Fix Leaking Balconies

AWS is the first choice for property owners when it comes to new, remedial or repairing balcony waterproofing in Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. Balconies are great for entertaining and should be protected just like the rest of your valuable assets.

A leaking balcony is a cause for great concern. When a balcony is leaking, it can cause substantial substrate damage, tile damage and surface coating damage. This can be a very dangerous situation that needs to be rectified immediately. In some cases, water from a leaking balcony will come into your home causing damage to walls and ceilings and possibly your other assets.

Leaking balconies can be a danger, especially if it’s been leaking slowly for some time before you notice it. The most common cause of balcony issues is that the waterproofing membrane has failed, and the joists are suffering gradual leak damage and rot.

• Is the balcony draining, or has a plumbing failure occurred in the area?
• Has the joinery of the door leading out to the deck failed?
• Is the leak visible on the underside of the balcony?
• Has the tile grouting putrefied and is the water leaking through a join in the waterproofing membrane under the tiles?
• Is the water running back across the joists under the deck from outside edge?
• Is the base of the cladding touching the deck? If so water can potentially back up into the bottom plate of the timber wall frame.
• Has the waterproofing membrane been correctly installed underneath the door frame to prevent wind driven rain getting up underneath the door and down into the wall below?
• Is the water coming down from the roof and running down the external walls?
• Any cracks in the plaster cladding around the balcony or external walls in the area?
• Is the tiled area sealed correctly?

If you have managed to tick any of these please call AWS for a free quote on 1300 66 5325 or fill out our no obligation quotation request form and we will send out one of our highly trained technicians to assess the situation and give you options on rectifying the problem.

The reason most balconies leak is that the membrane has failed due to improper application or the wrong product was used.

We have seen countless membranes fail mostly due to the application being done in a way in which the product was not allowed to work to its full capacity, for example, the application was not thick enough, or the membrane has not been allowed enough time to cure.

These are some of the most common reasons why balcony membranes fail.

The proper way to waterproof a leaking balcony or balconies is with a sandwich membrane system. Two coats of the membrane on the surface of the substrate then the screed followed by another 2 coats of membrane.

This system is the most secure as the water must pass between two systems to fail. To apply this system there must be room at the doorways and windows to allow for the thickness of the screed and the tile under these objects.

At AWS we will always encourage our clients to take up the option of a sandwich membrane. Should there not be the option to do this due to the room factor, there are other alternatives we can recommend that are equally as effective using heavier duty membranes.