ALL THINGS WATERPROOFING - AUGUST 2025

Hi All,

Please find our monthly roundup, based on our activity in August. We will also share a few tips and tricks, and talk about some interesting products.

WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING?

Figure 1 - End of August on the Gold Coast

This August has been anything but typical for the Gold Coast. We've all noticed the relentless rain, a stark contrast to the clear, dry weather we normally expect this time of year. While Sydney is seeing its wettest August in over 25 years, we've also been caught in a persistent and powerful weather system. The usual monthly average of just 69mm of rain has been washed away by this unusual deluge, turning a normally busy production period into a challenge of working around the weather and handling unexpected leak emergencies. This August truly feels more like a tropical summer than the end of winter.

LEAKFIX SOLVE IN MELBOURNE

Recently we have been engaged by a client looking for guidance and supervision during installation of pre-applied mod-bit system Colphene BSW by Soprema. We were well overdue for a visit in Melbourne so we packed our torches and rollers and headed to Melbourne to solve some waterproofing problems.

Figure 2 - Site Pictures	Figure 3

The problem was the pit's geometry. It was a work slab for the pre-applied membrane installation and later for casting the hydrostatic slab. Due to difficult ground conditions, the step-down included curves and undulations. To make matters worse, the piles were protruding at an awkward angle at the step-down, making it very difficult to lay and weld the tanking membrane together.

Figure 4 -  Site Picture	Figure 5 - Isometric Sketch

Given the substrate's shape and the 4.5mm SBS modified bitumen membrane's thickness, coupled with tough ground conditions, installing the tanking system was a significant challenge. At this stage, fixing the substrate was not an option.

Laying the membrane in the pit was difficult and required using the multiple smaller section, which meant a greater number of seams and welds.

Originally, the membrane was laid all the way across the pit, which resulted in significant "tenting". To prevent this from happening again, we decided to:

• Separate the floor and the wall and add membrane reinforcement at this junction.
• Use a "fanning" technique around the curves.

Considering the risk was relatively high, we inspected our work thoroughly upon completion and tested the system with high-voltage electronic leak detection (ELD).

With regards to ELD testing, it is worth noting that while initially we had some doubts about electrical conductivity of the non reinforced concrete blinder, due to high water table level the blinder was permanently saturated in ground water making it very conductive. We confirmed the effectiveness of our test on a control sample. Video here.

Figure 6 - Site Picture	Figure 7 - ELD Testing

See our full range of Field Technical Services here.

THANK YOU FOR READING THIS.

Jerzyniak Consulting trading as Leakfix© 2025. All rights reserved.
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