Basement Tanking

Platon Cavity Drain membranes “System Platon” are made of high-density studded polyethylene sheets (HDPE) and Polypropolene (PP), which are impervious to water and are vapour proof. When placed against structures the studs form permanent cavities between the structure and the internal shell. They can be used internally or externally to drain and control water and damp ingress.

“System Platon” is not a tanking system. The term “tanking” originates from the industrial process of lining structures with a waterproof material, which were applied either externally (on the positive side) or internally (on the negative side).

Tanking materials such as multi-coat renders, cementitious waterproofing slurries, asphalts and liquid applied bitumen coatings, rely on either a mechanical or chemical bond directly on to the substrate and work by holding water back. The majority of these are vapour permeable.

Walls in the majority of circumstances are not engineered to withstand the bending stresses applied when a negative pressure barrier tanking system is used to hold back water pressure. Brick is very strong in compression but weak in tension.

Traditionally in the United Kingdom cementitious tanking systems are applied to below ground structures, but if the structure is subjected to hydrostatic water pressure, the resulting bending stresses are often far too great for the barrier system to cope with and therefore de-bonding or cracking, resulting in failure, will occur.

The installation of Platon membrane doesn’t change the status quo and therefore Platon Cavity membranes are ideally the most suitable and economical method of providing an effective and long lasting waterproofing system that is also sympathetic towards building structures. For those seeking maximum assurance ‘System Platon’ is considered to be the most trouble free.