UNIT III MOISTURE PENETRATION

Sources of dampness – Moisture movement from ground – Reasons for

ineffective DPC – Roof leakage – Pitched roofs – Madras Terrace roofs –
Membrane treated roofs - Leakage of Concrete slabs – Dampness in solid
walls – condensation – hygroscopic salts – remedial treatments – Ferro
cement overlay – Chemical coatings – Flexible and rigid coatings.

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 Sources of dampness
• Damp
Structural dampness is the presence of unwanted
moisture in the structure of a building, either the result
of intrusion from outside or condensation from within
the structure.
• What is Damp Proofing
Damp proofing is a general term that covers methods
and treatments used to prevent damp from being
absorbed through walls or floors into the interior of a
property.
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 Sources of dampness
• PRIMARY CAUSES OF DAMPNESS IN BUILDING
– Penetration of water into the building components (such
as walls, floors, roof or basement etc) is the primary cause
of dampness.
– The three primary causes of dampness in building are
• Poor quality of construction material
• Bad design
• Faulty construction or bad workmanship

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 Sources of dampness
• MAJOR SOURCES OF DAMPNESS
– When water comes in contact with building components
such as walls, roofs, floor etc these components acts as a
medium to help water to migrate into the building.
The 5 major sources of dampness are as follow.
• Due to capillary action, the water present in ground soil may rise
above the ground level through the walls. If ground water table is
nearer to the building foundation then also it can also become a
source of dampness.
• Condensation of atmospheric moisture can also be a source of
dampness. Because this form of water gets deposited on different
components and gradually find their way to penetrate into the
building causing dampness.
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 Sources of dampness
• Rain water falling on external walls, parapets also causes
dampness.
• Rain water can also penetrate through the roofs if the roof is of
bad quality. Inadequate roof slopes or defective junction between
roof slab and parapet wall may cause dampness
• Presence of gutter near the building will store the rain water and
subsequently this water will create dampness in the external walls.
• Wet areas of buildings (such as kitchens, bath rooms) having sub
standard plumbing fitting can also be a source of dampness.

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 Sources of dampness

• COMMON DEFECTS CAUSED BY DAMPNESS

The common defects caused by dampness in
building are as follow.
• Dampness causes efflorescence of bricks, tiles of
stones.
• It makes the plaster weak.
• It may cause bleaching and flaking of paint due to
formation of colored patches.
• It causes corrosion of metals.
• It promotes growth of termites.
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 Moisture movement from ground

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 Moisture movement from ground
• Rising damp
• Rising damp is responsible for 80% of all damp cellars.
This problem is known as capillarity.
• It describes how surface tension causes water to rise
inside a tight channel – despite gravity.
• Every wall has thousands of hair-like channels
containing salts. These are ideal conditions for rising
damp.
• One consequential problem of capillarity is that
groundwater brings with it more salts that are
deposited on the walls. This promotes even more rising
damp and the walls become wetter still.
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 Roof leakage
• Defective flashing. Flashing is the sheet metal
used in waterproofing roof valleys, hips and
the angle between a chimney and a roof. Wet
spots near a chimney or outside wall may
mean the leak is caused by defective flashing,
narrow flashing or loose mortar joints. Look
for corroded, loose or displaced flashing on
sloping roof valleys and at junctions of
dormers and roof.
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 Roof leakage
• Clogged downspouts or eaves. Check for
choked downspouts. Accumulated water or
snow on the roof above the flashing may
cause a leak. Ice accumulations on eaves
sometimes form ridges, which cause melting
snow to back up under the shingles.

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 Roof leakage
• Cracks and deterioration. Roofing (especially wood or
composition shingles) usually deteriorates first on
southern exposures. Check southern slopes for
cracking or deterioration.
• Holes. Missing shingles or holes in the roofing may
be causing wet spots. To find holes, check for a drip
trail or spot of light coming through in the attic. Stick
a nail, straw or wire through the hole to mark the
spot on the outside.

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 Leakage through roofs
• The causes of seepage/leakage through roofs
are as under:
(i) Lack of proper slope thereby causing stagnation of
water
(ii) Lack of proper drainage system Leakage Treatment.
(iii) Lack of coping etc.
(iv) Poor maintenance of water pipe connections and
joints
(v) Poor quality of construction Remedy: Good
workmanship should be adopted during construction

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 Material for Damp proofing
• The materials commonly used to check dampness
can be divided into the following four categories:
a) Flexible material: Material like bitumen felts, plastic
sheeting (Polythene sheet) etc. .
b) Semi rigid materials: Materials like mastic asphalt or
combination of materials or layers.
c) Rigid materials: Materials like first class bricks,
stones, slates, cement concrete etc.
d) Grout consisting of cement slurry and acrylic based
chemicals/polymers.

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 Material for Damp proofing
a) Bitumen Mastic (Mastic Asphalt)
• It consists of asphalt or bitumen mixed with fine sand in hot state
to form an impervious mass.
• Due to this consistency it can be spread (when hot) to a depth of
2.5cm to 5cm, which sets on cooling.
• It provides good impervious layer but special care is needed in its
laying.
b) Bitumen Felts (Sheets)
• It consists of 6mm thick sheet of bitumen prepared in rolls having
width equal to that of brick wall.
c) Hot laid Bitumen
• This material is used on a bedding of cement concrete or mortar.

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 Material for Damp proofing
c) Hot laid Bitumen
• This material is used on a bedding of cement concrete or mortar.
• This should be applied in two layers at the rate of 1.75kg/m2 of the
area.
d) Metal Sheets
• Metal sheets of Copper, Aluminium, or Lead are used to prevent
dampness, but they are costly.
• Sheets of these materials are used throughout the thickness of the
wall.
• its weight is not less than 200 N/m2.
• Mortar due to the chemical reaction of Cement over the Lead.
• The sheets of metal should be coated with asphalt.
• The thickness of the sheets should not be less than 3mm.
e) Plastic sheets The material is made of black polythene having a thickness
of about 0.55 mm to 1 mm with usual width of wall and it is available in roll
lengths of 30 m. this treatment is relatively cheap but it is not permanent. 29
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 Material for Damp proofing

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 Material for Damp proofing
2) Rigid Materials for Damp Proof Course
• The materials, which do not resist transverse stresses and cracks
when subjected to sever loading, are known as Rigid Materials.
– a) Rich Concrete
• 1.2cm to 4cm thick layer of Rich Concrete (1:2:4) painted with two
coats of hot bitumen is used as horizontal D.P.C.
• It also prevents the moisture penetration by capillary action.
• These layers are laid where the damp is not excessive.
– b) Mortar:
• 2cm thick layer of Rich Cement and Sand Mortar (1:3) is applied on
the inner face of external wall.
• This is a vertical D.P.C.
• The surface is than painted with two coats of hot bitumen.

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 Material for Damp proofing
2) Rigid Materials for Damp Proof Course
– c) Bricks:
• Over burnt or dense bricks in one or two layers can be used as cheap and
effective DPC.
• They are laid in Rich Cement and Sand Mortar (1:3).
• Bricks are rarely used as DPC except in cheap houses.
– d) Stones or Slates:
• Two layers of stone slabs or slates laid in Lime, Cement and Sand Mortar
(1:1:6) make a best DPC.
• They can also be laid in Cement Sand Mortar.
• It is used where a good quality of stone is easily and cheaply available.
3) Damp Proofing Slurry Damp-proofing Slurry is a one component
polymer modified cement based waterproof coating comprising of special
cement based components and admixtures. When mixed with water a slurry
or mortar material is produced for direct application to a variety of
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 Selection of Materials for Damp
Proof Course in Buildings
• The choice of material to function as an effective damp proof
course requires a judicious selection. It depends upon the
climate and atmospheric conditions, nature of structure and the
situation where DPC is to be provided.

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 Selection of Materials for Damp
Proof Course in Buildings
1. DPC above ground level
• For DPC above ground level with wall thickness generally not
exceeding 40 cm, any one of the type of materials mentioned
above may be used. Cement concrete is however commonly
adopted material for DPC at plinth level, 38 to 50mm thick layer of
cement concrete M20 (1:1.5:3 mix) serves the purpose under
normal conditions.
• In case of damp and humid atmosphere, richer mix of concrete
should be used. The concrete is further made dense by adding
water proofing materials like Pudlo, Impermo, Waterlock etc. in its
ingredients during the process of mixing. It is used to apply two
coats of hot bitumen over the third surface of the concrete DPC.
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2. DPC Material for floors, roofs etc.
• For greater wall thickness or where DPC is to be laid over large areas such as floors,
roofs, etc., the choice is limited to flexible materials which provide lesser number of
joints like mastic, asphalt, bitumen felts, plastic sheets etc.
• The felts when used should be properly bonded to the surface with bitumen and
laid with joints properly lapped and sealed.

3. DPC Material for situations where differential thermal

movements occur
• In parapet walls and other such situations, materials like mastic, asphalt, bitumen
felts and metal (copper or lead) are recommended.
• It is important to ensure that the DPC material is flexible so as to avoid any damage
or puncture of the material due to differential thermal movement between the
material of the roof and the parapet.

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4. D.P.C material for cavity wall
In cavity wall construction the cavity over the door or window
should be bridge by the flexible material like bitumen felt, strips
of lead etc.
5. Expansion and construction joints
In case of expansion and construction joints, in R.C.C slab and
retaining walls in basement it is it is necessary to provide water
bar made out of P.V.C or G.I sheet to seal the joint against
passage of sub soil water into building.

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