Damp and Weatherproofing 2022: What Should You Expect?

Effective Building & Consultancy has been inspecting and recommending effective solutions to damp and other weatherproofing issues for over 20 years throughout Sydney

Due to our success rate in solving complex problems, we are in constant demand from leading builders, real estate, and homeowners.

Partnered with great waterproofing companies in Sydney, we ensure to only use the latest products for waterproofing and superior treatment for concrete slabs. We are also knowledgeable about the desalination process and addressing ventilation and brick cavity issues.

We believe that if only the building is designed correctly, it won’t leak even during heavy rain. This coming 2022, the NCC has set new changes to resolve low complaint materials and ensure water doesn’t enter the property during torrential storms.

In this post, we’ll give you a heads-up summary of what this new implementation all about.

Performance Requirements

Managing Rainwater Impact on Adjoining Properties

Surface water, resulting from a storm having an average recurrence interval of 20 years and is collected or concentrated by a building or site work. It must be disposed of to avoid the likelihood of damage or nuisance to any other property.

Preventing Rainwater from Entering Buildings

Surface water resulting from a storm having an average recurrence interval of 100 years must not enter the building.

Rainwater Drainage Systems

A drainage system for the disposal of surface water resulting from a storm having an average recurrence interval of 20 years must convey surface water to an appropriate outfall and avoid surface water damaging the building and 100 years must avoid the entry of surface water into a building

Weatherproofing

A roof and external wall (including openings around windows and doors) must prevent the penetration of water that could cause unhealthy or dangerous conditions or loss of amenity for occupants and undue dampness or deterioration of building elements. 

Rising Damp

Moisture from the ground must be prevented from causing undue dampness or deterioration of building elements and unhealthy or dangerous conditions, or loss of amenity for occupants. 

Wet Area Overflows

Overflow from a bathroom, laundry facility, or the like must be prevented from penetrating to another sole-occupancy unit used for sleeping accommodation and public space, in a storey below in the same building.

Wet Areas

To protect the structure of the building and to maintain the amenity of the occupants, water must be prevented from penetrating- behind fittings and linings; and into concealed spaces of sanitary compartments, bathrooms, laundries, and the like.

Verification Methods

Compliance with weatherproofing of an external wall that has a risk score of 20 or less, when the sum of all risk factor scores are determined in accordance with and isn’t subjected to an ultimate limit state wind pressure of more than 2.5 kPa; and includes only windows that comply with AS 2047.

Test Specimen

The test specimen must incorporate representative samples of openings and joints, including vertical and horizontal control joints, and wall junctions; and windows or doors and electrical boxes and balcony drainage and parapet flashings, and footer and header termination systems and for a cavity wall.

Transparent material for a proportion of the internal wall lining provides an unobstructed view of external wall cladding with sufficient structural capability and similar airtightness to resist the applied wind pressures and a 15mm diameter hole in the internal wall lining below a window.

Test Procedure

The test procedure for a unique wall or direct fix cladding wall must be as follows:

• In less than a minute, apply 100% positive and negative serviceability wind pressures to the external face of the test specimen
• According to the water penetration test procedure at clause 8.5.2 of AS/NZS 4284, apply static pressure of either 300Pa or 30% serviceability wind pressure, whichever is higher.
• Apply cyclic pressure in accordance with the three stages and the water penetration test procedure at clause 8.6.2 of AS/NZS 4284.

EBC Providing Rising Damp Inspection in Sydney

If your property needs a rising damp inspection and professional advice from a certified building inspector, don’t hesitate to contact us at 02 9613 3353 today!

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