Wall Failure Causes And How To Repair It

Wall failure starts all the way back when the home is first built. When the home is built, a hole is dugout for the basement or crawlspace, and the footer is poured after. The chosen foundation is then built on top of it. Afterwards, support beams and flooring are installed, and the dirt is backfilled with loose soil. No matter how compacted the soil is, the soil around the basement walls will always contain voids and air pockets. These super tiny empty spots make it easy for water to flow down into the soil. As the backfill gets wet, it expands which puts lateral pressure on the foundations walls. All of this contributes to the bowing of the walls. 

There are 4 phases of wall failure: 

• Horizontal cracking: Horizontal cracking occurs when the backfilled soil expands and pushes up against the foundation walls. 
• Stair-step cracking: These stair-step cracks are in the shape of steps, and form along the horizontal cracks. 
• Shearing: When the continued pressure occurs, it causes the wall to lean in and this is when shearing happens. 
• Caving-in: This final stage is extremely expensive to fix and disruptive to the home and the soil around it. 

This can be a major problem if it's not fixed quickly, and the price to fix it increases as time goes by, which is why it needs to be taken care of as soon as possible. 

The best option to fix wall failure is the GeoLock Wall Anchor System. This anchor system provides the best possibility of permanent stabilization and to straighten the wall(s) overtime. 

First, a small hole is drilled into the foundation wall. This hole is easy to seal because it is so small, so water leaking in is not a problem. Sod is removed and a hole is dug in stable soil outside of the home. A ¾” galvanized steel rod is then driven through the wall and out into the hole. A galvanized Geo-Lock wall anchor is placed down inside the hole and is connected to the steel rod. On the inside of the home, a heavy-duty wall plate is installed over the steel rod.

The wall plates are specifically engineered to make contact with 8 of the concrete blocks on the foundation wall in order to distribute holding forces effectively. Also, the wall plates are 14 ½” wide so they fit on a 16” center stud in a standard basement. Installation is completed by replacing the dirt and sod and tightening the system. Geo-Lock Wall Anchors provide the best opportunity to continuously straighten the walls over time and permanently stabilize the foundation walls.

If you're located in Liberty Basement's service area and are looking for foundation repair, schedule a FREE, no obligation inspection and estimate by calling 1-570-998-4540 or by clicking HERE and filling out this request form!