|
Cracked Foundation repaired with epoxy - starting to crack again.
Added
January 2, 2007
Q. Inside of our two-car garage, close to the middle of a wall (which is made out of poured concrete), the foundation is cracked. The foundation crack is approx. 3 feet long. Four years ago, I had a company repair the crack using an epoxy-based injection system.
Where this repair was done, it has started to crack again. The crack is a few millimeters wide right now, but I’m worried about why it has cracked, and how much worse it will get.
Can you tell me what would have caused the crack to open up again. Is there a permanent solution? How much does a permanent foundation crack repair cost?
A: If the crack has opened up again, that is a definite sign of movement in the foundation of your garage. There are two possible reasons for this. The first is lateral movement, and is most likely your problem. If the foundation of the garage is sinking, this movement will cause the crack to appear, widen, and close at different times of the year. In this case, the epoxy injection that was done was not the correct repair, and was a waste of time/money.
The second cause would be from horizontal movement. Is the garage wall partially/fully beneath the ground surface (built into the side of a hill perhaps?). If this is the case, the wall most likely is being pushed inward by expanding soils. An epoxy injection system will not solve this problem either. I typically recommend an earth anchor system that will hold the wall in place, and has the ability to move the wall back towards its original position without further cracking occurring.
I would contact the company that performed the work for you. Instead of telling them about the problem, first ask them if they correct foundation settlement problems, or bowing foundation walls. This way – you’ll know if they understand what the problem really may be, or have just sold you a “quick-fix”. After obtaining this knowledge, explain the problem to them, and ask for someone to come out and determine what type of movement is causing the garage foundation to move.
Or,
speak to a representative right now!
Call our office at 1-888-743-7464
View
more Questions and Answers in our Help Forum!
|
