help with moisture in foundation
hammercat
| Posted in Energy, Heating & Insulation on
I want to repair a block foundation that has some problems. The outside is flaking off in “pancakes” as large as my hand or face. these pieces are as deep as 1/4″, flying saucer shaped and there are several along the entire foundation. What product do I use to fix this? I’ve seen quik-crete vinyl patch and also quik-wall surface bonding cement- would these work? Also, what causes this problem and how do I fix it? My father-in-law painted Thoroseal on the outside to seal the block and I think it may have contributed to the problem.
Replies
What I think is happening is that moisture in the CMUs is freezing and that is fracturing lenses off the face.
It IS important to fix, but more important is to find and correct the cause also. How is moisture collecting in the block? Surface drainage? dowspouts and gutter working right and leading water away? Ground water levels?
Perimeter drains?
hollw CMUs will hold a lot of water if it gets to it in the first place.
The fact that he coated with Thoro tells me he knew there was a problem with moisture getting in, but where is it coming from?
Once you solve that problem, I 2would use a surface bond product like Stack'n'Bond to parge this whole wall, then Thoro over that, and a bituminous final coating below grade. Possibly a dimple mat drain membrane also.
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
all that and maybe think about a insulation board to hold the heat , from freezing point of view
Thanks for your quick response- there are no gutters (the house is in vermont, the snow and ice would rip them off in the spring), the walls have a bituminous coating below grade, I don't know if there is a curtain drain around the perimeter. there are some cracks on the outside, some in the block and some in the mortar joints above grade. Can the bituminous coating be degraded over time? the house is 25 yrs. old.
cracks AND flaking face is not good at all. I'd have to see more to make a meaningfull recommendation, but it is getting close to new foundation sounds like....
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Thanks for your suggestions. I am selling this house- how much would it cost to put a curtain drain around a rectangular 1200 sq. ft. house in sandy/rocky soil in Central Vermont? I will not be doing this work but I will need to know how to factor the cost into the sale. I also want to reface the foundation before sale- any other products besides stack'n'bond I should consider or is that THE product to use?
I've had a couple of houses with water issues. Unfortunately, the solution usually involves excavation around the perimeter and then a some sort of corrective measure.
Piffin and BB made two good points. I would add the suggestion of the various drainage mat products that form a fibrous drainage path downward to the drain tiles. Any water that finds its way to the CMUs is intercepted by the barrier and carried downward by gravity.
It sounds like a big job, but it's way better than a whole new foundation!
Scott.
Edited 6/27/2009 12:37 pm by Scott
are the blocks filled?
Of course they arewith water, air or mud!;)
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Is this a basement or crawl space wall?
If you have groundwater/drainage problems ... proper drainage will be key. Since you don't have gutters ... drainage away from the house is critical, I think. All the fixes and coatings will do little if you can't guarantee that rainwater will drain away from the house. What is the site like? Sloped? Flat?