HUMIDITY BY INFILTRATION
ON TERRACES AND BALCONIES

Terraces, balconies and flat roofs are external extensions of the living spaces which also have the task of covering and protecting the underlying volumes from water. In the presence of water infiltrations, they can be the cause of considerable inconvenience, linked to the work necessary to recover this functionality and the associated costs.

When the waterproofing function fails, the repairing technique must be chosen carefully, making a series of appropriate preliminary assessments that involve considerations: technical, economic and aesthetic.

A precise collection of preliminary information is the basis for a correct assessment of the causes and extent of the deterioration. In the first place, it is essential to have perfect knowledge of the construction technique used in the construction of the flat roof since, depending on whether it is a brick-cement slab, a pre-slab, a solid slab in reinforced concrete or another type of structure, different could be the critical points on which to focus attention. A preventive analysis of the structure also allows the identification of surfaces potentially involved in condensation processes, therefore being fundamental in orienting any diagnostic investigations.

In more complex cases, an accurate overview with photographic details is a basic starting point, better if accompanied by thermal images that can highlight the extent of infiltrations. However, some weaknesses are frequently present and it is worth remembering:

• water collection points and passing bodies;
• joints between horizontal surfaces and walls;
• technical joints and contraction joints;
• contact lines between materials with different thermal coefficient.

Particular attention should be paid to all these weaknesses, as they could be decisive in the deterioration in progress and in the choice of waterproofing technique.