Reinforcement strips

[dmacy (David C. Macy, CMI)]

I am not a Structural Engineer but,

Outside the house the roof drainage was in very poor condition, downspouts all dumping next to home, poor grading.

Very large cracks at exterior foundation.

In basement for only 8K was an interior drainage system and numerous reinforcement strips.

The cracks in the basement were numerous. Many vertical next to the strips.

25 year warranty on strips.

There were step cracks, vertical cracks, displacement.

I called a SE and he confirmed my thoughts on the repairs.

These pictures do not tell the full story.

[mcyr (Marcel Cyr, CMI)]

Jack up the house on cribbing, remove the block walls, pour a concrete foundation with waterproofing and good backfill with drainage.

Fixed. :mrgreen:

[rmayo (Randy Mayo, P.E.)]

David

Those are carbon fiber strips when designed and attached properly serve as external reinforcement. My thesis in grad school was based on applying carbon fiber strips to strengthen bridge decks and other structures and my mentor was Dr. Tony Nanni (Miami University) an internationally known expert in carbon fiber strengthening and he wrote the current ACI manual on carbon fiber. I say this not to pat myself on the back but to make you and others aware about this method of strengthening unreinforced concrete or under reinforced concrete in foundations. There has been a recent surge in companies offering this “new” technique to strengthen basement walls. Carbon fiber strengthening has been around for some time and has been used successfully in bridges, parking garages and commercial buildings. The most recent use has been reinforcing walls to resist blasts from bombs. But back to the subject I have done some research on these companies that offer this service and I have not seen any verifiable engineering behind their advertising claims. In my opinion most are using this as a sales gimmick and know enough about this product to be dangerous. If not designed properly you can waste allot of money or worse do additional damage to the foundation. The forces that are pushing against the basement wall do not disappear when you glue these strips on. The force will be transferred to the next weakest point, in your case the wall just cracked next to the reinforcing strips. None of these companies will provide a sealed engineered document on these installations and their guarantee is on the carbon fiber not the adequacy of the repair. I could go on but you get the point.

[john_bubber]

Mr Macy on the case again!

UN–BE–lievable how these incompetent inside system companies (too numerous to name) MISREPRESENT,lie etc about the condition of basement/crawl walls,leaks etc in order to sell crap,supposed,self-titled ‘waterproofing systems’.

The cracks that are visible inside are STILL OPEN outside and there are likely other cracks and-or cracked parging on the OUTSIDE of the WALL which IS where WATER enters into the blocks and causes mold,efflorescence on parts of inside wall.

Water entering INTO the blocks,THROUGH mortar joints can WEAKEN the wall,DETERIORATE he blocks and joints
LIKE HERE…
http://picasaweb.google.com/101049034584960315932/Crawlspace#5540665069188493442

http://picasaweb.google.com/101049034584960315932/Crawlspace#5540665133328086770

Inside systems do NOT stop-keep water from continuing to penetrate/enter exterior cracks etc.
DRILLING HOLES on inside wall does NOT stop-keep WATER from getting in blocks,passing through mortar joints…weakening the wall. J Krist.

And of course these inside systems do NOT remove-reduce-relieve ANY exterior pressure-weight OFF the dang wall which CAUSES many walls to crack,bow in,leak in the FIRST PLACE! lolol

Thanks again for photos Mr Macy,just more PROOF-EVIDENCE.

HERE, inside system company installed WALL ANCHORS,thats it!
http://picasaweb.google.com/101049034584960315932/BasementWaterproofing36#

http://picasaweb.google.com/101049034584960315932/BasementWaterproofing36#5451204553850232530
Some cracks WIDENING,some blocks deteriorating,more mold etc and it still LEAKS…HELLO!!!

What is it these weasels do not understand or care to understand!!!

The CAUSE of the cracks,cause of the leaky basement is OUTSIDE!!!

You have to go outside and remove-reduce the weight/pressure OFF the dang wall AND while yer picking yer nose ou there, WATERPROOF the wall and backfill correctly! THAT is whats going to help the friggin wall,thats what is going to STOP water from where its entering.

When part of the problem,cause of cracks and leak-seepage is UNDERGROUND ROOTS like this then you have to take yer little az outside and REMOVE it and repair/waterproof the cracks,deteriorated blocks
http://picasaweb.google.com/101049034584960315932/BasementWaterproofing09#5442183457360199010
Installing wall anchors or beams or carbon fiber etc on the inside does NOT remove any of this shtt,the wall/blocks,joints WILL get WORSE,will deteriorate

B Dry/other incompetent inside system co`s say what?
http://www.bdry.com/faq.php#7

http://www.bdry.com/faq.php#9
Incompetent sobs…period!
They claim, excavation-exterior waterproofing is “UNNECESSARY” lolol!
They also incompetent say it doesn`t work,it was done when house was BUILT! lolol

No B Dry, exterior waterproofing IS freakin NECESSARY, does freakin work and was NOT done when house was BUILT you stinking lousy fools.
We are proof exterior waterproofing ‘works’ azz holes,no complaints eh! Same w/Capizzo Const and a few others who are the experts of this g dang subject.
Photos of exterior walls are proof the walls were NOT waterproofed when BUILT!
lololol…and ‘some’ home inspectors highly recommend B Dry???
UN–BE–lievable!

[dmacy (David C. Macy, CMI)]

Had another one today.

Roof drainage all blocked, old gutters leaking all over the foundation. Riser, leaders looked newer, but the one that was lifted was not sealed properly and was connected to the older terra cotta type.

Inside full panels on terra cotta foundation. No chance of mold with these but there is a EZ breathe system installed, no issues now!!!

Windows had half covered with earth and no window wells.

[mcyr (Marcel Cyr, CMI)]

David, good thing the glass blocks are waterproof.

You forgot to mention the asbestos floor tile.

Why in the world would anyone look at buying these dumps, anyways?

Was that green stuff algae?

[dmacy (David C. Macy, CMI)]

I did mention the possible asbestos in the floor tiles in my report.

The green stuff is water seepage.

[mcyr (Marcel Cyr, CMI)]

You are right on the ball David, never doubted it for a minute. :)

[john_bubber]

Happened upon this searching for similar sht.

These interior basement system companies need to be sued for negligence, incompetence, frrrrraud!

So dammmmm tired of these FRUIT BASKET companies bs’g homeowners and where the hlll is the MEDIA or the Better Business Bureau or Angie’s List etc on this subject???

Why can’t they show, state exactly what is shown here to umm, help inform homeowners, what is THEIR problem? And where are the dang city building departments on this.

What don’t THEY understand???

Here’s another (yippie! lol) home inspector who seems to ‘GET IT’, at least in this article

How to fix a leaky concrete block wall the right way, and for under $100.

Apparently he put soil back, and if it was most-all sand he should be ok’ Since some of us have to guarantee it we’d obviously would have backfilled with 99% gravel

And here’s a HI who doesn’t ‘get enough’, some, but umm, not enough
http://moorehomeinspection.com/blog/2011/01/05/wet-basements-how-to-fix-them/
All due respect to him but come on…look at first 2 photos.
An interior basement system was installed which did NOT stop the water from where its first entering (duh, outside), hence, mold,efflorescence isn’t going anywhere, there to stay.
Cracks may certainly widen, some exterior blocks may already be deteriorated or can certainly deteriorate in future BECAUSE…lol, the inside system company, yet again, failed to do the exterior wotk NECESSARY to stop the water and reduce exterior weight, pressure against duh wall.

And here’s a REALTOR who ‘gets’ little IF anything and actually recommends 2 interior system companies!@!@!@!@!!! I posted comments yesterday (below article) and see he did not ok my posts, lololooooll! Duh wonder why! Also emailed him, sent him photos and my ph number, still waiting Mr Bill, anytime yer ready. See all the AZZ KISSIN comments from supposed friends? LOooooooooooooooooooooooooLLLL!!
“Great article Bill”…“Great blog…I shall share some of the information with CLIENTS!!” lolol "

Solving Basement Water Problems

Simply incompetent on this-subject, oh yes indeedy.
Afraid your wrong? Skeered? lol
You wrote it, now own it, could change it if he really gave a sht but I bet he gets a little $$$ for recommending the interior system companies huh. lolol Crock of bullshtt.

[mgratton (Marcel Gratton, CMI)]

Some info at link below.

http://thereinforcer.com/

[john_bubber]

How ya doing Mr. G

Say again, it does nothing to relieve, reduce exterior soil pressure against a basement wall. It doesn’t remove possible underground tree roots or concrete slabs or porch-footings etc that cause or help cause bowed walls, cracks in wall, widening of existing cracks etc.

Placing carbon straps on inside walls, bowed in walls, doesn’t repair/waterproof the existing EXTERIOR cracks in block, brick walls.

The exterior cracks, cracked parging is where the water is entering. The water first enters, passes through the exterior cracks into the hollow blocks and then drops through the lower blocks where it most often comes out inside the basement at–along the bottom of wall/block and the floor.

MANY who see this, water coming out at-along the bottom of block wall and floor misrepresent, lie, mislead (whatever), what is going on and tell/bs homeowners they have a supposed hydrostatic pressure problem under the floor and need an interior basement system. See it, hear it ALL the time!

Scroll down a little to, Basement Wall Damage…
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/publications/marineclay.htm
Cause…
Resolution…
Hmmmm, UNBIASED here eh.
Do they tell people who have bowed walls to apply Duh Reinforcer?

Do they tell peeps to install an interior basement drainage system?

NOT saying ‘some’ of this shtt that can be applied to interior walls isn’t helpful in some smaller ways but the sob’s who install it always or nearly always are interior system companies who will talk the homeowners into the dumb az interior system and leave the exterior cracks open, water is still entering, and as i/others have tried to show time and again with photos, more mold, more, efflorescence etc, and time and again the supposed lifetime warranty and company either is gone, bye bye, OOB or bs’s the homeowners and tells them the continued problems are not their fault.

The walls need to be DUG OUT, and if someone wants this stuff applied inside it should then be done in conjunction with EXTERIOR waterproofing, proper backfill etc.

B Dry was here, told and sold homeowner an interior drainage system and all along, before and obviously after, the walls have been, still are BOWED in, multiple exterior cracks, still leaks etc. The MONEY spent on B Dry SHOULD have been spent on EXTERIOR waterproofing, period!
http://picasaweb.google.com/101049034584960315932/BasementWaterproofing12#5442257985206574578
And if B Dry, the salesperson or owner, whoever the fc was there SHOULD have explained and informed the lady what was really going on and what was need which yet again, lol, was NOT their inside system! Geezzzzzzzzzzz

Look at the BOTTOM block, top of bottom block…also multiple exterior vertical cracks.

The lady called my az because…cracks continued to occur and, some existing cracks WIDENED and…still leaked! And she said, just before calling my stinky az, she had a RADON TEST done, off duh charts.

The reason she had us only ‘do’ about 1/2 of the wall (it really needs the rest done and so do all other walls) is because she simply didn’t have the money.
Again, when she handed B Dry $5,000 for about 2 walls, that money should have been spent on the outside…shtt happens all the time.

http://picasaweb.google.com/101049034584960315932/Crawlspace#5540665069188493442
Bowed wall…how does applying REINFORCING straps on inside seal/waterproof the multiple exterior openings and deterioration to blocks?

It doesn’t, nary one bit.

Wall anchors were installed here, wall is bowing in…someone plz tell Milkman what good it did to spend $$$ on wall anchors, Bubba needs help, lol!
http://picasaweb.google.com/101049034584960315932/BasementWaterproofing36

MORE incompetent crap, $5,700 ish spent on a few beams and other incompetent junk when all the while, the problems, the causes are OUTSIDE!!!
And homeowner told my az, the SCS city INSPECTOR recommended this company, lolol, what a CROCK of bullll
http://picasaweb.google.com/101049034584960315932/BasementWaterproofing38
Eh Drippy Dry company, homeowner is still looking for ya, calling yer azz, where O where can Mr Drippy Dry be, oh where or where can they be? lolol SCAM!!

Some walls simply need to be replaced. I don’t enjoy trying to explain that to any homeowner but its the truth. Some need to be replaced, other can be repaired, exterior work/waterproofing. Any new wall needs to be waterproofed and backfilled correctly, not damproofed.

[mgratton (Marcel Gratton, CMI)]

Mr. B,

Your explanation makes perfect sense, as usual!

[Corey_sabo]

Ok guys I need some advice I recently purchased a home built in 1962. We have moved in and the inspector caught that the walls were bowing in with about 2 inches of wall is sticking further out than normal. So cut to the chase had basement guys come out to do a quote. For $5,100! To install 17 carbon fiber strips to the wall. It’s leaking and inspector said the walls could be bowing bc of the two trees along my house which we can see a small root on corner of basement. Anyways there was water leaking from window bc gutter was leading straight to basement window. So I dug a temparary small trench down hill to have water from drains run away from house eventually will add piping/French drains also the bottom left corner of my basement away from the window that was leaking gutter water is leaking and can’t figure out where leak is coming from. Anyways I’m having. A tough decision on hiring these guys guys to come out and do work if maybe all I need to do is fix the outside? Help me out! Does carbon fiber need installed if there is already a 2 inch ledge sticking out from the normal wall. And it’s bowing