Joint between slab floor and block wall.

[e462001]

So in getting stared neatening my horrendous breaker wire management (courtesy of the previous owner), I discovered that upon removing the plastic sheathing on the wall (seen in the left of the first picture) I discovered a gap between the slab and concrete wall. I know some grinding will be in order around the rough parts (see the shoe print in picture 2) if I want to do anything other than epoxy, but this gap cannot be a good thing.

The only thing I've thought of so far is to fill it with cement of some sort. Anyone run into a similar situation and how did you fix it?

 

[RivennHewn]

Pack it full of structural non-shrink grout.

Unless you're having water intrusion, then use water plug type cement.

 

[PoorOwner]

I would use xst silicone smooth and paint
I used this on the floor with 1/4 gap still holding 10 years later
Mortar / cement type repair tends to crack and fall out..

 

[e462001]

Let me expand a little bit after realizing that the pictures don't show the entire situation.

The gap is at least 1/2 inch wide at the narrowest points, and up to an inch at the larger points then getting wider as it goes down. The concrete appears to have been re-poured at some point to about 12 inches away from the wall where it gets noticeably flatter. That 12 inch section sounds hollow underneath it if you rap on it. Also I can reach most of my hand in and curl it underneath the slab. It feels like its about 2 inches thick.

This is what I suspect it would look like from a cross cut view with the block wall being he vertical section. The thin section being what I believed to have been replaced at some point, the thick being the original slab, and the lighter color being gravel/bits of concrete.



I have seen no water intrusion in the past 18 months (since I've lived here) from this area.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

perhaps someone put in weeping tile.

 

[e462001]

That is possible however I've seen no evidence to support that theory. Like someplace for it to drain out. The house is built into a hill and that side faces the upward slope and has dirt against that wall. Its also level with the pad outside the garage so if the drainage pipe were to have an exit external of the house it would be buried somewhere.

Kind of toying with the idea of renting a concrete saw and cutting that section out and re-pouring it again with specs dependent on what I find.

 

[CNGsaves]

Since "just a garage" . . . and you say you don't have water problems, then I'd say go with proper morter/concrete mix that is super sticky so it will stay in there and make it as smooth as possible. You could increase chances of it staying there by putting bunch of screws into concrete and stringing some wire between.

However, if you think there will be water in there, go with the special high-cost mix that has additives that make the morter water proof. There was This Old House episode where water intrusion was happening around cobblestone foundation - - - solution was chip out crumbling morter and replace with special stuff.

Good luck with the electrical wire cleanup!

 

[METALMOVER]

Id use hydraulic cement, its made pretty much for that application, also the reason that patch is there is the previous owner was going to run all his wires in there and then cover it(LOL) If your not an electrician Id call one and just get it checked out. Good luck

 

[Duck tape Bill]

I think if I were you I might cut a small section up just to see what the previous owner was up to. And as METALMOVER stated, I'd be more concerned with the spaghetti coming out of the fuse box. Maybe the previous owner pored the concrete to distract you from the wiring

 

[OJ Bartley]

e46, I had some pretty ugly joints in my garage (although not near as bad as yours underneath - I hope!), so when I put tile down I filled what I could with thinset before setting the tiles. I used modified thinset that should resist freeze/thaw and is rated for outdoor use, so water wouldn't be an issue. It's only been down a couple of weeks, so not much to report yet.

 

[38Chevy454]

Is that 3-4 ft section the only location? Or do you have it along the entire wall length? I think the hydraulic cement is a good solution to fill the gap.

If you do not have any real serious loading along that edge, just fill the crack and be done. However if it were to have high loading, it would be permanent fix to cut out and pour new thicker slab. Of course this is the most work and money solution as well.....

 

[e462001]

Id use hydraulic cement, its made pretty much for that application, also the reason that patch is there is the previous owner was going to run all his wires in there and then cover it(LOL) If your not an electrician Id call one and just get it checked out. Good luck

Yeah the electrical is pretty bad. Pulling the plastic down was the first step in getting that fixed.

I think if I were you I might cut a small section up just to see what the previous owner was up to. And as METALMOVER stated, I'd be more concerned with the spaghetti coming out of the fuse box. Maybe the previous owner pored the concrete to distract you from the wiring

Thats probably what I'll end up doing, Cut a little bit and get a better idea of what I'm looking at.

My assumption is that this joint runs the entire length of the wall as the plastic actually goes down behind the lateral slab.

 

[kbs2244]

Unless the look of it is a problem,
I would wait until you have a problem.
Like water across the floor.

To me it looks like an unfinished, inside the wall drain tile installation.
If you get a heavy spring rain and have no problems, just let it be.
Where it drains to is easy to solve with some dye.

In the mean time, maybe patch it for appearance. Install that 4 inch high rubber baseboard stuff. It is easy to remove if serious work is needed later on.

 

[e462001]

Thats another idea, leave it alone. I was planning on framing in walls so it will be hidden no matter what, Just didn't know if that was okay or not. Its flush up to the block on the other two walls.