Causes of water leakage in concrete, preventive measures and post construction measures of it:
Pre-construction and during construction phase:
Possible causes /
Sl no.
sources of leakage
1. Construction material:
1) Coarse aggregate
a) poor gradation
b) improper maximum size
c) presence of foreign material
(dust, dirt, paper, plastic
etc.)
2) Fine aggregate
a) improper FM
b) presence of foreign material
(salt, dust, dirt etc.)
3) Cement
a) Use of improper type and
grade
4) Water
a) containing organic materials
b) containing salinity
5) Admixture (if used)
a) use of improper type
b) improper dosing
c) expiring validity
6) Reinforcing bar
a) rusty
b) foreign material layer
(shutter oil/ cement mortar)
over reinforcement
2. Mix ratio
3. 1) Water-cement ratio and moisture
content of aggregates
2) Slump value (very low/ very high)
4. Pumping concrete:
1) high slump
2) segregation
3) bleeding
Remedial measure Comments
 Use well graded coarse aggregate (ensure by
sieve analysis for each lot), free of foreign particles
(do screening and washing if necessary).
 Use fine aggregate ensuring minimum FM (by
sieve analysis for each lot) mentioned in mix
design. Ensure clean FA by washing before use in
concrete mix.
 Use cement of correct type and strength grade as
mentioned in mix design.
 Water source shall be free from salinity/organic
materials. In no case saline water shall be used for
concrete mixing.
 Proper type of admixture (plasticizer / retarder /
water reducer etc.) shall be used as per instruction
of mix design and location of application.
Experienced and qualified engineer must be
engaged for selection of admixture including
necessary dozing. No change of dozing and type
of admixture (including brand) is allowed without
permission of concerned engineer. Validity expired
admixtures shall not be used in any case/quantity.
 All reinforcing bar used in RCC must be free of
rust before concrete casting. Remove rust by
metal brush/sand paper and apply rust inhibitor (if
necessary) before casting. Reinforcement shall be
properly cleaned before casting if any layer of
foreign material previously existed over it.
 Follow the mix ratio as mentioned in mix design.
No deviation is allowed in mix ratio. For site mix
make sure the quantity of aggregates are
measured by using measuring bucket.
 Water must be used by exact quantity as
mentioned in mix design based on w/c ratio.
 No additional water should be used in concrete
mix (during mixing / during casting) to increase
workability.
 Aggregates used for concrete mix must be
moistened to SSD condition before use in mixing).
 The slump shall be checked frequently to ensure
proper placement of concrete. Follow allowable
slump limit (min. and max.) as instructed by mix
design and design engineer.
 If higher slump is desired for workability then
apply plasticizer / water reducing admixture (as
applicable) with proper dozing (as per
manufacturer’s guideline and instruction of
qualified engineer).
 For pumping concrete, selection of pump pressure
is associated with friction of pipes (pipe material,
height to rise & distance to travel for concrete to
be placed). Capacity of pump to exert necessary
pressure must be fairly higher than required by
 Possible causes /
Sl no.
sources of leakage
5. Workmanship quality
1) poor mixing of concrete
2) poor formwork
3) insufficient clear cover
4) improper compaction of concrete
5) improper curing
6) failure of plumbing
6. Crack on concrete because of
exposure to extreme weather
Remedial measure Comments
theoretical calculation.
 Slump is important for smooth travel of great
distance/height by concrete. But higher slump
needs higher w/c ratio that will reduce concrete
strength, may cause bleeding of concrete etc. So
it is important to use proper admixture for
achieving necessary high slump (workability)
without sacrificing concrete strength.
 Pumping concrete necessarily needs higher
quantity of cement than that of concrete placed by
bucket to avoid chance of segregation and
bleeding. So, keep the consideration of pumping
concrete in mind during mix design for a certain
concrete grade.
 Avoid pouring of concrete from a great height to
avoid chance of segregation.
 In no case mix proportion of materials (as
provided by mix design) must be changed during
mixing of concrete (excess amount of water and
fine aggregate is detrimental to concrete strength).
 In case of using mixer machine, uniform mixing
shall be ensured by visual inspection.
 Concrete shall not be used
(placement/compaction) after initial setting time.
Use admixture (retarder) to ensure suitable setting
time based on duration between concrete mixing
and placement as per necessity of construction
site.
 Formwork shall be such that no water leakage is
present. Use jute tape/rubber strip between joints
of steel forms to avoid leakage.
 No polythene sheet shall be used with formwork.
Polythene sheet must be avoided with formwork
as it often causes separator effect in concrete
mass during casting due to poor workmanship.
 Proper clear cover shall be maintained for RCC
members to avoid cracking in concrete and rusting
of reinforcement.
 Mechanical compactor must be used for concrete
compaction while manual rodding should be
avoided to ensure proper compaction. Proper use
of vibrator is really necessary for good result in
terms of compaction.
 Lack of curing may cause cracks in concrete
resulting leakage finally. That’s why curing must
be started immediately after hardening of
concrete. Make sure that moisture is available in
concrete for prescribed duration of time after
casting by means of proper curing methodology.
 Leakage of plumbing joints, breakage of pipes,
blockage in pipes etc. may result dampness in
concrete later on. So, good quality graded pipes,
water tight jointing, proper plumbing layout must
be ensured to avoid this sort of hazard.
 Especially the roof slabs are exposed to direct
sunlight during hot summer and continuous rainfall
 Possible causes /
Sl no. Remedial measure Comments
sources of leakage
condition for days during monsoon. Enormous heat may
initiate cracks on exposed concrete surface and
rainfall may cause penetration of moisture through
those cracks. In addition, moisture may penetrate
through pores of concrete by capillary action may
cause soaking and dampness. Use of fiber
mesh/micro fiber reinforcement in roof slab
concrete may essentially be helpful to avoid
cracking in concrete surface.
 Application of additional layer of microfiber
reinforced concrete over original concrete roof
slab may also give similar result to avoid cracking
and dampness.
7. Cold joints  Apply chemical bonding agent and shear key at
potentially leak prone joints of concrete members.
8. Presence of honeycomb  In case of presence of severe honeycomb or
honeycomb located at structurally important
members (like column, structural RCC wall, beam
etc.) concrete must be broken and recast to avoid
structural weakness.
 If honeycomb is less severe structurally then non
shrink grout / proper chemical agent may be
applied over the concrete surface as per
instruction of structural design engineer.