Epoxy Crack Repair of Basement Wall

I had horrible cracks in my basement and there were two solutions.

First, find the source. For me, I needed better drainage.

Second, surely the cracks should be hammered out and filled with concrete? A structural engineer did mine and he put in a few wall stitches for good measure (but my house is 50 years old).

Prior to me purchasing the house the whole rear basement wall had to be replaced after a patio had been laid at the back of the house without allowance for expansion. The patio has gone now!

Pehaps I do have a structural problem, but I don’t understand how you can be so sure as to say “call quick”. There is clearly “some” movement, but nothing measurable, and as I pointed out the cracks weren’t changing until epoxy was injected. I believe that epoxy might be a good repair if it can penetrate the entire wall. If it doesn’t why wouldn’t it recrack? With a crack a little wider than a hairline, how can you be so sure that it was fully injected the right way the first time around. The contractor who did the repair has been very responsive and hasn’t raised any serious concerns about the wall when I’ve called to tell about the recracking. They actually told me to keep an eye at the top of the crack for recracking because it’s not atypical to have to reinject.

I feel like I’m being defensive about this. I’m really not against paying someone to assess this if need be, but on the other hand, I didn’t think I’d have someone state definitively that there is a serious problem and that I should react quickly based on what I’ve observed and documented here.

I think I agree with you. If all I had to worry about was a “hairline crack” or two, my world would be a better place.

Part of the problem here is that you have a crack in concrete. Bricks are easier. Cracked mortar is not so bad, whereas cracked brick might be. With concrete who knows?

Jay,

Sounds like your a bright guy and don’t want to throw good money after bad.

STOP the water intrusion.

Then buy one of these, read directions, install as advised and see which way she’s going.

Keep a log and then consult whoever SE foundation repair after a period of time, or further widening crack.

http://www.avongard.com/ordering.htm

these guys apparently do Injections of cracks in poured wall, here`s what they say…

http://www.basementsystems.com/basement_waterproofing/crack_repair.php

http://www.askthebuilder.com/B10_Forces_Harmful_to_House_Foundation_Footers.shtml

Epoxy works well if used properly. It is designed to be used as a filler in/for cracks. If your epoxy is cracking, then you obviously have some movement causing the problem. Even if the epoxy wasn’t injected through the entire crack, the movement is still causing the problem. There are sealers on the market that “move” with expansion and contraction, but they really are just a temporary fix. IMO.