What is Water Intrusion and Why is it Dangerous? | Water Intrusion Engineering
Water intrusion engineering is essential to the health of your parking structure.
Are you a building owner or manager?
Have you scheduled an inspection of your facility yet this year?
Don't put off inspections, especially if your facility has experienced a high amount of rainfall this year, or if you've had water intrusion issues in the past!
Water intrusion is simple: it's any unwanted movement of water or water vapors into areas of a building where it can cause damage. The obvious example is a leaky roof, but flooding, penetration, seeping through cracks, and improper terminations and transitions within the building envelope membrane are also examples of water intrusion.
Dangers of Water Intrusion
Water intrusion can impact the structure of your building as well as its occupants. Besides presenting structural issues, water intrusion issues left untreated can result in:
- Structural deterioration
- Development of toxic mold
- Negatively impacting the indoor air quality
- Wet concrete, puddles, and weakened floors could potentially cause slip and fall accidents
Avoid Costly Repairs with Water Intrusion Engineering
Some water damage is visible to the human eye (discolored walls and ceilings; cracking roof, peeling paint; warped and rotten wood on floors; mold growth), but structural damage inside your walls and floors are harder to spot.
Hiring engineering professionals to investigate water damage is key. Water intrusion engineers have modern technology like thermal imaging, and equipment to detect excessive moisture or mold spores in the air.
IEI specializes in water intrusion inspection and design for parking structures. Water is the number one cause of parking structure deterioration. Water-saturated concrete can freeze, expand, and spall.
Combined with oxygen, water can also cause corrosion of the concrete reinforcing. Exposure to deicing salts accelerates this process. As reinforcing steel expands as it rusts, this process also leads to concrete spalling. Spalled concrete provides less cover or protection of the reinforcing which leads to further (and accelerated) deterioration if not repaired in a timely manner.
The IEI Structural Engineering Advantage
Our engineers at IEI specialize in water intrusion engineering in Atlanta and the surrounding areas. If you suspect you have water damage, give us a call. We'll walk through your property and let you know of any conditions that require immediate attention and what maintenance activities you can perform now to extend the life of your facility.
