Methods Of Repairing Cracks In Your Foundation To Stop Water Seepage And Crack Expansion

Posted on: 7 October 2020

If you bought a new house and have only lived in it a short time, you may be shocked when you see cracks in the foundation. However, it's important to know that concrete often cracks as it cures over time, so cracks in new homes are fairly common. Not all cracks are innocent though. Others might signal structural damage, so you may want a contractor to check cracks and fill them. Here are a few things to know about foundation crack repair.

Cracks Should Be Filled To Prevent Leaking

Cracks are a common cause of wet or damp basement problems, so it's good to fill cracks to keep your basement dry. If a crack isn't structural, then the contractor may use expanding foam to fill the crack.

A benefit of using expanding foam is that it can be injected as a liquid, and then as the foam expands, it fills voids and cracks deep in the concrete. This results in filling the entire crack rather than just making surface repairs. Once the foam hardens, it adheres to the sides of the concrete to block the flow of water from the outside so your basement stays nice and dry.

Structural Cracks Should Be Filled To Stabilize Them

A contractor can tell by looking at the size and direction of the cracks if they were caused by normal shrinking and expansion of concrete or if they were caused by soil shifting. If a contractor determines a crack is a structural problem, they may fill it in a similar way as filling any other crack, only they may use an epoxy crack filler instead of foam. Epoxy also stops water from leaking through a crack, but it has the added ability to bond the crack so it is fused back together.

Structural Cracks May Need Staples

It's important to stabilize certain types of cracks or they might spread and make the foundation damage worse. Cracks can get deeper and wider, and at some point, additional repairs might be needed if the cracks keep spreading. Just filling a crack might not be enough to prevent further cracking.

Your contractor might solve this problem by using carbon fiber staples. These large staples are positioned along a crack to help redistribute the stress on the wall and reduce the stress on the cracked area. Installing a staple involves drilling small holes so the ends of the staples can be attached. Epoxy is also used to ensure the staples have a permanent attachment to the concrete.

To learn more, contact a foundation crack repair company.

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