Literature for Settlement, Shrinkage and Foundation Problems

There are lots and lots of books out there about foundation settlement, cracks, expansive clay soils and lumber shrinkage. Most of them are somewhat technical. If you live in a town that has an engineering college or school, this is the place to start. Libraries will very likely have these books as well if they have a strong science section.

If you do have a college or university in your area, it is always a good idea to call and see if you can find a professor who is willing to talk to you. Most are very nice people who have an affection for books! This works to your advantage.

Two Winner Books

In talking with several structural engineers in my own town, both of them pointed me to a swell book about residential foundation problems. One of the engineers, Bob Becker P.E. said, "It is the Bible of the engineering industry."

The particular book is titled Foundation Repair Manual (McGraw-Hill Portable Engineering). It was authored by Robert Wade Brown. Mr. Brown's book is simply the best. Find a copy and read certain chapters if you have foundation problems. Some chapters are way over my head, but most are readable.

The other book you should look at deals with cracks caused by lumber shrinkage. It is titled Design of Wood Structures - ASD by Donald E. Breyer. It is also a McGraw-Hill book. This book is heavy into mathematics, but it tells you all about lumber shrinkage! Even at the steep price, it is a solid investment. Just one or two chapters of this book will possibly save you hundreds of dollars in consultant fees whose advice may lead you astray!

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Precast concrete technology is undergoing an explosion in growth. It has been used in commercial and industrial construction for years and has now entered the residential market. I can assure you that in many respects, it is the ideal way to build. There are simply too many things that can and do go wrong in the field when you build a foundation on-site using conventional block or even poured walls.

Square, Plumb & Level

Most conventional poured concrete or block foundations are NOT square, plumb, and level. The reasons are numerous. Precast concrete foundations, by their very nature, should come out nearly perfect each time. The panels are poured in square and level template forms in a controlled factory environment. If the foundation designer has all of the dimensions right so the foundation is a perfect rectangle or square, and the builder in the factory follows the designer's plan, then assembling the finished product at the jobsite is like using the fashionable children's toy Lego™ blocks. The only challenge at the jobsite is getting the compacted gravel base level. That is so easy to do with today's laser levels, that it is no wonder a complete foundation can be set in just one day.

Energy Efficiency

When I first saw a precast poured foundation wall, I was amazed at how well it was designed to incorporate energy efficiency. All of the systems include closed cell foam insulation panels on the inside of the foundation. These are poured into the concrete. The foundation walls actually have concrete ribs or studs every 2 feet or so. These cavities between the ribs can be filled with additional fiberglass batts once any plumbing, electrical or other mechanical systems are in place. Your foundation will not waste much energy, that is a fact!

Vertical Steel

These new precast systems are heavily reinforced with steel rods. Steel has enormous tensile strength. The steel that is in a foundation allows the foundation to resist the formation of large cracks that can result from soil pressures on the side of the walls, and poor soil conditions under a wall.

Unfortunately, many traditional poured concrete foundations have no vertical steel rods. Most foundations simply have four rods running horizontally in a continuous manner around the foundation. Two of these are near the bottom of the wall and the other two are near the top of the wall. Horizontal steel bars help to minimize cracks that can develop from poor soil beneath a footer and a wall. They do little or nothing to prevent cracks that can form from soil pressures on the side of a concrete wall. After all, a backfilled basement wall is simply a retaining wall, right? Vertical steel should be used in all poured basement walls. It is standard equipment in the precast systems.

No Footer - Strange but True

Traditional cast concrete footers spread out the concentrated loads of the house onto the soil. The problem is that if stressed, they can and will crack. Most footers are not poured 10 to 12 inches thick. This is the thickness, in my opinion, necessary to provide additional support in poor soil conditions. The actual primary purpose of most traditional 6 or 8 inch thick concrete footers is to provide a level working surface for the foundation panel crew or concrete block masons.

The compacted crushed gravel that is used beneath precast walls will transfer concentrated house loads to high quality, strong soil. If you are building on fill dirt or have poor soil conditions, you need to involve a soils engineer and a structural engineer in your foundation planning. Don't get cheap on me during this aspect of your job.

Limited Availability

The residential precast concrete foundation business is in its infancy. It may not be available in your area. If it isn't are you in luck! Here is a perfect business opportunity for you. Seriously, look at the different companies and see if it isn't time for you to make a career change.

Companion Articles: Precast Concrete Foundation Walls, Precast Concrete Foundation Companies, Precast Foundation Wall Illustrations

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Here's a traditional cast-in-place concrete foundation. I watched them build it. It took four days total to set the footing forms, pour them, set the wall panels, pour the wall panels and remove the forms. A precast foundation system would have taken one day at the job site to erect. Wow! Copyright 2018 Tim Carter

Precast concrete foundations are made in controlled conditions inside a building. Most precast concrete foundations can be set in one day.

Precast Concrete Foundation Companies

There are two main companies that make and license their precast systems. Be sure to check out how close each manufacturing plant is to your job site. Transportation of the precast panels can be a significant cost and the greater the distance from your future home to the place the panels are made will impact what you pay.

They are:

• Superior Walls of America, Ltd.
  800-452-9255
• Thermal-Krete
  585-762-8216

I visited the Thermal-Krete website to locate a list of their licensed plants at the time I created this document. I had no luck. They say at the bottom of their website home page:

"Kistner Concrete Product Inc. operates four NPCA nationally certified manufacturing facilities." However, they don't provide an easy link as to the location of these mysterious plants.

I filled out their contact form on March 31, 2018 to see if they respond. Here's a screenshot of my request:

If they respond, I'll be sure to put up a list of their plant locations for you.

Superior Walls Precast Foundation USA Map

This is a map taken from the Superior Walls website on March 31, 2018. Look at the legend at the top of the graphic so you understand the colors.

The following is a list of licensed companies who use the Superior Wall's patented technology.

• Superior Walls by Advanced Concrete Systems
  55 Advanced Lane
  Middleburg, PA 17842
  800-521-3788
• Superior Walls by Carr-Mitchell Inc
  44 Industrial Drive
  Cadiz, KY 42211
  877-522-9255
• Superior Walls of Central Virginia
  10101 Superior Way
  Amelia, VA 23002
  866-350-9255
• Superior Walls by Collier Foundation Systems
  1500 Ellsworth Avenue
  Suite 210
  Heidelberg, PA 15106
  888-817-5537
• Superior Walls of East Tennessee
  10146 Sparta Highway
  Rock Island, TN 38581
  877-836-9255
• Superior Walls of Eastern Iowa
  2395 Tech Drive  #9
  Bettendorf, IA 52722
  866-560-9255
• Superior Walls of the Great Lakes
  4555 134th Avenue
  Hamilton, MI 49419
  800-486-2932
• Superior Walls of Greater Atlanta
  703A Corinth Road
  Newnan, GA 30263
  866-538-9255
• Superior Walls of the Hudson Valley
  68 Violet Avenue
  Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
  800-639-4033
• Superior Walls by Jointa Lime
  1762 Central Avenue
  Suite 301
  Albany, NY 12205
• Superior Walls of New Jersey
  92 Reese Road
  Millville, NJ 08332
  866-699-2557
• Superior Walls of North Carolina
  3570 South Main Street
  Salisbury, NC 28147
  877-896-9255
• Superior Walls of NW Pennsylvania
  9391 West Main Road
  North East, PA 16428
  888-725-8575
• Superior Walls By Precast Concrete Solutions
  300 S Martin Luther King Drive
  Springfield, IL 62703
  866-522-8565
• Superior Walls by Precast Systems
  5877 Bullitt Road
  Greencastle, PA 17225
  866-369-3773
• Superior Walls by Setwright Precast
  11 Mechanic Falls Road  Ste 5
  Oxford, ME 04270
• Superior Walls of Upstate New York
  7574 East Main Road
  Lima,NY 14485
  800-273-0127
• Superior Walls of the TriState
  3425 Grant Drive
  Lebanon, OH 45036
  888-840-9255
• Superior Walls of the Twin Cities
  580 Schommer Drive
  Hudson, WI 54016
  800-467-8279
• Superior Walls by Weaver Precast
  824 East Main Street, PO Box 759
  Ephrata, PA 17522
  800-352-8196
• Superior Walls by Weaver Precast of Florida
  350 Thorpe Road
  Orlando, FL 32824
  800-291-2213
• Superior Walls by Weaver Precast of South Carolina
  8 Hudson Drive
  Spartanburg, SC 29303
  877-542-1213

Companion Articles: Precast Concrete Foundation Walls, Precast Concrete Walls, Precast Foundation Wall Illustrations

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Concrete Wall Repair Cements & Epoxies

The rain was pouring. It had been doing it for several days. However, at this particular moment, it was torrential rain. I was in the basement of a little house I had purchased. It needed some work and I thought I could fix it up and make a small profit.

I went into the basement to check on something and water was squirting out of a crack in the wall. Not only that, water was shooting four inches high up from a crack in the floor! I was panic stricken.

The house was in the middle of a hillside. Massive quantities of water were flowing above and beneath the surface of the ground. Needless to say, I had my work cut out for me.

Patching Cracks

Cracks in concrete or concrete block walls are very frustrating. I believe this is so, because both building materials represent permanence. It isn't unreasonable for these materials to possibly last 50 to 100 years. Cracks, however, transmit a failure sign. What's more, if the crack actually widens, it is a sign of a big problem. Soil movement, poor soil, or faulty design may cause expensive repairs to be undertaken.

Crack Repair Products

Years ago cement companies developed products that have the ability to fill cracks in concrete and block walls. These products worked so well that they were able to resist a hydrostatic head or the weight of a water column. These special cements expand as they dry. In contrast, ordinary Portland cement shrinks as it dries.

If you are willing to put a little work into a repair job, these materials are very effective at stopping leaks. The trick is to chisel the correct profile in the crack. You need to undercut the crack. This means that the the crack would look like a dovetail joint in a drawer when viewed from the side.

Making the crack into a simple V shape is the worst thing to do. As the special cement dries, it actually pushes itself out of the crack!

Super Glue!

Yes, there are glues for concrete. In fact there are many different types. You can bond old concrete to new concrete, old to old, and new to new. This is done by using special concrete epoxies.

These glues are similar to any standard household epoxies. However, they are formulated with special chemistry that allows them to bond to the concrete and withstand any chemical attack from the alkaline chemicals in the concrete itself. Some of these epoxies have tremendous strength characteristics. They can actually 'weld' concrete back together in certain situations.

These epoxies can be applied by serious DIY'rs or applied by professionals. Here in Cincinnati, there are several companies that will inject epoxies into cracked walls. They will even offer lifetime warranties in certain cases.

Brush - On Compounds

You have probably seen commercials about magic brush-on compounds that will make your wall leak problems disappear. Well, that may take some black magic! There are numerous brush-on waterproofing compounds in the marketplace. I have used many of them. In certain instances they can stop water. However, most manufacturers insist that they be applied on the side of the wall where the leak originates. This can be a tall order to fill, as often this requires an enormous amount of digging. In some instances it may be nearly impossible to excavate one side of a wall.

Furthermore, these compounds rarely have any give. If the wall crack opens or moves, the brush-on compound will crack.

On many of my jobs, we did successfully apply it to the inside of a basement wall or the outside of a retaining wall with great success. I'm convinced that this success was directly related to following the directions on the label.

Surface preparation is critical. Wall surfaces need to be squeaky clean and moist. The thickness of each coat needs to be closely monitored. Apply too much and it can pull itself from the wall. Often people want to glob it on a wall. Two thinner coats usually work much better than one thick coat.

These products also can be used as a decoration. If you are artistic, create a texture!

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! ! ! See Author's Notes at Bottom of Column ! ! !

Geology - We Interact with the Earth

My college major was geology. I was very interested in the subject. I learned much about the movement of subsurface water in my clay mineralogy class, hydrology and geomorphology. WOW! I can't believe I remember those cryptic names.

The point is this: very few parts of the USA have well drained soils (sandy). A majority of the soils are rich in clay, especially in the Midwest, East and West. Generally, as you dig deeper in a clay soil, it becomes more dense. There is less space for air. The portion of the soil that has the most air provides the best route for water movement.

Just as water flows down your driveway, it flows downhill beneath the surface of the ground. Retaining walls, basement walls, etc. can often try to block this movement. If the wall has no cracks, the water might go around the wall. If there is a crack, the water may find it is easier to enter than to go around. You know, the path of least resistance.

A curtain drain can capture and divert this subsurface water. A previous Bulletin, #70 - Linear French Drain, goes into great detail as to how to construct these wonderful devices. They consist of a narrow trench, a four inch perforated pipe, and massive quantities of large rounded gravel.

When I built my house many years ago, the rear of my lot was extremely wet. I was 'receiving' water from uphill. I installed a curtain drain to intercept this water. It has worked every spring. My neighbor's yard is spongy, while mine is dry! They are excellent DIY'r projects.

Click here to order Tim's Streaming Video with the step-by-step procedure for installing a Linear French Drain and keeping your basement dry.

Author's Notes:

You may wonder if my advice is worth anything. Well, read what Jim Sanders wrote to me when he was at the end of his rope:

"Hi, I just wanted to write to give you the results of my "Trench Drain". I have had a wet crawlspace for 15 years. Water would fill the crawlspace at times, so we actually had to drill weep holes at the base so that it would enter the basement and eventually, the sump pump.

I have tried everything. Several contractors said that the only thing we could do was to bring the water into the house via drainage tile and let it enter the sump pump. That would work, but because I live on a 6' elevation, there is no reason that I should have water problems. It became like clockwork...when it rained, we would rush home from the lake or wherever we were vacationing so that we could be prepared to start the backup generator, in case the power failed. We even had our alarm company put a sump alarm on our system, so they could notify us if we had a power failure. Battery backup was not an option, because sometimes we lose power for days and during any rain, our sump would run every 7 minutes...just like clockwork.

I found your site and read the article on the trench or French drain. At first, it sounded a bit like "holistic healing" to me. I failed to understand why a 2 ft. deep trench, 4 ft. away from the house would do any good. How could this simple thing correct an extreme water problem that has plagued me for years, cracked my foundation, settled my garage floor and ruined almost every vacation?

The Linear French Drain trench running from the house. PHOTO CREDIT: Jim Sanders

I decided "what the heck". I had to dig by hand using a trenching spade and a pick-ax, because the builder back-filled our property with brick and blacktop. It took quite a bit of time. Because the ground level varies so much on that side of the house, I was not able to achieve exactly 2 ft. deep. It varied from 18" to 30" in spots, but the slope was downhill. The trench is about 80 ft. long. At times, I thought about filling it all in, because I just didn’t believe that it would work.

I stoned it, put tile in, and filled it with #1 round stone. I socked the pipe just for safety measure and I also used geotextile fabric on top, so I could cover with dirt and grass. I also ordered some clay and pitched from the house to the drain.

After a short rain, water is running away from the house. PHOTO CREDIT: Jim Sanders

Result? For the last month, we have had 7 or 8 torrential rains, the worst of which was last night. It rained so hard, that our lawn washed out in spots because of the high clay content. Our sump pump, that normally ran every 7 minutes during and after rain, has not turned on for 4 weeks. The silt at the bottom of the sump well is now dry and cracking. Our crawlspace has not shown a trace of water or even moisture.

Since I couldn’t see correcting the foundation cracks or the garage floor settling and tilting until I corrected the problem's source, I waited to see if the trench drain worked first.

This week, I had a company come in and perform sort of a "mud-jacking" technique on the garage floor, which worked perfectly. Also, during the past few weeks, I parged the cracks in the foundation.

A dry sump pump. PHOTO CREDIT: Jim Sanders

I just wanted you to know how this worked. I stressed for many years over this issue and the solution was nowhere near as difficult as I thought it would be.

As a side note, I went to the end of the drain tile during a hard rain to see what was happening. Water was running out of the drain tile in about the same exact volume that it previously ran out of the weep holes in my crawlspace. This winter will be interesting, because last year, the ground next to the house was so saturated that during a thaw, my sump would run constantly. I'm guessing that the ground between the trench and the house will probably be drier now going into this winter."

- Jim Sanders, Upstate area - New York

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local drainage expert contractors.

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Click here to order Tim's Streaming Video with the step-by-step procedure for installing a Linear French Drain and keeping your basement dry.

Concrete Epoxy & Masonry Epoxies

Possibly you have used an epoxy to mend a broken plate or some other object. Well, there are incredible epoxies to mend concrete or concrete block. There are many specialized epoxies for special purposes. Almost all require that the crack to be repaired is dry.

These products require some effort to work with. Often you need to chisel out the crack, install a gel coating to act as the outer form, install little injection ports, and then squeeze in the epoxy. With a little practice and the right tools, you can successfully fix cracks.

Some epoxies are actually stronger than the concrete when properly applied. It is similar to the welding process with metal. These products can almost never be found a a home center. They are sold at specialty supply houses where concrete contractors purchase their supplies.

Check your yellow pages to see if there is a listing that says "Concrete Products - Retail/Wholesale." This is a good place to start! There are also professional applicators in many cities who will epoxy your cracks and offer a guarantee. So, if you hesitate to try it yourself, consider having a pro come into your home.

• Epoxy Systems
• Chemrex
  Concresive Paste LPL
• Sika Construction Products

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