My name is Cole. Something I always recommend is to check the date on stored foods. Also, I like injection waterproofing. Oh, and elevators are cool.
After you’re through the building process, you’ll be ready to move on to final inspections. When it comes to passing the waterproofing portion of a building inspection, we’ve got you covered.
Here are some of our tips and a checklist to ensure that you’re able to pass your waterproofing inspection and avoid any water problems.
Elevator Pit Tests
One of our main areas of expertise is fixing leaking elevator pits. There’s a lot that can be done to ensure that your elevator pit passes the flood test. One of the most important things for you to do is to ensure that when your structure is being built, the elevator pits aren’t neglected. Even if your commercial building is slab on grade, the elevator pits sometimes reach up to 20 feet underground. Those pits need to be waterproofed in order to ensure that no water penetrates and causes damage to the pits.
If you need to ensure that your elevator is waterproofed correctly so that you can pass your building inspection, reach out to Spec 7 Group today. We’d be happy to take a look at your property and determine if there is a need for any more waterproofing to be completed. As a waterproof specialist company, there’s nothing we enjoy more than helping our clients pass their waterproofing inspection.
Electronic Leak Detection
Technological advances have made it possible to better detect leaks through the use of high voltage systems that shoot electricity along a waterproofing membrane. If a breach in the membrane occurs, the electric field will be disrupted, and the system will alert the technician performing the test.
These tests can conclude with false-positive results from time to time. But, for the most part, when calibrated and constructed correctly, they tend to be extremely accurate. There are two types of electronic leak detection products on the market today—high-voltage and low-voltage.
The low-voltage electronic leak detection test is one of the better options for most commercial buildings. They allow you to test large areas quickly and help to ensure that your building will be protected when large amounts of water come. You won’t be able to perform any electronic leak detection tests if your building doesn’t have a waterproofing membrane installed. You can learn more about electronic leak detection here.
Flood Testing
The simplest and most basic form of testing is flood testing. This method works exceptionally well and is often one of the most accurate ways of testing. The process of testing is simple. All of the drains away from the building are sealed, and an area is flooded for a time period between 12-48 hours, depending on the material and other factors at play. There need to be at least two inches of water over the surface that is being tested. That amount of water should allow for enough hydraulic head to force any water into small breaches that may be occurring during the test.
Difficulties with these tests include the time it takes to fill, test, and then drain the tens of thousands of gallons of water needed for large commercial buildings. The bigger a building is the more water that is required to test that area. If there is any slope on the floor, even more water will be needed to test any given area accurately. At times there can be problems when draining the water. If the drain pipes go from being sealed completely shut to entirely opened, it can cause those drain pipes to burst and fill the interior of the building with water. For that reason, great care must be taken when removing the water from the building.
Spray Testing
Spray tests are much less intensive. These tests don’t put your waterproofing systems in extreme situations, but they do help to show up your waterproofing methods are adequate. The intention behind spray testing is to simulate normal to severe weather conditions. These methods are commonly used to test exterior walls as well as other elements on the building that need to be tested. The system used to perform this leak test uses a highly calibrate spray rack with specific water pressures as well as distances from the testing area.
A less formal way of performing this test is using a hose to spray over the areas in question. This isn’t an approved testing method because it’s much hard er to monitor accurately, but it is an excellent way to get an idea of any water infiltration issues.
If you need help performing or passing any of these tests, reach out to Spec 7 today. We’ve been working in this industry for years, and top construction companies around the country trust us to provide waterproofing services that get the job done the right way.
