Horizontal Cracks In Concrete Walls

Measure the width of cracks with measuring tape.

Horizontal cracks in concrete walls.

Most foundations are designed to handle the pressure of water and soil. We rarely see cast in place concrete foundation walls which have developed a horizontal crack because of lateral or inward soil pressure. Horizontal cracks in reinforced brick or concrete block walls and in poured concrete walls can occur because of wall movement such as bending or loading footing settlement tipping leaning frost pressure earth pressure etc see horizontal movement in foundations. Cracks in external and internal walls of load bearing structures.

As a preventive measure proper corner reinforcement in two layers should be provided to resist lifting of the corners. Horizontal cracks in a concrete block wall are more immediately threatening of serious collapse than vertical cracks. Horizontal if the supports in your walls aren t strong enough to hold up to the weight of concrete you may notice your walls starting to bow. Stabilizing a foundation with structural.

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. Causes of horizontal cracks. Concrete walls containing horizontal cracks are serious issues. They are caused by hydrostatic water pressure from the outside of the walls and can lead to a failure in the foundation.

The most common cause of horizontal cracks in concrete block foundation walls is excessive. To prevent vertical cracks from forming be sure to use a liberal amount of concrete during the pouring process to better account for shrinkage during the curing stage. Horizontal cracks in concrete walls however indicate poor wall designs or pressure buildup behind the wall. Like bulging walls horizontal cracks are typically caused by hydrostatic pressure and even if the wall isn t bulging it s time to call in the pros.

Several masonry patching products such as hydraulic cement do an adequate job of filling cracks in concrete walls. But for small horizontal cracks say 1 16 wide and walls that have minimal bowing say 1 inwards the block wall foundation collapse risk estimate may be reduced. Horizontal cracks in concrete block or cast in place concrete foundation walls are rarely an indication of foundation settlement. 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.

Horizontal cracks often indicate a more serious problem.