| How can residents stall the dilapidation of their building | | | | Looseness / heaving of tiles |
| ? | | | | Growth of fungus |
| The performance of our homes and buildings depends | | | | Rough surface ( excessive scrubbing ) |
| on how well we maintain them. A sign of deterioration | | | | Seepage through flooring joints |
| (crack , corrosion, dampness etc) observed in a flat or | | | | Sinking of flooring on ground floor |
| in a building is called a 'distress'. If we are watchful, we | | | | #Plumbing: |
| can take the necessary action needed to counter | | | | Distress in plumbing and drainage are closely related to |
| such distresses before they become worse. Today, | | | | the sources of seepage of water. Watchful occupants |
| we shall look at some commonly encountered types | | | | can easily locate many of the observations in the |
| of distress so that you can recognize them when you | | | | following list - |
| come across them in your flat or your building. | | | | Cracks / loss of joints in the pipes causing leaks |
| #Concrete and RCC: | | | | Broken / absence of rainwater pipes |
| These are predominantly used in the structural | | | | Absence of vent pipes for toilets |
| components of the building such as columns, beams | | | | Pipes running too close to walls and accumulating |
| and slabs. Any distress observed in such components | | | | laitance |
| may indicate loss of strength and therefore, call for | | | | Backflow from kitchen / toilet |
| 'structural repair'. This is a common checklist in this | | | | Corroded water supply pipes |
| category- | | | | Broken / uncovered chambers |
| Cracks / hollowness / dampness in concrete | | | | #Toilets and kitchen: |
| Spalling (local internal separation of concrete ) | | | | Seepage though a toilet or kitchen above can be very |
| Falling of cover concrete (surface layer ) | | | | annoying. Nevertheless, it is pretty common too. Many |
| Corrosion of bars | | | | of the points mentioned above apply to this category |
| Thinned / broken bars | | | | also. Additionally, the following points may also be |
| Deflection / sagging of beam and slab | | | | noted - |
| Sinking of column | | | | Leaking flush tank |
| #Walls and plaster: | | | | Rotting of door frames |
| Distress caused by seepage primarily spreads through | | | | Exposure of tile joints |
| walls. Watchful occupants can easily locate many | | | | Improper sealing of fixtures |
| from the following list of distress- | | | | Distress in RCC loft |
| Dampness or seepage | | | | #Waterproofing: |
| Salty deposits / efflorescence | | | | Bad quality of the terrace waterproofing system can |
| Fungus / plants growing on wall | | | | cause considerable agony for the occupants of the |
| Holes in walls | | | | top floor, year after year. Once seepage from terrace |
| Termites | | | | starts, it progressively becomes worse and locating |
| Separation cracks found at the junction of RCC and | | | | the source of seepage can be extremely difficult. In |
| wall | | | | fact, the sources may be many. Local treatment may |
| Diagonal ( inclined) cracks near the junction of column | | | | not prove to be effective and complete |
| & beam | | | | re-waterproofing is expensive. Members should, |
| Hollow / loose plaster | | | | therefore, look for the early signs of the following |
| Local absence of plaster | | | | points and take an early action on them- |
| Disintegration of mortar between bricks / blocks | | | | Cracks on surface associated with hollowness |
| Sinking of walls on ground floor | | | | Excessive roughness of surface |
| #Doors / Windows: | | | | Inadequate surface slope |
| The checklist in this category commonly covers the | | | | Obstructions to flow of rainwater |
| following- | | | | Cracks / blocks at the mouth of rainwater pipe |
| Decay / cracks and disintegration | | | | Pipes running too close to parapet walls & |
| Termites | | | | accumulating laitance |
| Distortion of door / window frame | | | | Too few rainwater pipes for a zigzag shaped terrace |
| Absence of chajja for window | | | | Improper watta / drip mould at the junction of slab and |
| Cranky movement of sliding windows | | | | walls |
| #Flooring / skirting: | | | | No protective cover on the parapet wall |
| This is a common list in this category- | | | | Water tank directly touching the slab. |
| Cracks in tiles | | | | |