Safety First

We all know what is arch and that if a single supporting stone in it is removed the whole arch collapses. When all the stones are in a place the arch withhold tremendous pressure or load put on it. Modern buildings have chain of supporting arches on which the structure stands. Although a typical arch may not be visible in the R.C.C. skeleton, the principal is applied through its design. When there is a structural instability, a portion in a chain moves. This movement may bring down a small part of a structure which in turn may disturb the adjourning part and it goes on and on, till the result is a devastating collapse of a structure, in part or full. It is a cascading effect and when in operation, soon goes beyond the control of a human capacity.

A unique attribute of concrete structure is that it always gives signals before occurrence of a disaster. It is for us to note these signals and take appropriate measures in time to avoid calamity.

There are several reasons for the failure of a structural stability; however some of them can be avoided by proper maintenance of a building from time to time. In this world nothing is permanent; a concrete building is not an exception to the rule. Timely care will cut down expenses on repairs.

Weighing the unnoticed
Let us examine some of the important cautioning factors to prevent building going to a dilapidated condition. The most common of all visual signs is the appearance of cracks. There are various reasons for the occurrence of the cracks on the surface and all cracks are not dangerous. However it is for the experts to decide their intensity after thorough inspection. There are definite patterns and locations of cracks which give the indication of severity of the problem.

A second factor to consider is the rising of the floor tiles or breaking of a marble flooring in a perfect geometrical pattern. The floor tiles show a gradual progress in their rising and also show a definite pattern in uneven flooring.

Another noticeable sign is jamming of window and door shutters. In spite of repairs, the shutters get jammed repeatedly and this jamming is progressive. Slowly it becomes difficult to open or close such shutter, even after applying great force. It is evident in many of the aluminium sliding shutters. Presence of such defect is an indicator of movement in the R.C.C. grid.

A swelling or buckling of a column shows that it is under too much of stress to withhold the pressure put on it and some external support is required to keep it in a place. A downward bend in a beam or slab, termed as sag, is also indicative of a fact that the limits are under test.

Vibrations in a floor slab or feeling of going down while walking on a floor, suggest that all is not well. In such a state, heavy items should be removed from the place and whatever is essential should be placed near to the wall and not in the center of the room. This defect in some cases can be corrected by injecting foaming polymers, which react chemically and increase a lateral stress in a slab to hold it tight. Incase of faulty design, re-casting is advisable.

Continuous fall of sand or deteriorated mortar is not at all a good sign and immediately expert should be called in and rescue measures should be put in practice on war footing.

A stitch in time ………
One should not get panic if he finds that some of the factors mentioned above are present in the building where he is living in. The gravity of problem will differ from case to case. The purpose of highlighting these factors is to focus them, to understand them and to make a move in a right direction at right time, to take the precautionary measures. Because that will be his best move forward in protecting his family and the draining wealth.

Sick Building Syndrome a Crawling Killer

The damp walls are looked at as a nuisance but are not taken as a serious health hazard. The recent report published by WHO will take away sleep of many who are facing the damp wall and leakage problem.

The report describes Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) is such a medical condition in which a person using such premises suffer from illness of feeling unwell for no obvious reason. SBS symptoms may show severity depending upon the time spent in the building and may disappear after leaving the premises. The shadowing influence of the various toxins contacted may linger on for long time. A continuous contact with the infected environment may lead to serious illnesses over the period.

The occupants complain of the symptoms such as Eye, nose or throat irritation, Dry cough, Nausea, Headache, Loss of Concentration, Fatigue, Dry or itchy skin, Sensitivity to odours, Repeated attacks of asthma, Asthmatic symptoms in non-asthmatic person, Bronchitis or Pneumonia which do not respond to normal antibiotic treatment, Depression, Chronic Dysentery and many more. The list stretches to about 50 known symptoms by now. The immediate consequence is loss of productivity, loss of interest in the happenings around and if remedial steps are not taken in time then the eventualities could be the hosting of dreaded diseases and horrible sufferings.

The presence of water in the walls is a lifeline for the large number of colonies of molds, bacteria, pathogen, fungi etc. Some of them are Stachybotrys chartarum, Stachybotrys atra (greenish-black mold), Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus clvatus, Ascomyceteous (Penicillium). Some of these are highly aerobic. Some fungi grow on carbon-rich substrate like wooden frame and cause opportunistic infections like onychomycosis (in nail) and keratomycosis (in cornea). The resistance to the infections differ from person to person however one with weakened immune system for any reason is an easy victim. More of search on the subject shows that the diseases caused by these microbes are much more fearful than the names that they bear. It is possible that the in depth investigation for the causes for many of the serious sicknesses may end up on the damp walls.

The best way to guard against these deadly creatures is to keep the walls dry. One should go to the source of the leakage and carry out the treatment accordingly to eradicate the dirty filthy wet patches. These are the places where the microbes thrive, multiply and release the toxic compounds which make way in human system and cause the damages. There can be various ways to stop leakages and all the methods need not necessarily be the costly. At any time the amount spent on the maintaining building will be much lesser and bearable than spent on the treatment of a horrifying disease. Is it not the high time that we give due consideration for up keeping of the building from inside and outside, in which we live or work?

Time selection in building waterproofing

In our society selection of right time for any important work is observed for the generations. Our ancestors termed it Muhurat and took the help of celestial system for the reference. However some of us go by their own way without considering the happenings in surrounding and land up in troubled waters. In large number, many of our folks wake up to get the buildings waterproofing work done, just before the beginning of the rains. Most of the time, what they get is unsatisfactory work and a feeling of cheating. In depth probe into these failures reveal that the root cause is the selection of wrong time for the purpose.

When the monsoon is just across the corner, hectic search begin for calling the contractor, quotations, etc. At that time before giving the work, no ability of contractor is taken into account; no system of waterproofing is weighed on all its pros and cons. The contract is awarded hurriedly merely on the basis of cost consideration and contractor is asked to rush up with the job. The contractors with performance and repute are fully occupied with the job in hand and are not in a position to accept any new job.

The irony is, that the waterproofing is the most important factor in the maintenance and long life of the building and the general approach is “fill the cracks, coat the surface with some chemical and do away with waterproofing. What is so big in it?” The apprehension is that the waterproofing work can be done easily at short notice by any laborer without any knowledge of the subject. After all it is just the application of chemical!

The good thing is that slowly the misconceptions are being replaced by awareness and knowledge. The importance of proper waterproofing of structure is being realized. Leakage is a universal problem and lot of research work is going on around the world. New techniques and materials evolve to get rid of menace of the leakages and improve the life of structure in economical ways. That is way there are so many chemicals in the market, so many methods and specialized systems are available for the purpose. Almost all of them are problem or location oriented and it is absolutely essential to know their effect when the product or material is in use.

The period from end of January to end of September is not suitable for undertaking the work of major building repairs or waterproofing. The two major factors have their influence over the activities during the period, material and labour.

It is the time of shortages and period of opportunities to the unscrupulous hoarders. The discarded sand during the rest of the year is pushed in to the market during this time and buyer is left with almost no choice as he is desperate to complete the job before monsoon. The demand for cement increases tremendously during this period. Wagons and wagons of cement load is digested with constant shortage in the market. Every week the rate increases by Rs.1 or Rs.2 per bag. The list of shortages also includes water and electricity. The usage of equipments working on electricity depends upon the erotic supply, which includes water pumps, hand tools etc. One has to also consider fiscal budget during the period which can create drastic impact on the economics of the entire work.

The second important factor that influences the work is the man power. Civil work demands labour on a large scale and it comes from the remote rural areas of our country. The labour migrates to cities on temporary basis. By end of January these workers begin their travel back to the villages or to the places from where they come. Around month of February marriage season starts. This is also time to sort out long outstanding land deals, house repairs, attend to the family requirements and to many other personal works. By month of April, May pre-monsoon showers begin and so with it the farming activities like preparation of land etc. begins. These activities go on till the crop is reaped, that is till October. Normally after Diwali once again they make headway to-wards city.

During January to May there are few indirect reasons which hamper the progress of the work such as Children’s exams. Parents bring pressure to slow down the work and jobs wherein breaking is involved or tools such as grinders are to be used, it becomes difficult to go ahead with the work. Many flats remain closed due to vacation and certain places access becomes problem. The weather is harsh and brings down efficiency. The list goes on and on but the inference remains that had it been little earlier then the job would have been little more to the advantage than to be accepted as it is.

At no point it is suggested that one should rest and relax during the period in question, on the contrary he should work much more to raise the fund, to receive the quotations, to decide up on the system, to zero on right choice of a contractor. To execute building maintenance project involves substantial work and also the amount. To get the proper work done a substantial amount has to be spent and to raise it in short time is some times difficult. So all this exercise can be done leisurely at everybody’s convenience during this period and can be fully prepared to begin the work at right time.

Now which is that right time? To decide that it is essential that first the work involved is assessed; the amount of money and the time to complete the job is also estimated. Thereafter, the consideration of all aspects of the work are planned to begin it at any time from October to December in such a way that it is comfortably completed before monsoon without much of stress.