Basements
are mostly used for entertainment, storage and recreational purposes. Unfortunately,
witnessing cracks on basement wall & floor defeats the different purposes
of usage and indicates the possibility of critical water & moisture seepage
problems happening in a really short time.
Crevices
are generally seen in older basements and are developed because of groundwater,
swelling & hydrostatic pressure of soil against walls as well as expansion
and contraction of soil underneath the basement. Shifting and settling of house
also causes poured concrete basement foundation to develop crevices on
walls.
Well,
gaps on basement walls allow ground water, acidic water and dampness to leak into
the basement from the outside and cause mould & mildew growth as well as
mosquito infestation that spread infectious diseases like dengue fever, malaria,
chikungunya, etc.
Best
Solution for the Problem
Issues
arising from gaps become more severe after a while and bring extensive damage to
properties, in case not addressed. The most convenient and affordable way to
fix structural and leaking cracks in poured foundation walls is crack
injection. The main objective of the crack injection method is to permanently
seal the gap by injecting liquid polyurethane foam resin into it.
The
method involves the use of polyurethane resin, surface ports that allow the
injecting foam to flow into and fill the crevice and grease gun that injects
the resin into the ports glued into the holes drilled alongside the crack. The ports
let the resin material to flow all over the gap in the foundation. Before
injection, surface or steel ports glued with epoxy adhesive are fixed into the
holes to make sure that the injected foam material does not drop from the front
of the crack.
The
injection kit uses polyurethane foam to inject it into the crack in the
basement foundation wall and fill it completely. Not like other methods of
crack repair, polyurethane spreads completely into the crack, fills it and glues
to the cement. It stays quite flexible in due course in order that even though the
foundation shifts or moves again the polyurethane foam resin will move with it
and prevents the crack from happening again.
