What Causes Foundation Walls to Fail?

While there are a number of causes for cracked, bowed and leaning foundation walls, the most tasteless is immoderate pressure from the soil covering the wall. When enormous clay soil absorbs moisture, it swells and applies pressure that often exceeds the wall's construct capacity. In expanding to enormous clay soil, immoderate pressure is often the consequent of a failed or compromised foundation drain theory and a buildup of moisture behind the wall. Again, this added hydrostatic (water) pressure often exceeds the wall's construct capacity, prominent to wall deflection. Poor covering grading and drainage is someone else factor that leads to the buildup of hydrostatic pressure.

Excessive wall deflection, evidenced by wide cracks, bowing and leaning, can sacrifice the structural integrity of the wall. When the wet cycles are repeated, as in the above two scenarios, this causes added weakening and inward wall movement. Other tasteless causes of wall failure contain soil expansion due to frost, large tree root systems and surcharge loads from the foundations of adjacent structures or additions. Heavy equipment and heavy storehouse items located immediately adjacent to basement walls can also cause wall deflection.

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How Will I Know If A Home Has Failing Foundation Walls?

Symptoms of failing foundation walls in a home look distinct depending either they are constructed of concrete block or poured concrete.

Concrete block walls typically display horizontal cracking across the center length as it begins to bow inward near mid-height. As the qoute worsens, stair-step cracking at the corners can be observed. Continued inward pressure exerted on the concrete block wall can also consequent in horizontal shearing at a mortar joint, where the bottom row of block is held in place by the concrete floor slab as the next policy of block and wall above slides in.

Vertical shearing may also be observed when the end of a wall is supported or held in place by an adjoining perpendicular wall. The end of the wall remains garage as the rest of the wall cracks and moves inward. Poured concrete walls will typically display single, diagonal cracks extending upward from the bottom corners of the wall toward the top center. Further, unlike a block wall that bows in near mid-height, the top of a poured wall tends to lean in. In terminated basements, where foundation walls may not be exposed, other signs may alert you to a structural problem. As failing basement walls move inward, ceiling panels and ceiling drywall may begin to buckle.

Drywall on finished, abutting walls can also buckle between the wall studs. In extreme cases, horizontal cracking may even be seen in the home's covering brick veneer.

What Causes Foundation Walls to Fail?

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