Dealing With Water Damage On Your Foundation
Posted on: 8 April 2020
One of the most common forms of damage that affect the foundation of many homes is a result of water infiltration. Often water seeping in around the foundation can cause damage to the foundation that will eventually need repairing.
Signs of Water Damage
Water damage is not always easy to see in your foundation walls. Wet spots on the foundation walls or cracks that have water seeping through them are pretty good indications that the foundation wall is compromised. Over time, that tiny little crack with erode and become a more significant problem, until the foundation fails or the section of the concrete spalls and comes apart.
Once the crack has started, letting it go is a surefire way to allow the damage to continue. As soon as you see damage to the foundation wall, call a foundation company, and have them inspect the entire foundation and determine how far the damage goes. Once the extent of the damage is known, the best way to deal with the damage can be determined.
Repairing the Damage
Verticle cracks in the foundation are pretty common, and if you catch them early, the fix is easy, but if the crack runs horizontally, it can be a more significant issue. Filling cracks in the foundation with hydraulic cement is one of the most common tactics used to repair the foundation quickly. The hydraulic cement is injected into the crack and allowed to cure. Once the cement cures, the contractor may put more cement into the crack to fill it out to the surface of the wall.
The cement can then be spread over the surface of the crack to smooth the wall surface and cover the crack. If the wall is an interior wall in a basement that is finished space, the homeowner may want to paint over the repair once it cures completely.
Stopping Further Damage
Often water pressure on the outside of the foundation is behind the cracking that you see inside. The solution is to get the water away from the foundation. One way to do that is to add a drain around the foundation, directing the water away from the house.
Digging a trench and adding stone to the bottom, then placing a perforated drain pipe in the trench will help to drain the water away from the foundation. While you are trenching near the outside walls, exposing the foundation and coating it with a high-quality sealer can also help keep water from getting through the concrete. Make sure you have rain gutters on the house, and that they are working to carry the water away from the home, so water from the roof is not soaking into the ground right next to the foundation.
Your foundation repair contractor can help you get all these things dealt with, and save that foundation before it gets to the point of replacing it.
For more information, contact a foundation repair service.
Share