Repair of Crack in Concrete Foundation Wall

[John A Reichert]

My house ( approx 30 yrs old) has a crack in the concrete foundation wall which allows water to enter the basement when if the rain is very intense or wind driven. I tried unsuccessfully to fill the crack from the inside using hydraulic cement. I plan to repair from the outside this time and would like some opinions to give the best chance of success. I was looking at the hydraulic cement again, but if there is any movement in the wall, this would likely crack the repair. Another options it to use a flexible calk designed to repair cracks in concrete. Any thoughts?

Thanks, John

[willshak]

on 10/14/2007 3:39 PM John A Reichert said the following:

I had a crack in the poured concrete foundation wall. It ran from the top of the concrete to about a foot from the footing. My house is 23 years old. It appears to be from settling, and was not wide enough for concrete filler. I painted it with the dryloc paint and it seems to have fixed it. I would have to dig down about 7' on the outside to fix it.

[PeterD]

Last crack I had I took some 10 mil plastic, a bucket of tar, and went to it... Hasn't leaked in ten years. Just make sure it is both clean and dry before the tar is applied (I used roofing tar, no less).

[Lou]

You could fill it with an epoxy/ resin mix from the inside. However if you don't have the proper tools to inject it into the crack it won't do you much good. A pro will cost you about $350 and should give you a lifetime guarentee. If you dig up the yard, make sure you have a couple of feet of foundation showing on both sides of the crack. Clean, clean and clean the dirt off. Tar the heck out of it and then put a peice of 1-2" pink styro over the tar. through some 3 mil or thicker plastic over that and back fill. A lot of work but well worth it. Lou

[John A Reichert]

I cleaned the crack in the concrete and filled it with a calk made for wall cracks to below the ground level. The crack began at the top of the foundation wall and continued I think to the footer. In addition to the calk, I built a small walk of concrete with a small slope away from the house. This walk butted the foundation wall. I'm ready to claim success, since we just had over 6 inches of rain in the last 24 hours and there is not sign of water in the basement.

Thanks for the previous comments. John