Seal cracks in basement wall
 

My house was built in 1952. It has a basement about 60% underground
with some high windows. There are some cracks in one of the walls and
in wet winters, water seeps through the cracks. One crack is 1/16 inch
wide and runs from the window to the floor. Other cracks may be several
feet long, running mostly horizontal, but are thin. Water seeps through
most of them (as evidenced by the stains). I have noticed water on the
floor 2 of the 4 winters I have owned the house. I live in Portland, OR
where we get about 32 inches of rain from October - June. The
temperature rarely drops much below freezing but every once in a while
we have a cold spell with temperatures as low as 10 degrees for a few days.

Can this wall be effectively sealed? What should I use to seal it?

TIA,
Mike

It should be cleaned , loose material removed, acid washed and sealed
with mortar, from both outside and inside. 1/16" isnt going to give you
the working ability to get the mortar in deep, using a chisel to make
the opening wider will help you to get depth on the repair.

Mike wrote:
My house was built in 1952. It has a basement about 60% underground
with some high windows. There are some cracks in one of the walls and
in wet winters, water seeps through the cracks. One crack is 1/16 inch
wide and runs from the window to the floor. Other cracks may be several
feet long, running mostly horizontal, but are thin. Water seeps through
most of them (as evidenced by the stains). I have noticed water on the
floor 2 of the 4 winters I have owned the house. I live in Portland, OR
where we get about 32 inches of rain from October - June. The
temperature rarely drops much below freezing but every once in a while
we have a cold spell with temperatures as low as 10 degrees for a few
days.

Can this wall be effectively sealed? What should I use to seal it?

TIA,
Mike

You can effectively seal it, but only from the outside. On the inside,
the best you can do is to collect the water and pump it out.

The best thing that you can do is to make sure the ground on all sides
of your home is graded away from your home at least 15 feet. Also gutters
must be routed away from your home at least as far.

--
Joseph E. Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

With cracks in concrete foundations I have had good results when I
chiseled out so I got the mortar in 3+ inches, sure outside is best, but
this is concrete, not block. Try it, if you get it in deep enough, and
its clean it will bond and seal. Brick or block or stone, take major
work. A few cracks are not a big deal.
Also address drainage

On Sat, 30 Oct 2004 04:47:34 GMT, Mike wrote:

My house was built in 1952. It has a basement about 60% underground
with some high windows. There are some cracks in one of the walls and
in wet winters, water seeps through the cracks. One crack is 1/16 inch
wide and runs from the window to the floor. Other cracks may be several
feet long, running mostly horizontal, but are thin. Water seeps through
most of them (as evidenced by the stains). I have noticed water on the
floor 2 of the 4 winters I have owned the house. I live in Portland, OR
where we get about 32 inches of rain from October - June. The
temperature rarely drops much below freezing but every once in a while
we have a cold spell with temperatures as low as 10 degrees for a few days.

Can this wall be effectively sealed? What should I use to seal it?

There are many people in the business of injecting urethane into
cracks in concrete walls. The few cases I have seen it done worked
quite well.

Mike wrote:

My house was built in 1952. It has a basement about 60% underground
with some high windows. There are some cracks in one of the walls and
in wet winters, water seeps through the cracks. One crack is 1/16
inch wide and runs from the window to the floor. Other cracks may be
several feet long, running mostly horizontal, but are thin. Water
seeps through most of them (as evidenced by the stains). I have
noticed water on the floor 2 of the 4 winters I have owned the house.
I live in Portland, OR where we get about 32 inches of rain from
October - June. The temperature rarely drops much below freezing but
every once in a while we have a cold spell with temperatures as low as
10 degrees for a few days.

Can this wall be effectively sealed? What should I use to seal it?

TIA,
Mike

http://www.ugl.com/DRYLOKframes02.html

"Mike" wrote in message
news:C1Fgd.33385$R05.31101@attbi_s53...
My house was built in 1952. It has a basement about 60% underground with
some high windows. There are some cracks in one of the walls and in wet
winters, water seeps through the cracks. One crack is 1/16 inch wide and
runs from the window to the floor. Other cracks may be several feet long,
running mostly horizontal, but are thin. Water seeps through most of them
(as evidenced by the stains). I have noticed water on the floor 2 of the
4 winters I have owned the house. I live in Portland, OR where we get
about 32 inches of rain from October - June. The temperature rarely drops
much below freezing but every once in a while we have a cold spell with
temperatures as low as 10 degrees for a few days.

Can this wall be effectively sealed? What should I use to seal it?


Best stuff I have found is at: http://www.polygem.com/repair/index.php

I have used mortar, hydraulic cement, etc. in the past, but this is what
solved *my* problems. Other's mileage may vary.