Basement Construction And Remodeling Tips: Concrete Crack Repair in Basement Walls

Basement Construction And Remodeling Tips: Concrete Crack Repair in Basement Walls

Concrete cracks in nearly every wall in a basement. Builders and contractors plan for this cracking by placing steel reinforcing inside the concrete walls. Even though the concrete has cracked, this reinforcement maintains the strength of the wall and it is not a problem for a typical home's foundation.

Ways Water gets into the Basement

Unfortunately these concrete cracks allow water to enter the basement. Many homes built today have a waterproofing membrane on the outside of the foundation to control the water and keep it from getting into the basement interior. Older homes are vulnerable to water leaking in because they do not have a waterproofing membrane installed at all. But it is still possible for the crack to be too large for the waterproofing to stretch over the crack and the membrane then tears. Or if the grading is incorrect and slopes toward the house, rainwater will pool next to the home above the level of the waterproofing, enter the concrete crack and flow to the interior. Finally, it is possible for a home's landscaping to be above the protective waterproofing and let water into the concrete crack above the waterproofing membrane.

Repairing the Concrete Crack

Homeowners or professional can fill the crack from the inside of the basement and prevent water from leaking in. Making the repair from the inside is a cost effective and quick method that does not disturb the soil and landscaping on the outside. The repair to the concrete crack is done by injecting an expanding urethane foam into the crack.

Liquid Urethane Foam Injection

The urethane enters the crack as a liquid and when it encounters water, it begins to foam and expand. This expansion forces the foam to completely fill the crack from bottom to top and from front to back. When finished, the foam will keep the water where it belongs, on the outside of the concrete foundation.

The width of the crack does not matter. If water can get through the concrete crack, so can the liquid urethane. This is because the urethane is injected under low pressure with either a standard caulk gun or if done by a professional, by a special dual cartridge gun. A home owner or professional does not have to do any drilling or chiseling to make the crack wider.

While water is required to be present to act as a catalyst to make the urethane to begin to foam, the repair can still be done if the crack is dry. Simply inject 1/2 cup of water into the concrete crack with a spray bottle to make the concrete crack wet inside it.

A Dry Basement

Once the concrete crack is filled with urethane foam water will not be able to leak into the basement. The homeowner can now finish the basement and be sure that the contents will be safe and dry for years to come.

This article is written by Aaron Kuertz with Applied Technologies, LLC. Aaron has been in the waterproofing industry since 1998. Applied Technologies is a manufacturer and supplier to professional waterproofing contractors and homeowners in the United States. To learn more about basement crack repair, please visit http://www.appliedtechnologies.com/pages/content/crack_repair_material.html

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