Horizontal Cracks In Concrete Walls

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.

Horizontal cracks in concrete walls.

Most foundations are designed to handle the pressure of water and soil. They are caused by hydrostatic water pressure from the outside of the walls and can lead to a failure in the foundation. As a preventive measure proper corner reinforcement in two layers should be provided to resist lifting of the corners. Several masonry patching products such as hydraulic cement do an adequate job of filling cracks in concrete walls.

Concrete walls containing horizontal cracks are serious issues. The most common cause of horizontal cracks in concrete block foundation walls is excessive. 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 in the topmost storey of building at corner cause upliftment of the slab corners due to deflection of the slab in both directions.

Horizontal cracks in concrete walls however indicate poor wall designs or pressure buildup behind the wall. Measure the width of cracks with measuring tape. Check out these common causes and repairs for horizontal foundation cracks from a highly rated structural engineer. We rarely see cast in place concrete foundation walls which have developed a horizontal crack because of lateral or inward soil pressure.

Stabilizing a foundation with structural. Cracks in external and internal walls of load bearing structures. 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. 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.

There are several types of repairs. 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. 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 a concrete block wall are more immediately threatening of serious collapse than vertical cracks.

Horizontal cracks in concrete block or cast in place concrete foundation walls are rarely an indication of foundation settlement.