Horizontal Cracks In Concrete Basement Walls

Vertical cracks run the same direction as drywall generally making them less serious.

Horizontal cracks in concrete basement walls.

Backfill damage excessive height or premature backfill before the first floor framing was in place. Because basement floors are poured after the walls are. Corrosion of embedded reinforcing steel. Horizontal cracks in concrete block or cast in place concrete foundation walls are rarely an indication of foundation settlement.

Several masonry patching products such as hydraulic cement do an adequate job of filling cracks in concrete walls. Stair step cracks may also signify heaving. You can t handle this cracked wall by simply filling the crack and finishing off the basement. Concrete walls containing horizontal cracks are serious issues.

If a vertical crack widens at the top or bottom the wall is either settling or gradually heaving which may present serious issues. We rarely see cast in place concrete foundation walls which have developed a horizontal crack because of lateral or inward soil pressure. The crack line can look like steps. There s also a stair step crack on each end of the horizontal crack and the wall is bowed in about 1 in.

In concrete block foundation walls horizontal cracks are typically caused by the foundation wall being forced and bowed inward under the lateral or inward pressure of the soil. If the crack is horizontal or runs at a jagged 45 degree angle it might mean there s a more serious problem. Horizontal foundation cracks located at mid wall height on a foundation possible vehicle loading look for a driveway near the wall or site history involving movement of heavy equipment near. However these products can fail after a few years if your foundation or retaining wall continues to move slightly leaving you with little choice but to chip them out and start all over again.

The most common cause of horizontal cracks in concrete block foundation walls is excessive unbalanced soil pressure. Horizontal cracks horizontal cracks found on foundation walls are indications of a very serious problem and over time they can lead to a complete foundation wall failure. Brick walls are just as vulnerable to cracking and bowing as other walls and they re also susceptible to crumbling mortar. A step crack is horizontal and vertical cracking between the cinder blocks or bricks.

Horizontal cracks in concrete walls however indicate poor wall designs or pressure buildup behind the wall. This type of movement will have horizontal cracks that may occur near the center of the wall or nearer to the top of the wall. Sometimes the soil pressure may shear the first course of concrete block above the basement floor slab and the wall slides inward. Vertical and diagonal cracks in concrete walls typically indicate foundation movement.