Replies

1. 
   DanH | May 12, 2006 03:53am | #1

   Concrete shrinks as it sets. Unless it's heavily reenforced or contains special additives it will develop small cracks such as what you describe.

   Generally such a crack is of no significance structurally so long as it's no wider than about 1/8" and there's been no more than about 1/16" "sliding" of one side relative to the other, either in the plane of the concrete or perpendicular to the surface. In other words, the crack should be just from the concrete being pulled straight apart, with no other motion.

   If you wish you can attempt to waterproof the crack (usually best done from the outside). However, there will inevitably be other cracks, so it's only worth working on this one if you can easily reach it.

   If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison

   
   

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   Edited 5/11/2006 9:03 pm by DanH

1. 
   fred77 | May 12, 2006 04:17am | #2

   No, there is not more than 1/16" of "sliding". It does need to be fixed, however, due to the water leaking in. Would you just hand dig as far as need be from the outside and fix it with epoxy?

1. 
   DanH | May 12, 2006 04:48am | #3

   I'd fix the drainage problem that's causing water to stand against the foundation.
   If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison

1. 
   Piffin | May 12, 2006 05:06am | #4

   Yeah, that's the first half of the solution 

    

   Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

2. 
   fred77 | May 12, 2006 05:08am | #5

   As dumb as this may sound I don't think it is a drainage problem (at least not an obvious one). We have received about an 1.5" or so of rain in our area the last day. There is not any standing water near the foundation, but we have had a lot of hard blowing rain. There is good slope away from the foundation. The customer says they have not noticed any water coming in previously. But, as I alluded to in my original post, I am not an expert at foundations, drainage, etc. My business is more on the carpenty side. That is why I wanted to know if this is fixable or if I needed a pro.

1. 
   fred77 | May 12, 2006 05:58pm | #6

   Any recommendations on what exactly to use (brand, where to buy, etc.) to fix this?

2. 
   DanH | May 12, 2006 06:18pm | #7

   Whatever works. Partly it depends on how easy it is to access the area, how smooth it is, and how easy it is to get it clean.You need something pliable, that will give as the foundation "breathes". Either some sort of rubber-like membrane or a tar-like coating, but something that you have reasonable confidence will adhere well.Thing is, it's not economically a good deal to buy a whole roll of membrane or a 5-gallon bucket of foundation coating for this one crack, so you'll probably want to try something at hand or that can be bought in smaller quantities. For similar cracks I've used a sort of super duct tape that consists of a cloth backing coated with a caulk-like material. Mostly intended for fixing gutters, I believe. Can't recall the brand, though, and it's an odd brand anyway, so probably not generally available.Actually, sometimes you can buy roofing cement in small quantities, and that might work pretty well. Not pretty, though.

   If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison

3. 
   Soultrain | May 15, 2006 08:03pm | #11

   My homeowners guide that came with my superior walls basement addresses hairline cracks < 1/16" as non-structural.  It said that if you wish to patch it for asthetic reasons, to use gray paint thickened with portland cement.

2. 
   migraine | May 12, 2006 06:38pm | #8

   Here is a product that I have used in the past where getting water away from the foundation/basment has been a problem.  Works great. 

   You can seal the block with one of many sealers and then put this up aginst the wall and let it drain down to a french drain and possibly a sump pump if needed, but we never neede the sump pump in our applications. 

   What I don't know about is how well it would work in frost zones since I have only used it in Wash and Calif

   http://www.triumphgeo.com/products/miradri.html

    

3. 
   timkline | May 12, 2006 11:26pm | #9

   little problem.

   on poured concrete, we always epoxy inject with great success. these links may be a little hokey, but they get across the general idea.

   http://www.radonseal.com/crack-repair.htm

   http://www.concretenetwork.com/concrete/crack_injection/index.html

   we get our products from Sika through a local supplier:

   http://www.sikaconstruction.com/

   fixing gutters and grading is always a first, but excavating to expose the crack from the outside is overkill.  epoxy injected from the interior when properly done will travel to the exterior of the wall and permanently seal the crack.

    

    

   carpenter in transition

1. 
   fred77 | May 15, 2006 06:07pm | #10

   Thanks to all for the suggestions. I will hopefully be able to help him with an epoxy injection in the next few days.

4. 
   Muttly | May 15, 2006 08:14pm | #12

   In my area, poured foundations typically come with a 10 year warranty, if this home is only 2 years old I would start there....

1. 
   DanH | May 15, 2006 08:20pm | #13

   But as stated, this is a "normal" crack and not a defect.
   If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison