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Leaky Foundation Service Pipes

Ground Water Penetration

Any Pipe that vents outside a foundation wall below grade height is susceptible to allowing ground water to penetrate the interior of a home. Such pipes may be; sump pump vents, furnace exhausts, oil tank connections, gas lines, dryer vents and any thing that exists the building through the foundation wall.  Leaks generally occur directly around the service pipe entrance or exit.

Signs of a Service Pipe Leak

A few signs that a leak has occurred or continues to are;

1)  Efflorescence, which is left over lime, calcium or other minerals after the moisture that penetrated has evaporated.

2)  Sign of dirt that has come in with water that leaves staining on the wall or even build on the floor.

3)  Signs of rust on the foundation wall coming directly from the service pipe area caused by the corrosion of metal venting pipes.  

The Most Effective Method

In order to repair leaky foundation service pipes and vents without exterior digging.  The most effective and often method used is through the injection method either with epoxy or polyurethane.

How the Method is Carried Out

Very similar to the crack injection method, an injection port or ports are adhered to the foundation wall over an opening directly around the pipe.  In some cases holes may need to be drilled in the concrete to allow for penetration of the product to be injected.  An epoxy surface seal paste is applied around the service pipe and any other leaking area making the injection ports the only way in or out of the leaking area.  After the surface seal material is fully cured the leaky area is injected and the process is complete.

The use of Hydraulic Cement

Only in the case that the leaking area is actively leaking at the time of repair epoxy will be replaced by Hydraulic Cement.  Hydraulic Cement is very effective when used in the repair of actively leaking areas as it cures through a chemical process that will take place and the product will cure even under water.  However Epoxy is the most often used product due to its significant bonding and structural strength.

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Window Wells

Having window wells in the basement of a home is pretty much a standard in modern construction and they are a great thing to have for many reasons, such as serving as an emergency escape if needed, but most importantly letting in badly needed fresh air and natural light.

Obviously, when there is a window in the basement of a home, there should be a window well outside unless, someone would prefer to look at dirt outside their basement window.  Window wells provide space for light to enter, a place for water to drain and allows space for air to be able to enter, as well as a strong barricade to hold back the soil base.

On the other hand, basement windows create another way for water to be able to penetrate a foundation and enter the basement. Windows that are properly installed and maintained will keep out minor seepage and play an important role in keeping the basement dry.

Window wells are very important in modern construction. However, for all their merits window wells are just large openings in the ground alongside a foundation wall with the potential of filling with water during sudden heavy or sustained rainstorms or snow melts.

When a window wells do fill with water, they are put to the test by having to hold back the pressure created on the window that will seek any small crevice to penetrate the basement area.

Properly functioning window wells should be outfitted with a drain, allowing the water it collects to drain and not build up beyond the drains ability to function. Ensuring water does not break through the windows ability to hold back moisture and remaining intact so that water does no penetrate the basement.

Window well drains commonly dump into a home’s exterior weeping tile but can also be connected to an internal drainage system. Window w ell drains can also be set up to drain water away from the property via gravity through properly sloped exits.  A window ell should never fill up with water when properly constructed and maintained.

In some older homes, window well drains were not included in their original construction and must be added in order to ensure proper drainage and protect the foundations integrity. Do to the lack of regular maintenance many window well drains fail because of clogging from debris.

Many homeowners think that by installing a window well cover they are keeping water out. However, by installing flimsy plastic bubble covers from the hardware store, they are in fact creating efficient little greenhouses allowing weeds to grow and eventually clog up and choke out drainage.  Window well covers of this nature are easily cracked and broken, rendering them useless and create a bigger mess in many cases than originally existed. The proper approach is to have a adequate and efficiently functioning drain installed into the window well.

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Interior Waterproofing

Interior waterproofing systems or internal drainage systems that are designed to divert water through a channel installed directly in to the floor slab on the inside of the home will deal with hydrostatic pressure which is the pressure of groundwater forcing its way through foundation walls.

Interior waterproofing systems deal with water after it has already found its way to the inside of a home, which is why many water proofers will refer to it as “water management” as opposed to water proofing. Since these systems do not stop water from entering, but merely re-routed it so that it can then be ejected via a sump pump in most cases.

There is a wide array of various types of internal drainage systems and each have their specific differences, but they all do basically the same task via a slightly different means and they are all usually installed the same way.

Installation means having to cut and jackhammer out a trench in the concrete floor slab, usually between 6 and 18 inches wide along the perimeter of the basement walls.  A channel consisting of a weeping tile in most cases is then installed that will collect the water that has penetrated and divert it over to an installed sump pump system.

For a system to remain effective and in good working order over a long period it must be maintained and kept clear of obstructions and clogging.  In order to achieve this, it is important to install access ports so that high pressure water can be sprayed in to the system and loosen any debris, if the system should become bogged down.

Also, key in the continuing success and longevity of a system is a sump pump that will continue to pump out water from its basket and not overflow on to the basement floor.  Power outages are a common reality during extreme weather conditions, and it is at these times you need your sump pump to be working optimally and continuously.  So, it is a smart move to have a battery back-up option installed as an essential part of an effective and long lasting internal drainage system

While internal waterproofing and drainage systems can be the only available option in many cases, they are not without their downsides.  When having to excavate in a finished basement or income property suite, the loss of income from a rental can be costly in and of itself, not to mention the time and money required to rebuild and re-decorate after the construction has been completed.  This is one of the largest factors for the increased demand in leaky basements being repaired via the crack injection method.

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Exterior Waterproofing

Exterior waterproofing, means dealing with water that finds itself alongside the exterior of a foundation wall, below the properties grade height. Generally, this means having to excavating at least 6 to 10 feet down to the foundations footing, to correct the foundations drainage problems by installing a new weeping tile system. In some cases, this means adding a French drainage system, to drain excess water in to a pseudo low point of the property.

While a huge part of waterproofing is trying to stop water from penetrating a properties foundation, the most curtail and fundamental aim is to elevate soil pressure from continuing to apply pressure through freezing expansion and thawing contraction, against a foundations wall.  The reason, is that a foundation walls most destructive enemy is the expansion of freezing water.

An often-unspoken element of foundation destruction, is the only thing that matters when it comes to dealing with foundation movement. The expansion of freezing water is the single most important element when it comes to talking about waterproofing, because when water sits beside a foundation wall and freezes it expands applying pressure against that wall.  The applied pressure is eventually relieved and causes the wall to crack.

To achieve this a material called Delta MS is applied to the exterior of the foundation wall, which is a dimpled membrane designed to absorb pressure exerted through ground force and by the weight of nearby buildings and structures applied directly to the foundation.  Tar or liquid rubber materials are painted or sprayed on to the foundation surface after any cracking is stabilized repaired with hydraulic cement surface to make sure that water doesn’t infiltrate it again.

Depending on the amount of waterproofing required or the number of areas in need of repair, excavating a home’s exterior means dealing with hydrostatic pressure which increases in proportion to the depth of a foundation.  The increased weight of water exerted downward from above may involve only one wall or several walls which will determine the overall cost of the project.  Therefore, because of the extensive excavation required repairing a leaky basement form the outside of a home is often a costlier ordeal than using other methods. Nevertheless, redirecting water from ever penetrating the home at all is always the most effective approach and required little or no maintenance at all after completion.

Disadvantages to exterior waterproofing come in to play when involving external impediments such as other buildings to close to the foundation wall, porches, driveways, disturbing finished landscaping or even breaking up beautiful stamped concrete which is common in many homes today.  Exterior excavation may not be the appropriate action to take in some scenarios like for homes that are situated in a high-water table area. Interior waterproofing methods such as interior drainage systems or foundation crack injections are often chosen because they cost significantly less than exterior water proofing and are the least invasive approach.

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Ask The Expert - Foundation Crack Behind Electrical Panel

Q:        I have a crack in my basement wall that runs behind a portion of the electrical panel in my basement.  Is it possible to repair this without having to mend it from outside and dig up my yard?

A:         It does depend on a few factors but, yes! It is possible to repair a wall crack that runs behind an electrical panel from the inside of your home.

I have been involved in repairing several foundation cracks that have been located behind electrical panels. In some cases, it has been necessary to have an electrician temporarily move the panel over just enough to access the entire length of the crack, have the repair made and then return the panel to its original location.

I have also performed many repairs that have allowed enough room directly behind the electrical panel to apply an epoxy surface seal covering the surface of the crack.  Applying ports above and below the area covered by the panel and injecting from the port just below the panel up to the port above.  In some rare cases I have found it necessary to inject for lengths of up to six feet.  While these conditions have not been optimal, a way was made to achieve the desired result.

In the majority of cases there is a repair available that can be performed from the inside of your home without having to excavate.

For more information please visit www.crackfillerguy.com

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Larger wall cracks can indeed be repaired from the inside of a home, without having to excavate from the exterior.

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Test your home for Radon. www.crackfillerguy.com

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Radon Gas

Radon gas, just what is it?  Where does it come from and what are its effects?  Radon gas is radioactive, naturally occurring and is created by the breakdown of uranium components in rock and soil.  An estimated 4 out of 5 homes in Canada contain detectible levels of Radon gas. Health Canada - What are the long term health effects of Radon Gas.

Radon gas has no colour, no scent and can only be detected by installing a long-term Radon test kit in your home, or by hiring a Radon measurement professional.  Health authorities warn that Radon gas exposer is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers and responsible for 16% of all lung cancer related deaths each year in Canada.

Radon enters the home through several possible areas of entry.  Some of these are; foundation wall cracks, cracks around service pipes, beam pockets, construction joints, floor drains, window casements, support posts, sump pump baskets and even up through dirt floors.

When Radon gas finds a way into the home it effects the whole home.  During the cooler months of the year when all the windows of your home are closed, Radon gas can remain trapped in every room.  When results indicating higher then recommended or safe levels of Radon gas are detected, it is time to involve a professional.  

The most common and one of the most effective ways of stopping Radon gas from seeping into your home is with a foundation crack injection.

For more information on the crack injection process or what you can do to protect your home and family, visit www.crackfillerguy.com

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Epoxy or Polyurethane Crack Injection Waterproofing

In trying to understand the best approach when repairing a cracked foundation wall, it’s best to explore how and why foundation cracks occur.  Most foundation cracks are non-structural hairline cracks that are caused by concrete shrinking as it cures, improperly poured foundation walls or from some level of foundation settling over time.  Foundation cracks may be an aggravation when found in the basement of your home but in most cases, they don’t pose any real structural issue and can be repaired with relative ease.

Vertical foundation cracks run from the top to the bottom of a foundation wall which can make it easy to spot from the exterior of a building.   When looking to have a foundation wall crack repaired, many people wonder if it should be fixed by injecting epoxy or polyurethane.  A few factors to keep in mind when deciding are; does your wall crack run vertically or horizontally, does it branch off into multiple veins, and how wide is the wall crack, is it more or less than a quarter of an inch wide?

For cracks that are wider than a quarter of an inch that do not pose any serious structural issues, it is best to inject an expanding waterproofing polyurethane foam.  It is also common practice to include either Kevlar staples or carbon fibre straps in order to give added strength and support to the foundation wall.

For cracks that are less than a quarter of an inch wide, it is best to inject an epoxy.  Epoxy does not expand but adds a structural element because of its strength and the way that it adheres to concrete.  For even more strength both Kevlar straps and/or carbon fibre straps can be added to this process as well.

For more information on how to repair your basement, visit us at www.crackfillerguy.com

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Carbon Fibre is one of the strongest man made substances on the planet and its strength can be leveraged in adding structural repairs to your home.

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Concrete Crack Injection

Cracked Foundation

Cracked concrete foundation walls can be repaired in order to stop water from even entering your home at all through the crack injection process. 

In many cases the most cost effective approach in repairing cracked foundation walls, is to inject a substance directly in to the crack from the inside of your home. This method provides a permanent repair the can be completed by a single technician in only a few hours. In order to complete a foundation crack injection repair, a technician will apply a four stage process.

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Cracked Foundation

Cracked concrete foundation walls can be repaired in order to stop water from even entering your home at all through the crack injection process. 

In many cases the most cost effective approach in repairing cracked foundation walls, is to inject a substance directly in to the crack from the inside of your home. This method provides a permanent repair the can be completed by a single technician in only a few hours. In order to complete a foundation crack injection repair, a technician will apply a four stage process.

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Crack Injection

In order to understand which approach is best in repairing your foundation crack, there are a few questions which need to be answered first. Such as; what materials does your foundation consist of. Is it Block? Concrete?  Brick?  Field Stone?  Or some combination of many types of foundation building material?

In the case of field stone or ruble foundations you’ll need to consult with a general contractor or possibly an engineer before proceeding or have a water displacement system installed by a licensed water proofer, in the basement of your home. In case of a block or brick foundation, you may have step cracking or some other type of structural issue. In this scenario, you may require an exterior excavation, including Carbon Fiber, Kevlar Staples, Pilasters, or another style of foundation stabilization. When it comes to concrete foundation cracking without signs of serious structural issues. The most common type of repair is achieved by an injection process directly into the foundation wall crack. This process is called crack injection.

If you’re like most people you probably don’t know much about the crack injection process. However, whether your foundation wall crack is being repaired by injecting Epoxy or Polyurethane, the system used is almost identical.  It consists of adhering injection ports to the surface of the crack, sealing it, and injecting from bottom to top, until complete.

Repairing a foundation wall crack from the inside of your home with a crack injection Is a much simpler quicker and more cost-effective method of repair than an exterior excavation. In some cases, such as when dealing with naturally occurring gases like Radon, A crack injection may be the most effective method of repair.

When a crack injection is repaired properly by a licensed professional, the area injected should never leak again.

For more information please visit us at www.crackfillerguy.com/services

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Avoid quick fix foundation band aide solutions.  The Crack Filler Guy basement waterproofing delivers premium workmanship at competitive prices. With our economical permanent solution crack injection, you can have the peace of mind that only comes with quality long lasting professional repairs. We guarantee to fix your basement water issues leaving you dry and leak free for the lifetime of your home.

Basement waterproofing has never been this quick and easy before.

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