Waterproofing Lift Pits & Elevator Pits

Cook Group are specialists in waterproofing all types of lift pits using MC Building Chemicals products. It doesn't matter if they are concrete, brick, concrete blocks, 50 years old or 5 weeks old we have tried and tested proven solutions for them all.

Using specialist MC Hydrastructure resins and cement based technology we are able to carry out waterproofing works to form a seal to and around the pit, this prevents further water ingression. This type of technology is used extensively in the tunneling industry.

These specialist repairs are carried out without any major disruption or dismantling of the lift mechanism. Ultimately this means less inconvenience and down time to the client.

Depending on the type of construction water can enter a lift pit though several ways

If the lift pit is constructed from concrete (i.e. poured concrete walls in shuttering) there will more than likely be a construction or 'kicker joint' as it is more commonly known. Water can enter through this weak point. If there are any other cracks or imperfections in the concrete walls or base, water will enter through these weak points also.

This shows a classic example of a failed Kicker joint.

This particular lift pit has had the usual 'solution' fitted. A  sump pump installed.

 Another form of lift pit construction is a traditional brick or concrete block built pit where the wall acts as the earth retaining structure. Unsurprisingly ground water will enter through any weak points in the brick or blockwork, particularly the wall / floor joint

 This is a classic example of a 'leaking' brick built lift pit

 A very common method of construction on newer buildings is to have the lift pit formed from mass poured concrete (usually as part of the foundations etc ) and to have a concrete block or brick inner face built. If water enters through this kind of construction the actual point of water ingress is hidden, historically this has proven very difficult to seal, for Cook Group however we simply use a different product and style of injection. The end result is the same - A Dry Lift Pit!

 This is a lift pit with a concrete block inner skin during construction

This is a completed lift pit of the same construction as the picture of the liftpit under construction shows, note the substantial water ingress and more importantly the failed attempt by 'insignificant others' to stop the water ingress by painting a cement based slurry coat onto the blockwork. This cheap 'solution' may have masked the problem short term but has done nothing to treat the actual cause of the problem.

BS EN81 states that lift pits should be fully waterproof once the mechanisms are fitted!

So if you have a problem with your annual insurance assessment flagging up water in the lift pit, leaking Kicker Joints, construction joints, expansion joints or cracks in concrete that need sealing and repairing we have the latest technology that will solve them all.

To sum up, if you have ground water ingressing into a lift pit (or any below ground structure for that matter), Cook Group have a solution it's as simple as that! 

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