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Happy Summer! With an extremely busy start to the construction season (despite the wet and cool weather) it is hard to believe that Canada Day is next week. I hope you are finding time to play a few rounds of golf, spend an afternoon fishing or just kicking back to enjoy some down time with friends and family.

Did you know that all the old issues of the DRE newsletter are posted on our website? You will find a number of interesting technical articles, project profiles and application tips for the various DRE represented products.

As always, I am open to suggestions and comments so please feel free to email me at marla@dre.ca.

Best Regards,

Marla

WalkTrak used on a pool deck...

In the April 2008 issue of the newsletter, we introduced the WalkTrak product. A 2-coat dip and roll decorative acrylic coating that is perfect for stairs, pool decks, balconies, sidewalks and pedestrian walkways.

WalkTrak data sheet

Here are pictures from a recently completed project:

close up texture shot

pool deck application

Voltex is characterized as a "self-seaming" waterproofing membrane. This means that panels of the membrane can be sealed to each other simply by overlapping adjacent edges by a minimum of 4 inches (100 mm) and then confining the overlap to form the seal. The result is a contiguous below-grade envelope around a substructure without preferential seam flow pathways.

How the Overlapped Seam Works:
The overlapped seam works by a combination of compression (in-situ confining stress) and expansion (bentonite void filling). Figure 1schematically shows these mechanisms provide a secure seal.

Figure 1. Schematic cross-section of overlapped Voltex seam.

With respect to compression, all bentonite waterproofing products work best when confined between two relatively unyielding surfaces such as soil and concrete. In addition to enhancing the contact between the waterproofing membrane and the concrete, confining pressure also closes the gap in the overlap, eliminating lateral leakage through the seam.

Bentonite extrusion is the other mechanism by which Voltex seams seal themselves. Extrusion occurs in two places-through the open edges of the product as well as through the open spaces of the woven (black) geotextile. During the production process, the cut edges of Voltex are intentionally left open to promote this extrusion. During installation, a small pocket is formed where the edge of the underlying panel meets the overlapping surface of the upper panel. In the presence of water, bentonite will expand into this pocket helping to seal the seam. Bentonite extrusion on the surface of the woven geotextile occurs through small holes between the woven tapes and where the needlepunched fibers penetrate the woven geotextile. The amount of bentonite extruding through this surface is small, but in combination with the compression provided by a proper installation, is sufficient to fill the narrow flow pathway in the overlap.

The graffiti protection system that does it all

You can't take it for granted nowadays that a building will continue to look the way it was designed and built to look. Graffiti shows up overnight, and if you don't act right away the problem can easily get out of hand. Only quick, consistent and complete removal discourages "tagging".

With Protectosil® ANTIGRAFFITI you can keep graffiti in check.
Only Protectosil® ANTIGRAFFITI combines all the advantages of other systems in one product.

See How Protectosil AG Works

Protectosil® ANTIGRAFFITI is:

• a penetrating treatment, and thus a completely new type of graffiti protection.
  
  
• durable. Protectosil® ANTIGRAFFITI binds chemically to the mineral building material, unlike other graffiti control products which stick mechanically to the rough surface. This chemical bond is extremely stable. Even long-term exposure to weather and UV radiation do not influence the efficacy of Protectosil® ANTIGRAFFITI. The protection also remains after repeated cleaning cycles.
  
  
• not film-forming. Other durable, non-sacrificial anti-graffiti products, for example 2K PU, fill the pores of the building material and create a vapor barrier. Water vapor generated inside the structure cannot escape to the outside. Trapped water vapor can cause damage to the structure. Protectosil® ANTIGRAFFITI is water vapor permeable.

Why does EMSEAL discourage the use of gutters under deck expansion joints?

There are several reasons not to use gutters under joint systems:

1) The gutter conceals any leaks. The leaks go undetected. The structure corrodes. Once water (carrying salts and other corrosion causing chemicals) has bypassed the primary joint system, costly and dangerous degradation of the structure begins. This is because water runs over the concrete on its way to the gutter. During this passage it will make its way to the rebar. The rebar will corrode, expand, and spall the concrete.

2) Gutters are not water proofing, they are water management. Water that reaches a gutter must be managed to drains. To do this gutters must be pitched to ensure drainage. The gutters must be dammed at ends and be fabricated to be watertight at plane and direction changes. Joint systems are too often detailed in cross-section only. In cross-section a gutter looks effective. Joints detailed in cross-section will not get constructed either with pitch or with terminations, transitions, or integration into the drainage systems.
It is when the gutter is considered in 3-D that the challenges of water management are revealed. (More on 3-D joint design).

3) A joint system that incorporates a gutter as standard equipment or a joint design that incorporates a gutter beneath another joint system is by default admission that the joint system is not watertight. The choice of that joint system should be reconsidered.

4) Gutters, or gutters incorporated into joint systems, provide a highway for vermin. It is not unusual, particularly in sports venues like stadiums to find evidence of active communities of rats and other vermin using gutters as their homes and/or transportation infrastructure around the building. Joint systems that are not watertight at the surface allow liquids (beer, soda pop) and washing-water-diluted foods to enter the gutter system. Vermin take advantage of this food source.

5) Again, gutters conceal leaks. EMSEAL supplies joint systems that are watertight. These systems when properly detailed using axonometric CAD details for watertight treatment at terminations and transitions, and when installed according to EMSEAL's instructions, can be expected to be watertight.

If a system leaks, we want immediate, early detection of the leak. This will allow the cause of the leak to be identified and remedied. Gutters can seriously compound the difficulty of tracing the source of the leak to a particular location.

If gutters are used, however, it is critical to ensure that:
a) continuity of seal in the gutter material is assured at splices, terminations, and transitions in plane and direction,
b) that regular inspection of contents of the gutters is prescribed as a routine maintenance procedure,
c) that sufficient slope is engineered and constructed into the gutter to facilitate drainage,
d) that water collected in gutters is managed to drains or other exit points where runoff does not facilitate deterioration of structural components or finishes,
e) that the gutter is not concealing deterioration of structural elements above.