Health & Fitness
How To Repair A Foundation With A Horizantal Crack
Your foundation is most likely failing if your walls are getting horizontal cracks, get the cracks repaired and restore the structural stability.
I said it before and I’ll say it again; “no crack is a good crack”. However, some cracks are worse than others and horizontal cracks in the foundation are pretty bad. Concrete Crack Repair is something that all homeowners will have to deal with at some point in time. The simple fact is that all cement structures will crack. Horizontal cracks left unchecked over time can lead to a complete foundation wall failure.
How does a Horizontal Crack Happen?
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The foundation is made of hundreds of individual Concrete Masonry Units (CMUs) which are hollow concrete blocks. These are held together by mortar.
The most common cause of horizontal cracks in a CMU foundation is unbalanced soil pressure. Most soil movement is due to what is called expansive soil. When the soil has high clay content it is called clayey soil. As the clayey soil absorbs the ground water it expands. Think of rice. When you cook rice you start out with 2 cups of rice and 1 cup of water. 20 minutes later you have expanded rice and no water because the rice has absorbed the water and increased in size as a result. As the soil expands it is moving. Expansion is movement. This is known as soil swell.
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Your foundation wall should be acting as a retaining wall against the soil swell. A horizontal crack in a foundation wall is likely a sign that the foundation is failing under the weight of the surrounding soil. The soil outside the foundation wall exerts an enormous pressure on the foundation wall. Foundation walls are designed to be strong enough to resist this load. A lot of pressure weighs down on your home from the entire weight of the house, and soil pressure from the earth. Occasionally additional loads exert pressure and the foundation begins to fail resulting in a horizontal crack in the foundation wall.
How to repair a horizontal crack
When it comes to repairing this type of crack, it is not sufficient to simply fill the crack. You must also restore the structural stability of the structure. This generally requires reinforcement to prevent further movement.
A-1 Basement Solutions uses a time-tested and proven method of foundation and crack repair that restores the integrity and stability of the foundation. We use carbon-fiber kevlar sheet straps in combination with specifically designed epoxy. This can be performed effectively and efficiently with minimal obtrusion or obstruction.
It is a low cost reinforcement solution that repairs your wall, adds strength, stops the inward movement and redistributes the weight on your basement walls. The cracks are permanently repaired and stabilized to restore stability of the structure.
Most Horizontal Crack Repairs can be done in one day by A-1 Basement Solutions.
Should I get my Foundation Inspected?
A-1 Basement Solutions provides free foundation inspections to New Jersey homeowners. Contact A-1 Basement Solutions at 908-322-1313, or info@A-1Basements.com for a free in-home inspection and detailed quote.
A-1 gives full service guaranteed work and competitive pricing every day.
We do everything for you. By taking care of all the details, A-1 Basement Solutions makes the job worry free. Our motto is No Problems…Just Solutions.
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