A listed fountain in Miller Park, Preston, has been restored to its former – watertight – glory in time for this summer’s Preston Guild celebrations thanks to the Kemperol waterproofing system from Kemper System.
The historic fountain had been maintained with patch repairs over the years but the cost of topping it up, due to a variety of leaks, , was mounting for Preston City Council. The Council was keen to have the fountain repaired and operational in time for this summer’s Preston Guild celebrations; an event that only happens once every 20 years and kicks off in August. The council awarded the contract to Castle Contractors Ltd, who had carried out a previous fountain waterproofing project in Chester, and the company was able to recommend just the right product from the Kemper System range.
Kemperol is cold liquid-applied resin which is used in combination with a non-woven 7reinforcement fleece to provide a durable, flexible waterproof membrane that bonds to almost any substrate and cannot delaminate. The Kemperol ‘BR’ product in the range was originally developed for bridges and car parks but its translucent beige finish made it the ideal choice as it blended superbly with the colour of the stone used to build the fountain.
Explains Neil Atherton from Castle Contractors Ltd: “The Kemperol V210 range is ideal for waterproofing fountains as it can follow the exact contours of the fountain bowl with no joins. It is also U/V stable and has a service life of at least 25 years, ensuring a robust solution for a generation. The standard Kemperol V210 finish is grey, which would have been very visible against the stone fountain, but by using Kemperol BR instead, we have effectively provided an ‘invisible’ waterproof membrane which maintains the character of this listed feature.”
Castle Contractors Ltd began by removing the existing failed coating and cleaning the fountain surface. The installation team then applied Kemper System’s EP primer before applying the Kemperol BR resin in a single process. The fleece reinforcement was cut on site to match the shape of the fountain’s ‘pond’ and central feature. Applied in a single process, the resin saturates the fleece and cures to form a seamless waterproof membrane. The circumference of the 300m2 fountain pond was terminated into a chase to ensure that the waterproofing membrane protects the structure to the very edge.
Completion of the project took just ten days and was accompanied by additional repair work and feature lighting, ensuring that the fountain is ready to take centre stage for the Preston Guild festivities.
