Dallas Foundation Repair

Leaking cracks in concrete foundations are a common problem for many homeowners.
While the cracks are caused by the natural process of concrete curing and
shrinking, the cracks can be an annoyance for the homeowner. That is because
many homeowners want their basements to act as an added living space with
carpeting, finished walls and furniture.

Concrete Foundation Shrinkage
Crack Causes

First, all residential foundations crack. Concrete has
water as an ingredient in the mix. In fact a concrete wall 100' long can shrink
by as much as ¾".

The shrinkage process causes stress forces to develop
in the concrete and to relieve the pressure, it cracks. This is okay because a
concrete foundation has steel reinforcing bars inside that maintain the strength
of the foundation wall. It is common to see cracks develop in the middle of a
long wall, under a window or where the foundation steps down.

You will
notice that the cracks are usually wider at the top of the foundation and get
narrower as you go down the wall. Again, this is normal.

If a foundation
crack occurs at the corner of a basement window, it is possible for rainwater to
enter the crack from the top where the window sits back from the edge of the
foundation.

Also, improper grading can cause water to enter from the
top. Low spots in the yard or sloping towards the house will cause water to
enter at the top. A home with improper grading can cause rainwater to pool
against the foundation and enter the crack.

Another way for water to
enter a crack is horizontally below the ground (called below grade.) As it
rains, the rainwater saturates the soil around a foundation and water enters the
foundation crack. Again, the water enters the crack and begins running down
inside of it until the crack narrows and is forced out to the interior of the
basement. The homeowner will then see water seeping down the wall and onto the
basement floor.

There are several ways to stop the water from entering a
foundation crack and leaking into the basement. The first and most expensive way
is to excavate along the foundation wall and exposing it.

This is the
most expensive repair process since a large machine must be employed to excavate
the foundation wall. It is not a feasible solution for most homeowners because
of the time and expense of the repair. A typical repair process may take 2-3
days, depending on how much must be excavated. The excavation requires a large
area around the home to place the removed soil. And any landscaping around the
home must be removed.

Interior repairs are much more common and feasible
for a homeowner. They can be done quickly and for little expense. This notch
narrows as it is made to about 1" in width at the back of the notch. The
vee-notch is made the entire height of the foundation wall.

This cement
actually expands a tiny amount and bonds to the existing foundation walls. The
disadvantage to a vee-notch repair is that water can still penetrate halfway
into the crack; that is the other 4" of foundation wall width.

Eventually
these salts will cause the bond between the cement and wall to fail and allow
water to enter again.

Also groundwater exerts a horizontal force called
hydrostatic pressure. This pressure can be transferred directly to the cement in
the crack and cause it be forced out of the vee-notch.

Crack Injection
Foundation Repair

The repair is performed by a technician inside the
basement. The urethane enters the crack as a two part liquid that is mixed by a
static mixer as it enters the crack.

The liquid urethane fills the crack
completely, from front to back and bottom to top. This foaming process greatly
increases the volume of the urethane and it fills the crack.

Since the
crack is completely filled, no water can enter the foundation crack.

A
typical repair can be done in one hour per crack.

The outside landscaping
is not disturbed and for little expense the basement becomes a usable area. Now
the homeowner can safely install drywall, carpeting and furniture.

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