| Waterproofing / Other Vendors’ Solution Before MACJ – A Buyer’s Choice Team Inspection |
| Short term solution as source not identifiable |
| Damage to ceiling / upper floor |
| Repair time: 20 – 25 days |
| High Cost of repair – Rs.1,50,000. |
How MACJ – A Buyer’s Choice team solves this with a minimum of fuss & cost but maximum of technology, knowledge, & experience.
Description:
Classic case of unidentifiable seepage in a Prayer Room Ceiling that would have resulted in short term solution at high cost of repair with property damage and a lot of time. MACJ – A Buyers Choice Home Inspections identifies the source and solves the problem with its 3L service philosophy – Long term solution – Low cost of Repair – Least destruction
Background:
MACJ – A Buyer’s Choice team observed the following on visiting client’s home (5th Floor Unit):
5th Floor:
Water droplets falling from the Prayer room ceiling approximately for the last six months.
Presence of water pocket / trapped water noted in the alcove of the Prayer room as inferred by infrared camera.
6th Floor:
As the water was coming from the ceiling of 5th floor, so it was expected that the source of water was at the floor above (6th Floor) where it had made the path from the left corner above the alcove ceiling. Also at the left side of the sixth floor wall, minor efflorescence was noted which indicated presence of soluble salts and moisture. The 6th floor had a Prayer Room directly above, an open balcony with plants, a window ledge and a bathroom at a distance surrounding it. The source could be from anywhere.
The water path on the floor indicating leak in the concealed drain pipe
Possible Alternatives:
MACJ team did thermal (infrared) scanning of the area to track the water path and possible source of the leak. It was noted at 6th floor, an Air conditioner (Split AC) was installed on right side which had water drainage. The Drain line was a long concealed pipe running across the marble floor from right side to left side where the air conditioner drainage had been given in the balcony. Only the starting and end points were visible.
Apparently the Air conditioner pipe in 6th Floor either had a leak or an improper joint from where the air conditioner water was leaking.
Alternative Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) – Substantiation:
MACJ carried out NDT along with Deductive reasoning for making sure that the leak was from AC drain pipe. The team decided to pour 1.5 L of water in the starting point of the drain pipe and observed the ‘said end point’ for 15 minutes. But less than 500 ml water came out.
Eureka! Within that time frame, fall of water droplet in the affected area had increased. Hence more water was reaching the area due to leak/ improper joint at the drain pipe.
To substantiate our findings on Monday (15th may) we made alternate connection at the waste water drain pipe of the air conditioner at the sixth floor prayer room and requested our client i.e. the home owner to operate the air conditioner normally. 5th Floor: At fifth floor on the third day i.e. Wednesday (17th may) we observed the falling droplets reduced to bare minimum.
By Friday (19th may), as confirmed by our client the falling of water droplets had completely stopped.
On Saturday (20th may) it was reconfirmed that the droplets had stopped and the ceiling had reduced moisture.
6th Floor: On Saturday (20th may) we re-connected the waste water drain pipe of the air conditioner the way it was connected before.
5th Floor: By Monday (22nd May) water droplets started falling again. This reconfirmed that there was leak at the existing waste water pipeline of the sixth floor prayer room air conditioner.
Recommendations
Most of the current drain pipe was concealed under the finished wall and floor; hence it was not practical to replace that pipe. From a practical and economical point of view, we recommended to install a new drain pipe towards the room corresponding to the sixth floor air conditioner wall and then placing it towards the duct nearby. We recommended to use ½ inch rigid UPVC / CPVC pipe with company approved sealant only.
Conclusion:
A leak in the Air conditioner drainage pipe gave our client sleepless nights. Thanks to MACJ – A Buyer Choice experts, the issue was correctly and precisely identified with a simple solution. We should also applaud the client who proved wise enough to engage MACJ – A Buyers Choice Home Inspections to solve the problem. Not only did the MACJ team solved it successfully but also saved the client from major future damages which would have also resulted in incurring a lot of money. Our recommendations were also pocket friendly.
| Waterproofing Company Solution Before MACJ Inspection | MACJ – A Buyer’s Choice Solution after Inspection |
| Short term solution as source not identifiable | Long term solution as the source of leak identified |
| Damage to ceiling / upper floor | Non-destructive solution |
| Repair time: 20 – 25 days | Repair time: 1 day |
| High Cost of repair – Rs.1,50,000 | Low cost of repair – Rs.10,000 |
MACJ – A Buyer’s Choice Homes Inspections Motto:
LLL – Long term solution – Low cost of Repair – Least destruction