Cracks in Foundation Wall
Cracks in Foundation Wall
(OP)
I have a 3 yr old poured concrete foundation with 3 steps in the wall. I got a crack in the first step within months of it being framed. Now that wall has a crack (full lenght) at evert step. The opposite was has one at one step.
The floor cracked a littel the first year and has increasingly grown to more cracks each year. Now I noticed that I have un-even floor heights at two of the cracks.
I am looking to install some kind of crack monitor to see just how much this house is moving.
The floor cracked a littel the first year and has increasingly grown to more cracks each year. Now I noticed that I have un-even floor heights at two of the cracks.
I am looking to install some kind of crack monitor to see just how much this house is moving.






RE: Cracks in Foundation Wall
My house is going on 7 years old, I've noticed the same cracks from day 1, or month 1. The seem to open a little close a little, you could stick some toothpicks loosely in the cracks, if they fall out, then you know they are moveing.
RE: Cracks in Foundation Wall
RE: Cracks in Foundation Wall
Also, the quality of concrete, and the construction practices for residential concrete are typically poor. Your slab probably went in with a high water cement ratio, which can result in a slab which is prone to curling and excessive shrinkage. It is possible that the un-even floor heights are the result of slab curling. Do you have any joints in your slab? Your house may be moving, but it is also possible that relatively low quality concrete is also the reason.
RE: Cracks in Foundation Wall
The other thing is that the cracks in the floor seem to deliniate a specific area of settlement. Everything forward a a specific point is cracked, everything behind it is not.
Though I was to supervise the pour, I was hit by a car and spent that month in rehab. I speced if I remeber corrctly #4 rebar in the footing and #5 in the walls (or is that backwards). Horizontal rebar was not speced, but my local masons always did it, my fault, maybe, as I was working outside of my area and was unfamilar with there job or practices. The footings were to to be 10" x 24" and I remeber them complaining about that. They said it was overkill and I insisted they do it this way, but again I was unable to watch it. Same thing with the footings and slab pour. I always require plate compaction prior to forming the footings as well and plate compaction ever 6" on the floor.
I was thinking that maybe they did not compact it or maybe it is simple that the front in settling a lot as the back 1/2 of the house is on a blasted out rock ledge.