Terrace Leak Repair in Adyar

Common causes of terrace leaks in older Adyar buildings

Adyar has many independent houses and apartment buildings that have been around for decades. Many older Chennai roofs have a traditional weathering course, such as brick-bat coba, under the tiles or screed. Over time this layer cracks, loses its slope and starts to hold water instead of shedding it.

Being close to the coast and the Adyar river also means humid, salty air, which speeds up the decay of exposed concrete. When water gets into the slab and reaches the steel, the steel rusts and expands, cracking the concrete from inside. That is why some leaks come with spalling plaster and rust stains.

Diagnosis first

A leak in one room can come from a crack several metres away, because water travels along the slab, the weathering course and the beams before it drips. We check the terrace surface, the outlets, the parapet junction, any water tanks and pipes on the roof, and the ceiling below, and then explain what we think is causing it.

Repair options

Depending on what the inspection shows, the repair may include:

• Treating cracks and joints and applying a waterproof coating or membrane over the terrace
• Clearing and resetting drain outlets and improving the slope where water stands
• Removing a failed weathering course or tiles when they are trapping water
• PU injection grouting to stop water travelling through a ceiling crack, where it is appropriate
• Structural repair of spalled concrete and exposed steel in the ceiling