out Eng-Tips Forum's Policies here:
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies
RE: Leakage thru concrete condo exterior walls
RE: Leakage thru concrete condo exterior walls
Since vapour pressure moves the moisture from warm to cold (i.e from inside to outside, vapour presssure would not be the cause of leakage from outside to inside. I do not think a study has been done by anyone competent. Probably just a builder on the condo board who is reommending the silicone treatment. I don't know the details because it is a relative who is in the condo and he is asking me the questions.
The story he got is that there is some "spidering" visible on the outside of the walls in some locations. I take it they mean random narrow cracks. I think such cracks normally extend only a small distance from the surface (not thru the wall) and as such are not responsible for leakage.
I think the best advice I can give him is to get the condo board to retain a competent experienced engineering firm to examine and diagnose the issue and recommend a remedial measure, if there is really any leakage.
RE: Leakage thru concrete condo exterior walls
There can be moisture movement from outside to inside through a wall. If the exterior is wetted from rain and then the sun heats the wall the moisture drive will be inward - especially if the condo unit is air conditioned and is cooler than the wall exterior. The board needs to consult a building science engineer such as Building Science. Link
Regards,
DB
NB: You're right about the silicone coating.
RE: Leakage thru concrete condo exterior walls
RE: Leakage thru concrete condo exterior walls
RE: Leakage thru concrete condo exterior walls
The vertical load would tend to close any horizontal cracks (although one would not expect horizontal cracks since there is lack of restraint in the vertical direction and lack of horizontal load other than wind load). Shrinkage cracks in the horizontl direction would be relatively small because of lack of restraints in that direction.
I agree that if there are thru-the wall cracks that are leaking, that the solution would be to inject. I would inject with a urethane. Much easier to work with and more cost effectuive than epoxy.
But I have to twist myself into a pretzl to believe that there is significant leakageue due to cracks.
There are no covering materials on the exterior side of the wall, so any significant cracks should be visible.
RE: Leakage thru concrete condo exterior walls
RE: Leakage thru concrete condo exterior walls
RE: Leakage thru concrete condo exterior walls