Why Waterproofing Matters For Commercial Buildings?

Waterproofing is a critical activity during the construction phase of any commercial building. Typically, being larger structures with more intense peak usages, they are thus vulnerable to water seepages. If not careful, commercial building owners could find themselves with heavily damaged structures in their building that may lead to partial collapses. In the worst case scenario, people could be hurt from falling bits of collapsing structure.

What Happens if your Building is not Waterproofed?

In this article, we will be taking a closer look at the various benefits that waterproofing offers to commercial buildings. While many of which are also applicable to residential buildings, we will be putting a focus on unique aspects of commercial buildings that make these benefits even more important.

Your Building’s Structural Integrity will be at Risk

While seldom thought of as and certainly not depicted as, water is in fact a destructive force when it enters your building. This is because in conjunction with light deprived areas, water enables the growth of mould and mildew. In turn, materials start to rot and deteriorate over time, leading to them becoming weak. At this point, due to the stress and pressure that they are usually placed under to support the building, cracks and flaking of paint often occur.

Possible results from a compromise of your commercial building’s structural integrity include collapsed walls and ceilings. This endangers all that are within the area and could also lead to bigger structural problems within your building.

Further Water Damage to your Property

Once water has penetrated your building, it can enter living spaces either by dripping through or flowing in when a structure collapses. This can further damage your property such as furniture, equipment and appliances. For example, leather sofas deteriorate when suffering from damp while wooden tables also suffer from mould growth.

As such, when a water leakage is spotted in your building, you should cover your property with plastic tarps in order to protect them. Better yet, if possible, try shifting your belongings out of the vicinity of the leak.

It should be noted that the damage dealt by water entering a living space does not simply end there. Rather, water can then further move onto other vulnerable spots in your building, causing more problems.

Increasing the risk of Electrical Incidents

Water being an excellent conductor of electricity, poses real threats when leaked into an area with electrical circuits. This includes areas that host either electrical appliances or even hidden wiring systems.

When electric circuits come in contact with water, a short circuit is formed. This is because water offers an alternative pathway for electricity to travel with much less resistance than the conducting materials of your circuit. As a result, the amount of current that flows in your circuit is now able to exponentially increase.

Two huge risks emerge from the occurrence of a short circuit. Firstly, if anyone were to come in contact, they would suffer a potentially life-threatening electrical shock. Secondly, due to the increase amount of current in the circuit, its components start to heat up. Should the resulting temperature exceed the melting point of the materials, an electrical fire could breakout. This is an extremely dangerous occurrence and has the potential to harm multiple lives in the vicinity.

Deteriorating Indoor Air Quality

When sitting water gets trapped inside commercial building, they become fertile breeding grounds for harmful microorganisms. This includes mould and bacteria growth that compromises the internal air quality of your building.

Moulds and bacteria produce microscopic airborne particles that are harmful for our respiratory systems. In particular, they often contain allergens or chemicals that induce inflammation within individuals who have sensitive systems. At best, this would lead to compromised health while at worst, sensitive individuals may face dangerous circumstances.

It is also worth noting that indoor dampness corresponds with the increase in the number of house dust mites which in turn are a big source of allergens.

The Challenges of Flat Roofs

Most commercial buildings feature flat roofs in order to accommodate HVAC systems and other facilities. While highly valuable for their utility, flat roofs do pose a potential area of weakness for commercial buildings.

Waterfall Paths

Fall paths refer to the pathways designed for water to flow away from the roof. These paths are essential for ensuring that your roof’s exposure to rainwater is minimalised while water is swiftly led away from the roof. Without fall paths, water would congregate at select spots on your roof, thus forming pools that exert pressure on your roof’s waterproofing systems. Over time, these pools will lead to water penetration.

Flat Roofs’ Fall Paths

Here is an interesting fact, flat roofs are not flat. In fact, they have a very slight incline that is neither visible nor felt normally. However, with this built in incline, water flows naturally towards the designated drainage paths. In this case, the experience, expertise and handiwork of the contractor is placed under tight scrutiny. When done well, water on flat roofs will correctly drain away from the roof.

Waterproofing Commercial Building’s Flat Roofs

Another aspect that makes waterproofing for commercial building’s flat roofs difficult is that there are multiple protrusions from the roof. This include vents and pipes that facilitate the utilities of your commercial building.

When a roof has protrusions, areas of weakness emerge as the points where they protrude from the roof are prone to water leaks. As such, sealing these areas is a priority for any waterproofing contractor.

In order to waterproof these areas as well as the general flat roof surface, waterproofing specialists use waterproofing membranes. This is a thin material that is waterproof for a significant period of time and thus the preferred professional solution.

Choose ProSeal Contracts For Your Waterproofing Needs

ProSeal Contracts is a waterproofing company in Singapore with more than 20 years’ experience. As one of the leading waterproofing contractor companies, we use the highest quality of materials to ensure long lasting results. Trust us to assess, choose and apply the right waterproofing procedures for your building’s needs. We also offer other services such as roof leak repair, ceiling leak repair and also water seepage in wall repair. Contact us about our services today.

Are you facing a leaking roof? Check out this article about things to do if your roof is leaking.