If you’re finding cracks in your home’s foundation walls, you are not alone. Wall cracks are the most common type of basement seepage problem and can be found in homes all over Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana. The first step to repairing any crack is to contact a professional waterproofing company in your area to come and give you a free estimate to repair the issue. Here are a few things the professionals will look at to help determine the best repair method for your home.
What kind of foundation does your home have?
Most homes built today are generally constructed with poured concrete walls. These foundations are superior to walls made of concrete block or bricks because it is much stronger and easier to diagnose and repair when cracked. A few months after construction, your poured concrete walls will have all the cracks they will ever have, unless there’s an underlying structural issue. Most of these cracks are less than 1/8″ wide and run vertically or diagonally from top to the bottom of the wall (even though they may taper off toward the bottom) and run all the way through the wall, inside to out. The bad news is these cracks will get worse with time because water is erosive and will continue to erode the crack until it makes its way into your home.
However, many older homes in our area have foundation walls constructed of cinder block, brick, stone or even wood. These foundations always pose more of a challenge when it comes to keeping your basement dry because they are not solid, they use mortar to hold the individual blocks or stones in place. Over time, this mortar deteriorates and lets water seep into your basement through the open joints between the blocks. Another drawback is water can enter one area of the foundation, run through the hollows of the blocks, and enter the basement several feet away from it came in originally, making it very difficult to diagnose.
What is the best way to fix cracks in my foundation?
Cracks in poured concrete walls can be repaired permanently from the interior or exterior of your home. From inside the home, an epoxy or urethane resin can be injected into the crack, penetrating all the way through the wall to permanently seal the crack and help bond the wall back together. If you choose to repair the crack from the exterior of your home, the area must be excavated and then a multi-layer waterproof membrane is adhered to the wall to permanently seal the water penetration. However, if you have a foundation that is not poured concrete, a simple injection will not fix the issue. It can be repaired from the inside or outside, but it will require a waterproof wall liner installed in conjunction with a drainage system and a sump pump. The wall liner will direct and seepage or moisture that makes its way through the wall straight to the drainage system, which will eventually be discharged by the sump pump.
If you have cracks in your foundation walls, we recommend that you take care of them now and don’t put them off till next year. It may seem like a small issue now, but water is erosive so any seepage to get worse with time. Perma-Seal has over 35 years of experience in repairing foundation cracks and has seen countless basements ruined by what started as just a small leak. Don’t let this happen to you! Act now before the problem gets worse and join the over 300,000 homeowners that Perma-Seal has helped get a permanently dry basement and a healthier home.
Please call us at 1-800-421-SEAL to schedule your FREE, professional estimate with one of our Certified Foundation Consultants today. Or browse through our website to learn more about how we can permanently fix that crack once and for all!