Volclay® Waterproofing Products, which utilise the unique, high-swelling properties of natural sodium bentonite, a clay of volcanic origin with the ability of swelling many times its dry volume when in contact with water, forming, in a contained state, a dense, impenetrable gel, that completely locks water out.
“The problem activates the solution!”©
Volclay® Waterproofing Products are essentially ‘self-sealing’, with the ability to seal minor cracks and honeycombing in concrete, and do not require the installation/workmanship rigours associated with traditional ‘peel & stick’ membranes, which can so often lead to failure.
The Volclay Voltex® membrane, which combines the superior properties of bentonite with the flexibility of polypropylene geotextiles, is rugged in construction and highly resistant to site damage. Voltex® is unique in offering ‘automatic’ mechanical bonding to concrete, elimination of water tracking, all weather installation, and application to all types of rough and uneven surfaces, including auger cast concrete retention walls. Voltex® installation savings over its competitors are substantial.
Volclay® Waterproofing materials offer the additional advantage of being the most environmentally friendly products available. Millions of square metres have been successfully installed worldwide.
Allco Agencies’ commitment to quality products, service and technical back-up is formally recognized through Quality Certification through approved Volclay® applicators and BRANZ and BBA Certification, backed up by the experience of the parent company, CETCO, the largest bentonite producer in the world. Our representation extends to all of New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
Quick Links
Underslab
PHOTO : Farmers Building, Dunedin. 2000m2 of Voltex® laid in 1.5 days in very wet conditions.
Volclay Voltex® can be installed under all reinforced concrete slabs, ground-bearing or suspended, in excess of 150mm thickness, on a prepared sub-base including lean mix concrete underblinding (to no more than a tamped or shovel-back finish), sand blinded type 1, or even clay, which only require 100mm reinforced concrete cover, and uniquely, can be applied no matter what the weather has to offer - rain, sleet, snow and any extremes of temperature. External corner laps and angle fillets, common with traditional ‘peel and stick’ systems, are also unnecessary (as well as undesirable). Due to the ‘peel-adhesion’ bond between the Voltex® and the wet concrete it will remain in place after the formwork has been struck. There are no requirements for primers, adhesives, lap tapes or even protection boards, allowing for speedy application (with rates up to 750m2 for two men in one day). no delays for follow on trades, and the ability to keep to impossible programs (a common groundwork’s nightmare). Reinforcement is placed directly on Voltex®, via standard concrete spacer blocks or bar type spacers. Normal ‘pre-pour’ preparation methods of compressed air and even jet washing are acceptable.
Foundations
PHOTO : Residential Footing Foundation, Herne Bay, Auckland.
Due to the thixotropic ‘gel’ structure of the hydrated bentonite, Volclay Voltex® should be taken around all foundations (where possible), as opposed to being installed through the loading plane. The flexibility of Voltex® allows it to be easily formed on reverse blinded slopes, even where these meet at corners, and typically without the need for cutting or additional detailing. Where foundations are cast within formwork, Voltex® is simply applied to the inside of the formwork by stapling or light nailing (allowing for a leading ‘flap’ of Voltex® for later underslab continuity), and due to the ‘peel-adhesion’ bond between the Voltex® and the wet concrete, will remain after the formwork has been struck. Where pile penetrations are encountered, the Voltex® is simply cut using a ‘Stanley’ type craft knife, to closely contour the penetration (often very irregular in profile), and a final seal added in the form of a fillet of Bentoseal®.
Where complete enveloping of foundations is undesirable or impractical, waterproofing continuity through the bearing plane above the foundation can be achieved, using proprietary cement based sealing products (by crystallization within the concrete surface, transferring load, and does not act as a bond-breaker), which connect with Voltex® at the outer edges of the foundations.
Where complete enveloping of foundations is undesirable or impractical, waterproofing continuity through the bearing plane above the foundation can be achieved, using proprietary cement based sealing products (by crystallization within the concrete surface, transferring load, and does not act as a bond-breaker), which connect with Voltex® at the outer edges of the foundations.
Lift Pits
PHOTO : Commercial Lift Pit, Auckland. Note ponded water.
Lift Pits are really ‘mini basements’, and involve many or all of the installation requirements of a complete basement, including possible foundation detailing, underslab installation, wall tanking, property line application etc. Generally, being at the very lowest level of a project, lift pits have a tendency to be plagued by groundwater, which, as already noted, will not preclude Volclay Voltex® from being installed or performing as designed. Application, not dissimilar to pile caps, can be against concrete reverse blinding, the inside of the external formwork (utilising ‘peel-adhesion’ to concrete) etc. At the top of the lift pit, continuity with the underslab Voltex® is achieved with a simple 150mm Voltex® to Voltex® lap, or in the case of meeting with a ground level DPM, a 300mm lap which includes a nominal 1mm layer of granular bentonite.
Back-Filled Walls – Precast Panels
PHOTO : DressSmart Shopping mall, Onehunga, Auckland. Example of Voltex bonded to precast panels.
Two application products are available. The preferred method utilises the ‘peel-adhesion’ properties of the Volclay Voltex® (fibre encapsulation by the wet concrete), where the Voltex® is laid to the inside of the formwork at the precast yard, eliminating the need for any post-fix application. Tie-bolt holes, where applicable, are repaired with a proprietary tie-hole sealer (non-shrink sand/cement based), followed by a Voltex® patch. The precast panel is transported to site as normal without the need for any special handling (See our Precast Panel Presentation for further information).Voltex® can also be post-applied to concrete walls prior to backfilling, using Ramset/Hilti ‘soft-washer’ fasteners (in conjunction with a gas-actuated gun), allowing fast installation in all weather conditions, without primers, adhesives, or protection board.
Volclay Swelltite® may also be applied to precast panels.
In both cases, the backfilling requirements are for a poorly-graded granular material of less than 20mm that is compacted in 300mm layers, as work proceeds. For full details with regards to backfill, please see Tech Reference 205.
In both cases, the backfilling requirements are for a poorly-graded granular material of less than 20mm that is compacted in 300mm layers, as work proceeds. For full details with regards to backfill, please see Tech Reference 205.
Back-Filled Walls – Masonry Blockwork
PHOTO : Self-healing properties allow fastening with nails. Note how the Swelltite® laps over footing.
Because of the porous nature of masonry blockwork which is notorious for water tracking, Volclay Swelltite® is a true advancement in waterproofing membrane technology.
Unlike other membrane systems which require near perfect installation and weather conditions, Swelltite’s® active bentonite compound can expand to seal installation imperfections or small punctures in the membrane.
Swelltite® is manufactured at a factory controlled thickness of 2.3mm assuring the specifier, contractor and owner of consistent material application. Remember Swelltite® will swell 16 times its own volume. The problem activates the solution!
Swelltite® is designed to lap onto Volclay Voltex® on the footing when used in a hydrostatic application.
For a lot more information about Concrete Masonry Blockwork and Swelltite® view our Newsletter (1.14Mb).
Property Lines
PHOTO : Shotcrete and Underpinning with ease.
Whilst very few, if any, sheet membrane products lend themselves to ‘irregular’ property line application, Volclay Voltex® offers significant cost savings on steel sheet piling, auger cast retention systems, slurry walls, and in some cases even stable soil faces. Due to the geotextile containment system, Voltex® is extremely flexible and very strong, coupled with the ability for the bentonite to ‘self seal’ around fixing penetrations, allows application to surfaces which are otherwise prohibitive to adhesives. This excludes virtually all other sheet membranes, hot-mop systems, etc.). This would normally involve substantial preparation work, such as concrete reverse blinding, or sprayed concrete, etc.
For auger cast retention systems (secant piling / contiguous piling), it is merely necessary for the Voltex® to closely contour the pile profiles, using Ramset/Hilti ‘soft-washer’ system. For contiguous piling, it is recommended that the soil between the piles is cut back to at least one third of the pile diameter, to expose more of the concrete pile face and thus provide a ‘cleavage’ into which the fixings can be located, and also to prevent drying soil between the piles from dislodging, leaving undesirable voids behind. Steel sheet piling applications can be direct or indirect. The direct application is not dissimilar to auger cast retention systems, with the exception of the fasteners used. If however, the sheets need to be withdrawn after the walls have been cast, or direct application is undesirable for other reasons (excess Voltex® and/or concrete), Voltex® can be applied to a cheap, sacrificial shutter board, which bridges the piles, and via a ‘soft’ fastening system, allows the connection to shear, as the sheets are withdrawn.
Slurry walls, whilst similar to auger cast retention, are slightly more complex in terms of the finished surface, due to the large areas of exposed soil face during excavation, and particularly with loose non-cohesive soils, the likelihood of soil slippage giving rise to very sudden changes in profile (ridges and hollows) of the finished wall. Since Voltex® prefers gradual changes in profile, some preparation work (scabbling, mortar / bentonite filling of voids) is likely.
For auger cast retention systems (secant piling / contiguous piling), it is merely necessary for the Voltex® to closely contour the pile profiles, using Ramset/Hilti ‘soft-washer’ system. For contiguous piling, it is recommended that the soil between the piles is cut back to at least one third of the pile diameter, to expose more of the concrete pile face and thus provide a ‘cleavage’ into which the fixings can be located, and also to prevent drying soil between the piles from dislodging, leaving undesirable voids behind. Steel sheet piling applications can be direct or indirect. The direct application is not dissimilar to auger cast retention systems, with the exception of the fasteners used. If however, the sheets need to be withdrawn after the walls have been cast, or direct application is undesirable for other reasons (excess Voltex® and/or concrete), Voltex® can be applied to a cheap, sacrificial shutter board, which bridges the piles, and via a ‘soft’ fastening system, allows the connection to shear, as the sheets are withdrawn.
Slurry walls, whilst similar to auger cast retention, are slightly more complex in terms of the finished surface, due to the large areas of exposed soil face during excavation, and particularly with loose non-cohesive soils, the likelihood of soil slippage giving rise to very sudden changes in profile (ridges and hollows) of the finished wall. Since Voltex® prefers gradual changes in profile, some preparation work (scabbling, mortar / bentonite filling of voids) is likely.
Waterstop-Rx® 101
PHOTO : Core sample of a construction joint. Notice the Waterstop-Rx® has expanded and filled an area of bony concrete around the joint. Also the Waterstop-Rx® has penetrated deeply into a crack that has formed and thus sealed it off (circled).
Excluding water from structures almost always encourages the ‘belt and braces’ approach. Whilst much concrete is of high quality in terms of design and placement, areas most susceptible to water ingress are construction/cold pour joints, and penetration details.
Volclay Waterstop-Rx® 101 is a specially formulated bentonite/butyl rubber strip, which is included in all concrete joints. It has the unique ability of self-injecting into localized honey combining, coupled with the ability to conform to irregular profiles (e.g. Scabbled concrete). Therefore there is no requirement for cast-in rebates (which are detrimental to the formation of a monolithic joint), or the expense and workmanship rigours of traditional PVC waterbars, which can create problems of their own. Waterstop-Rx® 101 is also used around cast-in pipe penetrations, acting as a puddle flange and as a replacement for welded or bolt-on puddle flanges.
Waterstop-Rx® 101 offers a low cost opportunity to enhance the performance of an otherwise sound concrete structure, by sealing the areas of highest permeability, irrespective of the external Voltex® layer, and should therefore be considered as part of the concrete design.
Volclay Waterstop-Rx® 101 is a specially formulated bentonite/butyl rubber strip, which is included in all concrete joints. It has the unique ability of self-injecting into localized honey combining, coupled with the ability to conform to irregular profiles (e.g. Scabbled concrete). Therefore there is no requirement for cast-in rebates (which are detrimental to the formation of a monolithic joint), or the expense and workmanship rigours of traditional PVC waterbars, which can create problems of their own. Waterstop-Rx® 101 is also used around cast-in pipe penetrations, acting as a puddle flange and as a replacement for welded or bolt-on puddle flanges.
Waterstop-Rx® 101 offers a low cost opportunity to enhance the performance of an otherwise sound concrete structure, by sealing the areas of highest permeability, irrespective of the external Voltex® layer, and should therefore be considered as part of the concrete design.
