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