ALL THINGS WATERPROOFING - MAY 2025

Hi All,

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

WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING?   I find it hard to believe it's already June as I write this. Both Jessa (our Service and Operations Coordinator) and I have been working hard to hit our goals. I've been on the road installing specialty waterproofing — and occasionally sneaking in a quick skate along the esplanade in Miami. 😊

The webinar on ELD with Julien was a treat. I suppose the turnaround wasn't as good as I hoped for, but I foolishly forgot that the Stare of Origin was on at the same time... Julien's presentation inspired me to create some materials on ELD and hopefully do some more ELD scanning.

New Videos on ELD on our YouTube Channel:

👆Click on the thumbnails above to go to the video. 👆

🎉 The 3 J’s are back! 🎉

After months of plotting and planning, I’ve finally added the last missing piece to complete my ultimate waterproofing dream team that is now officially ready to take over the Basement Waterproofing Performance Solutions market. :)

On a more serious note, I’m excited to announce that Jose Luis is joining us as our Independent Geotechnical & External Waterproofing Advisor. He’s one of the most talented geotechnical engineers I’ve had the pleasure of working with — sharp, grounded, and relentless about solving your basement waterproofing problems.

You can say hi here: joseluis@leakfix.com.au

Together with Jessa, our powerhouse Ops Coordinator, the 3 J’s are officially assembled — and we’re ready to roll out smarter, sharper, and bolder solutions for complex basement waterproofing projects. We’re not just making plans... We're making progress. We will talk about our Performance Solutions in next month's newsletter - stay tuned.

EXPANSION JOINTS

This time of year on the Gold Coast is my favourite. The days are warm and pleasant, but the mornings and evenings are starting to get a bit chilly. While measuring up a movement joint on a roof, I found myself wondering—how much does this concrete joint actually move?

Before I asked the structural engineer, I ran the numbers through AI just to keep myself entertained. I only wanted a rough idea, so I assumed the two slabs were identical—10 × 10 metre squares, each 200 mm thick. Concrete expands by about 10 microns per metre per degree Celsius. With a 40°C temperature swing (totally possible even on the Gold Coast), each 10 m slab could move about 4 mm. That means the joint could shrink or expand by up to 8 mm in either direction—a total movement range of 16 mm or more is possible due to thermal expansion and contraction. Some joints will move even more than this, but the issue can be easily addressed with the Soba Inter Flam Line we featured in our November 2024 Newsletter.

You can now order your custom-made Flam Line Solution from Leakfix. We’ll measure your joint, have it precision-manufactured in state-of-the-art facilities in Switzerland, and install it on your project as a single, continuous piece capable of withholding all anticipated movements for your project. Contact hello@leakfix.com.au for more information.

What about expansion in steel box gutters?

I ran the same calculation for 0.55 mm Colorbond steel. Steel expands at about 12 microns per metre per degree Celsius. Over a 40°C swing, a 6-metre length of Colorbond could expand or contract by around 2.9 mm. Other metals, like copper and zinc, can move even more—up to around 5–6 mm in our climate.

Box gutter leaks are one of the most common issues we get called about. While poor detailing or blocked outlets are often the obvious culprits, there's another factor that’s frequently overlooked: thermal movement. Metal expands and contracts every day, and over time, this constant shifting can crack sealants, loosen fixings, and cause joints to fail. It doesn’t take much—just a few millimetres of movement, repeated daily, can compromise the whole system. This is why we need expansion joints in gutters.

Thankfully Soba Inter have developed the Endless Expansion Joint to solve the expansion joint problem in guttering. These come in a few variations, firstly there is a covered version - Dila Star-R and uncovered Dila GS.

These can be quite easily incorporated into your box gutters or other metal elements that will inevitably move due to thermal expansion and contraction.

We are very excited to announce that both Soba Dila Star SS, Soba Dila Star Copper, Soba Dila GS Zinc are now available in Leakfix Shop. Contact us at hello@leakfix.com.au if you have any questions, we are quite happy to provide site assistance and design drawings where needed.

THANK YOU FOR READING THIS.

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