Elevator Shaft Repair | Elevator Leak Repair | Elevator Waterproofing
Elevator Shaft Waterproofing tips to keep it dry
Elevator proper functioning is extremely important in residential and commercial high-rise builiding maintenance. To ensure its longevity property manager should perform routine maintenance and inspections.
If you have an elevator in your home and building, you should keep in mind that it should be dry at all times. If there is water accumulated in it, it might get dangerous as it can damage components of your building, and prolonging will do nothing but cause extra dollars in repairs in the future. As a result, our main aim regarding the elevator pit should be to keep it dry at all times. Moreover, you don't need to keep a check on the elevator pit of your own home or building. Suppose you decide to rent or buy a property that has an elevator installed in it, the first thing you need to check is if the elevator pit is dry or not. Such problems mostly arise in outdated and old buildings where the maintenance work is long overdue. Additionally, in older buildings, older technology is used to prevent water from damaging the building, and that technology is ineffective in the current days.
Moreover, if your elevator pit has water in it, it will not only be damaging to the construction, but also the components of the elevator. As we all know, nowadays elevators are made up of aluminum to give them that shiny glossy, and luxurious look, but at the back end, most components of iron and other metals. These metals can cause rust easily due to water moisture, so it is damaging if there is a pond of water in the pit. In some states, even the water moisture is checked. We will tell you about some tips that will allow you to keep your elevator pit dry and ensure your building remains in excellent shape.
The following are the five steps you should follow so that your elevator pit is dry.
Carrying out Annual Inspections: It is a vital step in elevator pit waterproofing because inspecting is the only way you will know if there is an issue in your elevator pit. After you have found the issue, you can pick the appropriate solution such as crystalline waterproofing or sump pump installation. In most states, the inspections are carried out by a government organization or a private construction company that deals with such issues. These inspections are carried out every 4 to 5 years, but that shouldn't be the case. The issue is that if a lot of time passes and the water remains, it can cause a lot of damage to the building and the components of the elevator. Keeping the intervals shorter by up to a year will be ideal because this way you can prevent any excessive damage from taking place.
However, it isn't necessary for the inspection should be annual. The key point is to carry out inspections whenever you think is necessary. Suppose it rains, and you check the elevator pit after a year, by that time the water would have absorbed into the concrete and can cause unseen damage inside the walls. So instead, what you should do is the next time it rains, check your elevator pit and see if there is any water. That's the perfect way to know if water remains in your elevator pit.
Applying a membrane: In the current world, there are multiple ways to fix the water issue in your elevator pit. Additionally, techniques used in bringing out a solution to your issue should be applied by a proper waterproofing company because it is not a DIY task. In issues such as elevator pit flooding, elevator pit damage, or elevator shaft damage, the solution is quite complex and requires an experienced team to take care of the issue. Currently, the most effective way is to apply a membrane to the outer walls of the elevator pit to prevent any water or moisture from going inside. In the construction of newer buildings, the membrane is already applied to nullify the issue forever, but in older buildings, there is a need to apply such membranes or outer layers.
Below-grade foundation waterproofing: In the current century there are many ways a building can be built, and the type of building can lead to ignorance of the waterproofing of the elevator pit. Let us take the example of buildings that are built in slab-on-grade style. When the buildings are built in slab-on-grade style, too much attention is not provided to elevator pit waterproofing. In such cases, you need to carry out negative side waterproofing and elevator shaft negative side waterproofing. In addition to the previous, you may also do negative side foundation waterproofing. Doing all of these things will keep your elevator pit in perfect shape and will prevent it from damaging other components of the building.
Making use of Bentonite Membranes: These membranes are also another solution to your waterproofing problems in the elevator pit. The membrane is used in smaller structures such as manmade ponds, swimming pools, roof gardens, etc. In simple words, it will stop any moisture and liquid to pass it. In addition to the above, the Bentonite Membranes are considered to be the best solution to your waterproofing problems, because they are almost 100 percent impermeable. It means that they won't allow any sort of liquid or moisture to pass through them. Bentonite membranes are made up of natural substances so they are harmless to the environment too.
Another quality of bentonite membranes is that they are cheap and affordable for most of the population. Once it is installed and applied on the walls of the elevator pit, it will last for years and keep your elevator pit protected.
Installing drain tile systems: drain tile systems are also effective and they can be installed by cutting into the concrete to allow for a passageway for water to flow out and keep the walls protected. The water is led to a sump pump which will evacuate the water from the pit. These pumps can be effective, but sometimes, sump pump repairs are needed to make them run and last for a longer time.
Moreover, if your elevator pit has water in it, it will not only be damaging to the construction, but also the components of the elevator. As we all know, nowadays elevators are made up of aluminum to give them that shiny glossy, and luxurious look, but at the back end, most components of iron and other metals. These metals can cause rust easily due to water moisture, so it is damaging if there is a pond of water in the pit. In some states, even the water moisture is checked. We will tell you about some tips that will allow you to keep your elevator pit dry and ensure your building remains in excellent shape.
The following are the five steps you should follow so that your elevator pit is dry.
Carrying out Annual Inspections: It is a vital step in elevator pit waterproofing because inspecting is the only way you will know if there is an issue in your elevator pit. After you have found the issue, you can pick the appropriate solution such as crystalline waterproofing or sump pump installation. In most states, the inspections are carried out by a government organization or a private construction company that deals with such issues. These inspections are carried out every 4 to 5 years, but that shouldn't be the case. The issue is that if a lot of time passes and the water remains, it can cause a lot of damage to the building and the components of the elevator. Keeping the intervals shorter by up to a year will be ideal because this way you can prevent any excessive damage from taking place.
However, it isn't necessary for the inspection should be annual. The key point is to carry out inspections whenever you think is necessary. Suppose it rains, and you check the elevator pit after a year, by that time the water would have absorbed into the concrete and can cause unseen damage inside the walls. So instead, what you should do is the next time it rains, check your elevator pit and see if there is any water. That's the perfect way to know if water remains in your elevator pit.
Applying a membrane: In the current world, there are multiple ways to fix the water issue in your elevator pit. Additionally, techniques used in bringing out a solution to your issue should be applied by a proper waterproofing company because it is not a DIY task. In issues such as elevator pit flooding, elevator pit damage, or elevator shaft damage, the solution is quite complex and requires an experienced team to take care of the issue. Currently, the most effective way is to apply a membrane to the outer walls of the elevator pit to prevent any water or moisture from going inside. In the construction of newer buildings, the membrane is already applied to nullify the issue forever, but in older buildings, there is a need to apply such membranes or outer layers.
Below-grade foundation waterproofing: In the current century there are many ways a building can be built, and the type of building can lead to ignorance of the waterproofing of the elevator pit. Let us take the example of buildings that are built in slab-on-grade style. When the buildings are built in slab-on-grade style, too much attention is not provided to elevator pit waterproofing. In such cases, you need to carry out negative side waterproofing and elevator shaft negative side waterproofing. In addition to the previous, you may also do negative side foundation waterproofing. Doing all of these things will keep your elevator pit in perfect shape and will prevent it from damaging other components of the building.
Making use of Bentonite Membranes: These membranes are also another solution to your waterproofing problems in the elevator pit. The membrane is used in smaller structures such as manmade ponds, swimming pools, roof gardens, etc. In simple words, it will stop any moisture and liquid to pass it. In addition to the above, the Bentonite Membranes are considered to be the best solution to your waterproofing problems, because they are almost 100 percent impermeable. It means that they won't allow any sort of liquid or moisture to pass through them. Bentonite membranes are made up of natural substances so they are harmless to the environment too.
Another quality of bentonite membranes is that they are cheap and affordable for most of the population. Once it is installed and applied on the walls of the elevator pit, it will last for years and keep your elevator pit protected.
Installing drain tile systems: drain tile systems are also effective and they can be installed by cutting into the concrete to allow for a passageway for water to flow out and keep the walls protected. The water is led to a sump pump which will evacuate the water from the pit. These pumps can be effective, but sometimes, sump pump repairs are needed to make them run and last for a longer time.
16/12/2022