For anyone who has a leaky basement or cracks in their home, rain can be an unpleasant occurrence. The recent rains and more rain showing in upcoming forecasts have some Huntsville homeowners dreading water leakage. But there is a simple way to fix this issue – have the cracks in your home repaired. Our professional crack repair team can take care of any kind of foundation crack in your Huntsville home to prevent water from entering.
Prepare for Rain and Wet Winter Weather
Alabama usually sees an increase in precipitation during the wintertime. As the official winter season draws closer, it is a good idea to make sure that your home is well-protected from leaks and other issues that accompany wet winter weather. The last thing you want is to deal with water pouring in your basement during your holiday parties. Fortunately, Affordable Foundation and Home Repair offers solutions for all sorts of foundation cracks that you might see in your Huntsville, AL home. Take advantage of the current warm temperatures and examine your homes for cracks and other signs of an issue now, before it is too late!
Common Foundation Problems to Address Before Winter
Below is a list of common kinds of cracks you might find in your foundation and throughout your home, as well as other symptoms of failure that often accompany them and repair solutions that we offer. Keep an eye out for the following problems in your home and call our foundation repair team right away if you see any.
Problem: Exterior Foundation Crack
Any time that you see significant cracks in the exterior part of your foundation, it is a possible sign of foundation failure. Some hairline cracks or smaller cracks, narrower than 1/4 inch, might just be the result of normal foundation settlement or aging. However, wider cracks that run directly vertical or horizontal might be signs that the soil beneath your foundation has shifted unevenly, causing the foundation to settle or pull away from the above home. You might also notice water leaks, sticking windows and doors, and uneven floors.
Solution: Helical Piers or Polyjacking
If your foundation has settled, we can lift it using helical pier installation (a process known as underpinning) or fill underground voids with polyjacking. Helical piers are like giant screws that are installed under your foundation and used to lift it back to the proper level. This will stop settlement and close foundation cracks. Polyjacking is the injection of an expansive, polyurethane foam grout to fill voids that might have formed under your foundation in order to lift it and close cracks that might have formed.
Problem: Stair-Step Shaped Crack
If you have a brick or block foundation, or masonry work on your home, you might notice stair-step shaped cracks on the exterior or in your interior basement walls. This kind of crack is also common in chimneys. If you see stair-step shaped cracks, it may be a sign that your foundation has shifted due to soil pressure or is sinking from lack of proper support. Also look for bowing basement walls, leaks in the basement or under the floor, and gaps between the walls and floor.
Solution: Helical Piers, Plate Anchors, or Helical Tiebacks
If the stair-step shaped cracks were caused by foundation settlement, we can use underpinning with helical piers to lift the foundation to the original level ad close foundation cracks. If the cracks are accompanied by a bowing basement wall, we can use helical tiebacks, which are similar to helical piers but are installed laterally underground to offer counter-pressure to the soil and pull basement walls back into position. Wall plate anchors, two-part systems consisting of an anchor that is sunk into the yard adjacent to the basement and a rod that connects the anchor to the basement wall and can be tightened gradually, can also help straighten bowing walls to fix cracks and other problems.
Problem: Horizontal Wall Crack
Horizontal wall cracks, whether they are in the main level of your home in the drywall, or in the basement of your home in the concrete foundation walls, are normally a sign of serious foundation settlement. This type of crack is often accompanied by foundation leakage, gaps and spaces, and sticking doors or windows.
Solution: Helical Piers or Polyjacking
As mentioned before, helical piers and polyjacking are our preferred solutions for sinking foundations. By lifting the foundation, either through the installation of helical piers or the injection of polyurethane foam. Lifting the foundation back to the proper level will help close and seal horizontal cracks in the foundation and keep them from widening further.
Problem: Vertical Wall/Ceiling Crack
You might also see vertical cracks in your home. Check the exterior foundation for vertical foundation cracks, which might be a sign of foundation settlement. You should also take a look at the inside of your home for vertical cracks that run up the wall and extend to the ceiling. Smaller vertical cracks usually indicate normal foundation settlement and may not be a serious issue. However, any cracks wider than 1/4 inch could be a sign of more serious settlement or movement. Vertical cracks might lead to leaks or pest problems.
Solution: Helical Piers or Polyjacking
Since vertical cracks are usually caused by foundation settlement, the repair process will likely involve one of our foundation lifting
solutions – helical pier installation of polyjacking. If the problem is serious enough, we may need to use both helical piers and polyjacking to lift the home and compact soil under the home, preventing further issues.
Additional Issues and Repair Solutions
This type of crack, which is normally seen in interior walls or on ceilings, is typically not a
major structural concern. Spiderweb cracks are likely a sign fo normal aging in your home. If the cracks appear
next to the corner of the room
or near doors and windows and are accompanied by other problems – gaps and spaces between the windows and doors and the wall, bowing or leaning walls, additional wall cracks, sticking windows or doors, you should have them looked at by a professional. We will examine the problems and determine the best repair solution.
In addition to crack repair, we also offer a variety of other services, such as waterproofing, crawlspace encapsulation or repair, and mold remediation, to help solve and prevent issues during the winter months. Our team can handle cracks, leaks, mold problems, sloped floors, and more. Do not wait until it is too late! Give Affordable Foundation and Home Repair a call today for help in your Huntsville, AL home.
