Blog Post
If you can make complete sense of this diagram, please let me know. The diagram illustrates the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' CRD-C48-92 negative side waterproofing test. Slideshow (click to launch)
Back in May 2017, I wrote a blog post about negative side waterproofing (NSW). But I was still feeling troubled. The standardized test for NSW from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (“Standard Test Method for Water Permeability of Concrete”) is really complicated; the schematic seems impossible to decipher (see Image #1 in the slideshow). Instead of using this test, could we do a real-world, Wingnut-style test for negative-side waterproofing?
I started by turning things inside out: I built hollow columns of masonry materials, waterproofing the outside and filling the hollow centers with water. Building brick hollow columns seemed too hard to start with, as did building forms for making my own hollow concrete columns. (I tried to find 12-inch diameter concrete pipe, but could not find any in my neck of the woods.) But for about $50, I bought enough mortar, 8" x 8" corner block, and patio pavers to build 4 three-course CMU columns (see Images #2 and #3 in the slideshow).
I would like to thank technical folks like Roman Mahles at Koster USA and Les Faure at Xypex for their help on developing my Wingnut test. While I am in no way suggesting that they “blessed” or take responsibility for my testing, they did review my approach as a decent proxy for real-world performance. And both Koster USA and Xypex provided free waterproofing materials for my basement testing as well as the testing subsequently conducted during an educational session (“Waterproofing existing basements from the inside”) at the SeventhWave B4 conference this past February.
As a baseline, I filled my “control” concrete masonry unit (CMU) column with water. (See the video below.) No big surprise here: this column leaked like a sieve.
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See membership options »The uncoated CMU column is filled with water.
I then carefully followed the installation instructions for my three waterproofing treatments: UGL Drylok Extreme, Koster NB1 Grey, and Xypex Concentrate. After testing each of these coating treatments, I tested the manufacturer’s “active leak” patch product by drilling 5/8" holes at the bottom of each water-filled column.
The UGL Drylok Extreme system is guaranteed to work for up to 15 feet of head or water pressure and for up to 15 years. It is not a crystalline system—it’s more paint-like—although the manufacturer states that it does penetrate the concrete.
I applied two coats as required in the installation instructions. (See the video below.)
A double-coating of UGL Drylok Extreme that still weeps water.
And because (as I explain below) I supplemented both the Koster and Xypex treatments beyond initial treatments, I also added a third coat to the UGL Drylok Extreme column, focusing on spots that leaked the first time around. (See Images #4 and #5.)
When I tried to plug an active leak with the Drylok Fast Plug hydraulic cement, I initially could not get the patch to hold against actively flowing water. (See the video below.)
Initial UGL DryLok Fast Plug active water leak test.
I then tried the Fast Plug again with gentle seepage through the hole and got the plug to hold. I tested again after waiting for a set period of about 50 minutes. There still was leakage. (See the video below.)
After getting the Fast Plug to hold, water was still leaking.
When I described my CMU column test to Xypex, they immediately balked, saying that CMU blocks differ too much in composition to reliably water seal; there is not enough available calcium hydroxide—Ca(OH)2—in the CMUs for the crystals to grow into the block. Their technical staff eventually agreed that the solution was to allow more time for the crystals to penetrate, and to delay the water test for two weeks.
Two weeks later, I still had very slow seepage down near the bottom of the Xypex CMU column (see Images #6 and #7, in the slideshow). Xypex stated there just must not be enough available Ca(OH)2. They advised me to wet the block with a spray bottle and rub in Xypex Patch-n-Plug. That did the trick: no more leaks anywhere.
When I subsequently drilled the 5/8" hole in the Xypex column and applied their Patch-n-Plug to the active leak, the patch worked: I had no leaks anywhere, including at the drilled hole. (See the video below.)
Xypex Patch-n-Plug stops the active water leak. The Xpex Concentrate coating plus a skim rub coat of Patch-n-Plug had good results: the whole column is dry on the exterior.
When I described my CMU column test to Koster representatives, they expressed concerns similar to those of the representatives from Xypex, particularly regarding the possibility of not enough available Ca(OH)2 to get sufficient crystalline penetration into the CMU block. They asked that I do two things:
When I did all this, I was still getting just a bit of seepage at certain spots down low on the Koster CMU column. Koster staff assured me that it just takes longer for sufficient crystal growth in CMU block, so I should wait two weeks and then test again. That did the trick; after two weeks I had no water leaking anywhere on the Koster column (see Images #8 and #9 in the slideshow).
When I drilled a hole and conducted the active leak test for the Koster CMU column, applying the KD2 Blitz Powder, the results were very similar to those of the Xypex test: the plug held, and there were no water leaks anywhere. (See the video below).
Koster KD2 Blitz Powders stops the active water leak.
In the chart below, I got the UGL Hydro-Lok costs right off of the Internet (Home Depot prices). The Koster USA and Xypex prices were provided by the manufacturers since their materials are exclusively retailed through qualifying distributors of concrete materials and accessories.
Published March 27, 2018 Permalink Citation
Yost, P. (2018, March 27). Wingnut Real-World Testing of Basement Waterproofing. Retrieved from https://www.buildinggreen.com/blog/wingnut-real-world-testing-basement-waterproofing
Hi Jacqueline -
My research, which is anecdotal as you can tell from the blogs, suggests that if you have a basement that does not experience hydrostatic pressure, or actual water being "pushed" into your basement because of high water table, than a non-crystalline solution such as DryLok Extreme can work. Another big difference between any crystalline and non-crystalline solution is that the former can't be done DIY; the latter of course can. Hope this helps.
Your post gave me reason to pause my project: 2 mid-sized concrete storage rooms that was not waterproofed! Using Extreme Drylok for floors/walls appeared to be the best product until I watched your test. Your conclusion: using Koster appears to be costly and more work involved. I'm a senior... Than I saw RadonSeal, a Home Depot product, that had mixed reviews. Confused your advise/suggestion is welcomed. Thank you.
Your test of the three products was very interesting! Why don’t more people conduct this sort of thing and compile more data?? I have a basement that has significant efflorescence and a small moisture problem. I am interested in the Koster product line but I’m having difficulty finding a dealer. I live in Idaho. Any help or suggestions would be well appreciated.
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