The walls of your foundation can have cracks of all sizes and shapes. They can be quite clear at first, like the case of huge cracks, but you should look out for the smaller details too. Tiny wall fractures that look like spider web cracks can appear, and are one of the early signs. You may also see vertical, horizontal and star-shaped cracks.
Water damage may or may not be visible when you notice a crack on the walls. If water damage causes the cracks to appear, then it is possible that there will be a leak from the same point. There may also be damp on the walls, which shows that there is water trapped inside the walls, thus causing more damage.
Having cracks on your foundations shows not only signs of water damage, but also structural damage. For this reason, it is very important to seek professional assistance, even when the cracks appear to be small. The small tiny cracks you are seeing can soon develop into deep, open, cracks that let in more water. It is easier and cost effective to deal with such cracks when they are small than wait to encounter a bigger problem of water damage.
There are few reasons why cracks develop on the walls of your foundations. Initially when your house is new, foundations usually settle with time. This causes strain on the foundations and results in vertical cracks.
The weight of your building can also cause your foundations to shift as soil is moving underneath them resulting in potential structural damage. This condition usually becomes worse if the house was not well constructed.
Damps and leaks can also be an issue. If water pushes against the walls of your house due to lack of adequate waterproofing, drainage or the buildup of hydrostatic pressure from soil and water, then water will ultimately find a path into the walls. If this water is trapped inside the walls, it will try to find a way out thus creating gaps and cracks in the walls.
At Aquatech Waterproofing, we have highly appropriate solutions that will restore your foundations and ensure no cracks are left to let water get into your home. We are able to fix cracks using:
Sealant for the smaller gaps and cracks, which repairs and waterproofs the gaps
For the bigger cracks, we use hydraulic cement which will fully seal the structure and provide stability
We fill the concrete with sealant that is waterproof from the top to the bottom. This is called epoxy injection.
It is imperative to deal with the root problem of basement leakage if possible. If settling caused the damage, then nothing more can be done. If the crack appeared because of pooled water or a leak, we can look for the entry point, and install proper drainage systems that are highly advanced with waterproofing solutions to ensure that your walls never retain water.
