Paul Hanratty is a technical representative for BASF Canada in their parking and restoration division. He reviews a thin-applied waterproofing job where the top coat exhibited randomly located dime sized failures all over the P1 level the parking garage. The P2 level of the garage was prepped and coated in the same way, by the same crew, but didn’t exhibit any failures. Moreover, more and more areas were failing as time went on. It was a problem that went on for over a year before the culprit became apparent. Paul details how he solved the issue and learned how to avoid the problem on future jobs.
Playing with knives
Christopher Fulton is a project engineer at WSP Canada. He recounts a restoration project where the spandrel panels on a high-rise condominium were showing signs of premature corrosion. When he opened up the spandrel panels, he discovered a number of significant issues. Not least of which was the peculiar discovery that the factory installed rigid insulation on the back of the spandrel panels was cut and replaced with mineral wool at the slab edges. Like a forensic investigator, he pieced together what happened during original construction. And from there set about coming up with a repair methodology for how to correct the problem.
Light bulb moment
Nick Dyachenko is the general manager of Trustel Electrical Solutions. He discusses a project where a brand-new parking garage heating ramp had to be replaced as a result of damage to the heating cables during the concrete pour. At the time there was no way to let the concrete contractors to know if the cables became damaged or not. To avoid a repeat experience, Nick vowed to create a real-time indicator system to let the concrete crews know if the cables became damaged during concreting. Nick created a simple, yet elegant solution that relies on something everyone can understand: light bulbs.
People problems
Trevor Hockley is a former consulting engineer now working as a project manager for Historic Restoration. He talks about a project that was a year behind schedule, and about how the delays caused friction between the design team and the contractor. So much so that Trevor was kicked off site when he instructed the contractor to not proceed with a cold-weather concrete pour. The issue was eventually resolved when a middle-man bridged the gap, but not without some tempers flaring up.
To bond or not to bond
Imran Kahn is a technical sales representative working for Tremco Canada. He reviews a hot applied waterproofing job where the waterproofing failed to bond to the suspended concrete substrate. The surface preparation was text book and the cause of the failure was unknown. It was especially unusual because the waterproofing bonded during the morning but was failing come the afternoon within the same day. The eventual cause became apparent only after several other jobs exhibited the same phenomenon.