DIY polyurethane injection for basement wall

[zhaddock]

Preface for those who like to offer their opinion without reading the whole post:
I have already regraded around the house and extended down spouts well away from the foundation.

When we bought our house the back yard was aggressively sloped towards the foundation. So much so that during a hard rain there could be as much as 16" of standing water right against the foundation. Amazingly so basement stayed dry as a bone. I had 11 yards of dirt brought in regrade and extend down spouts well away from the house trying to avoid future problems. What happens next rain? We get a damp spot in the basement! I cut back the drywall and find a crack running from the floor at an angle up to the corner of one of the basement windows where the water is seeping in.



Has anyone had any luck with using one of these kits?

https://www.amazon.com/Simpson-Strong-CRACK-PAC-ACCESORIES-CPFH09KT/dp/B00QKZEWW6/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3LYC43RK8CXMM&keywords=epoxy+injection+kit+for+foundation&qid=1551705112&s=gateway&sprefix=epoxy+i%2Caps%2C161&sr=8-5

 

[treeguy]

I don't have any experience with those particular kits, but any of those type of systems are really just a band-aid fix. It sounds like you have taken the firsts steps to fixing the issue by redirecting the water. That may or may not be enough to mostly fix your issue. Your footing drain is most likely silted in and clogged up, which can lead to much more serious issues. The crack you described is generally a sign the wall is deflecting in. There is most likely a matching crack on the other end of that wall. If you decide to try and just seal the crack, keep a close eye on the sheet rocked wall for cracks and signs that the foundation wall is continuing to bow in. It may stop where it is now and it may continue to move. It would be a good idea to measure the deflection of the wall and get a base line of where it is now and continue to monitor it. That is assuming the framing is tight against the foundation.

 

[machsnell]

I havent seen the Simpson kits. However that is what we do for cracks in walls. Take Bondo and parge over the flange of feeder tube and over the crack every 12 to 18 inches and squirt the epoxy in. It works very well. Let's you seal and strengthen crack.

Epoxy filling is a very good method for crack repair.

I would imagine this would fix the seeping via crack but it is strange that no water was there until you regraded. Call it murphys law or whatever but seems very strange to hold 16" via negative grade and grade for positive fall and wham you've got water. Just odd.

Anyway Simpson makes good stuff so to answer yes that type of fix and material works for a repair of a crack in a conc wall.

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[billspit]

Once again no good deed goes unpunished. Good luck with the fix.

 

[joes169]

Just to clarify, this is a solid poured concrete wall, and not a block wall, correct?

 

[MattT]

I would imagine this would fix the seeping via crack but it is strange that no water was there until you regraded. Call it murphys law or whatever but seems very strange to hold 16" via negative grade and grade for positive fall and wham you've got water. Just odd.

I'm wondering what the regrading involved since the OP said they brought in dirt. It's also possible the regrading work damaged the basement wall.

 

[machsnell]

I'm wondering what the regrading involved since the OP said they brought in dirt. It's also possible the regrading work damaged the basement wall.

Very true I thought about going there and it's a good point. Normally it would need to be something very heavy to crack an existing concrete wall especially on that has been subjected to hydrostatic pressures from water not draining well but very possible.

I left it alone because the topic was how to repair crack in wall. But if wall was filled above waterproofing to create positive fall it could be the issue.

OP does crack look new or does it appear to have already existed? Behind a wall sometimes difficult to tell but concrete usually has a "new" color if recently cracked.

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[dogdog]

Following...
Let me know how much can this kit fill... I have about 25' tall of 1/2" crack I needed to do...

 

[zhaddock]

Just to clarify, this is a solid poured concrete wall, and not a block wall, correct?

Yep, solid pour

I'm wondering what the regrading involved since the OP said they brought in dirt. It's also possible the regrading work damaged the basement wall.

I seriously doubt it. They brought it in a half yard at a time with a concrete buggy. Nothing heavy on or near the foundation.

Very true I thought about going there and it's a good point. Normally it would need to be something very heavy to crack an existing concrete wall especially on that has been subjected to hydrostatic pressures from water not draining well but very possible.

I left it alone because the topic was how to repair crack in wall. But if wall was filled above waterproofing to create positive fall it could be the issue.

OP does crack look new or does it appear to have already existed? Behind a wall sometimes difficult to tell but concrete usually has a "new" color if recently cracked.

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I can't tell really. It's a fairly small crack less than or equal to 1/16" i'm guessing. There's no signs anywhere else in the house of any settlement issues though, no cracks in the drywall no sticky doors etc... The crack seems to originate at the corner of the window opening which is above grade. I "think" i can see it from the outside so I'm wandering if some water made it in and propagated the crack through freeze/thaw. I'm wandering if it's just very consequential timing with the regrade.

 

[zhaddock]

I left it alone because the topic was how to repair crack in wall. But if wall was filled above waterproofing to create positive fall it could be the issue.

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Also, highly doubt this as I could see where the old grade was on the foundation and we filled back to this point.

 

[68Shelby]

That's a smaller version of what we use to repair leaking concrete foundation walls. It's hydrophilic polyurethane resin that reacts with water and expands about 30 times and seals the crack. We buy that stuff in 5 gallon pails and use a specialized grout pump to inject it. I'm sure it will work if you can create enough localized pressure with a caulk gun to get the grout back into the wall.
Urethane Grout Injection is different from Epoxy Injection in that Injection seals cracks but provide no structural benefit whereas Epoxy Injection will provide structural repair to the foundation wall.

 

[zhaddock]

That's a smaller version of what we use to repair leaking concrete foundation walls. It's hydrophilic polyurethane resin that reacts with water and expands about 30 times and seals the crack. We buy that stuff in 5 gallon pails and use a specialized grout pump to inject it. I'm sure it will work if you can create enough localized pressure with a caulk gun to get the grout back into the wall.
Urethane Grout Injection is different from Epoxy Injection in that Injection seals cracks but provide no structural benefit whereas Epoxy Injection will provide structural repair to the foundation wall.

I had read that the polyurethane is good if you think there could be any movement and that epoxy shouldn't be used if there could be. We have expansive clay here in Kansas City so most houses here do move some throughout the year.

 

[58Yeoman]

I did a crack in my basement wall about 3 years ago, using an expanding polyurethane that I bought online. The slightest rain would bring water in (yeah, grading and downspouts were good). I removed the paneling and found the crack from a window, same as yours. It hasn't leaked a drop since, and we have had some heavy rains. It looked like one of the PO's had smeared hydraulic cement over it. DUH!

A house I had built in '75 also cracked from a window.

 

[georgiadave]

I have used polyurethane sealer from Radon Seal on a crack in the basement wall. It worked very well and took a total of 2 hours to do. $114 on line.

 

[Tmart86]

I did a bunch of research at our okd house. We ended up with a company that used a injection system that required them to drill into the crack and thread an injector into these holes. This system made way more sense to me than the systems and inject from the surface. The product was made by Mountain Grout and the company gave us a lifetime warranty that transferred to future owners on the two cracks we had fixed.