The design of the maintenance of waterproof covers: diagnostic and operational approach

Beyond the coverage: the waterproof system

The heart of the maintenance design is not the coverage itself, let alone the individual waterproof material, but the entire waterproof system, understood as a coherent set of functional layers, construction details, accessories and protection devices. Each element can constitute a critical point if not correctly managed.

For this reason, in the maintenance of an existing coverage, the first phase is always the technical anamnesis: an operation similar to the clinical interview of a doctor, aimed at collecting any useful information on the history of the coverage, on the materials used, on previous interventions and on the surrounding environment.

The importance of diagnosis: preliminary analyzes

A correct anamnesis is divided into several sub -sub -sub -sub -subsses, which include:

• Identification of the type of roof (plain, inclined, ballast, hanging garden, etc.);
• Classification of the waterproof system (bituminous, synthetic, cement, discontinuous);
• Reconstruction of the maintenance history, also through dialogue with the client and analysis of the documentation available (projects, invoices, technical cards).

Therefore follows a more advanced diagnostic phase, which provides:

• Morphological and topographical analysis, through reliefs and plans to identify geometries, slopes, quotas and exhausts;
• Semiotic analysis, i.e. the interpretation of the visible “symptoms” (spots, swellings, infiltrations) in light of the knowledge of Building Pathology;
• Instrumental analysis, with the use of thermolets, tracest gases, hygrometers or electrical tests, to highlight hidden vices that cannot be detected with the naked eye.

Comparative analysis and differential diagnosis

Once the data collection and relief phase is over, it is essential to move to an interpretative evaluation, aimed at transforming observations into decision -making tools. The comparative and differential analysis represents the most delicate moment of the diagnostic process, in which the technician is called to summarize and correlate the information acquired to formulate a reliable and operational diagnosis.

The comparative analysis consists in the comparison between visual, instrumental and historical data, with the aim of identifying anniversaries, discrepancies, degradation patterns and interactions between materials and context. For example, the presence of infiltrations in an area can be read in relation to the type of material, the slope, the arrangement of the exhausts or to the presence of passing bodies not properly sealed. This is where the actual symptoms with real causes are distinguished.

The differential diagnosis follows, which allows you to select the most probable origin of the problem between multiple plausible hypotheses. An infiltration can be caused by a breaking of the waterproof mantle, by an executive error in the vertical implications, by a chemical incompatibility between layers or insufficient maintenance of the exhausts. Establishing with certainty which of these variables is at the origin of degradation is essential to avoid ineffective solutions or unnecessary interventions.

The output of this phase should be a structured technical relationship, divided into two parts:

• The former collects and describes in order to all the information collected, highlighting the state of fact, the symptoms detected and the analyzes carried out (also with a language understandable to non -technical figures, such as administrators or judges);
• The second exposes the diagnosis, identifies the responsibilities (when applicable), and proposes the most appropriate technical solutions, with any requirements for subsequent design.

This report is the key step that transforms the project inspection and the observation of founded and argued technical decision.

From analysis to design: the “zero point”

The concept of “point zero” represents, according to the author of the volume, a central methodological passage in the design of the maintenance of the roofs. It is a technical-specific state of reference to which to report the coverage, especially when intervening on existing buildings without a coherent historical maintenance.

In practice, once the diagnosis is completed and the necessary corrective interventions are defined, we proceed with the execution of the extraordinary maintenance works. These interventions – which can go from the localized restoration of a sealing layer to the full renovation of the waterproof system – serve to establish a new functional starting point, verifiable and traceable.

Bringing the coverage to the zero point means:

• eliminate structural or executive defects detected;
• consolidate the stratigraphies;
• verify the correct laying of all critical details (exhausts, implications, passing bodies);
• Full document (reliefs, photos, materials) the state achieved.

From this moment, the coverage is considered as if it were new, and can therefore be the subject of a true planned maintenance plan, based on a certain time horizon and on established procedures. In the absence of this zeroing, each preventive strategy would merge on uncertain data or unpublished previous vices, making any planning ineffective.

This approach, borrowed in part by industrial maintenance (machine stop, restoration at regime conditions), allows rational and sustainable management of the life cycle of the covers, both in technical and economic terms.

The advantages of a well -designed maintenance plan

A well -designed maintenance plan guarantees numerous advantages:

• Reduction of unexpected costs;
• Optimization of resources and life cycle of materials;
• Environmental sustainability, thanks to the prevention of failures and lengthening of the useful life of the roofs;
• Greater legal protection, thanks to the traceability of actions and the possibility of documenting the correct exercise of responsibilities by the custodian or owner.