Water Seepage and Basement Wall Crack Repair
Your home is one of the biggest investments in your life. Protecting that investment requires a certain amount of all around maintenance and upkeep. While repairing worn window hinges and leaking roofs are necessary, most homeowners do not realize that one of the most significant influences of a home's value often goes uncared for - the basement.
A homeowner often does not consider the potential problems that commonly undermine a basement until something happens - most often, leaking water from a cracked wall, or worse, flooding. In reality, the potential for there to be problems in any basement (finished or un-finished) are significant. These problems may not only influence the value of the home, but may also have a greater impact on the family's health. Radon gas and moisture infiltration resulting in mold growth affects not only the air quality of the basement, but the entire home (50% of the air in the house originated in the basement).
Thankfully, there are solutions homeowners can pursue to tend to such problems, while considering a few extra precautionary measures. Whether or not a basement is finished, ensuring that it is waterproofed will have an overall positive influence on the entire home.
Foundation wall cracks are a common occurrence. Most concrete wall cracks are in fact, leaking water problems, and generally can be a D-I-Y project. The other type of wall cracking results from structural deficiencies caused by foundation movement. This is especially common in harsh climates where the ground repeatedly goes through freezing and thawing cycles, adding further foundation stress. Low-pressure injection of epoxy is the most common and practical method of repairing structural wall cracks. In addition, these repairs can be optimized generally by the installation of a reinforcement product, such as carbon fiber countersunk staples or straps. Due to the complications and time involved in such installations, the repairing of structural concrete cracks is generally reserved for professional contractors.
This article focuses on the repair of leaking wall cracks and the D-I-Y repair process. With most cracks, it's not a matter of if they will eventually leak water, but a matter of when. A common failed D-I-Y attempt for repairing leaking wall cracks is patching them with hydraulic cement. When the crack starts to leak again a few months later, the homeowner often tries to reapply more cement or apply a waterproof paint. Neither of those are reliable permanent solutions. As the concrete continues to shrink, the voids within the wall continue to form and water leaks out.
To curb water seepage, a flexible product that will move within the wall is needed. A polyurethane foam is the preferred method for repairing leaking poured foundation wall cracks by low-pressure injection. Urethane foam is a flexible material that easily injects into the crack, via surface ports, either with a standard caulk gun or a dual cartridge manual dispensing tool. After pasting the surface ports to the wall (six to 10 inches apart) using an epoxy port adhesive, the same material is applied over the entire crack as a surface sealer.
After the surface sealer has cured (once finger nailed hard - curing depends on the specific type of surface seal epoxy being used), it is recommended that the crack be flushed with water using a plastic bottle or by filling the hose assembly several times. Not only does this process help remove debris and dust within the crack, it also insures that the urethane will be more effective after injected. Urethane foam reacts with water by expanding, filling the entire void. This can be done by injecting water into the top port, and each subsequent port thereafter. Once the inside of the crack is wet, the wall is ready to be injected with urethane.
When injecting the urethane into the wall, begin with the bottom port, and work your way up. The urethane flows to the back of the wall, moving upwards after contacting soil, towards the path of least resistance. If the urethane is flowing properly, it will drip from the next port above within a few minutes. Once that happens, start injecting into that port, and continue the process until all ports have been injected.
The final step is the removal of the surface seal, if the homeowner deems it necessary. Leaving the surface seal on the wall will not pose any harm, though the homeowner may wish to have it removed if concerned about appearance. Standard surface seals can be removed by chipping and grinding. An easier alternative is a seal and peel surface seal, which peel off easily after the injection process, leaving an almost invisible repair.
The products on this website are not available in stores. For additional assistance we are available by email and phone. Emecole's regular business hours are Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT.
