Encapsulation of covers of fibrocemento

In many companies there are covered with cement, typical cases of this situation. Decks, due to the normal degradation suffered by his aging, have lost their main functionality, which is the protection against the entry of water, and require treatment to solve this problem, with the aggravating circumstances of such a cover material, the cement.

There are several solutions, such as the replacement of all of the cover, but that for the majority of the companies is not practical because, without taking into account the high cost of this operation, it would result in addition to the activity of the facilities placed under this cover during the time spent in the processwhich would typically be several months. The most viable solution in this case is to carry out treatment on the already existing cover to solve their problems of water inlet, taking also advantage to encapsulate the cement and eliminate the potential risks of breathing asbestos fibres.

The industrial buildings with cement roofs also have another problem, which is the heat, because it's facilities where makes very cold in winter and very hot in summer. Due to the geographical location of these facilities, the problem is more important in the summer, and it is so that workers can have optimal conditions of work required a large energy consumption to weatherize the warehouses. There is the possibility of carrying out a supplementary treatment of isolation termoreflectante to the solution proposed for sealing and encapsulation of this covering of cement in order to improve this problem. One of the great advantages of all the systems presented here is the low additional weight added to the deck.

All proposed systems consist of materials for application in liquid, which can be perfectly adapted to the forms of the deck and in any case the contribution from sources of heat or fire is necessary for its implementation, while avoiding the risks that they entail. The problems to solve in these covers them can divide clearly into two parts, as effected a treatment by outer or inner.

In the picture above, the passage of time and weather weather conditions have left their mark on the cover of cement.

In the image below, result of the preparation and cleaning prior to the implementation of the system.

Problems to solve are the entry of water leaks and the encapsulation of the covering of cement to avoid the release of asbestos fibers that wind can be shared by the neighbouring areas and be respiradas. Waterproofing treatment already has the necessary properties of encapsulation for a covering of cement. In addition is can bring added value to the treatment involving the placement of an insulating termoreflectante.

Option of waterproofing
This option is to solve the basic problem of the cover, which is the entrance of water covering the activities carried out under the same. As already has been mentioned earlier, the waterproofing system already proposed it brings to cover properties of encapsulation of asbestos fibres that are necessary for the external part of the cover. The proposed solution involves the application of the waterproofing Lotumroof Polytech.

Lotumroof Polytech is a waterproofing one-component water-based high adherence on a wide variety of substrates. It has excellent properties such as waterproofing thanks to its flexibility, elasticity, grip and stability against UV radiation. The cement is one of the typical substrates to waterproof with Lotumroof Polytech, and it may be, in this case, apply the waterproofing system directly without the need of a layer of primer. A reinforcement fabric embedded in the waterproofing system should be incorporated in the joints of fiber cement boards or in the elements that can have a greater movement. Also in the meetings of the horizontal and vertical walls. In the event that the cover contains a transparent item, type skylight and skylight, it is normal to want to preserve the transparency of this material, since it provides natural light to areas of work. In this case the solution to be applied is in the implementation of a transparent waterproofing.

Option of waterproofing + insulating termoreflectante
This system is to incorporate a protection with an termorefractante treatment of waterproofing coating, which involves the application of the coating Lotumcoat Therma RG to the previous option.

It is a polymeric coating base one-component water with a high degree of solar reflection and heat in metallic surfaces and mineral insulation, as it is the case of the cement. Thermal insulation of Lotumcoat Therma RG properties are due to a high degree of reflection of incident light, because its composition contains glass microspheres, absorbs only 16% of the solar radiation incident (according to ASTM E903) and thanks to its low thermal conductivity0,056 w/M ° C (according to ASTM D5470) the heat transmitted to the interior of the protected area is considerably lower which is aired on the same surface without protecting. On the basis of the constructive design with the application of Lotumcoat Therma RG can be to reduce the internal temperature, with consequent savings of energy in air conditioning systems cost 20-25%.

The problem must be solved is the encapsulation of the inside of the cover of cement to avoid the release of asbestos fibres that can be respiradas. The proposed solution involves the application of the Lotumcoat Capsulite coating, a polymeric coating base one-component water especially designed for the encapsulation of different materials, being one of the most typical cases cement. Lotumcoat Capsulite has a great grip on this type of substrate and an elongation of 70%, which in the case of movement of the deck can absorb them without losing its continuity and therefore without being affected properties of encapsulation.

Lotumcoat Capsulite is a product water, that does not produce odors-based or solvent vapours during its implementation. Lotumcoat Capsulite is also a material with low spread of flame and low toxicity of the fumes of burning fire. According to the characteristics of accessibility to work areas, encapsulation carried out from the inside can be compatible with no interruption total or partial, of the work carried out in these areas.

Thanks to its form of implementation, Lotumroof Polytech adapts to most singular forms may have the cover, without overlaps and joints.

• Client: Food industry.
• Type of work: deck waterproofing cement.
• Surface: 8,000 meters.

The problem
The client, a company dedicated to the manufacture of food products, had serious problems of water leaks through the cover of cement from its store. These leaks caused economic losses for the company for damages that occurred and risk of accidents at work to find water in the soil where business activity was performed. The deck was damaged by wear of the cement and with the passage of time had led to the cracking that allowed the entry of water and the release of fibres of asbestos to the environment.

The solution
After analyzing costs that was supposed to remove the old covered in cement, the client chose our solution which was to conduct a thorough cleaning and waterproofing directly on the cover, because it allowed to continue with its production and with a single treatment we eliminábamos leaks and encapsulábamos the cement so harmful for health.

Advantages of the system
The system applied to this cover, Lotumroof Polytech embebiendo a reinforcement fabric, guarantee a perfect long-term solution to the problems of leakage and at the same time a complete encapsulation of the cement. Lotumroof Polytech, thanks to its form of implementation, adapting to forms unique to that you can have the cover, without overlaps or together, after ensuring their perfect continuity across the surface structurally.