How to dilute bitumen with diesel fuel. How to dilute bitumen for waterproofing

How to dilute bitumen? When restoring a roof or basement insulation, the question often arises: how to dilute the bitumen? Roofing on new buildings is rarely poured on them, since now there are many more attractive options for insulating and covering it. But over the decades of their existence, such a layer of roofing material has accumulated on old houses that, apart from bitumen, there are practically no restoration options left (after all, sometimes it is not even possible to peel off multiple layers). The dismantling of ruberoid "pies" is so laborious that people try to push it as far into the future as possible, especially if the building is not residential - a garage, a barn, a summer kitchen, an extension. And for coating waterproofing of the foundation, bitumen still remains one of the most popular materials - cheap, fairly reliable, available for independent use, even if the work is associated with hard physical labor and some danger in carrying out. True, if the goal is to get the most reliable foundation waterproofing possible, it is better to glue a waterproofing barrier or the same roofing material over the bitumen. Alone, the bituminous coating cracks quite quickly and begins to let moisture through. How to dilute bitumen in the conditions of private construction or repair? As you can see, this issue is still relevant both in the construction of foundation protection and in the repair of old roofs. Therefore, it is worth taking a closer look here, which we tried to do in this article. If you are reading this article in some other group, we recommend that you find the Repair Book group, where similar articles come out earlier. Features of bituminous processing Gone are the days when bitumen existed in only one, solid, variety. Now there is a fairly large variety of waterproofing materials of this type: - solid bitumen; - liquefied bitumen; - bitumen-rubber mastics; - bitumen-polymer mastics. All solid variations need to be melted. It is impossible to dissolve bricks in any solvent. To some extent, bitumen will pass into it, however, it will be quite insignificant. Often such a solution is used as a primer - a primer for bituminous waterproofing. The primer is made as follows: - The bitumen is pricked into small pieces. It is advisable to carry out this operation in the shade - when heated in the sun, it becomes sluggish and reluctantly splits. - The fragments are immersed in diesel fuel or waste oil. By volume - so that the solvent covers the pieces completely, but does not form a large layer above it. - When the liquid takes on the color of bitumen, it is ready to be used as a primer. How to melt lumpy bitumen If we consider solid bitumen as a waterproofing agent, then it needs to be melted for use. And this step cannot be avoided. Moreover, in its pure form, bitumen for application (and further existence with functioning) is not very suitable. First, it freezes too quickly. Secondly, it does not fill the pores too tightly - it is too viscous and dense. Thirdly, very soon the layer begins to crack. Therefore, when working with bitumen, the following algorithm is usually observed: Bitumen, broken into pieces, melts in a metal barrel over low heat. Moreover, the fire should be as slow as possible: during rapid burning in some places, the material already begins to coke from overheating, while in others it still remains solid. We remind you that this article was compiled for the Repair Book group. If you have not subscribed to it yet, then subscribe urgently - similar articles are published earlier in it. After melting, it is left on fire until foam stops appearing, that is, dehydration stops. A filler is poured into the container, for which loose asbestos is the best choice, but it is quite difficult to find it. So cement, chalk, gypsum (including alabaster), talc, ground clay, and so on are usually taken. Pursued goal: prevention of the formation of pores by the coating. When the filler is kneaded, a solvent is added - it will prevent the bitumen from solidifying too quickly. The approximate ratio of components is as follows: half of the volume is bitumen, 30% is diesel fuel, the rest is fillers. It remains to add a couple of clarifications. First, do not forget that bitumen is a combustible material and can flare up if overheated or heated too intensely. It is useless to extinguish it with water; you need to keep a tin cover on hand to stop the access of oxygen. You need to be especially careful after adding diesel fuel: in its pure form, bitumen ignites at 230 degrees, with a solvent, the flash point is significantly reduced. Second: many people suggest using mining, gasoline or kerosene as a solvent. If it is quite possible to agree with the first option, then the last 2 are no good: the substances are very volatile and combustible. Most of it will evaporate before it fulfills the task of a solvent, the rest will increase flammability at times. Liquefied bitumen It just does not need to be heated, it is already in a suitable consistency for application. However, it can thicken over time. In this case, it is used to dilute it: low-octane gasoline. On the one hand, a cheaper and more affordable solvent, but the fire hazard is high, as is volatility. The presence of open sources of fire (in particular, smoking) is unacceptable, and there is a risk of inhaling vapors to the point of poisoning; white spirit is more expensive, but much safer. The solvent must be added little by little, constantly stirring it. Remember that it is lighter than bitumen and will collect on the surface. If accidentally poured, you can wait for separation and simply drain off the excess Bituminous mastics Solvents remain the same regardless of what is the second component - rubber or polymers. Mastics are good because they can be used when it's already cold outside. In addition, they do not need heating. However, at low temperatures, mastics become too viscous. Solvents are added to overcome their reaction to frost. As they can be used: - gasoline - it works great, but the mentioned shortcomings do not go away; - kerosene. It is desirable - aviation, with which problems may arise. The household one is not clean enough and can degrade the quality of the insulation. In addition, he, like the previous position, is combustible and volatile; - White Spirit. The only downside is the cost. Despite its relative cheapness, it is needed in large volume, so it will cost a pretty penny; - turpentine: liquefies the mastic well, inexpensive, less volatile and combustible than gasoline and kerosene, but the smell is very characteristic; - nefras, he is gasoline - "galosh"; - acetone, solvent, 646. The most suitable solvent is recommended for a specific type of mastic by its manufacturer. So before deciding how to dilute bitumen or mastic from it, read the manufacturer's recommendations.

The base of the house is exposed to constant destructive effects from various environmental factors. Particularly active is the water that is contained in the soil and penetrates into it after precipitation. During the construction of the foundation, it is necessary to provide additional protection against this influence. The most commonly used bituminous mastic.

Why is coating waterproofing with bitumen necessary?

In its classical form, bituminous mastic is a mixture of several components that securely and tightly cement cracks in the base surface and prevent moisture from penetrating into the foundation structure.

Mastic quickly hardens due to the use of various solvents and other elements that ensure the effectiveness of the solution. With the help of mastic it is possible to create highly effective seamless surfaces. This is true for the roof and for the walls, and definitely for the foundation.

Before using the mastic, it is important to know how and with what to dissolve the resin to paint the foundation. The effectiveness of the subsequent operation of the protective layer depends on the correct combination of elements.

How to dilute bituminous mastic

To know exactly how to dilute the resin for painting the foundation, you need to understand what indicators you want to get. The proportions in which the constituent components in the mastic are combined determines not only the density, but also the performance characteristics of the solution. Among the substances used to dissolve the mastic, the following are used:

Gasoline (kerosene).
White Spirit.
Gasoline-galosh (Gasoline-solvent for the rubber industry).

Correctly choosing the substance and amount of material that needs to be diluted with bitumen for the foundation means preparing the optimal material for processing the foundation.

What additives are used to dilute the mastic

It is possible to add various types of fillers to the created solution. Therefore, the builder should decide what parameters he wants to get in the end.

Now the most popular types of mastic are the following:

bituminous rubber mastic,
polyurethane,
latex,
oil, rubber.

If we take bitumen-rubber mastic, then at the heart of its composition are directly bitumen and polymer.

Polyurethane and rubber form in the solution additional plasticity of the solution, in which the formed film is not only strong, but can be stretched by about 20 times.

The use of rubber for the preparation of cold mix allows you to create a material that does not require preparation before use. The mastic is applied evenly and is homogeneous and durable.

The addition of oil components helps to prevent hardening of the material. Such compounds are necessary for waterproofing pipes and which will be placed underground.

Cooking features

The process of making bituminous mastic is not difficult, you just need to choose the right ingredients and follow the basic cooking rules.

The following elements are required to complete the work:

pieces of bitumen, cleaned of contaminants;
specially selected fillers,
various plasticizers.

For example, to create waterproofing, you need to have about 10 kilograms of mastic. This will require approximately 8 kg of bitumen, 1 kg of filler and 500 grams of plasticizer.

For mastic cooking, durable boilers with a wall thickness of 3 mm or more are selected. There should also be a lid. Thanks to the heating of the walls, the bitumen heats up evenly.

The boiler must be loaded no more than 70% - otherwise the mastic may begin to splash out. For cooking, the following rules must be strictly observed:

The cauldron is not placed above the fire, but is set to the side.
The temperature should be at the level of 190 degrees, which does not lead to the decomposition of the material.
Temperature fluctuations are unacceptable, which can lead to the formation of an inhomogeneous mastic mass.
For the fastest preparation of the mixture, it is necessary to divide the bitumen into small pieces.
Cooking mastic should be slow and even.
Filler and additives should also be crushed.
The addition of components is carried out gradually.
The solution is regularly stirred and the resulting foam is periodically removed.
After the disappearance of the foam, fillers can be added.
After adding the resulting solution is thoroughly stirred - and the bituminous mastic is ready for use!

Now, after you have learned how to dilute the bituminous mastic for the foundation and how to prepare it, you should know how to properly apply it to the surface.

How to apply bituminous mastic

After preparing the mastic, it should be properly applied to the surface. For this, 2 methods are used:

Application by hand.
Mechanized method of application with the use of special tools.

The manual method of work is optimal when performing a small amount of work. For a large area of work, manual technology is impractical, so mechanisms are used. Also, tools are used to work with hard-to-reach places.

Before application, the surface to be treated should be prepared. The surface is cleaned and dried thoroughly. After that, a thin layer of primer is applied, which ensures interaction with the mastic.

After the mixture is ready and warm enough, you can proceed directly to the application. For this, an ordinary roller or brush is used - the choice of a specific tool depends on the nature of the surface, volume and complexity of the configuration of the foundation, wall or roof. Sometimes a wide spatula is used for application.

The layers of mastic are applied with an overlap, which should be approximately 10 centimeters. This prevents the formation of empty parts, which will be exposed to moisture penetration.

The application of the next layer of mastic begins after the previous one has completely hardened.

The use of bituminous mastic for waterproofing the base is an important factor in protecting the structure and preventing the formation of microcracks and damage.

When restoring a roof or basement insulation, the question often arises: how to dilute the bitumen? Roofing on new buildings is rarely poured on them, since now there are many more attractive options for insulating and covering it. But over the decades of their existence, such a layer of roofing material has accumulated on old houses that, apart from bitumen, there are practically no restoration options left (after all, sometimes it is not even possible to peel off multiple layers).

The dismantling of ruberoid "pies" is so laborious that people try to push it as far into the future as possible, especially if the building is not residential - a garage, a barn, a summer kitchen, an extension. And for coating waterproofing of the foundation, bitumen still remains one of the most popular materials - cheap, fairly reliable, available for independent use, even if the work is associated with hard physical labor and some danger in carrying out. True, if the goal is to get the most reliable foundation waterproofing possible, it is better to glue a waterproofing barrier or the same roofing material over the bitumen. Alone, the bituminous coating cracks quite quickly and begins to let moisture through.

How to dilute bitumen in the conditions of private construction or repair? As you can see, this issue is still relevant both in the construction of foundation protection and in the repair of old roofs. Therefore, it is worth taking a closer look here, which we tried to do in this article.

Features of bituminous processing

Gone are the days when bitumen existed in only one, hard, variety. Now there is a fairly large variety of waterproofing materials of this type:

solid bitumen;
liquefied bitumen;
bitumen-rubber mastics;
bitumen-polymer mastics.

All solid variations need to be melted. It is impossible to dissolve bricks in any solvent. To some extent, bitumen will pass into it, however, it will be quite insignificant. Often such a solution is used as a primer - a primer for bituminous waterproofing.

The primer is made as follows:

The bitumen breaks into small pieces. It is advisable to carry out this operation in the shade - when heated in the sun, it becomes sluggish and reluctantly splits.
The fragments are immersed in diesel fuel or waste oil. By volume - so that the solvent covers the pieces completely, but does not form a large layer above it.
When the liquid takes on the color of bitumen, it is ready for use as a primer.

How to melt lumpy bitumen

If we consider solid bitumen as a waterproofing agent, then it is required to melt it for use. And this step cannot be avoided. Moreover, in its pure form, bitumen for application (and further existence with functioning) is not very suitable.

First, it freezes too quickly.

Secondly, it does not fill the pores too tightly - it is too viscous and dense.

Thirdly, very soon the layer begins to crack. Therefore, when working with bitumen, the following algorithm is usually observed:

Bitumen, broken into pieces, is melted in a metal barrel over a quiet fire. Moreover, the fire should be as slow as possible: during rapid burning in some places, the material already begins to coke from overheating, while in others it still remains solid.
After melting, it is left on fire until foam stops appearing, that is, dehydration stops.
A filler is poured into the container, for which loose asbestos is the best choice, but it is quite difficult to find it. So cement, chalk, gypsum (including alabaster), talc, ground clay, and so on are usually taken. Pursued goal: prevention of the formation of pores by the coating.
When the filler is kneaded, a solvent is added - it will prevent the bitumen from solidifying too quickly.
The approximate ratio of components is as follows: half of the volume is bitumen, 30% is diesel fuel, the rest is fillers.

It remains to add a couple of clarifications. First, do not forget that bitumen is a combustible material and can flare up if overheated or heated too intensely. It is useless to extinguish it with water; you need to keep a tin cover on hand to stop the access of oxygen. You need to be especially careful after adding diesel fuel: in its pure form, bitumen ignites at 230 degrees, with a solvent, the flash point is significantly reduced.

Second: many people suggest using mining, gasoline or kerosene as a solvent.

If it is quite possible to agree with the first option, then the last 2 are no good: the substances are very volatile and combustible. Most of it will evaporate before it fulfills the task of a solvent, the rest will increase flammability at times.

Liquefied bitumen

It just does not need to be heated, it is already in a consistency suitable for application. However, it can thicken over time. In this case, to dilute it, use:

low octane gasoline. On the one hand, a cheaper and more affordable solvent, but the fire hazard is high, as is volatility. The presence of open sources of fire (in particular, smoking) is unacceptable, and there is a risk of inhaling vapors to the point of poisoning;
white spirit is more expensive, but much safer.
The solvent must be added little by little, constantly stirring it. Remember that it is lighter than bitumen and will collect on the surface. If accidentally poured, you can wait for the bundle and just drain the excess

Bituminous mastics

Solvents remain the same regardless of whether the second component is rubber or polymers. Mastics are good because they can be used when it's already cold outside. In addition, they do not need heating. However, at low temperatures, mastics become too viscous. Solvents are added to overcome their reaction to frost. They can be used as:

gasoline - works great, but the mentioned shortcomings do not go away;
kerosene. It is desirable - aviation, with which problems may arise. The household one is not clean enough and can degrade the quality of the insulation. In addition, he, like the previous position, is combustible and volatile;
White Spirit. The only downside is the cost. Despite its relative cheapness, it is needed in large volume, so it will cost a pretty penny;
turpentine: liquefies the mastic well, inexpensive, less volatile and combustible than gasoline and kerosene, but the smell is very characteristic;
nefras, he is gasoline - "galosh";
acetone, solvent, 646. The most suitable solvent is recommended for a specific type of mastic by its manufacturer. So before deciding how to dilute bitumen or mastic from it, read the manufacturer's recommendations.

Bituminous waterproofing is an effective protection against the destructive action of moisture in concrete, metal, wood and reinforced concrete structures. It is used for coating foundations, concrete floors, walls and ceilings of basements, interfloor ceilings, processing bathrooms, showers, etc. This prevents moisture from penetrating inside the house through small pores and cracks, and ensures the durability of the structure.

Features of using bituminous waterproofing

For processing the main elements of the house, solid and liquefied bitumens, bitumen-rubber and bitumen-polymer waterproofing mastics are used. When working with solid materials, their melting is mandatory. In this case, the question "how to dilute the bituminous mastic?" does not occur. During the melting process, the bitumen is dehydrated. In addition, the concrete base itself is thoroughly dried before applying the waterproofing. Otherwise, there is a risk that when hot resin hits the surface of the concrete, boiling occurs and bubbles form under the insulating layer. This is a hello to the fact that waterproofing will not clog cracks and pores in concrete.

You can apply hot compounds with a wide brush or brush, overlapping strips of 10-15 cm. The only drawback of working with hot bituminous mastic is the high curing rate.

Liquefied waterproofing does not need constant heating. Before proceeding with the application, the bituminous mastic should be diluted with a solvent. Most often, low-octane motor gasoline acts as a solvent. The polymerization of the diluted composition occurs after 24 hours after application, provided that the work is carried out in the open air. When choosing how to dilute bituminous mastic, it should be remembered that gasoline is a combustible substance, and its vapors are explosive. During the waterproofing work, it is necessary to exclude the possibility of open fire, it is strictly forbidden to smoke.

How to dilute bitumen-polymer mastic?

Bitumen-polymer waterproofing can be used at low temperatures. In addition, solvents can be added to them. When deciding how to dilute bituminous mastic, choose one of the options below:

petrol
White Spirit
kerosene

You can also use galosh gasoline, carefully monitoring the consistency of the mixture. Waterproofing is applied with a brush. Each subsequent layer is laid 24 hours after the previous one.

How to dilute the bituminous primer?

The use of this composition makes it possible to guarantee reliable adhesion of waterproofing materials to rough and porous surfaces. The primer is used for priming concrete, cement-sand screeds immediately before laying self-adhesive, welded roofing and waterproofing materials.

Bituminous primer is a solution of petroleum bitumen with a softening point of over +80°C in special organic solvents. This composition is characterized by fast drying and high penetrating power.

Before applying the bituminous primer, it is necessary to dilute it with a solvent (kerosene, nefras, gasoline) in a ratio of 1:1 or 1:1.5 by weight.

The composition should be applied without preheating with a nylon brush or brush. If necessary, it is allowed to create several layers of waterproofing.