WHAT IS WATER AND WHY DO WE NEED IT?
Understanding the nature and functioning of water is extremely difficult. We all know that water is a universal solvent, made of one part of oxygen and two parts of hydrogen and that it carries waste products, nutrients, minerals, and solutes with it. Human blood is 90 % aqueous solute form of water.When treated by an electric or magnetic field, the surface tension and other structural activities of water remain unchanged. When measured with nuclear magnetic resonance technology, it is proved that water has memory. The bond angle between hydrogen and oxygen in water varies with temperature. In liquid form, it measures 105.5 degrees whereas in solid form the angle measures 109.5 degree.
It is a lesser-known fact that pure water, which supports life, also has a tendency to kill. Water stored at 10 ⁰ Celsius is 96 to 97 % pentagonal in structure, in which algae, plankton, and fish die.
For humans, it is healthier to drink hexagonal structured water than pentagonal one. Snow-molten water has always been a popular form of potable water. Water from creeks, mountain lakes, and ponds is known to be the healthiest type of water in world. This is called as “living water.”
POLARITY AND CHEMICAL MAKE-UP
1. CHEMICAL MAKE-UP – Besides the basic components Hydrogen and Oxygen, pure water, when stored in stainless steel tank, contains traces of nickel, chromium, and iron. When exposed to air, pure water has a tendency to absorb oxygen. When preserved at 68 ⁰ F, a glass of tap water contains 9.0-ppm oxygen. The same water, when heated to 77 ⁰ F, contains 8.2-ppm oxygen. This indicates that water temperature and oxygen level in water are inversely proportional to each other. On the other hand, the more the pressure on water, the higher is the content of dissolved oxygen. Boiled water produces steam. This steam contains liquid water. It is extremely difficult to separate boiling water from pure steam.
Boiling water is always entrained with steam, water dissolves oxygen when in contact with air, and water is a universal solvent highlights the nature of feed water.
Feed water, upon entering the boiler steam drum, becomes boiler water. The character of water changes continuously as it steams. If the boiler produces steam at half the normal capacity, the suspended and dissolved solids contained in it becomes more concentrated (almost eight times of what is found in normal tap water). Without treatment, if the boiler is allowed to continue with rapid steaming process, it faces three damaging conditions:-
§ Formation of scales in the internal surface of steam generating boiler.
§ Boiler metal corrosion and
§ Foaming causing excess carry-over boiler water
To prevent formation of scales on the inner boiler surfaces and the destruction of boiler material due to corrosion, the boiler water needs to be chemically treated. This treatment increases the boiler’s shelf life, saving fuel and transferring the maximum amount of heat without scale deposits.
When water evaporates in the boiler, the hard components contained in it like insoluble materials, magnesium salts and calcium salts deposit in the inner surfaces and tubes. These deposits are called scales. In real terms, the water temperature determines the extent to which the various salts dissolve and the amount of time they remain dissolved. Some salts dissolve better in hot water, whereas some dissolve better in cold water.
2. POLARITY OF WATER -Polarity indicates that the water molecule has both negatively and positively charged ends. It is responsible for dissolving other polar molecules, including ionic compounds such as salt and sugars. When ionic compounds dissolve in water, they form ions. It is extremely important to understand this concept, since; the reactants need to dissolve in water for most biological reactions. As water has the capability to mix several common substances, it is termed as universal solvent. Substances dissolved by water (like oils) are non-polar and fat soluble, nonionic compounds containing strong covalent bonds.
Substances that are insoluble (like oils) are fat-soluble and remain non-ionic non-polar compounds with strong covalent bonds. These substances (cell membranes and cell walls) serve as excellent water containers. The water molecule polarity causes strong hydrogen bond. When oxygen contained in a water molecule becomes electrically attracted to the hydrogen of a close molecule, it causes polarity of water molecules. This hydrogen bonding between water molecules remains the main basis for water’s unusual properties. Usually, organisms are based on water molecule cohesion. It causes the water molecules to stick to one another and this sort of cohesion helps in upward pulling of water in the plant’s microscopic vessels.
Surface tension occurring in water can also be attributed to hydrogen bonding. This kind of bonding gives a high specific heat to water. When hydrogen bonds break, heat gets absorbed. They are then released with the formation of hydrogen bonds, causing reduction of temperature changes to those that permit life.
Evaporative cooling largely depends on high heat of vaporization of water. For breaking hydrogen bonds, the water molecules need to have a high kinetic energy. The surface cools with evaporative loss of such energetic water molecules.
3.WATER AROUND A FOUNDATION -A leaking wet basement and foundation is a nightmare for every homeowner. Besides putting the structural integrity of a building in danger, a wet basement is also a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other insects. In addition, wet basements encourage mold growth, which causes severe respiratory ailments. Hence, the sooner one drains water from the foundation, the lesser the chance of developing water infiltration problems.
Well-installed foundations can save a lot of money and effort. One of the major aspects while maintaining an existing home or constructing a new house is collection and removal of water around foundations. Needless to mention, a foundation is the most vulnerable place for water intrusion.
A foundation -drain tile system has four major components – including water outlet, gravel cover, filter media (gravel) and pipe (drain tile). For a system to function correctly, all these elements have to be properly installed.
Usually, the drain tile or pipe is 4 inches in diameter, perforated along its length and containing pre-drilled holes. However, fittings permitting one to get around interconnect pipe or corners are also available.
In residential construction, a drainage system is a combination of layer of gravel drainage with perforated pipe, drain tile or foundation drains.
Poorly drained foundation wall or basements can cause many problems ranging from structural failure of walls to damage in basement contents owing to high humidity. Embedded in gravel trench, a perforated plastic drain tile drains water from foundation. As the outlet pipe drains from downspouts and basement window wells, it keeps the basement dry.
Besides removing water from residential foundations, the pipe can be used in any area or structure, damaged excessively due to water retention. The landscape drainage pipe removes additional water from lawns and gardens.Lack of proper drainage or poor drainage severely damages the building foundation, ruining beautiful lawns and killing plants. Properly installed drainage pipe removes water from slopes above other structures or above house, planters, flower boxes, and low spots in the yard.
For rooftops, a good drainage system is enough to turn a gently sloping roof or flat into a good, roof, ecological garden. It permits you to store the rainwater, which, not only extends the roof’s life, but also helps insulate a house.
During heavy snow or rain shower, deck drainage pipe or patio drainage pipe quickly removes water from under the deck or patio. It also prevents water from seeping into the contents and lower floors and washing away the sub-base.
A drainage pipe also helps to eliminate water build-up near retaining wall. If the retaining wall retains any level of soil, it also needs to be constructed such that it permits water to pass through, removing any additional weight pressing against it.
This is achieved by constructing a small drainage pipe to the walls, permitting water drainage. Proper drainage needs to retain water at an optimum level. Driveway drainage pipes are so strong that they withstand heavy traffic and easily installable under public and residential driveways. The tube has to be durable, lightweight, non-perforated, and strong to prevent water collection on driveway.
The tube can also be utilized as culverts and sidewalk under drains to stop pavement damage due to frost heaving or unstable bedding. Constructed from high-density polythene, the pipe is substantially lighter than concrete pipe and highly superior than metal pipe in terms of abrasion and corrosion resistance. Compacted soil backfill, gravel, or crushed stone need to be used as bedding material around the pipe.
WHY DOES WATER DETERIORATE CONCRETE?
Though water is known to enhance concrete strength throughout its life cycle, few believe that it also deteriorates concrete. Apart from that, water can also become a good transport system for all mechanisms aggressive to concrete. To illustrate a few- water-saturated and porous concrete, which does not have entrained air and adequate strength, is prone to scaling - a deteriorating mechanism caused with water freezing in concrete.
Water has the ability to carry several aggressive chemicals into concrete surface, including chlorides, sulfates, and acids. Concrete containing reactive alkali aggregates is subject to continuous expansion from water. Over a period, water passing over concrete surface with large velocity has the capability to erode the surface. Whether the water has beneficial or corroding effects depends fully on environmental conditions.
EFFLORESCENCE
Efflorescence is a powdery or white crystalline, often fuzzy/fluffy deposit on masonry wall surface like clay tile, brick, concrete etc. While moving through concrete, water dissolves the salts contained within the object and thereafter evaporates, leaving scales on surface. Compared to other stains, efflorescence is relatively simple to remove.
Most of these salts are water-soluble. If situated outside, it would disappear with normal weathering. This is especially true of building bloom. These water-soluble salts can be removed with scrubbing and with a solution of muriatic acid (mix one part of the acid with 12 parts of water). Before and after applying the solution, wet the surface well. During efflorescence, less common salts change their chemical structure, requiring proprietary compounds for their removal.
4.FREEZE/THAW CYCLE -Why does concrete corrode from freeze/thaw actions? Concrete deterioration
occurs when the concrete remains critically saturated, the time when nearly 91 % of its pores are filled with water. In such situation, when water freezes itself to ice, it has 9 % excess volume compared to water. When water does not find space for volume expansion in concrete containing porous water, freezing causes stress for concrete and it cracks.
The freeze /thaw process commences right from the first winter season causing heavy stress to critically saturated concrete. Thereafter, it continues throughout successive winter seasons, resulting in continuous loss of concrete surface. For protection from thaw/freeze damage, the concrete needs to get air-entrained with the addition of surface-active agent to concrete mixture. This helps to create a large proportion of small and closely spaced air bubbles in hardened concrete.
By acting as an expansion chamber, the air bubbles relieve the pressure build-up caused due to ice formation. By volume, nearly 4 % of air is required and the air bubbles need to be distributed well within 0.25 mm distance between each other in the cement paste.
It is important to discuss here that concrete with high water to cement ratio and high water content is less resistant to frost when compared to concrete with less water content.
Microscopic and Macroscopic Appearance:- It is difficult to diagnose concrete deterioration by freeze/ thaw actions as other forms of mechanisms for deterioration like ASR, often go hand in hand with Freeze/Thaw. Very often, it becomes difficult to evaluate as to which mechanism has resulted in the initial damage. In case all other mechanisms are excluded, the typical Freeze thaw signs include-
§ Large chunks coming out of ED
§ Exposing of aggregate
§ Spalling and scaling of surface
§ In usual terms, the exposed aggregate aren’t cracked
§ Surface Parallel Cracking
§ Aggregate gaps – ideal case
EXTERIOR WATERPROOFING MEMBRANES AND THEIR DETERIORATION
The construction industry, for the past two decades, has witnessed technological advancement in waterproofing materials, shifting to integral waterproofing systems from membrane sheet applications.
Many integral systems function within the concrete structure matrix, offering waterproof quality to concrete. There are two main forms of integral waterproofing system – the hydrophobic system and the hydrophilic system. Typically, a hydrophilic system seeks help from crystallization technology, replacing concrete water with insoluble crystals. There are numerous brands available in the market that claim to have similar properties. However, not all react with a large range of the by products of cement hydration and therefore need caution.
Most hydrophobic membranes employ fatty acids for blocking pores, preventing water ingress within concrete. There are numerous varieties of below-grade waterproofing membranes. When trenching becomes an option in retrofitting operations or while installing during new construction, below mentioned waterproof membranes can be utilized to offer positive waterproofing.
Typically, waterproofing membrane is attached to the Below-grade surface outside, with the cover of a protection membrane and the trench is refilled.
There are several reasons that cause membranes to deteriorate. They depend on the following factors:-
1. Surface of the concrete on which waterproofing membrane is applied
2. Variable temperature on which the membrane is exposed to
3. Presence of highly corroding chemicals in the environment
4. Quality of membrane used for waterproofing
5. Level of corrosion that the waterproofing membrane has to handle
CONCLUSION:
If you have water leeching or stagnating in your basement for too long, stop thinking about the dollars, think about your HOME!
“Keystone Basement Systems, Inc. is a foundation repair company. KBS is not, however, a engineering firm and should not be considered as such.”
Masonry construction has always been known for its durability, as it is able to sustain harsh conditions depending on the weather and geographical location. It also gives an attractive appearance and requires relatively low maintenance. The use of materials in masonry construction ranges from stone foundations to brick walls. Since some masonry foundations tend to be susceptible to accelerated deterioration, they were either painted or covered with stucco for protection. In addition to the weather and location, water can be a primary cause for the deterioration of masonry foundations.