Structural Sealing as Protection against Moisture Damage in Building Construction
70% of all building damage reported in Germany is caused by faulty or improperly installed structural sealing. In addition to the execution of structural sealing according to the latest state of the art, the use of high-quality products is crucial.
„Easy to use, reliable results“ is therefore the maxim according to which we at B.T. Innovation develop, produce and sell building technology.
Soil moisture, loads of non-accumulating seepage water as well as pressing (see basement sealing) and non-pressing water (see sealing of floor slab) can affect the outer surface of structures from the ground. Depending on the type of attack, the existing subsoil and the type of stress, various sealing methods or sealing works are known and effective. Many building experts have long regarded the white tank as an economical standard that is comparatively easy to construct. This closed tank is made of concrete with high water penetration resistance in accordance with DIN EN 206-1 and DIN 1045-2. The specifications of the DAfStb (German Committee for Reinforced Concrete) guideline “Water Impermeable Concrete Structures” are applied for the production.
Compared to the brown or black tank, in which a waterproofing membrane is applied to the exterior surfaces of the building in accordance with DIN 18195, the white tank is built without additional waterproofing membranes. For the construction, cast-in-place concrete with system formwork or a system of prefabricated formwork elements, the so-called triple walls, can be used.
In order for a white tub to be absolutely impermeable to water, a high degree of attention and expertise is required, especially in the area of the joints. Construction joints must be taken into account at the planning stage and sealed on site with high-quality sealing materials (for example, joint tape)
SynkoElast®, a polymer-bitumen-based sealing tape from B.T. Innovation, is especially suitable for construction and predetermined crack joints. When used, SynkoElast® does not only increase the circulation by chemically bonding with the cast-in-place concrete.
RubberElast® can also successfully seal precast concrete parts as a pressurized waterproof sealing tape with appropriate joints and adheres not only to concrete but also to other materials such as glass or metal.
If particularly low-shrinkage sealants are required, environmentally friendly InnoElast® offers a permanently sealing solution. The one-component sealant is ideally suited, for example, for required penetrations and is applied directly from the cartridge.
Joint sheets, PVC tapes or swelling tapes are still commonly used for structural sealing in the area of white tubs. Compared to these methods, B.T. Innovation’s waterproofing products are generally easy to apply, permanently elastic and long-lasting. Time-consuming on-site work such as welding the metal waterstops (overlaps are not sufficient!) is completely eliminated. This means saving time as well as minimizing possible sources of defects on your structure.
Joints in the white tank, especially the construction joints, represent a considerable weak point and in many cases have to be sealed subsequently as part of a concrete repair. Defects can usually be easily localized, and repair is possible from the inside of the building. However, this is only possible if the existing water pressure is not too high (max. 1-1,5 m water column). With the B.T. products InnoElast® and ProElast®, permanently elastic concrete sealing can also be realized retrospectively, and they are thus also suitable for the renovation of buildings.
Today, the basis of many modern sealants for the durable and elastic sealing of joints for optimum density are so-called MS polymers, from which UV-stable, fast-curing and well-adhering elastoplastic sealants can be produced. Our MS polymers do not require a primer, unlike conventional products. This makes B.T. sealants particularly economical and safe to process.
In comparison, polyurethane (PU)-based sealants, such as those frequently used for sealing building construction joints, balcony sealing, basement sealing or terrace sealing, exhibit a higher dependence on weather conditions, especially with regard to curing time. Furthermore, structural sealings made of PU are less resistant to ageing and weathering and do not have good environmental friendliness due to the isocyanates they contain.
LiquidElast® from B.T. Innovation is not only suitable for the subsequent sealing of WU concrete. After curing, the spreadable and pourable sealing system forms a rubber-like and waterproof membrane, which is watertight up to 1,2 bar. Affected surfaces can be subsequently protected against moisture penetration by these interior seals. LiquidElast is a good alternative to sealing slurry.
LiquidElast is applied from the positive side, i.e. on the side of the water. Application on the inside could cause the LiquidElast to peel off from the wall. LiquidElast is used as a bonded waterproofing and an additional counterpressure is created by e.g. a screed layer over the LiquidElast on the floor. The one-component material is easy to apply in almost all ambient conditions and adheres even to damp substrates. The maximum crack bridging is 5 mm.
The bitumen thick coatings that can be used for the same purpose as facade protection, on the other hand, are weather-dependent in their application, and it is essential that the substrate is dry so as not to impair adhesion. In many cases, priming is required in advance to ensure adhesion. Existing cracks can be bridged up to a width of 2 mm. Bitumen thick coatings are furthermore not so environmentally friendly, as they are derived from petroleum and are suspected of causing cancer. Moreover, the durability in the long run proves to be very poor.