JeremyB

Hi guys

Today we had a freak rainstorm and the rain was really coming down for a while. I was in my workshop and saw a bit of water coming in and was kind of surprised to see it. well It stopped and I went outside along the house and saw a small crack along the house near the driveway, right where the crack is. So I picked up some concrete repair selant which I will use when its dry out.

Anyways the problem I see now is right where the crack is the concrete crumbled a bit, just the surface though. Its just a small patch. Is there a way I can fix this?

The wife is freaking out thinking the house is coming down any minute

any help would be great

Jeremy

oldognewtrick

Jeremy, is this a concrete or block wall? How old is the house? Is this below grade? Post a pic of the area if you can.


... and tell MRS B the house probably won't be coming down soon, lots of houses have cracks.

JeremyB

Its a concrete wall, sorry I dont have a pic. I tired taking one but you can barely see it on the picture. And if you mean below grade, I guess it would be its in the basement.

nealtw

Most of time the fix will need to be done on the outside, which means a little digging on the outside to expose the crack all the way to the bottom.

BridgeMan

If your foundation has one crack, chances are there are a few more. But it's not the end of the world. Many people don't take the obvious precautions for keeping water out of their basements, like putting extensions on all of the rain gutter downspouts, and making sure the ground and driveway around and adjacent to the house are pitched away from (instead of towards) the house itself.

Regarding the actual crack(s): If it were mine, I'd try the quick-and-easy way first--apply some polyurethane sealant on all visible cracks (both interior and exterior). To keep the sticky goo in the cracks, you may have to tape the crack faces, then leave small gaps for caulking gun tip access. Start at the bottom, and work your way up the crack. If you feel extravagant, try some Adeka Ultra Seal P-201, a water-swelling one component sealant, instead of the polyurethane (20 bucks a tube, the last time I used it).

If the foregoing doesn't work, then get out the checkbook and pay someone big bucks to excavate around your foundation, installing drain tile or perforated pipe, sealing the exterior walls, and backfilling with pea gravel.