Big-Assed crack in my basement wall that leaks

[Gore1FL]

Any good way to fix this from the inside?

The outside is blocked by a deck.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

1. You can try sealing it from the inside

using the same material you would use on the outside.You can trawl it on or roll it on with a big bushy roller. It's concrete crack sealer ,a coating that is put on the below ground concrete.But the water is still going get into the concrete from the outside ,the crack gets bigger.

Call a building supply and ask what do they use to seal the concrete below ground relation to cracks. It's pretty expensive stuff ,but it's also effective. There is a epoxy that is used when anchoring bolts into the foundation -earth quake thing,older homes may not have been bolted down to the foundation ,actually very many never were.You might check into a method of injecting the epoxy into the cracks from the inside.

I would have to look that up myself and ask other contractors what might work.

Otherwise you disassemble your deck,rend a small back hoe and dig down along thee side of the House. French drain to direct all water away from the house.

Or remove all decking boards and poor concrete up to foundation ,down angle it away from the house ,yadda yadda you know the drill!

Put the crack in the concrete up in a pic and show the deck from the outside. And is the deck a open deck? And what about gutter down spouts on that side of the house?

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

2. Pardon spell

worked late last night!

[Gore1FL]

3. Thanks

I've got something from Lowes that is supposed to be a crack sealer. I haven't opened it yet,but I get the idea it is putty-esque. I figure I'll work out the loose stuff and then get it in the crack as deep as I can. I might have to look at something to injecct it deeper.

The deck would be a nightmare to take down. It looks like it was a home-made project because it is sort of idiotically put together--it is solid though, I'll give them that. It is about 15-20' wide (at it's widest) and about 15' deep. The crack is about 6' away from the edge. The is a downspout nearby, but I dug a trench and ran a drain to the side and down a hill. I have a gutter issue nearby that I need to deal with, that will eliminate most of the rest of any water problem.

I don;t have a digital camera, so I can't post a pic, unfortunately.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

5. Deal with that water run off

just like you saw it. Seal it as best you can from the inside. If the problem continues or comes back to haunt you later in time,after you have dealt with those gutters and any other visible water you find at the surrounding area, and check it out when it is raining. You may consider adding a lid over the deck. A covered deck,the fiberglass stuff.4x, 4s and box frame the cover. Extend the cover past the end of the deck twelve inches or so,than gutter it with a run off far away from the foundation. Good luck.

And you can cook out even if it's raining with your covered deck!

[Gore1FL]

6. I was thinking

about putting one of those plastic window well covers and sliding it under the porch to cover the crack, and putting some dirt around the edges.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

7. If you can see that crack

from the outside,and you think you can slide a window well under there, than why don't you slide yourself under there with a Army shovel ,dig down some and seal that crack with concrete sealer the right way! If you don't stop that water,that crack is just going to get bigger. And you need to use the same stuff professional;s use . Not the quick crete gray stuff in the bottle!

Otherwise build a roof over your deck,tie the deck roof to you house ,or the roof of your house depending on how your house is configured. Than gutter that deck roof.

Or have a engineer come out to your house and estimate that situation and it's probable rate of progression.At least than you will know what you are facing. If that crack suddenly appeared,you may have a problem.
And that problem may have begun with that deck.

[Gore1FL]

8. How deep would I need to go though?

I have gotten under the deck to run speaker wire and cable and such, so I can get under there (though I don't have a lot of room to move) I could make some headway, but the space requires something more on the lines of a trowel. I coud work muy way under with a piec of plastic and come back for a bag of dirt, but that is about all the clearance I have.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

9. Ok,thats a start.

Where the crack is visible in the basement,combined with what is visible from the outside, may give some indication of the severity of the damage. Chasing cracks in concrete is no easy thing. What is the measurement of the visible crack in the basement,(?), how close to the floor is it? Where is the crack on the inside wall in relation to the crack that is visible on the outside-you will need to measure that. Measure the distance from the end of the wall-foundation, to the crack from the inside and the outside. Than describe the materials used in that deck to determine the weight of it. The weight of the deck combined with the water in the ground increase in weight and the fact that the ground beneath the deck never dries up completely are factors to determine.

Get me those measurements and get those measurements for yourself.
From there ,we can figure out something.

From basement floor to crack,from end wall-foundation to crack ,inside and outside. The distance from floor in basement to house framing on top the concrete foundation. The distance or measurement outside visible crack to inside visible crack. Use the end of the foundation to determine that measurement.

And since you have seen under the deck, did the builder of that deck poor any concrete ,little slabs for instance?
And see if you can get a neighbor to help you post some pics!

If not,get to gathering data!

Lets have some data.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

10. Take a long level

to each Connor of the basement floor and check angles of floor. Both walls in each corner. You are looking to find how much the house has sunken into the ground . Than go to the center of a long wall and measure from floor to framing,use the bottom of the wood framing plate . One end and it's opposite. Go to center of each wall and repeat process. If you can shoot a straight snap line,you can measure in one corner say 10 inches up wall and shoot snap line to center. The same opposite corner. The snap line will show the angles or drop in the corners. This measurement is important in determining what happed to cause the crack.If a corner for instance is sinking at a much more rapid rate of progression then the others ,that can cause the problem. And how old is the house?

[TrogL]

4. No

Take out the deck, dig down, install weeping tile(?) to drain off the water, seal the crack inside and out.

[mopinko]

11. it's not your basement wall. it's your foundation wall.

think about it that way. i would really advise that you find a foundation specialist. this could get ugly.
do you have any cracking, or windows or doors not working properly? how about opening up of framing seen in the basement above the crack?
by all means deal with the water issues asap, but i would really call in the pros.

[Kolesar]

12. make sure that your rain gutter/downspouts take water far away from the house

You may be able to solve this problem quickly.

Make sure the soil near the house "the foundation backfill" slopes away from the house at a visible angle. You sure as heck don't want it to slope toward the house.

I have heard of homeowners putting impervious roof membrane on top of the foundation backfill to direct water away. They then cover the membrane with soil or decorative river stone. You may need to work a "French Drain" or a geotexile drain into the system.

[RazzleCat]

13. semi hijack

I too have the "crack" and a leak now. My crack became a leaker after the small quake, so of course my insurance is not going to cover it. So here is what I am planning. French drain, I have already busted up my patio and found a back hoe to get that done. Two add a second drain to my gutters (and replace the ones I have as they are a mess). Here are my questions.

1.) How much gravel would any of you use both bottom and top.
2.) I currently have an underground drain for my gutters, I was intending to tie the french drain to this drain, the drain looks to be about a 3" diameter heavy PVC pipe (I can see it exiting above the creek in the far back). So how do I attach to a PVC pipe or will I have to unearth the entire drain (not sure I can do this as it comes out of rock where the water company widened the creek.

Here is my current plan of action
1.) hand dig out around my fence posts so the back hoe can do the majority of the work.
2.) get gravel delivered, purchase drain pipe et all
3.) get back hoe delivered
4.) gather son for labor, and sweetie to operate hoe, dig with back hoe and use it to also load in gravel, use myself and son to spread gravel. Then use hoe to place dirt back on top, with son and I patting down at the proper angle.

I am planning on having my drain along the entire back side of my house and up about 6 feet on either side, on the bright side I have a very small house so I am looking at about 25' along the back and two 6' runs which would extend well past all cracks/leaks I currently have. Second bright spot sweetie still on occasion has to use heavy equipment for his job so no fears about hitting the house wrong, last bright spot, found a small excavator for $150.00 for 8 hours operation (metered on the motor), not so bright over $200.00 for delivery, bright spot (well maybe) working with a neighbor to have him move it with his 2500 construction truck for a smaller fee.
So before I get going, what have I forgotten?

edited to add in, of course I will contact 1-800-dig rite and have my yard surveyed prior to any excavation work. As long as I have to edit, am also in negotiations with a close by materials company for loose deliveries, as in take to overload from several large deliveries for a no delivery charge for my gravel (see it paid off to work in construction, I know that everyone will work a deal, you just have to come up with a reasonable one), and as sweetie is an HVAC contractor, he will move my central air unit, tie off the hoses and reset it on the pad (not only is he the best man in the world, he is very handy)

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

14. Thats interesting.

I have to stop off at my office this afternoon. I will look up the specs. I assume you know part of the french drain is sealing the foundation below ground. Diverting the water away from the foundation is part of the proceedure. Usually eight inchs at least and angled on the drainage ditch. If you buy your drain rock from a cement supply outfit,anybody that poors foundations knows about drainage as the escavation for the fondation forms and drainage -,plumbing are the same process. A sales rep. a good one at the cement outfit will know those specs. off hand . Some actually worked out in the field!If you take it down more than five feet ,you will need to place ply wood supports in the ditch so it does not collapse in on anyone working in the ditch. Five feet without support is the limit by code. And accidents do happen -cave in ,and people get hurt or killed by ignoring the fact that the safty aspect is a very important part of the process. No more than five feet without supports.

And one more thing, you can buy a do it yourself illastrated book on just how to do that at home depot or most any builders supply or book store for about $15.00. You really should get one.

You are taking on a major project. Do the research and study up on it befor you start.

As a contractor with over twenty years of the school of hard knox behind me, the books are still very important!As a matter of fact it's been twenty years since I worked escavation ,forms and foundations! That's a good a place as any to start in the building industery.

[RazzleCat]

15. lucky here foundation/footers about 3' down

I can judge the depth by the windows in my basement, from bottom of window to floor of basement maybe 4' at it's deepest, the yard is not level, less than 3 feet at the south end.. Did not know about the sealing, was just working on removing the water pressure away from the walls. I was over at nuway (local cement worker store) about 3 years ago and remember seeing a very cool epoxy based crack sealer. What made this one different was the anchor/nipple's that you would insert into the cracks, think a pointed electrical nipple with the strength of a cement tie. The nipple has a hole at the end, you use the product by placing the nipples about 4 to 6 inches apart into your crack, as in all the way in, till flush with the wall leaving enough room for the epoxy to ooze out the end, then you squeeze in the epoxy into the nipples, this way you would get the epoxy all the way into the crack, and not just over the outside of it. Maybe I should purchase one of these and do this on the inside prior to working the outside of my house.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

16. And after that

apply the brush on sealer ,same type as the professionals use. Ask about that at the concrete supply.Dig down five feet.Dump two feet of drain rock in the ditch.that carries the water down below the foundation. There is perforated drain line that is used below ground to carry the water away from the foundation. That drain line is than placed on top of the drain rock and routed to location out in the yard. Than more drain rock is placed over that. Than back fill with dirt. When I stop by my office today I will look at the formulas and pass the information on. You do want to seal that crack ,which will also help keep it from becoming bigger.You can call the cement worker store for some advice on the subject matter. You want to do a through repair job and you sure don,t want to do it again in four years or three or two. And when the ditch in dug out, you want to pressure wash the dirt off the concrete and inspect it. Also take photos for your records. You are looking for hair line cracks and any other discrepancy . Pick up a how to book on foundation and concrete repair.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

17. For the crack, it says widen it with a hammer and chisel,

to, 3/4 inch deep and 3/4 inch wide. There is a product called Quickrete hydraulic water stop.You mix it up and pack it in the cracks. The directions will explain. Than brush on Quickrite masonry coating completely over the exposed foundation ,it is a protective sealant.Brush on heavy where the foundation wall meets the footer or floor.The thing about concrete is that it is like a magnet top steel ,except for concrete it's water.The french drain itself is not the cure for the existing problem. The masonry sealant is a protective coating for your foundation.

For the

author of this thread, thats how you seal the foundation wall from the inside, but you must cure that crack from the outside as well,or it will just get bigger.


Tie in your drain lines anywhere. The part about a rock, just expose the existing drain and tie in ,use a three way T. You can from the middle of the back of your house angle your ditch down in both directions leading the water away from the house,your trench's will extend past the house of course.

You husband can use the same equation for figuring how much drain rock you need, The width,lenght and depth,as you would concrete, 4 ,5 yards maybe. I would guess extending past the ends of the foundation would make it at least 40 or 50 feet. Than from there to where ever you do the tie in.How necessary is the tie in by the way? Is it possible thats a over kill? You mentioned going after those gutters and down spouts, thats a big factor toward the cure. On your existing drainage-, have you ever had those lines cleaned out or snaked out? In other words,does the ground drain off function properly?

The Quickrete masonry coating will help preserve your foundation by the way.
The actual amount of drain rock you will need will depend upon what formula or method you are going to use.

By the way, they make a drain run off pipe with holes on three sides but not the buttom for directing the water away from the foundation. It comes in 3,4,5 and 6 inch.

[RazzleCat]

18. Tie in is necessary

I need to remove all the water, and I know the drain is working, you can go out in a thunderstorm (just to go watch the creek flash flood) and see the water exiting the drain. I assumed I could use =1 rock (least expensive round here). As to the gutters, total rot, need all new. I only have one downspout, so when I replaced I was gong to add in a second downspout and get one of those rolls up ones, (still wish I knew all the proper terms). They roll up when not in use, when water fills them they unroll. That way I could avoid having to bury it (code round here) and have to create a water friendly environment for it, i.e. the gravel, et all as I can't break up the rock wall that is owned by the utility companies to exit it to my creek.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

19. So routing the water is very important .

The new gutters will be the big contributer to the fix . Sealing the foundation wall and footer will be a major factor to preserving the value of the house. Those gutters are dumping a enormous amount of rain water into the ground surrounding the foundation ,that increase in weight stress ,pressure around the foundation is not at all good. Water weighs a lot.

One of the down spouts at the in laws home,the back corner ,recently the run off detached from the system. The rain water during a rain secession ran down the side walk into the basement, The basement has a stair case entry from the outside of the house.There was 3 1/2 inches of water in places 4 to six inches and in the low spots more than that. I pumped it out with a 10 gallon industrial wet dry vac. Because it was late at night when I got there, that,s the only way I had to do it at the time. A pump will have been nice.

It's amazing how heavy 10 gallons of water is being carried up the stairs fifty times!

For some reason people tend to think concrete is indestructible ,but it's not. We have to keep the weight of that water away from the foundation.

The best part about this problem I think is how it is the family pulls together to solve the problem. The very best of luck.

[Jersey Devil]

20. Where do you live and how old is your house?

In some states, like NJ, if you buy your home new by law you get a Homeowner Warranty that guarantees you against major structural defects for up to 10 years regardless of whether the builder is still around.