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Crumbling concrete walls

| Posted in General Discussion on May 1, 2004 08:57am

The service-basement walls of my 1928 crafstman home have been deteriorating for some years.  This 12X12 space holds a gas furnace and hot water heater, and minimal storage.  My concern is that we’re about to begin a remodel of our kitchen which is over this area, and I want to determine if I should correct this sloughing or crumbling before we begin.  The deepest troughs created by this deterioration are about 1.5 inches, but it continues at a fairly steady pace.  Previous owners have caulked around the foundation to try to reduce water intrusion, but it doesn’t seem to matter as there appears to be little difference in the sloughing that occurs in the two walls that are under the house as compared to the two that bound its perimeter. 

I was told this was from a bad original pour, that they likely didn’t use enough water in the mix, but regardless of the cause, I’m looking for advice on the most effective solution.  There are products advertised on the Internet, but I’m concerned that sealing the inside won’t solve the problem, just mask it.  Some previous owner has tried gunnite, but that’s also crumbled away.  Some have suggested shotcrete.  Any suggestions short of wholesale replacement?  

I’ve posted photos here, if the anyone needs a visual.    


Edited 5/1/2004 2:02 pm ET by PlumbandTrue

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  1. IanDG | May 01, 2004 11:46pm | #1

    This deterioration is caused by water penetration of the concrete and merely patching the face won't cure it.

    Either you drain away the water from the outside of the wall before it can penetrate or expose the outside of the wall and seal it -- once that is done and the wall has dried out, then you can patch the concrete.

    IanDG

  2. DanH | May 02, 2004 01:17am | #2

    This is really "normal" deterioration for a foundation of this age, and nothing really serious to worry about. More worrisome would be if any of the walls are bowing in, or if there are large cracks where there is "slippage" between the two sides.

    First you need to regrade around the foundation to prevent any standing water within about 10 feet of the foundation. Wait awhile to see if that seems to dry things out. If not, you'll need to tile around the outside of the foundation (digging all the way down to the footer).

    Once the foundation is dry you can remove any loose material and patch the bad spots.

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