I have a 10-year-old poured concrete foundation that has developed a new leak. The leak started last fall, and only happened in heavy rain. The wall in that area of the basement was finished, so after it leaked 3 times, I tore out the sheet rock and found that the foundation had cracked vertically for the full height of the wall.
It’s a hairline crack and I can see clearly where the water stains begin at about eye-level and travel down the rest of the wall.
So, now my question is, what is the best way to seal the crack? I don’t care about cosmetics as I will cover the wall over again. What I want is a way to make sure the leak doesn’t come back.
The previous owner’s of my house had apparently had the same problem about 10 feet to the right in an older crack. That crack has been visible in an unfinished part of the basement since I bought the house and leaks a little when he rain is heavy and the soil is soaked. It was poorly repaired with what looks like a combination of (or successive attempts with) hydraulic cement and expanding foam. I’d like to get this one right the first time, if possible.
I read an article on the This Old House site that described using a “liquid concrete repair kit” consisting of a two-part epoxy and some tubes for injecting it into the crack. The same article said that hydraulic cement was unlikely to be a permanent solution (which I can believe, seeing the old repair).
I tried my local Hardware store and Home Depot, but neither had any such product. I did a little googling and turned up one site (http://www.wired-2-shop.com/joneakes/ProductDetail.asp?ProdID=503&nPrdImageID=&CatID=27) with a polyurethane injections system.
I am surprised I can’t find anything a little more mainstream. Does anyone have any experience with this sort of thing? Any suggestions?
Replies
I'll let the concrete folks address the crack repair from the inside.
However, to reach complete success, you may have to address the water on the outside of the foundation.
Two cracks, that close together, may mean that you have an unusual amount of pressure on the foundation.
Do you have any issues outside that would direct water to this area? Does the grade slope away from the house? Do you need to abate water flowing to this area from higher ground? Do you have any gutters that are overflowing... or undersized?
Does the foundation have tile.. and if so... is it still working properly? Is water percolating through to the tile... or is it flowing up next to the foundation before percolating down?
Any water ponding occurring in this area?
Was the backfill in this area done with heavy clay (will put a HUGE amount of pressure on the foundation)?
Just a penney and 1/2 about the foundation repair. If you only fix the issue from the inside... you are only putting a patch on the problem. Anyplace above the frost line, water will freeze and thaw in the crack... and create the same problem again... only probably worse.
Fix both cracks from the outside... and the chances for success will be much higher. While you are doing the fixes on the outside... you can check and repair anything I referred to above that requires digging.
Edited 3/10/2005 11:29 pm ET by Rich from Columbus
As far as the Depot not carrying these things, well, thank goodness.
We usually sub this work, but we have been doing more of it lately. Two part epoxy injected into the crack with a special pump. Has to be very low viscosity material if it is a hairline crack. Success rates for us are almost 100%. The sub we use charges about $400 to do up to 16 feet of cracks. It would cost you less if you could find the material and find someone to show you how to do it.
Here are two sites that show some products we use:
http://www.sikaconstruction.com/con/con-prod-app-crir.htm
http://www.us.hilti.com/holus/modules/prcat/prca_navigation.jsp?OID=-12162
carpenter in transition
What Tim said.
The outfit I use for injecting the epoxy in the cracks gives a lifetime warrenty on thier fix (transferable to the following home owners). The pump they use injects at 3000 to 5000 psi, so the epoxy goes all the way through the wall to the fill on the back. It is injected every 8 or 9", depending on wall thickness.
Tim's contractor is cheaper than mine. I pay $300 for a 7 to 8' repair.
Dave
Tim's contractor is cheaper than mine. I pay $300 for a 7 to 8' repair.
That depends. We pay $400 for a 7' to 8' repair also. It's just that they will do up to 16' for the same price. After 16' it is T & M. They are from north Philadelphia which is about an hour from our work.
carpenter in transition
There is an epoxy injection kit that I used in my basement for this type of repair that is very easy to use. It works with a caulk gun, and as far as I can tell its the same stuff that these $300/crack outfits are using, except you don't get their warranty. I don't know the manufacturer, but it's sold in Menard's stores if you're in Illinois or Wisconsin. It's also available from McMaster-Carr. Go to http://www.mcmaster.com item # 75095T11. Get a couple extra tubes of epoxy. I had one crack that sucked up three tubes.
The stuff Tim and I are talking about, and the equipment to pump it with can not be used in a caulk gun. It is almost water thin going in and mixes in the nozzle of the special applicator. They also use it to repair cracks in the runway of the Louisville International Airport.
Not saying I wouldn't try the other for myself or that it doesn't work' It is just not the same stuff we were refering too.
Dave
If only we had a crystal ball, we could see which system stands the test of time for the least cost/effort. Since mine doesn't come with a warranty, I also plan to coat the outside of the foundation and do some grading work. We'll see what happens, the kit only cost $50.
Good that you can get to the outside of your foundation. That is the place to start when you can.
The last two that I had repaired were (1) under a low deck, (2) in a manicured and landscaped front lawn. Given the options and cost I was limited too, it was more cost effective to contract the work to be done with the injection system, from the inside of the homes.
Thus far one has been in 3 yr. and the other 6 yr. No call backs on either yet. Both HOs' have the warrenty cerificate from the contractor I used. Maybe they will call them direct if they have problem, but I doubt it, I am the guy they paid.
Dave
Dave, I'm curious, in that situation, if a repaired area failed, would the contractor take responsibility for just repairing the crack again? If you had to replace drywall, carpeting, etc, would you eat that, hold him respondsible or would the homeowner have to pay for it?
Well, I went ahead and hired an outfit called Crack-X that does the epoxy injection. They came and did what looks like a very professional job in a few hours. It hasn't rained yet, though, so I can't yet say whether it worked. Thanks, though, to everyone for their advice.To prevent a reoccurrence, I am looking into gutters. I am very attracted to the "never clog or clean" guarantee that the LeafGuard guys give, and their one-piece solution seems elegant.I do have a drip edge with a vent, though, so they have to put in some blocking to hold the gutter out a bit so the water doesn't shoot past the gutter. And, as others have mentioned, I am concerned about capacity in a hard rain. (I live in MA and it is not uncommon here).My other alternative is a local seamless aluminum gutter outfit that has developed their own gutter topper that works pretty much like the LeafGuard setup, but is a separate piece installed over their standard 5" gutter. The solution doesn't seem as elegant, but they provide the same guarantee, a full-size gutter, and they are quoting me $400 less.Any experience or opinions to offer?
I actually found some plastic screens at HD that work pretty well (have had them on the front of our garage for two years and no trouble with leaves). This isn't the flimsey roll mesh that won't stay in place but molded plastic sections that slide under the shingles in back and then snap onto standard K gutters on front. They did need to be notched around the ferrules to fit right, a minor PITA.
Remove the water from the outside, and it won't get inside. Grade the outside away from the house, and eliminate any standing water within at least 10 feet of the house. If this doesn't do it, dig up down to the footer and install drain tile.
I read somewhere that about 95% of water problems in basements can be corrected by fixing very basic conditions on the exterior. As a few have mentioned, make sure your downspouts are sized correctly and are extended far enough away from the house as to not drop thousands of gallons of water down next to your house. For the money you are looking to spend to repair the cracks themselves you could spend half that amount and get a few yards of top soil delivered to correct any grading problems. The key is to get as much of the water away from the house as fast as you can. I heard once that after an average rain fall a properly graded site will only have about a foot of moist dirt within a 5 foot perimeter of the house. At about 10 feet from the house the dirt should be moist to a dept of about 2 feet. I’m not sure how accurate those numbers are but it illustrates how water should shed away from a house.
Good Luck
Thanks everyone for your helpful responses. I agree that the real culprit is with water in the soil in front of the house. We have a double whammy here. The ground slopes from the road down to our house gradually but steadily, so our foundation is bearing the brunt of the runoff from the whole front yard. Over 50 or 60 feet, the grade drops about 6 feet. And the front yard is actually a courtyard owned in common between four houses. Also, all of our septic tanks are out there. So, re-grading would be a challenge.In addition, we have no gutters at all. This I can do something about. I can put in gutters and, as people have suggested, make sure the downspouts are arranged to send all the runoff away from the foundation.My questions, then, are:
1. Should I attempt an injected epoxy fix myself or hire a professional?
2. Assuming the fix is done well, am I still doomed unless I find a way to re-grade and/or french drain outside?