SINGAPORE: When a storm persisted for time during the rainy season next December, Mr David Mohan was dismayed to discover water dripping from his house roof for days on end.
Tubs placed below the hole may be filled within “three to four hours”, which meant that Mr Mohan and his family had to take becomes waking up during the night to clear the tubs.
“It was like raining in my house, ” said the 66-year-old retiree, who lives on the top floor of one of the Housing and Development Board ( HDB) blocks along Tampines Street 21.
At that time, solar modules were being installed on the building’s top.
“Before the ( installation ) works, there were no leaks. We don’t know what happened, ” Mr Mohan told CNA at his apartment last quarter.
He turned to the city council and afterward HDB for support. While his leaking roof was patched in January, Mr Mohan remains worried about whether the hole had caused any damage to the bogus roof in his house, as well as a built-in government located near the hole.
Mr Mohan intends to get a company to do a thorough test when the installation of solar panels at his wall is completed.
At least three different residents who live on the top floors of some stones in the area told CNA that they experienced leaking, casting development and water areas on their roof as the installation of solar panel was carried out.
In response to CNA’s queries, HDB said on Monday ( Oct 7) that inspections by the solar panel installation contractor for HDB blocks in Tampines Street 21 had identified ceiling cracks and leaks, among other issues, before installation commenced.
These were being fixed on a “goodwill” basis by the contractor, sometimes in tandem with the installation works.
HDB also said that contractors commissioned for all its solar panel installation projects “are not allowed to drill or puncture ” the rooftops of HDB blocks.
“Instead, it is mandatory for the solar panels to be weighed down by concrete ballasts placed on felt pads, ” its spokesperson added.
These felt sheets serve as a “protective membrane ” for the roof and create an additional layer “aimed at preventing water leakage into the rooftop surface underneath”.
“Therefore, any subsequent ceiling leakage is unlikely the result of solar panel installation and more likely due to the natural deterioration of the roof’s existing waterproofing membrane or coating, ” HDB said.
The HDB blocks at Tampines Street 21 were built between 1982 and 1987, with the majority built in 1984.