Leaking Decks in Santa Clarita
As a home owner, there are few things worse than watching water drip from a recessed light fixture while relaxing watching your favorite movie. This is the case all too often when deck systems fail. Although decks are constructed to withstand the elements, here isn Santa Clarita the weather is somewhat harsh on these systems.Waterproofed decks just break down in time. There’s not much anyone can do about that. And, given the Southern California Sun, this process is only exasperated.
Walk-on deck systems are growing in popularity. Let’s not forget that Santa Clarita is a growing community. Because there are more and more of these decks being built, it just stands to reason that there will be more Leaking Decks in Santa Clarita, in the future.
Waterproof Decks and construction
Unlike wood plank decks, water proofed decks are slightly more complex to build and thus more expensive. Decks which have a solid surface, typically possess a waterproof membrane which is installed by a specialist. There are many different types of waterproofing systems.
Most of which require an intimate knowledge of waterproofing proprietary materials and application. Its not unheard of however, to install your own DIY waterproofing, we see this all the time. There are no significant down-sides to doing your own waterproofing however. Its just that if the membrane isn’t adhered properly, it’s just that much more likely to leak.
As a water intrusion specialist, we find Leaking Decks in Santa Clarita in large quantity, especially in the rainy season. Testing decks isn’t just applying water with the use of water hose, there’s actually a systematic approach to water intrusion testing. In fact, the testing procedure for decks requires it to actually be flooded.
ASTM5957 Deck Leak test standard
The standardized leak test for walk-on decks is the ASTM 5957. Of course, initiating this test requires knowledge of the standard itself. Not only does this test require a professional to administer, it also requires help from an engineer.
Indeed… an engineer is suggested to aid, in determining whether the deck is structurally sound to withstand such a test. Mostly due to the weight of the water imposed.
Another reason these tests are popular, is that they can be duplicated by another testing agency with an understanding of the ASTM 5957. In Santa Clarita, we perform these tests on a regular basis but mostly in litigation situations.
Decks aren’t supposed to leak
Decks aren’t supposed to leak. As a matter of fact, the manner in which decks are constructed should make it difficult to leak water. However, that said, everything deteriorates and everything breaks down over time. One of the first things to remember about waterproofed decks is that there are many different components which make up their construction.
- Perimeter Flashings
- Wood Decking
- Drains
- Penetrations such as Railings
- Waterproofing Deck material
Most all of these individual components which make up the decks construction play a role in the effectiveness by which the deck will drain-off rain water. That said, its also the materials themselves or the installation of these individual components which lead to Leaking Waterproof Decks here in Santa Clarita. Understanding how a deck is constructed, helps us determine how the deck type should be tested for leakage.
Leaking Waterproof Deck testing is more of a science than anything else. On the other hand, we perform so many Deck leak tests in Los Angeles, we’ve actually made it into an art form.
Testing decks for water intrusion for us, takes a systematic approach to locating water intrusion within waterproofing deck systems. Santa Clarita has mild to moderately warm weather in the summer, with moderate rainfall in the winter. So suffice it to say, there’s not a crazy amount of rain, but there is a lot of sun.
Science Behind Testing Waterproofing and Decks
Because we are a third party testing only company based here in Santa Clarita, we actually do see a lot of leaking deck systems. As previously mentioned, much of our leak detection service hoovers around litigation work.
For the most part we like to work in Los Angeles so that said, we will travel throughout Los Angeles performing these moisture intrusion tests. Much to the disbelief of many, these tests are performed throughout the year, not just in the winter. The deck testing which we perform adheres to the ASTM 5957. This standardized test is performed for two reasons.
- It’s a systematic approach to locating leaks within waterproofed deck system.
- The test can be reproduced by anyone with the same results, in cases such as litigation for example.
Our Leak detection test of waterproofed deck systems employs a test known as a flood test. Also in accordance with the ASTM 5957 test. The ASTM maps out the method by which this test is to be performed. Its again systematic, scientific and provides real results for anyone looking to find water intrusion within their deck system.
Once a leak is sourced, we don’t actually do any work on decks which we water test. Why is this? Well, for the most part, we’re just a neutral third party testing company. To be honest, we’re not set-up to perform any work nor do we wish to. Not to mention we feel its a conflict of interest.
The use of Infrared Thermography with our testing
There are those who build decks, waterproof decks and there are those who only test decks. In light of the fact that we just test windows, roofs, walls and Leaking Decks in Santa Clarita, we need to be well equipped for these tasks.
Introducing thermography. The use of an infrared camera for water intrusion testing has been in use for many years now. As for us, we wouldn’t think of performing any tests without an infrared camera present. Not only do infrared cameras help detect moisture, trace moistures path, but it also records data. Moreover, recorded data in our field is extremely useful to our clients attempting to document certain conditions in real time.
