Are Cracked Basement Walls Dangerous?

Yes, cracked basement walls are dangerous.

At the very least, the crack can be allowing radon gas to enter the basement. Radon gas is a carcinogen according to the American Lung Association; “Radon is a colorless, tasteless and odorless gas that causes lung cancer.”

Most homes with a basement have a basement that is made of concrete. There are older homes and farmhouses with the basement being made with stone foundations. There are also brick houses. (The Commodores 1977 hit song “She’s a Brick House” flashes into my mind at this point) But the majority of basements are constructed of concrete, and most of these have cracked basement walls.

The first is a poured solid concrete 8" thick concrete wall. There are also poured walls that are 10" or 12". An excavation is done to an average of eight feet. Next a concrete footing is poured and forms of either metal or wood are constructed on top of the footings. The forms are usually held together with metal tie rods. The concrete is poured in between the forms and allowed time to set. After the concrete sets, the tie rods are cut, the forms are removed and the 8" thick poured concrete walls remain. A 4" slab floor is then poured. The outer edge of the floor rests upon the footing. If the basement walls are made of concrete, there will be cracks.

The second type is a masonry wall made with concrete block. Concrete block foundations are made from pre-formed hollow blocks. The blocks are also called cinder blocks, or more technically, CMUs (Concrete Masonry Units). The most common concrete blocks are 8" deep x 8" high x 16" wide. These 8" blocks are centered on the footings and built up in courses. A typical configuration is 11 courses of 8" block for a wall height of 7'3". A 4" slab floor is then poured. The outer edge of the floor rests upon the footing. If the basement walls are made of concrete blocks, there will be cracks.

I’ve said before and I’ll say it again; “No crack is a good crack. Have your crack fixed today.” Have you ever known someone who has died from lung cancer and never smoked?

It is possible that the cause of the cancer was radon. Only cigarette smoking causes more cases of lung cancer in America each year. There are over 20,000 lung cancer deaths caused by radon gas each year.

Why take a chance? Most crack repairs are relatively inexpensive and can be fixed in one day.