Concrete deck/carport leaking

oliver28472 · Jul 13, 2005

I had a deck built back in the early spring. It is an elevated slab poured on an engineered steel structure. The idea was to have a deck at the main level of the house and a carport under the deck at the basement (walkout) level. Control joints were sawed the day after the pour and a sealer was applied. When it rains, water leaks through a control joint, then gets past where the steel panels are overlapped, drips off and I-beam onto whatever is parked below. This leaves a stain on the paint job which can only be removed with CLR. The control joints have since been caulked by the contractor with a special product made just for this. It still leaks. Any suggestions?

LarryD · Jul 14, 2005

Did the contractor clean the concrete prior to placing the sealant?

We've done several sealant repair jobs on the runway and the first step is to sawcut the joint to expose clean edges for the sealant to adhear to.

If you know of a paticular spot that's leaking, why not try pulling the sealant up. If it pulls up clean it may not have bonded to the sides. If it's bonded, it will come up in pieces.

If you remember the name of the product, look it up on the internet and you should find a page for proper application.

Good luck

oliver28472 · Jul 14, 2005

I don't know if it was cleaned but also don't know if it needed to be since it was poured the day before it was sealed.??? A caulk was applied several months later to stop the leak. This caulk is supposed to be just for this type of thing but it don't work. Will try to find out what brand and type of caulk was used.

LarryD · Jul 15, 2005

I guess the bottom line is it isn't working and needs to be replaced. Ideally it should be removed and new material applied. Good luck getting the contractor to go that far but really his work has failed and it should be replaced, not just patched.

Junkman · Jul 15, 2005

Was it guaranteed to be water tight? If not, you are going to need to learn to live with it. Most times those type of slabs do leak some. The only way to find it is to use a hose on each joint till you find the one that leaks. Then use the hose on only part of it the next day when it is dry till you locate the part that is causing the leak. The leak might not be above where it is dripping, but over a different seam...

LarryD · Jul 15, 2005

<font color="blue"> The leak might not be above where it is dripping, but over a different seam... </font>

Amen to that. Roof leaks can be a bear to chase down.

I wouldn't think there would be a lot more than 50' of joints in that roof. Might just be easier to start fresh with a high-end product. Could avoid near future problems with other areas.

This stuff seems to hold up well in harsh environments. Just browse for their concrete sealant.

yooperdave · Jul 15, 2005

I wish I was there to review the plans and specifications.

If you wanted a dry lower level, I would expect to see a concrete deck with a membrane over that and then a wearing surface over that.

If this is true, I feel the job was not detailed OR constructed properly. Did you hire a professional engineer (P.E.) and work with him initially on what exactly you wanted?

You only usually have a 1 year warranty against defects. I hope your contractor has integrity, and will address the problem in a timely manner.

The key is communication - before during and initially after the work has been completed.

Good Luck

Yooper Dave, (P.E.)

oliver28472 · Jul 18, 2005

It is an engineered design. I had no contact with the engineer, only my contractor. He has been back and recaulked the joints. I may give the engineer a call. The contractor has been pretty good about coming back to attempt to correct the problem so far. There is no membrane or wear surface, just concrete poured over corrugated steel panels with a sealer applied and now two caulk jobs in the control joints.

yooperdave · Jul 18, 2005

I would expect the slab to leak if there were control joints.

The joint is intended to weaken the slab so it cracks at that location. You might want to have the engineer verify what his intention was to have a joint(s) in the slab.

Do you have the capacity to put a membrane over the existing slab with a new 2" or 3" concrete wearing surface over that?

Your leaks will be a ongoing concern and a ongoing maintenence issue that may never get fully resolved as initially built.

Good Luck

Yooper Dave

oliver28472 · Jul 19, 2005

I posted this in another forum and will probably follow that recommendation which is to have a small gutter made to catch the drips off the edge of the I-beam. This won't keep it from leaking but it will re-direct the leakage and I won't have to worry about continually patching. I plan to have a ceiling installed below with lights too. Will probably use the same contractor. What do you think?