Waterproofing v Tanking
There is something that drives me mad here at All Dry Damp Proofing Ltd and makes me want to scream when i hear it. It could be just me and now the problem seems to becoming more widespread and i’m now moving into the minority. It’s the use of the word Tanking when referring to water proofing. It is become so widespread now that there are some suppliers who even sell the waterproofing slurry have now branded it and sell it as Tanking mix.
When i was studying for my CSSW exams all the structural water proofing courses i attended were run and taught by well respected and knowledgeable lecturers who explained how the term Tanking came about. When the cementitious systems were evolving with Sika and Vandex all those years ago in below ground structures, the systems were applied to be water tight type A and by doing this if the water was kept out then on the reverse side if the openings were sealed and the room was filled with water then this would create a tank that holds water like a reservar. Behold the emergence of Tanking referring to this system being tank like. Fast forward to today and everything is referred to as tanking, i have had previous customers, builders and plasterers asking me would i give them a quote to tank the walls and these are above ground level. Any membrane works are also referred to as tanking even though it allows the management of moisture and water ingress.
Is it just pure ignorance or is it a shifting of the tide that i am swimming against and ultimately will end up going along with the majority. The last thing i want to do is come across as someone continually correcting people as this can be tiresome, but now that the manufacturers are calling the slurry by the name Tanking is this the final nail in the coffin and we are set for a burial in a sea of ingress. I know there are a lot of contractors working in the remedial industry who have no qualification what so ever and have never sat in a classroom to be taught the systems and procedures that are standard. They learn from the people they work with and get bits and snippets off here and there. The internet has made some learning better but their are no examination to find out whether the works they carry out is competent.
I see time and time again the slurries put straight onto the brickwork that has not been prepared correctly and one supplier even has videos showing their slurry being put straight onto brickwork so what chance do the chancers have ? With a 75% failure rate in insured basement construction i wonder what the rate is amongst the ones that get done without insurance, probably higher.
Its would be nice to hear what peoples thoughts are good or bad agree or disagree should it be referred to as Tanking or Waterproofing ?
