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If you own a condominium on the Florida coast, you are familiar with the challenges caused by the corrosive environment. Our coast has one of the most corrosive environments in the world and maintaining your investment under these extreme conditions takes time and money. Here are 5 tips that will prolong the life span of your building, saving you time and money. 1. Keep the Concrete Dry Concrete walkways and balconies are a bit like a sponge; soaking in water and chloride ions that cause the steel in the concrete to corrode. If the concrete stays dry, corrosion will be significantly reduced. Concrete balconies and walkways need a waterproof coating to stay dry. Water, that ponds on an acrylic coating, slowly seeps into the concrete and acrylic coatings do not bridge cracks in the concrete, allowing water and soluble to penetrate into the concrete. Urethane deck coatings are waterproofing coatings that will not allow ponding water to penetrate and have the elasticity to bridge hairline cracks, but they stain easily, so they don’t look good for long. There is a new hybrid coating system that has a true waterproofing urethane base and an attractive acrylic top coat that can be colored and textured to any look; like pavers or flagstone, and is easily cleaned and maintained. 2. Maintain Sealants Although sealants are a minor cost item, they constitute a major function in a building. Sealants waterproof between different building components, allowing thermal movement while maintaining water-tight integrity. As such, the maintenance of sealants is very important to keeping concrete and the inside of your unit dry. Check the caulk or sealant around your windows, sliding glass doors, sliding glass door track to the balcony, handrail anchors and covering screws and fastener heads. Sealants harden and loose elasticity with time from exposure to ultra-violet light. As the elasticity decreases, the sealant becomes less effective as a waterproofing sealant. Sealants are serviceable for about five to seven years. If you can separate the sealant from the substrate (i.e; aluminum frame) with your finger nail, the sealant has failed. Look for cracks in the sealant as an indication of embrittlement. If the sealant has become brittle or lost adhesion to the substrate, it should be removed, and the surface should be cleaned and resealed. 3. Clean Aluminum Surfaces We have inspected hundreds of condominiums on the Florida coast. Within the same condominium, with the same exposure, we have seen sliding glass door thresholds with holes through them from oxidation and then we come across one that is in pristine condition. When the owner of the unit with the “like new” threshold was asked about why his aluminum doors, windows and rails were in such good condition compared to his neighbors, he said he washed and rinsed them every month. What an incredible difference it made between his handrails, doors and windows and the ones in the Unit right next to his. Simply wiping the surfaces of with a clean wet rag removes the chloride and dirt build-up and reduces the chemical deterioration of the protective coatings. For those ordering new aluminum products, look for a 3 coat fluoropolymer finish, consisting of a corrosion inhibiting primer, with a 70% Kynar color coat and a clear Kynar 500 top coat meeting AAMA 2605 specifications. Without proper pretreatment, none of the leading coating manufacturers will provide any warranty on coastline projects. With chrome pretreatment, 20 year warranties are available. 4. Exercise Mechanical Equipment We visited one Florida coast condominium that had no way to exercise the stair pressurization vent and fan. As a result, they had oxidized within the joints and wouldn’t operate. A little WD 40 and cleaning got them going again. Emergency equipment, like generators, ventilation fans and louvered vents need to be exercised monthly or it won’t perform when you need it the most. The seals dry up from lack of lubrication and metal-to-metal parts seize from corrosion. Set the month of April to perform annual service the emergency generator and clean and lubricate all components of the stair pressurization system. April is early enough to order any parts required and have them installed before hurricane season. 5. Clean the Roof I have never been on a roof of a Florida coast condominium where I didn’t find a cut metal scrap left by an AC vendor that, if stepped on, wouldn’t puncture the membrane. Go clean up the screws and metal scraps on your roof. After the AC vendor installs a new condenser on the roof, go up and check that he cleaned up before you sign his work order. Tell them you are going to deduct $4.00 for every piece of scrap metal or screw that you find after they have told you that they have cleaned up, then give your maintenance man $4.00 for every piece of scrap metal or screw that he brings you. Keep the roof access hatch or door locked so no one can get on the roof without your knowledge. Make them sign in and sign out. Require them to have your signature on their work order to close it out for payment and make sure they clean up. Robert A. Fitzpatrick, P.E. is a professional engineer registered in the State of Florida with 30 years of engineering and construction experience. He is past President of the Florida Chapter of the International Concrete Repair Institute and the Society of American Military Engineers. You can learn more about United Engineering’s services, qualifications and project history at UnitedEngineeringConsultants.com .
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