NEWTON TECHNICAL ARTICLE

Creating a Barrier
Against Both Gas
and Water

Designing a Structure
for Compliance
and Protection
 NEWTON TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Creating a Barrier to Gas and Water
Designing for Both Compliance and Protection
ARTICLE - PROTECTING AGAINST GAS AND WATER

Contents
1. Introduction 3
2. The Principles of Waterproofing 4
2.1.
2.1. How Does Waterproofing Best Practice Approach Gas Proofing? 4
4
3. Protecting Against Radon 5
4. Protecting Against Methane & Carbon Dioxide 6
4.1.
4.1. Assessing the Gas Capabilities of a Waterproofing Design 6
6
5. Utilising Waterproofing Products for Gas Proofing 8
5.1.
5.1. Designing for Defects 9
5.2.
5.2. Issues of Ventilation 9
6. The ‘Positive Air Curtain’ Solution 10
7. Summary 11
8. References 12
Page 2 of 13

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 Creating a Barrier to Gas and Water
Designing for Both Compliance and Protection

1. Introduction
When it comes to the challenge of waterproofing and gas proofing a below-ground structure, how do modern
waterproofing products perform as an effective gas protection offering?

The answer to this question depends on several aspects, including the types of ground gases or contaminants
that are present, as well as the contamination levels that are outlined in the site report that should be performed
on any such project.
ARTICLE - PROTECTING AGAINST GAS AND WATER

Saying this however, ground gas and contamination is an expansive subject and can be quite different to the
waterproofing industry.

For instance, waterproofing designers tend to form a barrier against the water and then depressurise any
water that still enters the structure. That is, we try to stop the water using Type A and/or Type B waterproofing
products, and then, expecting defects, we manage the possibility of any remaining water ingress by
depressurising it with a Type C cavity drain membrane system internally.

In contrast, the gas proofing industry tends to base its solutions on the identified circumstances at ground level
(not below ground). The standard practice is therefore to depressurise the gasses first, then install a barrier to
the gasses internally.

Whilst this is fine above ground, with below-ground scenarios, the normal external ventilation techniques that
are used within gas proofing designs will not work. This is because we have to assume that the structure will be
subject to a full head of hydrostatic pressure at some point in its life, which would result in the ventilation system
being filled with groundwater.

Unfortunately, this is only one example of where the industry standards for gas protection, such as BR 211-
2015 and BS 8485:2015, do not correlate very well with the industry standard for UK waterproofing BS
8102:2009. They do, however, contain some useful information that we can base our recommendations on.

Page 3 of 13

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 Creating a Barrier to Gas and Water
Designing for Both Compliance and Protection

2. The Principles of Waterproofing

British Standard 8102:2009 is the ‘Code of practice for protection of below ground structures against
water from the ground’, and it defines three “Grades” of waterproofing depending on the desired internal
environment:

• Grade 1 - Car parking/plant rooms - where some seepage and damp areas are tolerable dependent upon
intended use.
ARTICLE - PROTECTING AGAINST GAS AND WATER

• Grade 2 - Plantrooms and workshops requiring a drier environment than Grade 1 (this includes storage
areas) - No water penetration acceptable. Damp areas tolerable. Ventilation may be required.
• Grade 3 - Ventilated residential and commercial areas - No water penetration acceptable. Ventilation,
dehumidification or air conditioning necessary appropriate to the intended use.

The British Standard also outlines three “Types” of waterproofing system that can be used, either standalone or
in combination, in order to achieve these Grades:

• Type A (barrier protection)

• Type B (structurally integral protection)
• Type C (drained protection)

Consideration should be given to combining these Types of waterproofing in any scenario where the assessed
risks are deemed too high, or where the consequences of failure are unacceptable.

As a result, we most commonly try to keep the water out using Type A and/or Type B systems, and where the
consequences of failure are unacceptable, such as when a Grade 3 environment is required, we alleviate the
risk of any water ingress whatsoever by also using an internal Type C system.

The reason we combine products like this is down to the fact that, as waterproofing designers, we must
think ahead and anticipate potential defects and failures in the structure or the waterproofing – another
recommendation of Section 4.3.2 of the British Standard.

2.1. How Does Waterproofing Best Practice Approach Gas Proofing?

When it comes to considering protection against both water and gas, the first paragraph of Section 4 of
the British Standard states that:

“it is essential for the success of any project involving below ground structures that strategies for
dealing with groundwater, soil gases and contaminants are considered.”

Consideration of gasses and contaminants should be considered at the earliest stages of a

waterproofing design.

Consequently, where required, Newton will always recommend waterproofing products that possess
the required level of third-party tested gas resistance. In turn, these systems may also be verified by an
independent specialist depending on the gasses that are present.
Page 4 of 13

From a waterproofing perspective, the safest designs will always seek to combine two or more forms
of waterproofing, with one of those forms always being a Type C cavity drain membrane system,
supported by the Type A and Type B products.

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 Creating a Barrier to Gas and Water
Designing for Both Compliance and Protection

Furthermore, the structure itself can also be considered as the primary barrier to water and gas - most
insurers will support a specification that includes a reinforced concrete structure designed to BS EN
1992 - Part 3 as a form of Type B waterproofing, provided that it minimises through-section crack
widths to 0.2 mm, and that also uses Type C as an internal system for extra protection.

When designing a combined waterproofing and gas proofing system then, the important next step is to
be able to accurately assess the level of gas protection that each element of your design provides.
ARTICLE - PROTECTING AGAINST GAS AND WATER

3. Protecting Against Radon

The most important document to consider for radon protection is the BR 211 “Radon: Guidance on protective
measures for new buildings”.

In previous editions, BR 211 stated that if a basement structure was “tanked” with a product of equal
performance to a 1200-gauge DPM then it would provide sufficient protection against radon. As a result,
Newton even has third-party test results for Radon resistance on some of our external waterproofing
membranes.

However, in Section 6.12 of the most recent 2015 edition, BR 211 now recognises that:

“Below-ground waterproofing and radon management are specialist activities that can conflict. It is
recommended that dual protection systems are designed and installed by specialists who are suitably
qualified in both waterproofing and radon management.”

The standard also makes two important points regarding Type C cavity drain systems, namely:

1. That cavity drain systems used in scenarios requiring radon management will need to be completely sealed:

“using [cavity drain membrane systems] to line the internal surfaces of a basement could cause the gas to
be simply displaced up the cavity into the ground floor accommodation. It is therefore important to ensure
that the basement wall membrane fully closes the cavity at its head where it meets the radon barrier within
the ground floor or external cavity wall above ground.”

2. And furthermore, that such Type C systems can also provide the opportunity to create ventilation:

“The cavity behind the membrane could be used later as part of a subfloor depressurisation system.”

With point two in mind, Newton have had our cavity drain membranes third-party tested for radon resistance,
and we developed the patented Newton PAC-500 system for high-risk radon sites (discussed in Section 6). By
partnering with gas protection specialists Prestige Air, the PAC-500 system combines Type C waterproofing with
a pressurised, positive air curtain (PAC) ventilation system that successfully controls both water and gas within
any below-ground or earth-retaining structure, whether it is new or existing, domestic or commercial.
Page 5 of 13

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Newton House, 17-20 Sovereign Way, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 1RH
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 Creating a Barrier to Gas and Water
Designing for Both Compliance and Protection

4. Protecting Against Methane & Carbon Dioxide

British Standard 8485:2015 is the “Code of practice for the design of protective measures for methane and
carbon dioxide ground gases for new buildings”, and when it comes to considering basement structures, in
Section A4 it states:

“In general terms, a basement constructed of dense, cast in situ concrete appropriately designed to BS EN
1992 to provide integral waterproof protection normally represents the most impermeable of structural
ARTICLE - PROTECTING AGAINST GAS AND WATER

forms. Combining this with a waterproof membrane to create a fully tanked basement provides the best
basement solution for preventing the ingress of ground gases.”

As with the previous editions of BR 211 we can see that “tanking” is also being used here as a rather catch-all
term for waterproofing. In this case however, the word is intended to indicate what we would call an external or
internal Type A waterproofing membrane.

However, as waterproofing designers, we must consider the gas protection capabilities of our entire design,
including all three Types of waterproofing and the structure itself.

4.1. Assessing the Gas Capabilities of a Waterproofing Design

British Standard 8485:2015 provides us with all the tools we need in order to accurately assess the
gas capabilities of our
waterproofing designs,
provided that we know
the Characteristic
Situation (CS) value of
our site.

The CS value is a score

that ranges from CS1
(very low risk) to CS6
(such high risk that
some sites cannot be
built on) and will be
established during your
site investigation. Once
you have this value,
you can then start using
Tables 3 and 4 of BS
8485:

1. Table 3 (right)
outlines four
different building
types with the
identifiers A, B C
and D. Once we
have categorised
Page 6 of 13

our structure into

one of these types,
we can move on to
Table 4.

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 Creating a Barrier to Gas and Water
Designing for Both Compliance and Protection

2. Table 4 (below) cross-references the CS value of the structure with the building type that was
established in Table 3, in order to calculate the minimum gas protection score that must be achieved
by both the structure and its protective measures.
ARTICLE - PROTECTING AGAINST GAS AND WATER

Now that the required gas protection score has been established, we can use Tables 5 (below) and 7
of BS 8485 to determine whether our structural design in combination with our waterproofing design is
able to meet this minimum score or not.

As you can see in Table 5, any structural waterproofing design which meets the criteria for a
Grade 3 basement will achieve 2.5 points. In our opinion, and in the opinion of many professional
waterproofing design specialists (either CSSW and/or WDS qualified) this is only achievable if a Type
C cavity drain membrane system is included as part of the design.

However, with the title of Table 5 being “Gas protection Scores for a Structural Barrier”, the suggestion
Page 7 of 13

is that a Grade 3 basement is achievable with just the concrete structure. It is also assumed that the
difference between a Grade 2 and a Grade 3 structural barrier is the width of any structural cracks,
therefore it is essential that the concrete is designed to Part 1 or Part 3 of British Standard EN 1992.

© Newton Waterproofing Systems

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Newton House, 17-20 Sovereign Way, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 1RH
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 Creating a Barrier to Gas and Water
Designing for Both Compliance and Protection

Using this logic, if it is agreed that a concrete structure designed to 0.2 mm crack widths can achieve
a Grade 3 internal environment, then our design can achieve 2 gas protection points from Table 5 just
by using the third-party certified Newton 315 Polymer Waterbar in the construction joints of a concrete
structure. We could also upgrade this design to achieve 2.5 points by using the Newton HydroTank
System, which uses injectable waterbars, to protect an engineer-designed 0.2 mm crack width structure.

Another alternative to achieve 2.5 points from Table 5 with just our concrete would be to use the third-
party certified Newton RASCOtank System, an engineered waterproofing approach which guarantees
ARTICLE - PROTECTING AGAINST GAS AND WATER

that the concrete acts as both the structure and the waterproofing.

Finally, once the gas protection score of the structure has been determined, Table 7 of BS 8485 (below)
can be used to give us an additional 2 points through the use of a gas-resistant membrane that meets
all of the necessary criteria.

5. Utilising Waterproofing Products for Gas Proofing

There are several products within the Newton range that have undergone the necessary testing and meet the
necessary standards for use as protection against gas in below-ground scenarios. However, as we will go on to
explain, with gas proofing as in waterproofing, the most effective designs combine multiple forms of protection,
and always include a Type C cavity drain membrane system.

To begin with, the third-party certified Newton 403 HydroBond-GB (gas barrier) meets with Section C2
‘Available Membranes’ of British Standard 8485, and exceeds the performance levels of the 0.4 mm polythene
sheet which is recommended by the standard for above-ground scenarios (not suitable for below-ground use).
Page 8 of 13

The membrane has also been tested in accordance with the manometric vapour pressure testing method, as
required in Section 7.2.4 of British Standard ISO 15015-1, and far exceeds the required methane permeability
figure for the membrane.

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(a trading name of John Newton & Co. Ltd.)
Newton House, 17-20 Sovereign Way, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 1RH
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 Creating a Barrier to Gas and Water
Designing for Both Compliance and Protection

Newton 403 HydroBond-GB is also currently undergoing a more advanced lap test for methane, and the data
section of the 3rd party certificate is currently pending with regards to specific results. In the meantime, we have
a letter of comfort from Kiwa which confirms the current gas resistance test figures both through the body of the
membrane and at the joints. This letter has been sufficient proof of performance on recent projects with high
‘Characteristic Situation’ values, in order for the product to be accepted by the projects’ verification specialists.

5.1. Designing for Defects

ARTICLE - PROTECTING AGAINST GAS AND WATER

In waterproofing, the legal precedent set by the ‘Outwing vs Weatherald’ high court case states that:

“overlapping self-adhesive membranes cannot be expected to achieve a total or absolute watertight

bond capable of resisting penetration by water pressure.”

Therefore, regardless of a products’ laboratory testing, we must still expect defects in such membranes
and ensure that our waterproofing design accounts for this. It is for this reason that best practice in the
waterproofing industry is to combine systems, and the safest designs emphasise the importance of both
a correctly designed reinforced concrete structure and an internal Type C waterproofing system.

In contrast, based on the gas protection standards that we have discussed so far, in theory we
could employ only Type A and Type B waterproofing products, such as 403 Hydrobond-GB and the
RASCOtank System, in order to achieve 4.5 gas protection points (as per Table 5 of BS 8485). This is
theoretically sufficient to provide the required level of gas protection to residential projects with a CS3
rating, or commercial projects with a CS4 rating (as per Table 4 of BS 8485).

However, in a below-ground scenario at risk from both water and gas, we must consider that there
is a risk that this design will leak. And if a below-ground structure is capable of leaking water, then it
is definitely capable of leaking gas, either in a period of dry ground conditions or by transmission of
water soluble gasses which then evaporate once inside the building.

Therefore, as with waterproofing best practice, for the best levels of protection we recommend that a
Type C cavity drain membrane system is included, which is actually safer and better than the solutions
currently allowed by the gas protection standards.

5.2. Issues of Ventilation

Table 6 of British Standard 8485 outlines how additional gas protection points can be achieved by
using various forms of external ventilation. However, this clashes with below-ground waterproofing best-
practice, where we design to account for a full head of groundwater pressure coming to bear against
the structure at some point in its design life.

Such a scenario would mean that ventilation that is external to the structure will fill with water, and yet
despite this obvious discrepancy, it is still theoretically possible for a below-ground concrete car park
with just a RASCOtank Type B waterproofing system installed to achieve 6.5 gas protection points
(according to Table 5 and Part (e) of Table 6, as shown on the following page).

Although a car park would generally only be expected to attain either a Grade 1 or Grade 2
internal environment as per BS 8102:2009, in areas where a Grade 3 environment is expected the
Page 9 of 13

waterproofing strategy will likely include both Type B and the failsafe Type C waterproofing system.
However, such a design should not be used to gain more gas protection points by being technically
consistent with the recommendations of BS 8485, as in reality all other ventilation techniques (other than
Part (e) of Table 6) are subfloor and would be subject to flooding.

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Newton House, 17-20 Sovereign Way, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 1RH
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 Creating a Barrier to Gas and Water
Designing for Both Compliance and Protection
ARTICLE - PROTECTING AGAINST GAS AND WATER

In waterproofing terms, Newton would always specify a Type C system where the consequences
of failure are unacceptable, and in our opinion the gas protection points available for a Grade 3
basement in Table 5 of BS 8485 definitely should not be attributed without the use of a Type C system.

Despite this, in Section A4 of BS 8485 it specifically states that:

“Basements using Type C protection (i.e. drained cavities) might pose an unacceptably high risk on
sites affected by ground gas. Infiltrating water might contain dissolved gas and/or contain organic
compounds that can degrade to form methane and/or carbon dioxide.”

This is despite the fact that Type C systems are the most failsafe waterproofing method, and without one
a below-ground structure would be vulnerable to the exact same risks from dissolved gas as a result of
water penetrating through potential defects in the Type A and Type B systems.

6. The ‘Positive Air Curtain’ Solution

Despite the potentially problematic statements within BS 8485:2015, generally speaking one would not
normally specify a single form of waterproofing, especially in instances where there is both water and gas
present.

For a Type C system to form an effective gas barrier, it would need all of the laps to be sealed and the
condensation strip removed, which would also place much greater importance on the internal dehumidification
and ventilation systems.

A third-party tested Type C membrane would also be required, such as Newton 508R, which has been tested
for methane, carbon dioxide and radon resistance.

Where the highest level of protection is required, the Newton Type C System can be upgraded into a Newton
PAC-500 positive air curtain system.
Page 10 of 13

The Newton PAC-500 System is a patented, serviceable and high-performance solution that combines both
Type C basement waterproofing and ground gas mitigation, and which can be accepted by the design team to
achieve further gas protection points from Table 6 of British Standard 8485.

© Newton Waterproofing Systems

(a trading name of John Newton & Co. Ltd.)
Newton House, 17-20 Sovereign Way, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 1RH
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 Creating a Barrier to Gas and Water
Designing for Both Compliance and Protection

Newton works directly with gas protection specialist

Prestige Air Technology to install a positive air pressure
delivery system behind the Type C membranes, which are
fully sealed and undergo comprehensive integrity testing
before the entire installation can be passed as fit for
purpose.

As a result of this innovative solution, Prestige Air have

ARTICLE - PROTECTING AGAINST GAS AND WATER

successfully attributed 2.5 gas protection points to these

installations from Part (d) of Table 6 on numerous projects
to date, in recognition of the exceptional performance of
the PAC-500 system. This is despite the fact that the table
itself states that such systems are for below the basement
slab.

7. Summary
Overall, one of the main conclusions that can be
taken from this report is that the British Standard
recommendations and requirements for gas protection
and waterproofing (as outlined by BS 8485:2015 and
BS 8102:2009) must be viewed and considered in
combination.

Whilst the requirements of BS 8485 are perfectly designed for above-ground scenarios, there are ways in
which these recommendations fall short when viewed from the context of trying to protect a below-ground
structure (that is subject to a full head of hydrostatic pressure) against both gas and water ingress.

Despite this, for those wishing to protect their below-ground structure, there still remains multiple options by
which they can achieve the required level of protection, in accordance with both the gas protection scores of
BS 8485 and the Grades of internal environment defined by BS 8102 – whether they plan on using external,
gas-tested membranes, a correctly designed concrete structure, an internal PAC-500 positive air curtain, or a
combination of these methods.

Regardless of the chosen method however, it is an absolute necessity that the installation is verified by an
independent gas specialist, as outlined by CIRIA 735, ‘Good practice on the testing and verification of
protection systems for buildings against hazardous ground gases’.

Fortunately, the gas specialist who wrote the site report is often able to undertake this role as well, and Newton
can also supply a list of verification companies from the British Verification Council who can fulfil this important
responsibility.

Finally, as well as all of the gas considerations that have been discussed in this paper, it is important not to
forget potential contaminants in the ground such as VOCs (volatile organic compounds).

With this in mind, Newton has a third-party testing letter that outlines the suitability of Newton 403 HydroBond-
Page 11 of 13

GB for resistance to VOCs. And whilst we have not specifically undertaken submersion and vapour testing for
the chemicals outlined in the CIRIA 748 document, ‘Guidance on the use of plastic membranes as VOC vapour
barriers’, the solutions that have been outlined and discussed in this paper are still suitable.

© Newton Waterproofing Systems

(a trading name of John Newton & Co. Ltd.)
Newton House, 17-20 Sovereign Way, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 1RH
T: +44 (0)1732 360 095 W: www.newtonwaterproofing.co.uk E: tech@newtonwaterproofing.co.uk
 Creating a Barrier to Gas and Water
Designing for Both Compliance and Protection

8. References
• British Standards Institution. (2009). BS 8102:2009 Code of practice for protection of below ground
structures against water from the ground. Available: https://shop.bsigroup.com/ProductDetail?p
id=000000000030168198. Last accessed 15th April 2020.

• British Standards Institution. (2019). BS 8485:2015+A1:2019 Code of practice for the design of protective
measures for methane and carbon dioxide ground gases for new buildings. Available: https://shop.
ARTICLE - PROTECTING AGAINST GAS AND WATER

bsigroup.com/ProductDetail?pid=000000000030377237. Last accessed 15th April 2020.

• BRE Bookshop. (2015). BR 211-2015 Radon: Guidance on protective measures for new buildings.
Available: https://www.brebookshop.com/details.jsp?id=327585. Last accessed 15th April 2020.

• British Standards Institution. (2014). BS EN 1992-1-1:2004+A1:2014 Eurocode 2: Design of concrete

structures. General rules and rules for buildings. Available: https://shop.bsigroup.com/ProductDetail/?p
id=000000000030286962. Last accessed 15th April 2020.

• British Standards Institution. (2011). BS EN ISO 15015:2011 Plastics. Extruded sheets of impact-modified
acrylonitrile-styrene copolymers (ABS, AEPDS and ASA). Requirements and test methods. Available:
https://shop.bsigroup.com/ProductDetail?pid=000000000030219099. Last accessed 15th April 2020.

• Construction Industry Research and Information Association. (2014). CIRIA C735 Good practice on the
testing and verification of protection systems for buildings against hazardous ground gases. Available:
https://www.ciria.org/ItemDetail?iProductcode=C735&Category=BOOK. Last accessed 15th April 2020.

• Construction Industry Research and Information Association. (2014). CIRIA C748 Guidance on the use of
plastic membranes as VOC vapour barriers. Available: https://www.ciria.org/ItemDetail?iProductCode=C
748&Category=BOOK&WebsiteKey=3f18c87a-d62b-4eca-8ef4-9b09309c1c91. Last accessed 15th April
2020.

Page 12 of 13

© Newton Waterproofing Systems

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Newton House, 17-20 Sovereign Way, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 1RH
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 Newton Waterproofing Systems
Newton House,
17-20 Sovereign Way,
Tonbridge, Kent TN9 1RH
United Kingdom

T: +44 (0)1732 360 095

E: info@newtonwaterproofing.co.uk
tech@newtonwaterproofing.co.uk
W: www.newtonwaterproofing.co.uk

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