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SIP damage due to water
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Due to the delay in the construction work, we were still installing the SIP panels when the first winter fronts arrived. As a result, the surfaces got wet, water pooled on the subfloor, then leaked through the gaps, and the water on the concrete slab started to be absorbed by the pressed wood.
ID:(121, 0)
Front systems
Description
In the area where the house is being built, during the months of May and June, weather fronts come in every 4 to 5 days, bringing heavy rains. This can be seen in the radar diagrams from sites like ventusky.com:
The areas indicated in colors represent those with more intense rainfall. By observing the diagrams repeatedly, one can recognize movement patterns and how the front deforms upon reaching land. The gray areas do not necessarily indicate good weather; they represent regions with a lower probability of rain.
ID:(818, 0)
Difficulty of protecting the work
Description
Strong winds make it difficult to protect the construction site. Even though it is periodically covered, the winds lift the plastic sheets, exposing the surfaces and allowing the subfloor to become flooded:
The formation of puddles on the subfloor causes water to seep through both the cracks and the structure of the panels and beams.
ID:(819, 0)
Water runs down walls
Description
The first visible sign is water running down the walls, seeping through the gaps in the subfloor where it accumulates:
The water then pools at the base of the wall and is absorbed by the pressed wood of the SIP panel.
ID:(820, 0)
Leaks through the roof
Description
The puddles in the attic also seep through the gaps between the SIP panels of the subfloor, which means that the pressed wood areas in the gaps are soaked:
This is serious because there is a risk that, when impregnated, the wood will expand, become porous, and lose its load-bearing capacity. The horizontal panels are a sandwich material where the pressed wood panels are also part of the load-bearing system, supporting the subfloor and partly the roof.
Therefore:
It is crucial to prevent the joints of non-vertical elements from getting wet, as damage to the pressed wood in these cases reduces the structure's load-bearing capacity.
ID:(821, 0)
Leaks inside the walls
Description
Many vertical gaps between SIP panels do not show signs of water penetration, appearing to be completely dry:
However, a moisture measurement with a device like the "MESTEK Pinless Moisture Meter WM700":
shows a high moisture index, indicating that water has penetrated and is flowing through the joint to the base without being visible.
Therefore:
In the drying process, it cannot be concluded that the process has been successful based solely on appearance. It is necessary to measure the moisture and ensure it is within acceptable limits.
ID:(822, 0)
Rain entering through windows
Description
After heavy rains, water is observed entering directly through the windows that lack sufficient protection, forming significant puddles:
The problem is that the water accumulates in areas near the walls, being absorbed by them and becoming impregnated due to capillary action.
Therefore:
It is essential that ALL windows have adequate protection to prevent rain from entering the building directly.
ID:(823, 0)
Water absorption by the panels
Description
The pressed wood panels of the SIP panels have high porosity at their edges and low protection. This means that if the pressed wood is standing in a flooded area, it will start to absorb water, which also becomes visible on the surface:
For vertical walls, the beams at their joints bear most of the load, so the damage is less severe for the stability of the structure. However, a recovery process is still necessary to ensure they can at least support the materials applied to their base and to prevent moisture from penetrating the structure.
ID:(824, 0)
Water damage to panels
Description
Water damage to the panels is primarily caused by water absorption through the edges, which have less protection and absorb water via capillary action. As the water penetrates, the material begins to swell, breaking the structure of the material that was originally compressed with adhesive:
It is important to note that:
Water damage reduces the cohesion of the material, compromising its integrity and significantly decreasing its load-bearing capacity, especially in structural elements like roofs and subfloors.
ID:(825, 0)