When It Must Be Waterproof

Successfully Tested Against a 36" Head of Water for 72 Hours

ProSet is constantly being asked by General Contractors, Developers and Architects to provide waterproof pipe penetrations.  Because of the massive use of sprinklers, it appears that the water proofing of floor and wall penetrations has become as important as firestopping. 

Besides the direct water damage, concealed water leakage in walls and drop ceilings is conducive to mold.  Virtually everyone is aware of the mold claims that are causing insurance coverage to be prohibitively expensive or not available at all.  This is a very serious problem for the building industry.

We have tested different types of penetrations and explored the reasons why apparently waterproof penetrations still leak. Our findings, and the innovations we have developed in response, are provided below.

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Alternatives for Water Protection

ProSet provides penetrations with multiple levels of water resistance and waterproofing.

The regular ProSet sleeves that have been used for years can be made water tight.  However, many people find it difficult to install the penetration joint so that it is waterproof.  Human caulking error during installation can lead to leakage through the inside of the sleeve.

The other issue with the waterproofing of penetrations is associated with the expansion and contraction of rigid plastic water stops and the concrete that surrounds them. The sleeve will expand and contract, depending on the temperature at the time of the pour and the internal temperature of the uncured concrete.  The concrete will always contract during the curing process. The combination of these forces can cause cracking around the water stop and the concrete. This leads to leakage on the outside of the sleeve through the concrete floor.

We have performed waterproof testing on many types of penetrations and none (prior to the ProSet Water Guard) were 100% waterproof.  Surprisingly, testing on schedule 40 steel sleeves, specified by most engineers, showed greater leakage than any other type of penetration.

Water Guard "C" Protection

ProSet’s Water Guard C will provide a very high level of water resistance. The Extension Coupling  will allow additional sleeving to be solvent cemented to the “C” Coupling so that it extends above any expected emergency water levels. This eliminates the most common human error: not properly caulking the pipe joint passing through the sleeve. The photograph opposite shows a Water Guard "C" Penetration with the sleeve extension cemented into the sleeve coupling and the pass-through pipe in place.

Testing shows that approximately 85% of Water Guard “C” penetrations will not leak, while the remainder will only leak minimally.

Water Guard "CR" Protection

ProSet has developed the new Water Guard “CR” penetration, which has been successfully water tested with a 36” head of water for 72 hours with no leaks.

In addition to the sleeve extension, the Water Guard “CR” has a large, flexible Elastomeric water stop ring around the middle of the sleeve that adjusts to the expansion and contraction of the sleeve and the contraction of the concrete. This prevents the cracking that can occur with a rigid water stop.

ProSet’s new Water Guard complies with OSHA requirements for concrete protective plug caps that resist over two hundred pounds pressure and will provide a safe floor for tradesmen.

Above are two Water Guard Penetrations cast in concrete. The penetration on the left is for cast iron pipe and the one on the right is for copper pressure pipe. In both cases, the sleeve extension is 3 inches (shown above the finished floor).

Depending on the anticipated height of anticipated emergency water levels, this extension height could be increased or decreased. The top of the extension coupling can be seen flush with the concrete floor.

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