If you have ever been to Olympia Washington, you have probably seen the Heritage Park Fountains located in the heart of downtown Olympia. These beautiful fountains serve as the main attraction here, and are open for the public to splash and play in on hot summer days.
These beautiful fountains, however, were closed from May 7th to June 14th, because of a leak. The fountain was using about six times as much water as usual, and repair crews discovered a tear in the external membrane used to waterproof the concrete moat that feeds the jets of water.
The fountain was repaired and reopened, and although it leaked less, water consumption kept going up. The city has since closed the fountain for a second time, and hope that further repairs will have the fountain up and running by the end of September.
It’s becoming clear to many leaders involved in the construction industry that waterproofing concrete from the inside out is the best choice. Had the fountain been waterproofed with Krystol Internal Membrane (Kryton’s Crystalline Admixture – also known as KIM), the fountain would not have leaked in the first place. Membranes are often inaccessible for repair work, but KIM-treated concrete contains chemicals that lie dormant within the concrete structure. If a concrete crack forms, the influx of water causes more crystals to grow, blocking the passage against water and
water-borne contaminants.
Avoid costly application mistakes. Even the simplest membrane systems require some level of skilled application and even the most dedicated tradesperson can make mistakes when it comes to applying them. KIM is not subject to stringent workmanship requirements and in fact, requires no additional application labor at all.
