Structural Cracks In Concrete Walls

Sometimes these cracks have a v shape less frequent with the top of the crack looking larger and the crack getting smaller as it travels towards to floor and diminishing or stopping before reaching the bottom of the foundation wall.

Structural cracks in concrete walls.

In general cracks wider than a credit card and running through the depth of the concrete are structural in nature and could be a sign of more serious problems see concrete crack repair evaluation. Precast concrete walls are concrete walls built offsite trucked to the building site and then set in place. Details about the causes of vertical cracks in concrete block walls and the possible causes and need for remedy or repair for this crack damage are discussed. A very straight vertical crack in a concrete block foundation wall extending from the basement floor slab to the top of the foundation wall.

Concrete walls containing horizontal cracks are serious issues. Plastic shrinkage concrete cracks. Due to the age and construction designs of these walls they tend to have more cracks and leaks than other walls. Repairing a foundation crack of this nature is similar to repairing other non structural cracks.

The walls on the outside of your home can crack for many of the same reasons. These cracks no matter what the width are rarely acceptable. When that water eventually leaves the slab it leaves behind large voids between the solid particles. That said interior wall cracks often have different causes than exterior wall cracks.

Shrinkage cracks in a poured concrete foundation can be diagonal or vertical and are usually uniform in width. If a vertical crack widens at the top or bottom the wall is either settling or gradually heaving which may present serious issues. Interior cracks in concrete block walls can form for a number of reasons including. Several masonry patching products such as hydraulic cement do an adequate job of filling cracks in concrete walls.

Brick stone clay tile these types of walls are often found in historic and older homes. We explain 6 of the most common types of concrete cracks below. Fill it with a caulk suitable for use on concrete. How to determine if the cracks in walls are serious.

Call in a structural engineer for an in depth evaluation. At vertical cracks in block walls. There s no exact method for determining how serious a wall crack is without hiring an expert to examine the wall but you might be able to. Stair step cracks may also signify heaving.

Horizontal cracks in concrete walls however indicate poor wall designs or pressure buildup behind the wall.