© 2009 Anderqual Handyman & Remodeling Service

Anderqual Handyman, is your Crystal Lake, Woodstock, Huntley, Lake in the Hills, and Algonquin Illinois area Foundation Crack Repair Specialist. Plus all surrounding areas.

Do you have a pesky crack in your foundation wall that seeps or pours water into your basement every time it rains?

Then you have come to the right place, Anderqual Handyman has solutions that don't require exterior excavation of the foundation. There are two major methods used to stop the cracks from leaking.

First  is Polyurethane Foam Injection.   

A two part epoxy paste mixed and used to attached injection ports over the crack and to seal the surface of the crack shut. Then a polyurethane liquid is injected into the foundation crack starting at the bottom port working up port to port until all ports have been completely injected and capped.  After a few minutes the polyurethane will begin to react with moisture in the crack and  begin foaming, similar to what happens with polyurethane wood glue . Moisture is actually the catalyst that converts the liquid polyurethane into foam. This foaming action increases the volume of the polyurethane up to 30 times its liquid form. As the polyurethane foam expands it fills the basement crack from bottom to top and front to back. The finished foam will be a closed cell structure that will not allow water to leak into the basement crack. In fact, if there are any voids in the soil outside of the basement- such as under a rock or if the foundation is back filled with gravel-the polyurethane foam will expand and extend out into the void. The polyurethane foam forms a strong bond to the concrete. This bond will be able to withstand the hydrostatic pressure that may develop from high subsurface water levels. High underground or "subsurface" water levels are typically caused by heavy rains and most-often by failure to direct roof runoff or nearby surface runoff away from the building. Polyurethane injection is the most expensive due to material costs.

Second is Epoxy Injection.

Like polyurethane injection, ports are attached to the cracks with a two part epoxy paste. The same paste is used to seal the crack over. Once the surface epoxy has fully hardened a liquid two part epoxy is injected into the ports starting at the bottom working up port to port until the crack has been completely filled and the ports capped. The benefit of epoxy injection is the strength of the repair. The foundation would crack in a new location before the epoxy joint failed. However most cracks are due to shrinkage and settling of the foundation which has more than likely completed by now.

Import things to consider. Diverting gutter downspout runoff away from the foundation can help keep the foundation from cracking further do to hydrostatic pressure and water induced settling. Diverting the water at least six feet from the foundation wall is recommended. Measuring out four feet from the exterior of the foundation wall the soil level should drop six inches, the further you can extend this grading the better.  Of course a dry basement is only as your sump pump and its back-up.

If you have a leaking foundation crack we are only a call or E-mail away. Call us at 847-756-3808 or email at Handyman@Anderqual.com