Concrete Foundation Crack Repair

Foundations made of concrete can crack as a natural process of it curing. These cracks are called shrinkage cracks. As the name suggests, concrete actually shrinks as it cures. This shrinkage builds up stress and the concrete must crack to relieve the stress. While they are a normal condition for a home's foundation, foundation cracks can let water leak into the basement.

Water that gets into the basement can damage carpets, insulation, drywall and the homeowner's possessions. That is why before you begin an expensive remodeling of your basement, you should make sure that the foundation cracks do not leak.

Homeowners traditionally had to call professional waterproofing contractors to chisel out a vee-notch in the concrete wall and fill it again with hydraulic cement. The hydraulic cement would temporarily fix the leaking problem. Unfortunately, as water enters the crack and evaporates out into the basement, salts dissolved in the water are left behind. Eventually these salts build up and cause the bond of the hydraulic cement and concrete foundation to fail. The hydraulic cement cracks let water back into the basement.

Now homeowners and professionals can repair the concrete foundation leak with a liquid urethane injection process. The urethane is injected directly into the crack in a liquid form. The urethane begins to foam and expand inside the crack. This expansion fills the crack from top to bottom and from front to back. Once completed, the foundation crack will not let water into the basement. Also, the repair gives a long life because water cannot enter the crack and deposit salts and cause a failure of the bond between the foam and concrete foundation.

This article is written by Aaron Kuertz with Applied Technologies. Aaron has been in the waterproofing industry since 1998. Applied Technologies is a manufacturer and supplier to professional waterproofing contractors and homeowners in the United States. To learn more about concrete foundation crack repair visit Applied Technologies on the web.

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