What to do if the house is cracking. A crack has appeared in the wall of the house: what to do? Repairing cracks in a concrete wall of a panel house with cement mortar

She is blown into the rift with a pistol. There is no need to fill the gap completely, since the foam expands as it hardens.
After a few hours, cut off what remains above the surface with a sharp knife or spatula. This should not be done flush with the wall, but to a depth of 2-3 mm.
Polyurethane foam is destroyed by ultraviolet radiation, so it needs to be primed and plastered.

Such a defect is considered small and is also used to eliminate it. silicone sealants. They are not afraid of temperature changes and high humidity. Remove excess with a spatula until it hardens. The disadvantage of the material is that it cannot be finished.

Some instructions advise laying on a cemented split metal mesh with cells 5*5 mm. Holes are made along the damage for dowels and the mesh is secured with screws. Then it is plastered.

Sealing openings larger than 1 cm

Damage greater than 10 mm is considered serious and plaster alone is not enough.

Sequencing:

the damaged part of the wall must be dismantled, always starting from the top row;
the surface is well cleaned;
then the masonry is reassembled using the “brick castle” method;
metal strips and reinforcement are added to it to bridge the split.

If it is impossible to disassemble damaged bricks, use another technology.

The fracture site is cleaned with a scarpel or brush and moistened.
Then the cement-sand mixture is poured into it to the full depth.
Several T-shaped anchors are installed along the entire fault and secured with dowels.

The third way is to use polyurethane foam. The algorithm is similar to that described above: cleaning the surface, blowing foam (only half of the gap), cutting off excess, priming, etc.

Crack in load-bearing wall brick house eliminated by the methods given above if it does not increase. If the test with beacons shows the progression of the defect, first correct the violations at the source of the problem - the foundation, extensions, floors.

The through gap is sealed cement plaster. To bridge a large fault, small fragments of brick or medium-sized crushed stone are added to it. Such a surface must subsequently be additionally secured. Reinforcing mesh will not be enough for this.

How to properly strengthen brick walls

It is expected that the masonry will be strengthened from the inside and outside of the building. First, work is carried out to eliminate the fault. Then metal plates are placed across it, the so-called “lock”. It is mounted to the surface with anchors. Repairs can be made using staples. Holes are drilled under them with a depth of at least ½ of the wall thickness. If the defect appears due to the foundation of the house, it is also better to strengthen it.

The structure can be put into operation after a day, but it cannot be loaded too much.

How to strengthen the foundation of a building

The sequence of actions is as follows.

Creation of a ditch around the perimeter of the entire structure. Its depth should be greater than the depth of the foundation.
The soil is dug out from under the first foundation so that the concrete gets under it.
Reinforcement and pouring of concrete belt. The reinforcement rods are stuck into the walls of the ditch by 15-20 cm. In the old foundation you need to drill holes for the reinforcement and weld it with the rods.

After sealing large cracks, the condition of the repaired surface is regularly monitored for several months. The video shows an algorithm for restoring cracked masonry using reinforcement.

Foundation crack

If in a private house, garage or dacha there are cracks in the walls, or the foundation is cracked, you don’t have to fall into despair; you can correct the damage that has occurred. The reasons for the appearance of such defects are uneven settlement of soils, structural miscalculations at the design stage, errors during construction work or the influence of natural, mechanical influences on the base structure. Cracks in the foundation must be eliminated, otherwise the load-bearing capacity of the house’s structures may be impaired and an irreversible consequence of collapse may occur.

Foundation cracks can be classified according to their location:

A horizontal foundation crack is a common type of fault that occurs due to errors in masonry technology or incorrect selection of composition mortars. Most often, horizontal cracks appear on strip structures built in stages. Horizontal cracks do not pose a significant threat; however, it is recommended to repair cracks in a timely manner to prevent their further development.
A vertical crack appears due to deformation of the foundation structure under the influence of soil swelling forces and from rising groundwater levels. The appearance of vertical cracks indicates the beginning of the destruction process load-bearing structure, so they should be eliminated as quickly as possible. If the foundation is cracked vertically, it is recommended to strengthen the base of the structure cushion.

In order to prevent the appearance of cracks in the supporting structure of the house, it is recommended to carry out a thorough assessment of the geology of the foundation soils at the design stage, and not to skimp on purchasing quality building materials, correctly calculate the maximum loads and take into account the possibility of soil changes under the influence of various natural factors.

Horizontal foundation failure

Causes of foundation deformation

Before starting repairs to the foundation structure, it is necessary to determine the reason why the foundation is cracked and choose the right effective method eliminating any violations that have arisen. Most common reasons, due to which the foundation could burst, there may be the following factors.

Technological reasons

If, during construction work on the construction of the foundation structure, violations of mandatory technological process, then all these errors will lead to destructive deformations. Therefore, it is so important to correctly reinforce the base, sequentially install the formwork system, and select the right brand concrete mixture, take into account the freezing depth and groundwater level in the area.

Operational reasons

Another reason for the opening of cracks in the foundation may be a violation of the operating regime of house construction. For example, on an existing foundation one-story house The homeowner decided to add a second floor. Such an increase in load can negatively affect the load-bearing capacity of the base structure and significant damage will appear on the foundation of the house.

High humidity in the basement of the building and lack of drainage from the building - all these factors can be attributed to the operational causes of cracks.

Structural reasons

Scheme of occurrence of foundation cracks

At the design stage of a building, it is necessary to conduct a geological study of the foundation soils of the building site and correctly calculate the load on the foundation structure. If for some reason such miscalculations are made, then significant deformation changes in the foundation structures can certainly occur.

Observation of cracks

When a crack appears in the foundation, experts advise monitoring the change in the size of the crack rupture to see if it will increase over time. The process of identifying the nature of crack destruction occurs in the following order:

The open crack should be carefully cleaned of any remaining plaster, dirt and dust.
Small gypsum beacons with a thickness of no more than 5 mm are installed with a certain pitch. After this, we monitor their condition.
If within two or three weeks the beacons do not crack and no new deformations appear, then the foundation structure is not in danger and the crack on the surface most likely formed due to shrinkage of the building.

A video tutorial on installing beacons can be seen:

Repairing simple cracks

Repair of simple shrinkage cracks is carried out in several steps:

First, the crack cavity is cleared of dust and washed with water.
Afterwards, the dry crack is coated to the full possible depth with a primer for external use.
The crack cavity is filled with special sealants or cement mortar with a cement grade of at least 500.

Clearing a simple crack

Crack repair methods

Methods for repairing foundation cracks are selected depending on the type of materials of the main walls of the building. For stone, brick or wooden walls There are special schemes for sealing cracks:

Strengthening the foundation of a stone or cinder block house is done with reinforced concrete clips, which are mounted on both sides of the foundation.
Foundation wooden house rarely becomes covered with deformation cracks. But if this happens, you can use jacks to lift wooden building, having previously cleared all rooms of furniture.
When strengthening foundations brick houses it is possible to use two methods: fill the basement wall with concrete mixture according to a pre-installed mixture around the entire perimeter metal frame or install drilled injection piles. The second method is very effective; with this method it is possible to restore an almost destroyed foundation, but the price of such strengthening is quite high.

Video example of strengthening the foundation of a wooden house:

Ways to strengthen the foundation

Before strengthening the foundation, if cracks appear on the walls, it is necessary to choose the most suitable method for eliminating the occurrence of deformations. Modern construction technologies sealing cracks in the foundation provides optimal recommendations on what to do in such cases. Typically used following methods strengthening the foundation.

Reinforcement of the sole with a new design

First, the broken foundation is pre-cleaned of dirt and dust, and the cracks are filled with a repair solution. Under the deformed section of the structure, a small trench no more than 60 cm wide is dug in a checkerboard pattern to a depth of 200-300 mm below the base of the foundation. The open base of the foundation must be filled with concrete mixture and thoroughly compacted.

After backfilling and compacting the soil, thus strengthening the base area, it is possible to repair the next cracked area after a distance of 60 cm.

Reinforcement with special piles

The pile method of strengthening a cracked foundation is the most effective way. There are several types of piles according to the method of their installation:

Screw piles. The simplest and most common type of strengthening cracked foundations, which does not require special skills. The design of the pile has the form of a pipe with helical blades at the end. When installing, the pile is screwed into the ground, only the tip remains visible on the surface.
Bored piles have a hollow structure 2 m high, into which metal reinforcement is inserted and after which the entire cavity is filled with concrete mixture. Before installing bored piles, wells are drilled in increments of 1.5 to 2 m.
The use of a driven method for installing piles is not suitable for dilapidated buildings, since the walls of the building may crack from impacts from the pile driver.

Strengthening the foundation with screw piles

Additional reinforcement when strengthening the base

Strengthening a broken foundation using additional reinforcement involves tying the entire basement part of the structure with a reinforcing mesh of longitudinal and transverse metal reinforcement, installing formwork and pouring a concrete mixture of grade no lower than 200. This technology for strengthening the foundation is the most popular and less labor-intensive than other methods.

If foundation cracks appear, you should carefully study the recommendations and instructions for eliminating them. Of course, it is always more difficult to repair than to build, so it is better not to make mistakes and not to disrupt the technological construction process. Then there will be no need to strengthen the foundation.

All cracks that appear on the foundation of the house indicate that the base of the structure needs to be strengthened or repaired. But in order to do this with your own hands, you need to know about the reasons for the destruction of the foundation, as well as how exactly restoration work should be carried out

Why are cracks dangerous?

If the foundation of a building is cracked, work must begin immediately to restore it. If this is not done, after a while, due to the skew of the house, the doors and windows will begin to jam. If the house is made of brick, the crack may spread to the wall, causing the entire structure to begin to collapse. That is why it is necessary to begin work on strengthening the foundation as soon as possible.

Before starting restoration work, it is worth determining the type of crack. To do this, just clean it from dust and rinse with water. After this, you need to install a beacon on the fault. The date of fixation is marked on it. This is necessary to determine the rate of destruction of the base. If the lighthouse remains intact within two weeks, the crack can simply be repaired concrete mortar. If the lighthouse breaks, it is necessary to begin work to strengthen the base.

Typically, cracks begin to appear in winter or spring, since it is at this time that an improperly created foundation begins to rise or settle unevenly. It is worth remembering that the foundation can burst due to many reasons, so it is necessary to think about this problem at the stage of designing a house.

Causes of faults

Before the start restoration work it is necessary to determine the reason why the destruction began. If these actions are neglected, even after repair the foundation will gradually collapse. The causes of destruction can be divided into several groups:

Technological. An example is the creation of the foundation of a house with violations of reinforcement or installation of formwork. Mistakes also include choosing the wrong brand of concrete. Laying the foundation above the groundwater level is also considered a technological error.
Operational. Such mistakes are made already in the process of using the constructed structure. For example, an increase in the load on the foundation as a result of the creation of a second floor. Another violation is an increase in humidity in the basement or poor-quality installation of a drainage system near the house.
Structural. An example is the preparation of incorrect calculations during the design of a structure. Often the foundation begins to collapse prematurely due to the fact that geological studies were not carried out before construction began.

Important! In order to avoid encountering the problem described, before building a house, it is necessary to accurately calculate the load on the foundation.

Types of cracks

Cracks in the foundation of a wooden house, which can occur on the foundation, are divided into several types:

Hairy. Such cracks are hardly noticeable and have a thickness of no more than 3 mm. Their presence only indicates a change in the outer layer of the base. Such flaws can be corrected quite easily.
Horizontal. Such defects do not affect the integrity of the foundation.
Shrinkage cracks. Such defects arise when the rules for creating a foundation are violated.
Vertical. It is these cracks that are a sign that the foundation needs repairs. They often appear under the influence of groundwater on the base or due to soil heaving.

How to fix the problem

If you notice that the foundation of your house is cracked, you need to begin strengthening it as quickly as possible. Such work is carried out as follows:

first, using a jack, the sagging parts of the base are raised to the design level;
after this, holes are drilled, the diameter of which ranges from 20 to 40 cm;
the resulting void is filled liquid glass, cement laitance or hot bitumen.

This reduces the permeability of the soil, which will make the soil more stable. The described strengthening method can only be used when using special equipment, so for such work it is necessary to hire professional builders.

Strengthening the foundation of a stone house

The main task of repairing the foundation of a house is to stop the process of settlement of the structure. therefore, you cannot dig under the foundation without securing it. A strengthening method is often used, in which a reinforcing concrete belt is erected on all sides. Such work is carried out as follows:

Along strip base a trench is dug at home, the width of which is approximately 45 cm. During such work, the base of the foundation must not be exposed.
After this, the foundation is cleaned of dirt and dust. In this case, all cracks must be expanded with a spatula.
Then the falling off parts of the old foundation are removed.
At the next stage, the concrete surface is treated with a primer. It is worth remembering that you need to choose deep penetration formulations.
After this, holes are drilled in the foundation. The distance between them should be about 60 cm.
Anchors are driven into the created holes, which are subsequently welded to the reinforcement frame. The diameter of the reinforcement should be approximately 12 mm.
At the last stage, the concrete mixture is poured into the created trench. To ensure that the concrete solution is evenly distributed throughout the trench, it is necessary to use a construction vibrator. This also helps to fill cracks in the old foundation. If this stage of work is neglected, voids may remain in the concrete, which will subsequently cause the destruction of the foundation.

Backfilling of soil occurs only after the concrete has completely hardened. If the cracks are not caused by subsidence or deformation of the foundation, they can be repaired with mortar and plastered.

It is worth remembering that if the work is carried out incorrectly, the foundation will quickly begin to collapse even with additional reinforcing structural elements.

Repair of the base of a wooden house

A cracked foundation of a wooden house can be strengthened quite simply, since such structures can be lifted with a jack and installed on temporary supports. But it is worth remembering that if the lower logs are rotten, the structure cannot be raised.

If the crowns are unreliable, rotten areas are cut out of them, after which the house is raised. After this, you can restore the foundation using one of the common methods. Often owners country houses install a concrete bandage around the base. You can also dig under the base and fill concrete pillars. This will make the foundation resistant to significant loads.

It is worth remembering that before raising the house, it is necessary to dismantle part of the roof at the place where it connects to the chimney. It is better to invite professional builders to carry out such work.

Reinforcement with piles

In some cases, it is not possible to increase the density of the soil under a building. In such a situation, it is necessary to strengthen the foundation with piles:

If the house is wooden, the entire structure is lifted onto temporary supports, after which the tops are tied together with a grillage. After this, the structure is lowered onto a new foundation.
In cases where it is necessary to strengthen the foundation without raising the house, “bulls” are used. They are piles that are driven obliquely from different sides of the corner. Beams are welded onto the heads of these elements, which will serve as support for the structure.

When using piles, it is worth remembering that their length must be sufficient so that they rest on solid ground.

Monolithic slab repair

Monolithic foundations are destroyed quite rarely, but under certain conditions this is possible. If a serious crack appears on such a base, it can only be replaced with a new slab. No method will help stop the destruction of a monolithic foundation if it is already beginning to deform.

Conclusion

If it is impossible to completely replace the foundation for some reason, the walls are strengthened and old sections of the slab are removed. In these places, concrete mortar is poured, which helps to temporarily maintain the integrity of the structure. can also be installed as supports concrete blocks or piles.

Construction of a foundation for a private house
How to cover the foundation of a house outside
Pile foundation with grillage
Strengthening the foundation of a private house

Strengthening the foundation of a private house is necessary in two cases:

the foundation or wall of the house has cracked;
The house will need to be reconstructed with an increase in its mass, for which the existing foundation is not designed.

The first case is obvious. If there is a crack in the foundation, it means something was done incorrectly, and the situation must be corrected urgently. And the second is not so critical, but requires minimal preliminary calculations.

But situations are different.

Just as cracks are different, so are their consequences.

In this case, there is nothing left to save, but such catastrophic consequences, as a rule, if this is not the result of a serious earthquake, are preceded by primary signals in the form of small, sometimes barely noticeable, foundation cracks.

There was a crack on the wall. How to react, do you need to immediately strengthen the foundation?

The formation of small cracks on the wall does not mean that you have problems with the foundation.

Often such cracks appear on houses made of gas silicate blocks or using other cellular concrete technologies and may be associated with a violation of their laying technology or even their production technology.

The material itself has a high moisture absorption, which leads to too active drying of the plaster and increased cracking.

These consequences can also be caused by excessive waterlogging of the blocks due to poor waterproofing.

And on other buildings, it is often not the wall that is cracking, but the finishing layer. Therefore, first of all, examine the base. And if everything is fine with it, continue monitoring until you are finally convinced that it is cracking. finishing or no symptoms of obvious foundation weakness will appear.

If this happens, we suggest the following algorithm of actions.

Detection of destruction processes

1. We split the crack by removing the plaster around it.

2. At certain intervals we install gypsum beacons 3 - 5 mm thick and observe their behavior.

3. If after 2-3 weeks of observation not a single beacon cracks, you can sleep peacefully, and in the intervals between sleep choose a way to fix the problem.

But at the same time, it is advisable to extend the observation period to several months, and even better to survive the off-season in order to exclude the cause caused by the seasonal rise of groundwater.

But first of all, oh natural reasons. Few people know, but any, even a monolithic brick house, shrinks within 1 - 5 years from the moment of construction, therefore plastering and installing windows and doors in it can be done after at least 1 year, or even more, which is often violated . Possible uneven shrinkage due to differences in formulation or ingredients masonry mortars, and the brick itself. This is where cracks can occur and the foundation has nothing to do with it.

If this is the reason, and you are convinced of this, do the same procedures with beacons with him. Perhaps this is a one-time minor subsidence due to the presence of small voids in the ground underneath, which stopped after a slight settlement of part of the base.

So, what to do if the cracks formed in the wall and foundation do not grow for a significant time?

Simple wall crack repair

If cracking has not increased and the cracks are small:

Remove small fragments from it and remove as much dust as possible, if possible using a vacuum cleaner.
Treat to maximum depth with a deep penetration primer.
Fill the crack with polymer or polymerized cement mortar, sold at hardware stores.

For more complex methods, such as injection, it is better to invite specialists with the appropriate equipment and devices.

If the crack in the foundation grows, look for the cause.

Causes of foundation destruction and ways to eliminate them

They can be both local (sometimes banal) and global.

If you have long horizontal cracks in the base, then the reason may not be in the foundation, but in the blind area that you connected to it, and which rises with the forces of frost heaving, transferring deformations to the outer part of the base.

It is clear that it will need to be redone by installing a damper tape, and the base will need to be repaired.

If the corner of your house is sagging and there is a water drain pipe in this place, you can call yourself a bad word and get to work on the device point drainage. In many cases this will stop the process.

If your foundation has cracked for no apparent reason, you should make holes in the ground at the crack site, as well as on the sagging corner, on both sides of it at a distance of about half a meter, to a depth slightly below the level of the foundation.

If water appears in the pits, you must immediately take care of the device drainage system, otherwise no amount of strengthening of the foundation will save you. See how to do this here.

The foundation may crack if there are so-called foundations underneath it. voids in the ground, unnoticed during construction, because few people carry out serious geodetic research when constructing individual housing. This can also happen due to incorrect calculation of loads or violation of the technology of its design.

In these cases, it needs to be strengthened.

How to strengthen the foundation with your own hands

How to strengthen the foundation if there is a crack in the wall? Let’s make a reservation right away, we will describe methods that you can use yourself, without the involvement of specialized organizations, both to strengthen the foundation of a brick house, and to strengthen the foundation of an old one wooden structure. If none of them suits you, contact the professionals.

Let's look at the methods.

1. Trimming the base of the house.

It is used if the foundation has cracked in many places or before reconstructing a house with an increase in the load on its foundation.

At the same time, it is rarely possible to tie the foundation tape on both sides. The exception is strip foundations under wooden or frame houses, which can be lifted entirely evenly on jacks.

In other cases, the foundation is tied from the outside. For this:

they dig a trench along the foundation along the perimeter of the building to a depth below its location by 150 - 300 mm, and if possible, then under it by 1/3 of its width;
make a drainage cushion from a layer of sand (up to 100 mm) and crushed stone (up to 100 mm);
perform spatial piping from reinforcement 10 - 12 mm, connecting it to the existing foundation by drilling holes in it and hammering pieces of reinforcement;
External formwork is installed and concrete is poured with a grade of at least M200.

A variant of this strapping in the video:

2. Strengthening the foundation with a double-sided bench.

This method is also good when it is possible to lift the entire building.

Or it needs to be done in sections, gradually tearing off the foundation strip so that there remains constant support on the existing foundation.

This type of amplification can be done in two ways:

with gating of the existing foundation and insertion of an unloading beam into the groove;
placing a beam under the foundation strip.

In any case, its basis is a banquet made of monolithic reinforced concrete, placed under the strip of the existing foundation, and several support and unloading beams, which are subsequently concreted outside along with the banquet.

3. Strengthening the foundation with screw piles.

For this:

tear off a section of the foundation that needs to be strengthened;
Screw piles are screwed under it at an angle;
concrete is placed both around the piles and under the foundation.

4. Strengthening the foundation with a reinforced concrete pad.

Most often, a sagging corner of a house is strengthened in this way, although it is also possible to eliminate the cause of local subsidence of a section of the foundation, formed as a result of water supply or sewerage leaks that were not detected in time.

Work order:

dig the foundation on both sides of the corner at least a meter, with a distance of half a meter from it and a depth of half a meter under it;
arrange a drainage pad as described above;
make a spatial frame from reinforcement of at least 10 - 14 mm with a connection to the existing foundation by drilling it;
concreted to a height just below ground level.

And here is the video. It is somewhat long, but it is informative, and most importantly: everything was done without errors.

Repairing wall cracks after foundation repairs

After strengthening the foundation or lining the base, the crack in the wall must be repaired. If it is small, you can use the method described above, as for sealing cracks in the foundation. And if it is too large, then:

fill the gap with a polymerized cement-sand mortar, you can tighten it with temporary (or permanent) screeds, filling the possible gap above the foundation with the same solution;

Having drilled the wall across the crack in several places, install hidden metal ties with pins deep into entire sections of the wall and seal it with the same polymer-cement-sand mortar.

Of course, it is better to eliminate the consequences of such repairs by combining them with finishing, or even insulation, of the facade of the house.

Dear readers, if you have any questions, please ask them using the form below. We will be glad to communicate with you 😉

Sometimes cracks form in the foundation of a house. And building owners quite reasonably begin to wonder what to do in such a situation. Not in all cases, a burst foundation negatively affects the integrity of the building. But in most situations, it will not be superfluous to repair it. Even if the cracks are still very small, they are hairline.

What are the consequences of cracks in the foundation?

If the foundation of your home is cracked for any reason, it is recommended to repair the crack immediately. After all, if you do not eliminate the problem at the stage of its occurrence, the consequences can be the most undesirable. In the best case, windows and doors will begin to jam, and in the worst case, the crack will spread to the wall of the building, and the latter will collapse in the shortest possible time.

To avoid problems, the first thing to do is determine the type of crack. To do this, the crack should be thoroughly cleaned of accumulated dirt and dust and rinsed with water. After this, you need to prepare a gypsum beacon. It is marked with the date when the foundation cracked (or when it was first noticed). The lighthouse is installed in the crack and observation begins. The behavior of the problem area of the foundation should be observed over a fairly long period of time. If the beacon remains intact as a result, it means that the foundation is not cracked all the way through and the crack does not pose a great danger. For purely aesthetic reasons, it can be sealed with cement mortar and the problem forgotten.

The beacon will also help to monitor whether the location of the foundation rupture is increasing. If this happens, the foundation is cracked through and through, and something needs to be done immediately.

Most often, the foundation of a house begins to crack in winter or spring period s of time. So, if the foundation of a house is installed incorrectly, in winter it will inevitably begin to rise unevenly, and in the spring it will also settle unevenly. For some period of time, the structure will successfully withstand such overloads, but after a few years a vertical or horizontal crack will certainly appear.

Causes of cracking of the base

If the foundation of a brick or wooden house has cracked, you should figure out why this happened. There can be many prerequisites for cracking of the base:

Technological reasons

If a foundation bursts due to a technical reason, it is highly likely that it was poured incorrectly during the laying process. Other reasons for the appearance of cracks may be incorrectly installed formwork, deep freezing of concrete in winter period time, insufficient amount of used fittings and much more.

Operational reasons

If the foundation suddenly cracked due to operational reasons, most likely this happened due to the superstructure of the building. But in some cases, the bursting of the foundation vault is due to the lack of a drainage system around the house and an increase in the level of humidity in the basement.

Structural reasons

How to strengthen the foundation of a building

If you don’t know how to strengthen the foundation of a building and what to do to prevent even hairline cracks from appearing on it, some useful tips are unlikely to be superfluous.

Often, to strengthen the foundation of a house, an injection method is used using synthetic resin or ordinary cement.

To implement this method, it is necessary to drill a hole in the body of the foundation, the diameter of which is about 30 mm and maintain a distance of approximately 0.5 m. The depth of the hole should be selected depending on the size of the protective layer. An injector is immersed into the resulting wells and the space is filled with a solution under pressure. If there is a need to identify weak-bearing soils under the foundation of a house, it is additionally necessary to cement the soil under the foundation.

Repairing gaps in pile foundations

Strengthening pile foundations and preventing their cracking is often done by converting from a pile foundation to a strip foundation. To carry out such an operation, concrete lintels are installed. In some cases, such jumpers must be made to the full height of the base of the building. This makes it possible in the foreseeable future without unnecessary difficulties arrange a basement.

Repairing gaps in strip bases

If cracked strip foundation, in order to repair it, you will need to apply a whole range of restoration methods. In this case, it will not be enough to seal the cracked area with cement mortar, since this step will not solve the problem. It would be more expedient to strengthen the foundation with bored-type piles, the soil with a drainage system and arrangement of a heat-insulating blind area.

Piles, installed under the base of the house in the form of a support, reliably keep the foundation strip from subsidence. As for drainage, if everything is done correctly, it will help increase the depth of soil freezing and thereby prevent the foundation from sagging over time.

Cracking can also be avoided by screeding the strip masonry. This technology uses the introduction directly into the body of the base of two special crutches, which are connected to each other by means of a clamp. This design works both as a screed and as a shock-absorbing element. The crack itself can be sealed with concrete mortar or reinforced with epoxy resin.

After the blind area, support or screed has been installed, it is necessary to use a marker (flag) that will allow you to record the condition of the cracked area. To do this, you will need to attach a certain amount along the edges of the fault. epoxy resin, on which an ordinary wire is pulled. If, when the seasons change, the thread does not break and the foundation of the house does not continue to sag, then the destructive process has been successfully prevented.

Repairing a slab break

If you need to repair a gap slab foundation, you should be prepared for the fact that the work ahead is dreary. The only good thing is that this will only have to be done in exceptional cases, since slabs crack extremely rarely. But if a slab rupture does occur, a complete or partial replacement of the base will be required.

Many years of practice clearly demonstrates the fact that it is not possible to stop the destruction of the slab. Therefore, you will have to dig under the slab, strengthen it in those places where the split occurred, remove damaged parts and re-fill the damaged area and install pile or block supports.

Unfortunately, even such manipulations cannot provide a 100% guarantee that the slab will not continue to collapse. Therefore, in some cases it may be necessary to rebuild the house from scratch.

Thus, it turns out that it is much easier to avoid the occurrence of foundation breaks than to deal with them.

A crack may appear on the wall of a house at any moment, and the owners of the building immediately wonder how dangerous this phenomenon is. Experts distinguish between two types of cracks – passive and active. And if in the first case the defect in question can be “removed” with your own hands, then in the second case you will have to involve professionals in the work. But first you need to understand what factors provoke the appearance of cracks.

Table of contents: - -

Causes of cracks in the house

It is believed that in the first five years after the construction of a house, cracks appear on the walls in 90% of cases - experts call this natural shrinkage, which does not pose any danger. But it also happens that the house is many years old, it is quite lived-in, all structures are regularly repaired, but cracks still appear. What is the reason for this phenomenon?

Firstly, cracks in the house may appear due to violations in the technology of constructing the walls themselves. For example, if the dressing of brickwork was carried out incorrectly.

Secondly, the phenomenon in question on the walls of a house may be caused by non-compliance with the sequence of construction work. For example, communication systems (water supply, sewerage) are often installed after the house has been built - the foundation has to be excavated, which negatively affects its quality characteristics.

Thirdly, settlement of the foundation often occurs - for example, due to compression of the foundation soil or too much pressure from the house on the foundation. This is possible if the construction of the foundation was carried out without preliminary calculations and design. The most common mistakes:

During the construction of the foundation, geodetic surveys were not carried out, the nature of the soil was not studied;
the ground resistance taken as a basis was erroneous and greatly overestimated;
geodetic surveys on construction site were carried out in the summer - the level of groundwater rise was not calculated;
a mistake was made when choosing the type of foundation - for example, instead of a columnar one, a linear one was laid;
calculations of the depth of the foundation and its thickness were not made - usually data from past construction projects are taken as the basis for these parameters;
violations of the technology for laying a sand cushion under the foundation - for example, insufficient layer thickness or poor-quality sand compaction.

Note:cracks in an old house can also occur due to structural changes in the building. Often, owners install a subfloor in a foundation that is not intended for this purpose, and the result will be displacement/shrinkage of the foundation base.

When even a small crack is detected, the main question arises: is it dangerous? Checking this is quite simple - you need to install a control beacon and observe the “behavior” of the crack for a long time. Professionals install special control beacons such as plate ones, which must be registered with the supervisory authorities. At home, with independent decision problems, you can use one of the following methods:

stick a strip of paper onto the crack indicating the installation date;
prepare a gypsum solution and place a strip of it on the crack.

And then all that remains is to wait and periodically check the status of the control beacon. It may take several months before any conclusions can be drawn - experts say that the crack needs to be monitored for 8-12 months.

How dangerous it is will be shown by the rupture of the control beacon - if there is such a phenomenon, then it will be necessary to use complex technical solutions to fix the problem, if there is no gap in the beacon, then you should not worry at all.

Methods for eliminating cracks in the house

Different cracks can be fixed in certain ways - you must first determine the level of the problem.

Note:if the control beacon shows a rapidly expanding crack, then no methods of eliminating cracks with your own hands will help - they will only have a short-term effect. Be sure to invite specialists to solve the problem, otherwise the consequences will be the most terrible - the collapse of the wall or the entire structure!

How to fix a crack in a house from the inside

If small cracks are found on the wall inside the house, then eliminating them is as easy as shelling pears. All you need is a primer and a special putty mesh. You need to act according to the instructions below:

we clean the surface of building materials and finishing - the wall should be perfectly clean;
we use a deep penetration primer (with exactly this marking!) - we cover the entire cleaned surface;
glue the putty mesh onto the entire prepared surface;

Note:a special mesh must be used to cover the entire area of damage on the wall - even small sections of cracks should not protrude beyond its boundaries.

Apply a small layer of putty to the mesh and leave until completely dry.

Only after the putty layer has completely dried can you begin to grout the surface and glue wallpaper or other finishing materials.

Repairing a crack in a house from the outside of a wall

If small cracks appear on the outside of the house, you should proceed according to the same principle as in the above option. Procedure:

the crack site is cleared of plaster or debris;
apply a layer of deep penetration primer and glue the putty mesh onto it;
apply putty. But! In case of eliminating cracks on external walls, it is advisable to use a special reinforced putty - it is resistant to the negative effects of atmospheric changes.

If the cracks are outside If the walls of the house are covered not only with plaster, but also with brickwork, you will have to put in much more effort. And in this case, the algorithm of actions will be as follows:

Note:the metal mesh must cover the entire surface intended for applying a new layer of plaster. This way, the new plaster will not spread, which will allow finishing materials to be applied flawlessly.

This situation means only one thing - it is urgently necessary to take drastic measures to eliminate this problem. If you ignore all the recommendations of specialists and limit yourself only to the repair options described above, the result will be the collapse of the entire house. But even a beginner can cope with the work of eliminating such complex active cracks - the main thing is to strictly adhere to the following instructions:

All the plaster on the wall at the location of the crack is knocked off - be sure to maintain a distance of 50 cm on each side of the crack.
The crack is cleaned of mortar and dirt - this can be done with a metal spatula.
The cleaned crack is filled with polyurethane foam.
Fastening metal plates that will tighten the crack, preventing it from spreading further. The following points must be taken into account::

the plate must be selected from thick, high-quality metal;
to obtain an optimal result, you will need to tighten the crack with at least 3 plates, and if the crack is long, then you may need 4 or 5 metal plates;
The plates are fastened using self-tapping screws, but using dowels.

After applying the fastening metal plates, you can continue working according to the usual algorithm - priming/fixing the reinforcing mesh/applying new plaster.

But keep in mind that such events serve as a temporary measure, since without specific education It is not possible to determine the cause of the appearance of active cracks. Most often, in the future, it will be necessary to carry out corrective work on the foundation - it will either be strengthened/strengthened, or the walls/roof of the house will be raised and complete replacement grounds.

Preventing cracks in the house

To avoid having to deal with cracks in your home, you should familiarize yourself with the prevention of this phenomenon.

Firstly, if you are just designing a house, you need to take several points into account:

geodetic surveys must be carried out - this will help determine the type of soil, the location of aquifers, and the depth of groundwater;
Even at the design stage, it is necessary to provide for the possibility of building a subfloor/cellar under the house - this will entail serious design changes;
It is imperative to familiarize yourself with the depth of soil freezing - the depth of the foundation will depend on this.

Secondly, when buying an old house, pay attention to the existing walls, invite specialists to assess their condition - often small cracks hide serious problems in the stability/reliability of the entire structure. One more point - there should be a blind area around the entire house - this will prevent moisture from entering the foundation, and therefore will prevent its destruction.

A common problem is cracks in a brick house, which arise due to various reasons. Correctly sealing cracks in brick walls allows you not only to externally cover up the cracked area on the wall, but also to prevent the problem from recurring. A gap can form on a load-bearing wall, which is the most dangerous, especially in a multi-story building.

Why it occurs: main reasons

If a brick wall is cracked, then you need to find out what the sources of the violation are. Brickwork often cracks on the front side, which may be due to incorrectly selected mortar or decorative tiles, or poor technology when cladding the façade of a building. Cracked brick walls with outside often explained by variables climatic conditions, at which very coldy are replaced by hot days, as a result of which the foundation cannot withstand.

If horizontal or vertical cracks in the brickwork, then the collapse of the entire structure is possible.
Permanent sources
If it burst bearing wall made of brick, then the reason may lie in the incorrect shrinkage of a multi-story building, which is associated with different pressures on the foundation at the corners of the building. This happens in situations where one wall is completely blank sand-lime brick, and the second is glazed. There are other constant factors that influence the appearance of cracks:

A defect in the wall may appear if the house is close to a highway where heavy vehicles often travel.
External influence during which water is pumped out, pits are dug and other manipulations are performed that lead to subsidence of the foundation.
Specific influence of heaving type soil. When it freezes, there is an uneven rise, and when it thaws, the foundation shrinks unevenly on all sides.
Mechanical factors. When the amount of reinforcement is reduced or missing expansion joints and omissions, the masonry or facing brick cracks.
Impacts of dynamic type. These include works technical equipment which are carried out near multi-storey buildings. It is also possible for cracks to appear in brick walls if the road is close to where heavy vehicles regularly move.

Temporary
The appearance of such cracks in brick house is associated with the influence of such factors:
natural deformation processes during shrinkage of the structure upon completion of construction;
temporary load on the surface located next to housing;
deviations during the construction of walls, for example, when connecting an old and a new building, in which the brickwork is performed incorrectly;
wear of bricks during prolonged use due to high humidity.

How dangerous?

To monitor the dynamics of the crack, controller papers are glued to it.
If it burst multi-storey building And renovation work were not carried out on time, then the crack is dangerous due to a large discrepancy. To determine the level of danger, it is necessary to position the control clamp, observing the condition of the seam. If it is difficult to deal with the problem of damage to brick walls yourself, then call a specialist. The specialist has special plate-type beacons, which are registered with the supervisory authorities. If it is impossible to call the technician, perform the following actions:
In the place where the brick breaks, glue a paper strip, indicating the date of its fixation.
Use cement mortar to make a small horizontal strip over the crack that appears.

Regularly check the condition of the control beacon. Sometimes it remains unchanged even after 2-3 months. On average, it takes a year to fully assess the condition of a brick wall. The damage to the controller shows how dangerous the crack is. If it breaks, it is necessary to tighten the walls of a brick house using technical solutions.
If the control beacon remains undamaged, then there is no need to worry and it will be enough to just hide the defect by covering it with plaster along the formed seams.

Elimination of external cracks
Such types of damage to masonry occur frequently and require next steps:

Used to fix external cracks reinforced mesh.
The place where the brick is cracked is thoroughly cleaned of plaster and dirt.
Prime the wall with a deep-penetrating solution and glue a mesh for putty.
Apply a special reinforced putty for external work. When choosing ordinary material The crack may soon reappear after a few weather exposures.

If deep cracks appear not only in facing brick, but also on masonry, then more radical measures are required. Sometimes it is necessary to reinforce the foundation with reinforcement. Major elimination of cracks in brick walls is carried out as follows:
Clean all the plaster and attach a special metal mesh, which is secured with bolts.
A solution of cement and sand is applied on top of the mesh, and the layer of plaster should be the same as the previous one so that there are no differences.