Cracked masonry at home what to do. The correct principle of eliminating cracks in a brick wall. How to understand the causes of cracks on the walls of houses

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Cracks in the walls of buildings can appear suddenly, and not only in old houses, but also in new buildings, panel and brick. This, of course, is not the norm, but you should not panic about this. It is better to assess the scale and understand how dangerous the destruction is in order to determine how to eliminate it.

All cracks are divided into two types:

Passive - if the cracking occurred at once, and does not go further, in this case, you can eliminate the defect yourself;
Active - if a crack in the wall of the house expands or lengthens over time, there is a risk of collapse of the wall or building, in this case, you need to call specialists from the specialized service, who will make a decision.

There are dozens of reasons for which the deformation of the building occurs, and as a result, the manifestation of faults, serious, or "cobwebs". They are caused by various factors, but the most common is problems with the foundation. It is also the most dangerous and difficult, since in some cases it is necessary to redo everything anew, or somehow strengthen the base, and this is often not easy.

So, we understand in detail why cracks appear on the walls in various buildings, is it worth worrying, and how to fix them.

Why are wall cracks so common in new homes?

Cracking of new buildings is a fairly common phenomenon. 9 out of 10 houses may crack after a few years due to shrinkage, but as a rule, cracks in the walls in a new house are small and passive, and after sealing there are no problems.

Experts do not recommend making major repairs in the first year and a half, and if your apartment is located on the lower floors, and many will do repairs from above, you should wait a little longer. The fact is that all the neighbors from above will “add” the weight of the structure with plaster and decoration, which means that the house will shrink even more noticeably. Small cracks in the walls in a new home may not seem like a big deal, but they can lead to tiles falling off, wallpaper warping, and similar problems. Better to wait with the finish than to redo it all over again. In addition, a small "cobweb" under the wallpaper will not be noticeable, but it is advisable to patch it up as soon as it appears.

Why did a crack appear in the wall of a house that no longer shrinks?

In more lived-in and seemingly strong houses, cracks can appear quite unexpectedly, and usually they are the ones that frighten residents the most. The reasons in this case can be very different.

Violation of construction technology, in which the dressing of the masonry of a brick wall was incorrectly performed. For many years everything is in order, and then a fault appears, which is also difficult to repair.
Violation of the technology of laying communications. It happens that a house is built first, and then communications are brought in, as a result of which they dig in the foundation - this is one of the common causes of horizontal cracks in the wall.
The foundation can settle on its own, for example, due to an incorrectly calculated load or insufficiently competent design without specialized calculations. Owners of private houses often suffer from this, who do not conduct geodetic surveys, do not study the features of the soil, and choose the wrong type of foundation. The causes of cracks in the walls can also include improperly laid sand under the foundation, or groundwater unaccounted for during construction.

Why did a crack go along the wall of the old house?

In old houses that have stood for decades without problems, sudden cracking can occur due to new construction going on nearby, excavation of a foundation pit nearby, vibrations during the installation of piles or re-laying of the road. Often problems arise from poor, ill-conceived redevelopment, when the new owner demolishes load-bearing supports, or illegal construction of basements and subfloors, as a result of which the load is shifted and the foundation suffers. A crack in the outer wall of the house also occurs due to the fact that the mortar can crumble over time, and if floors were attached to the house, or it was lengthened, the problem could become critical.

The problem with a crack in the load-bearing wall at the base of the building

Another common answer to the question of why cracks appear on the walls is ill-conceived redevelopment, especially on the basement and first floors. This happens when residential apartments are transferred to a non-residential fund, arranging shops or service establishments, and at the same time, load-bearing walls are touched. The load on the remaining ones is greater, and the house is being destroyed from the inside, and the residents of the upper floors are usually the first to notice the problem.

Usually it is not possible to resolve the issue with the owners of the premises, therefore, if there are cracks on the internal walls, and at the same time there are offices or retail premises below, it is necessary to contact the relevant authorities to check the condition of the building.

Types of cracks in the walls

You can try to determine the cause of cracking yourself, focusing on the direction of the fault: vertical, horizontal, in the corner. In brick walls, the direction may be broken, but the general trend is usually observed.

vertical cracks. In the middle part of the building, thermal deformation can occur if there is a problem with expansion joints. In places of supports and beams - due to overloading of the walls (this is very dangerous). The reason may be an unstable foundation, as a result of which one part of the building settles in a different way.
Horizontal cracks on the wall of the house can be caused by subsidence of the foundation in its central part, and moisture ingress into the walls and foundation. They are less dangerous for the building as a whole, but it is necessary to check the quality of the insulation. The causes of horizontal cracks in the wall are usually less dangerous, and the building collapses more slowly than with vertical ones. But it is also more difficult to fasten the structure, and serious measures may be required to correct the situation.
In the corner of the wall, destruction can occur due to flooding of the foundation, as often happens when moisture drips from the roof into this corner. Microcracks are generally not dangerous, although they are more difficult to repair.

In any case, if there is a crack in the wall of the house, you should call in specialists who will determine the cause and extent of the problem.

What cracks in the walls of the house are dangerous

A small web of cracks is usually not dangerous, no matter where it is located. But in any case, it is better to control this process.

To determine the danger, that is, the future divergence of the wall, various beacons are used. In domestic conditions, to control a wall crack inside the house, you can use paper or plaster, which are superimposed on the fault at its different ends, possibly in the middle. If the line is broken, you will need to apply beacons to all sections. Be sure to write down the installation date next to it.

It happens that it is not possible to install a beacon on the outer wall on your own if the fault occurs on high floors. In addition, gypsum and paper simply cannot withstand the weather, and a gypsum beacon is generally capable of cracking from temperature changes. There are other options for beacons that profile specialists have and are suitable for outdoor monitoring.

If for 8-12 months the crack in the outer wall of the house or inside it has not changed and has not increased, it can be considered passive, stable, and repaired.
If the beacon is deformed or destroyed, be sure to call the experts, this means that the process is active, and you need to take action.

Crack in the wall of the house: what to do and how to fix

There are many ways to solve the problem, and the choice of a particular one depends on the characteristics of the fault and its development.

Keep in mind: if a large crack in the wall diverges quickly and the beacons collapse, you are unlikely to cope on your own, you may have to fasten the house with metal plates, raise the building to adjust the foundation, strengthen it, put props instead of load-bearing walls, etc.

Crack in outer wall

Small stable cracks are cleaned of plaster and finish, a deep penetration primer is applied, and the entire crack is covered with a putty mesh so that it reliably covers the edges. Putty is applied on top, better reinforced, as it will withstand temperature changes and exposure to weather conditions.

Cracks in the brick are sealed with a metal mesh for plaster, which is fixed with bolts. A layer of mortar (cement + sand) is applied to it.

A large crack in the wall is filled with mounting foam, while first it needs to be expanded and cleaned, possibly rinsed with water and dried so that more solution gets inside. There are various nozzles for cylinders, so that even complex bends can be repaired.

Faults in concrete are also cleaned, blown out with mounting foam and sealed with a cement-sand mixture.

Crack in the corner of the wall

It especially often occurs at the joints of the plates, and if this is the corner of the house, then it can noticeably blow from it. It is sealed either with mounting foam and then plastered, or a system of metal plates is used, the whole house can be pulled together if the problem is serious, or part of it.

In multi-storey buildings, you have to do everything from the inside, or order insulation along with sealing cracks. If the fault is large, it must be deepened and cleaned with high quality, preferably with a construction vacuum cleaner, or at least with a brush, and the foam is applied to the primer that has not yet dried.

Cracked walls inside the house

A small cobweb, which was formed due to the shrinkage of the new building, can be easily covered up: you will need a putty mesh and a deep penetration primer. A primer is applied to the cleaned wall with the coating removed, covered with a mesh, and sealed with putty. Then, after drying, the surface can be rubbed and painted, or wallpapered. It is better to wait a bit to make sure that the problem does not reoccur.

If a crack has gone along the wall of a concrete house, it needs to be expanded by creating angles at 45 degrees, and well primed. Sealing is carried out either with concrete mortar or sealant. Sealant fits better, as it is a little "rubber", which means that future movements will be compensated and the crack will not expand. Do not use a silicone-based sealant, as nothing sticks to it, and then it will be difficult to paint over or wallpaper it. A crack in the wall of the house can also be repaired with any cement-based mixtures, such as tile adhesive, or plaster. You can use an emulsion to which cement is added, or there is an even more budgetary option - PVA glue and cement. You can apply such a mixture with a spatula, and special guns are used for sealant to help squeeze it out of the tube. The rest of the mixture is removed with a spatula flush with the wall.

Cracks in a drywall wall are usually caused by excess moisture, dampness, or improper installation. If flooding occurs, the sheets need to be changed, in other cases, you can save the situation with a special putty for drywall, or use acrylic (sold in the same tubes as sealant). Another option is to stick fiberglass, it is more reliable, although more expensive and labor-intensive. All these methods can be used only in the case of high-quality fastening of the drywall sheet to the wall, if it does not stagger, otherwise the sheet itself needs to be changed.

Vertical and horizontal cracks on the wall of a brick house are sealed in various ways, depending on the depth and nature of the fault. In any case, if the crack is active, it makes no sense to close it in simple ways, since it will continue to grow. Repair only makes sense when the fault has stopped and has been stable for several months. Small cracks on the inner walls of brick are sealed with cement mortar, but if the crack is more than 7-10 mm, it is necessary to expand it with a hammer (for better adhesion of the mortar) and seal it with a mixture of cement and sand. A crack larger than 10mm requires professional intervention, whether it is expanding or not.

Crack in the wall of the house: what to do if the wall is load-bearing?

You can close the faults yourself only if the crack is small and does not expand. In this case, the same technologies are used as when repairing small damages in a brick wall. But it is important to understand that a break in the load-bearing wall can lead to the collapse of the entire building, so you should contact the experts. They will check the condition of the building and find out why the cracks in the wall appeared at all: perhaps the neighbors did a redevelopment somewhere, or something happened in the basement of the building, and it is urgent to strengthen it, pump out water, raise the roof and reduce the load.

A crack in a load-bearing wall is always very dangerous, so it's not worth delaying with it, especially if it is active and expanding. It is possible to identify a dangerous fault already in a day or two, by placing a simple plaster or paper beacon, and checking its safety and absence of deformation. In any case, it's better to play it safe.

Through cracks in the walls

The most dangerous type of cracking, in which the building can be recognized as emergency. There are many reasons for this phenomenon, but most often - problems with the foundation or extension, or ongoing construction work nearby.

To seal through cracks in the walls, lime-cement mortar is used, if the fault is large, brick fragments can be added to it. Formwork may be needed to fix the solution until it is completely solidified.

Sometimes tightening with metal plates made of durable material is used, and at least three strips are needed, sometimes more. Fix them with bolts with dowels. After fixing, a specialist’s decision is required - if a crack appears in the wall of the house, then the problem is already quite serious. From the inside, the fault can be repaired with mounting foam, but in any case, the cause must be eliminated.

Conclusion

If a crack appears in the wall of the house, assess its scale and danger, visually (in the case of “spider web” cracks) or with the help of a beacon. Various materials and technologies are used to seal different types of walls, but if the crack grows or is large in itself, it is better to consult with specialists. Minor repairs can be carried out independently, but only if the fault is stable and there are no prerequisites to believe that later cracks in the walls of buildings can lead to an emergency.

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Cracks in the house - causes, methods of elimination

A crack can appear on the wall of the house at any time, and the owners of the building immediately wonder how dangerous this phenomenon is. Experts distinguish between two types of cracks - passive and active. And if in the first case the defect in question can be “removed” with your own hands, then in the second you will have to involve professionals in the work. But first you need to understand what factors provoke the appearance of cracks.

Table of contents: Causes of cracks in the house How to determine the level of danger of cracks in the house Methods for eliminating cracks in the house - How to fix a crack in the house from the inside - Eliminating a crack in the house from the outside of the wall What to do if the crack in the house diverges Prevention of cracks in the house

Causes of cracks in the house

It is believed that in the first five years after building a house, cracks appear on the walls in 90% of cases - experts call this natural shrinkage, which does not pose any danger. But it also happens - the house has been for many years, it is quite habitable, all structures are regularly repaired, but cracks still appear. What is the reason for this phenomenon?

Firstly, cracks in the house may appear due to violations in the technology of erecting the walls themselves. For example, if the dressing of brickwork was carried out incorrectly.

Secondly, the phenomenon under consideration on the walls of the house may be caused by non-compliance with the sequence of construction work. For example, communication systems (water supply, sewerage) are often carried out after the construction of the house - you have to dig the foundation, which negatively affects its quality characteristics.

Thirdly, foundation settlement often occurs - for example, due to compression of the foundation soils or too much pressure on the foundation of the house. This is possible if the construction of the foundation was carried out without preliminary calculations and design. The most common mistakes:

during the construction of the foundation, geodetic surveys were not carried out, the nature of the soil was not studied;
the soil resistance taken as a basis was erroneous, greatly overestimated;
geodetic surveys at the construction site were carried out in the summer - the level of groundwater rise was not calculated;
a mistake was made when choosing the type of foundation - for example, instead of a columnar one, a linear one was laid;
no calculations were made of the depth of the foundation base, its thickness - usually data on past construction sites are taken as the basis for these parameters;
violations of the technology of laying a sand cushion under the foundation - for example, insufficient layer thickness or poor-quality sand compaction.

Please note: cracks in an old building can also occur due to structural changes in the building. Often, owners build a subfloor in a foundation that is not intended for this, and the result will be displacement / shrinkage of the foundation base.

When even a small crack is found, the main question arises - is it dangerous? Checking this is quite simple - you need to install a control beacon and observe the "behavior" of the crack for a long time. Professionals put special control beacons - lamellar, which must be registered with the supervisory authorities. At home, with an independent solution to the problem, you can use one of the following methods:

stick a strip of paper on the crack indicating the date of installation;
prepare a gypsum mortar and put a strip of it on the crack.

And then it remains only to wait and periodically check the status of the control beacon. It may take several months before any conclusions can be drawn - experts say that it is necessary to control the crack for 8-12 months.

How dangerous it is will be shown by a break in the control beacon - if there is such a phenomenon, then complex technical solutions will need to be applied to fix the problem, if there is no break in the beacon, then you should not worry at all.

Methods for eliminating cracks in the house

Different cracks are eliminated in certain ways - you must first determine the level of the problem.

Please note: if the control beacon showed a rapidly expanding crack, then no do-it-yourself crack repair methods will help - they will only have a short-term effect. Be sure to invite specialists to solve the problem, otherwise the consequences will be the most terrible - the collapse of the wall or the entire structure!

How to fix a crack in the house from the inside

If small cracks are found on the wall inside the house, then fixing them is easy. All you need is a primer and a special putty mesh. You need to act according to the instructions below:

we clean the surface of building materials, finishes - the wall should turn out perfectly clean;
we use a deep penetration primer (with such a marking!) - we cover the entire cleaned surface;
glue the putty mesh on the entire prepared surface;

Please note: it is necessary to close the entire damage area on the wall with a special mesh - even small sections of cracks should not protrude beyond it.

We apply a small layer of putty on the grid and leave it to dry completely.

Only after the putty layer has completely dried, you can start grouting the surface and gluing wallpaper or other finishing materials.

Elimination of a crack in the house from the outside of the wall

In the event of the appearance of small cracks outside the house, you should proceed according to the same principle as in the above option. Procedure:

the place of the crack is cleaned from plaster or debris;
we apply a layer of deep penetration primer and glue a putty mesh on it;
put putty on. But! In case of repairing a crack on the outer walls, it is advisable to use a special reinforced putty - it is resistant to the negative effects of atmospheric changes.

If the cracks on the outer side of the walls of the house went not only through the plaster, but also spread to the brickwork, then much more effort will have to be made. And in this case, the algorithm of actions will be as follows:

Please note: the metal mesh must cover the entire surface intended for applying a new layer of plaster. Thus, the new plaster will not blur, which will allow you to flawlessly apply finishing materials.

This situation means only one thing - it is urgent to take drastic measures to eliminate such a problem. If you ignore all the recommendations of specialists, limit yourself only to the above repair options, then the result will be the collapse of the whole house. But even a beginner can cope with the work of eliminating such complex active cracks - the main thing is to strictly adhere to the following instructions:

All plaster from the wall at the location of the crack is knocked off - be sure to maintain a distance of 50 cm on each side of the crack.
The crack is cleaned of mortar and dirt - this can be done with a metal spatula.
The cleaned crack is filled with mounting foam.
Fastening metal plates that will tighten the crack, preventing it from spreading further. In doing so, the following points must be taken into account:

the plate must be chosen from a thick, high-quality metal;
to obtain an optimal result, you will need to tighten the crack with at least 3 plates, and if the crack is long, then 4 or 5 metal plates may be needed;
plates are fastened with self-tapping screws, but with the use of dowels.

After applying the fastening metal plates, you can continue to work according to the usual algorithm - priming / fixing the reinforcing mesh / applying new plaster.

But keep in mind that such measures serve as a temporary measure, since without a specific formation it will not be possible to determine the cause of the appearance of active cracks. Most often, in the future, it will be necessary to carry out corrective work on the foundation - it is either strengthened / strengthened, or the walls / roof of the house are raised and the base is completely replaced.

Prevention of cracks in the house

In order not to have to deal with cracks in the house, you should familiarize yourself with the prevention of such a phenomenon.

Firstly, if only a house is being designed, several points must be taken into account:

conducting geodetic surveys should be mandatory - this will help determine the type of soil, the location of the aquifers, the depth of the groundwater;
even at the stage of drafting the project, it is necessary to provide for the possibility of building a subfloor / cellar under the house - this will entail serious structural changes;
be sure to familiarize yourself with the depth of freezing of the soil - the depth of the foundation will depend on this.

Secondly, when buying an old house, pay attention to the existing walls, invite specialists to assess their condition - often serious problems in the stability / reliability of the entire structure are hidden behind the small size of the cracks. Another point - there should be a blind area around the whole house - this will prevent moisture from entering the foundation, and therefore, will serve as a prevention of its destruction.

Thirdly, if there is a desire to complete the second floor to an already inhabited house, it is worth consulting with professionals about the appropriateness of such actions. The fact is that each foundation is designed for a certain load and its excess leads to the appearance of cracks.

Cracks in the house are not a reason for panic, but just an impetus to action. Even an absolute beginner in the construction business will cope with the above work, but it is much easier to prevent the appearance of cracks in advance.

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"diagnosis" of the problem and solutions

The cracks that appeared on the walls are perhaps the most obvious indicator of the developer's miscalculations. In this case, the seriousness of the situation is obvious even to those who are far from construction. What are the reasons for the deformation of brick walls and what should the owner of the house do in this case?

Let's start with the fact that not every gap in the coating of brick walls is a threat to their strength and bearing capacity. Immediately after construction, the house "shrinks": this is a normal process that can lead to minor (1-3 mm) cracks.

These are surface cracks that do not increase with time. In this case, you need to wait until the end of the shrinkage of the house and carry out cosmetic repairs. Much more dangerous are through cracks that are visible from the outside of the building.

In such a situation, urgent action is needed. To determine the repair technology, you must first understand the cause of the appearance of gaps in the wall. They can be divided into five groups:

Laying errors: insufficient bond between bricks

It appears as a vertical gap along the entire height of the wall.

Such a problem is most often encountered when the dressing rules are violated during the construction of a brick house, as well as when building an extension to a building whose shrinkage has already ended.

Wrong choice of materials

This may be the use of masonry mortars with a high ash content, as well as the use of non-standard materials in the arrangement of the reinforcing belt.

Design errors

Errors at the design stage of the project are one of the most common causes of cracks in brick walls. For example, an incorrect assessment of the load on walls and foundations leads to a decrease in structural rigidity, concentration of load from floors at certain points, uneven settlement and ruptures. Errors in calculations when designing a beam ceiling lead to the same result.

Errors in the arrangement of the foundation

The most serious problems with cracks in the walls arise from miscalculations made during the design and construction of the foundation. These include an increase in the number of storeys of a house, the foundation of which is not designed for such a load, the use of too “weak” concrete with insufficient frost resistance to fill the base. The cause of deformations can also be the use of cellular concrete during the installation of the foundation, the insufficient depth of its placement (below the freezing level of the soil), errors in the installation of the blind area, the location of the pit for draining sewage is too close to the foundation.

It is also necessary to mention the reasons that are difficult to predict in advance - this is a drain leakage that changes the state of the soil, the construction of a large facility near the house, strong vibration of the soil due to heavy vehicles.

Surface and through cracks: how to determine the type of deformation phenomenon?

Depending on the cause, cracks can behave differently - remain stable, grow at different rates, or “tear” the walls at once. Until you have determined the type of deformation and found out its cause, it is pointless to repair cracks.

"Diagnosing" in this case is not difficult. To do this, you need to use beacons from improvised material - glass or paper. For example, a strip of glass is attached across the crack with plaster.

Observation of the lighthouse will give an answer to the question of whether the crack is increasing or remains unchanged. For the same purpose, you can use a strip of paper, which is fixed with silicate glue, or apply a strip of plaster with a length of 10 cm, a width of 4 cm and a thickness of not more than 1 cm.

Beacons should be checked daily for 4-5 weeks. If they remain intact within the specified period, then the solution to the problem will be a low-cost repair of the wall. If the beacons burst, this means that the process of deformation of the wall continues, and its overhaul is required. Choosing a repair strategy.

Ways to strengthen brickwork

The determining factor in this case is the type and width of the gap.

Superficial, thin (up to 5 mm) and shallow tears. If we are talking about internal repairs, then gypsum-based solutions and putties can be used for this purpose. To seal cracks on the outside of the wall, you need to use moisture-resistant materials, for example, cement mortar. Before filling a crack with a mortar, it should be lined and wetted with water or a primer mixture;
Through cracks in the wall with a width of 10 mm or more. At a gap with a width of 10 mm or more, reinforcing the wall with a metal reinforcing mesh or simply sealing the crack with mortar will no longer be enough. In this case, a metal screed and interlocks can be used.

Dowels are inserted along the edges of the gap, into which T-shaped anchors are hammered. Another method recommended for repairing deformations outside the wall is to drill holes along the edges of the gap and install steel staples into these holes, which are then coated with a cement mixture.

The described types of repair involve solving the problem at an average cost of time and labor. If the reason for the appearance of cracks is problems with the foundation, then the repair of the crack should be preceded by restoring the integrity of the foundation of the house: this is a more complex and time-consuming type of work. If this is not done, then the process of deformation of the wall cannot be stopped.

Repair of the foundation in this case includes an increase in the area of \u200b\u200bits support on the ground and reinforcement.

The procedure includes the following types of work:

A trench is dug in the crack zone (width - 0.6 m, length - 1.5 m). The depth of the ditch should correspond to the freezing point of the soil. From under the foundation in this place, the soil is removed to the level of the bottom of the excavated trench - this is necessary so that the poured concrete mixture penetrates under the foundation;
Reinforcement is carried out using metal fittings (from 14 mm). Reinforcement rods (8-10 pieces) are stuck into the walls of the moat by 15-20 cm;
In the old foundation, holes are drilled for pieces of reinforcement, which are then welded to previously installed rods;
The ditch is filled with concrete mixture, after which it is treated with a vibrating tool to remove air and compact.

The number of such ditches and their location is determined by the results of inspection of deformations.

When placing several ditches in close proximity to each other, the ends of the reinforcement bars are welded together, which will strengthen the structure. After the concrete has hardened, you can begin to seal the crack.

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Cracks in the walls cause and effect

Cracks in the walls, to our great regret, are not uncommon, their presence is clearly observed on high-rise buildings, as well as on the walls of household buildings and residential buildings in the private sector.

Defects in the walls of high-rise buildings are dealt with by specialized public utilities, as this is a responsible and rather expensive undertaking. In this article on the site "Our House and Yard" we will consider the causes of cracks in houses and buildings of a private, low-rise sector.

With a high degree of probability, it can be argued that there are no houses without cracks. After all, cracks are formed not only from shortcomings and defects during construction, but also from the natural shrinkage of the structure, and even from its aging.

Cracks in the walls

The main and most common reason for the formation of cracks on the walls of low-rise buildings is a consequence of uneven sedimentation or destruction of the foundation. This happens for a number of rather different reasons, which we will discuss below.

Causes of cracks

Small (insufficient) depth of foundation: quite common in old buildings, can lead to the mobility of the soil under the foundation due to heaving or other reasons.

Exceeding the calculated load on the ground: this usually happens when you want to save money by making the foundation too narrow on moving ground.

When pouring the foundation, low-quality building materials were used: low-quality concrete or gravel that does not match the strength or resistance to aggressive environments. The brand of concrete used for the manufacture of such structures should not be less than M 200.

All of the above reasons can be attributed to the violation of technology during the construction of the foundation. But there are other reasons that can not always be taken into account:

unpredictable rise in groundwater levels;
soil heterogeneity under the foundation;
destruction of the foundation body from time to time;
the slope of the site on which the building stands;
weather and geological factors also contribute to the formation of cracks in the walls.

Violation of the integrity or lack of a blind area around the house can also be the cause of cracks in the walls of the house. In this case, non-monolithic or non-reinforced foundations suffer more, which are more prone to uneven shrinkage.

Not the last role is played by the quality of the building material of the walls themselves, namely its behavior under the influence of external factors and loads: swelling, shrinkage, as well as vibration, which can activate the occurrence of cracks. These factors can be: sun, rain, wind, and even the proximity of busy traffic.

Are wall cracks dangerous?

As a rule, most cracks, whether external or internal, do not pose a danger. Even in fairly old houses, whose age has exceeded 50 or even 100 years, fresh cracks may appear.

The reason for these processes can be - changes in the structure of the soil (due to increased humidity), construction work in the vicinity, or, as already mentioned, heavy traffic.

It is the same in new buildings: the appearance of cracks in the walls is not so uncommon. Usually, small cracks in the plaster or cladding of the building appear in the first years of operation. These processes are associated with the natural shrinkage of the structure and lasts, maybe from 3 to 5 years.

Such cracks are usually "calm", meaning they remain in the state they were found in and can simply be covered up cosmetically.

Of course, we must not forget the fact that cracks in the walls can be the result of quite serious problems: defects in construction or weakening of load-bearing elements. The latter occurs for various reasons, it may not be a professional redevelopment or restructuring of the building, or maybe a banal washing out of the soil.

If a vertical crack appears on the foundation, plinth and wall, growing in length and width, then everything is very serious, and simple cosmetic measures are indispensable here. Also, a cause for concern should be suddenly poorly closing windows and doors, a noticeable skew of the porch, and indeed the curvature and cracking of horizontal lines on the facade.

To determine the level of danger, you need to know how the crack behaves. It is quite simple to make such observations: a control strip of paper is glued onto the crack, but for more convenient observation, it is better to apply a plaster mark.

Such a palm-width mark, made of densely diluted gypsum, is applied to the crack and observed for 3-4 weeks. If the crack breaks the mark and continues to grow further, then drastic measures should be taken to prevent further damage.

Control marks made of paper and plaster.

If you are not an expert in construction, or you are afraid to do something wrong, then the easiest way is to contact a qualified specialist who will be able to analyze the causes and offer options for their elimination. But in some cases, you can do it yourself.

Causes and characteristic wall defects

Most serious problems arise due to several factors that, most likely, were not taken into account when building the foundation. Defects of this kind are expressed in the settlement of a part of the building, which leads to cracks in the outer or inner walls.

Most often, these are errors at the design stage during surveys - any external factors are not taken into account.

Seasonal changes in the soil: provoke subsidence, leaching and frost heaving, characteristic of a number of soils (clays, loams, dusty soils), as well as changes in the level of groundwater.

Incorrect or incomplete assessment of the strength of the foundation: the problem arises when filled-in pits (ditches), as well as rigid supports (natural or artificial boulders, concreted wells, etc.) are not identified in various sections of the trench or foundation pit.

Violations in the operation of the building: usually occur when flooding, and not rarely, washing out the base of the foundation with domestic or atmospheric waters (rupture of the sewer, water supply or destruction of the blind area).

Also, such design flaws as the omission of reinforcing inserts at the intersections of the walls, the absence of cross-links, insufficient rigidity of the longitudinal wall, and in some cases, a large thrust from the rafters can cause the wall to deviate from the vertical, and, accordingly, the cause of cracks in the walls.

dimon-dom.ru

A crack in a brick wall is a sign of uneven subsidence of the foundation

An unexpectedly opened crack in a brick wall of a newly built or built several years ago residential, public or industrial building is a signal indicating the occurrence of a pre-emergency situation, the causes of which must be found and, if possible, eliminated. A crack is the first sign of danger Cracks along the vertical and horizontal seams of the masonry walls of buildings arise not only in brick buildings: the construction of houses from gas silicate blocks, which has been very popular lately, can have the same problems. This means that defects of this kind have common roots that do not depend on the size and material of the stones from which the walls of a building or structure are lined. The small width of the crack opening does not affect the appearance of buildings and brick houses, photos of which can be viewed on our website, retain a strict geometry of the seams on their facades. However, when the width of the cracks exceeds 5 mm, such a defect becomes visible from afar. In addition to a negative visual impression, a crack is a conductor of cold, and water that gets into it and subsequently freezes can accelerate the destruction of the wall. Such deformations occur not only in multi-storey buildings; for manor-type houses, a crack in a brick wall is also a common occurrence.

It is very important, when you see the damage to the masonry, not to delay the determination of the causes of its occurrence and the way to eliminate it, but to contact the specialists. It is difficult to detect wall deformation in cases where a hinged facade system covering the surface of a brick wall is included in the projects of individual residential buildings, however, the most dangerous are through cracks that can be detected not only from the outside, but also from the inside. Causes of cracks in the wall wall deformations is uneven subsidence of foundations, which can be caused by:

unreliability or incompleteness of engineering-geological surveys. For example: a layer of weak soils was not found, the mechanical characteristics of which are insufficient to absorb the load from the building structures. Or: during field work, during the extraction of cores, a violation of their structure occurred, due to which the strength parameters of soils were incorrectly determined, which led to the subsidence of the structure.
initially incorrectly executed foundation or foundation. Here, there may be poor-quality waterproofing and drainage, which led to the soaking of the soil under the building, or a small area of the base of the foundation, due to which the load on the soil turned out to be more than permissible.
improper operation of engineering systems of the building. In this case, a crack in a brick wall may occur due to water or sewer leaks, followed by soil soaking.

There is a possibility of the appearance of groundwater on the site, which has changed its course due to new buildings that have arisen on its way. Such situations often arise during the development of large plots, when engineering and geological surveys are carried out not throughout the entire territory, but for each individual plot separately. In this case, there is a risk of changing the direction of groundwater movement in an unpredictable direction.
A crack appeared in the wall. But what to do? You should know what to do if a crack has already appeared in a brick wall. First of all, it is necessary to invite specialists who can find the causes of deformations and determine methods to prevent their further development. Also, from the moment cracks are discovered, cement marks should be installed on them: in 2-3 places along the length of the crack, make small rectangles of cement mortar with a thickness of several millimeters in order to understand whether the deformation is continuing or has already stopped. If the stamps remain intact for 2-3 weeks, then, most likely, the subsidence has ended and you need to think about how to repair the cracks in order to preserve the appearance of the house and prevent the wall from freezing in this place. If the marks are cracked, then the deformations continue, and serious, expensive measures will have to be developed and carried out, including the possible strengthening of walls and foundations. Most often, the following measures are recommended to exclude the possibility of further soaking of the base soils:

installation of reinforced gluing waterproofing of the foundation and basement walls. To do this, you can use various deposited roll materials offered by the distribution network in a wide range.
repair and increase in the width of the blind area, as well as the installation of a drainage system around the perimeter of the building, which will prevent the soaking of the foundation soils with rain and melt water.
revision and repair of joints of pipelines passing in the basement of the house and next to it.

If these measures are not enough, then the foundation will have to be strengthened. One of the most effective methods of strengthening is the installation of inclined piles, which are brought under the foundation of the finished house and transfer the loads from its weight to the soil with the necessary strength characteristics. After performing work to eliminate the causes of subsidence and prevent the possibility of its occurrence in the future, the crack in the brick wall can be sealed to the full depth.

postroika.biz

Cracks in the walls are one of the most terrible structural defects, indicating that the load-bearing elements began to move. There are 3 main causes of cracks in the walls that cause this - collapse, blockage, or separation of the extension.

The deviation of the walls outward from the vertical plane is considered to be collapse. Wave-like deformation or deviation over the entire plane is also possible. Often, cracks form over windows and doors during collapse.

The breakdown in terms of coverage can be complete or partial. For prevention, a screed is used, which should be applied around the perimeter of the entire house, in order to avoid the mobility of other walls.

Conventionally, three types of collapses can be distinguished: light, medium and strong.

Easy collapse

With a slight collapse, deformations are noticeable on the walls, a third of the height of the wall itself. In every second case, cracks appear at the corners of the openings.

The main causes of cracks in the walls:

Complete absence or weakness of the armored belt;

Roof overloads;

Construction on the old walls of attics.

The most effective means of struggle is a steel mono-clip mounted on corner-type supports. Required tools:

4 meters of steel corner;

Meter pipe diameter inch;

4 meters of studs, 20mm thread, as well as nuts and washers for them;

20 mm steel bar, located around the perimeter of the building;

Welding machine, paint.

Important! It is undesirable to use reinforcement, due to its unsuitability and susceptibility to corrosion.

To the corner, the length of which should be 20% greater than the distance from the top of the wall to the top of the windows, 150 mm pipe sections are welded. In total, such stops must be made 4.

Mounting order:

By welding the rods, whips are obtained for each wall, leaving a gap of 20 cm for tightening;

Studs must be welded to each end of the whip, with a free end length of 20 cm;

The studs are placed in tubes, the lashes are welded together;

Assembly of the entire frame on the ground and subsequent fixation of the height;

Nuts are tightened.

Important! Do not forget that such a design will only hold the wall. No need to try to use it to return the wall to its original position.

Average camber

Signs are similar to mild collapse, but extend to half the height of the walls. Cracks above the openings appear in every 4 out of 5 cases.

The main reasons are a weakened armored belt, overloads, a weak bunch of corners.

For protection, a solid corner clip is used, similar to a mono clip. However, it extends to the entire height of the wall, and also includes three screed belts at once.

As an alternative to a circle, a 10x40mm steel strip can be used.

Important! Due to the high expected load, welds must be made with the highest quality.

strong collapse

It is characterized by the signs of the two previous types, but with a doubled level. Deep cracks may appear on the wall or foundation.

The main reason is the deformed base in combination with the signs characteristic of other collapses.

Repair is carried out by mounting the corner holder in conjunction with a support or a complete support belt.

The support should have half the thickness of the foundation layer, however, this value should exceed 400mm. It is desirable that they are in the same horizontal plane. At the same time, a third of the length of the backwater should be underground.

Mounting order:

It is necessary to clean the foundation in the damaged area;

In its wall, 18 mm are made with a depth and a step of 200 mm;

16 mm pins are driven into these holes, the length of which is 160 mm greater than the thickness of the retaining wall;

Reinforcement is attached to the pins;

U-shaped clamps are made from it, corresponding in size to the base of the beam;

Formwork is mounted;

The compacted concrete is laid;

After 72 hours, the formwork is dismantled, a waterproofing layer is applied instead;

The foundation is covered with soil.

In this case, the walls completely or partially fall into the inside of the building.

Full blockage

The main sign is the blockage of three or more walls inside the building.

The main reasons are the weakness of the armored belt, violations in the construction process.

To counteract the complete blockage of the walls, a self-supporting steel clip is used, which has a through fastening.

Required materials and tools:

Installation sequence:

We calculate the perimeter of the walls requiring reinforcement;

We break the wall into sections with a step of about 600-700mm, indent from the corner - half a step;

We use a puncher for drilling through holes;

Reinforcement is welded onto the plates at a right angle, 100 mm longer than the thickness of the walls;

Anchors are inserted into the drilled holes with the plate outward;

We carry out the marking of the channel for the holes;

Using welding, we make a hole in the channel for the reinforcement;

We prime the outer side of the channel;

We mount it to the pins;

We carry out scalding of pins;

The continuation of the channel is mounted in a similar way;

After installation along the entire perimeter, the channel is welded at the joint. On top of it we place linings from reinforcement;

We are working on strengthening the corners.

For additional protection of the cage, a false ceiling can be used, otherwise the tire is closed with a box.

Partial blockage

It is observed when one or two walls collapse. Occurs due to excessive proximity to a street with heavy traffic, or due to erosion by precipitation.

For elimination, a partial clip is used, which is made in a manner similar to a solid one. The length of the interrupted corner is calculated as 1/3 of the wall if this value exceeds one and a half meters.

Annex branch

The main symptom is a crack in the wall that appeared at the junction of the extension, which is accompanied by a collapse of a medium or strong degree.

In most cases, this situation occurs due to the fact that the extension is not attached to the wall of the main building.

To fix the problem, you should use a combination of a retaining wall and a through, semi-through or anchor clip.

To equip any of the presented types of clips, you can use the above tips.

stroim.club

Repair cracks in brick walls, how to get rid of cracks, photo video

Many people know the expression of the famous poetess Faina Ranevskaya that in a few years life gives cracks that will grow over time if they are not patched up in time. So it is with a residential building, if a split or a small crack appears on the load-bearing wall, then it is urgently necessary to address this problem.

The very first question that comes to mind is “What to do if a brick wall cracked?”

First of all, it is necessary to consult with a professional builder, because a person who does not even have a minimum level of knowledge in the field of building and repairing a foundation will find it very difficult to understand how to get rid of this problem once and for all.

Why does a brick crack and how can cracks be repaired in a brick wall, as well as similar brickwork? These questions need to be considered from many angles. So let's get started.

Types and causes of crack formation

Today, construction companies offer a revolutionary, strong and durable Portland cement, which has revolutionized the building materials industry. It is distinguished not only by its durability, but also by the instantaneous hardening rate, which, perhaps, is its main advantage among competitors in the field of strengthening materials.

All experienced builders know that immediately after construction, the building does not immediately firmly and for a long time take its place in the main foundation, this process takes about five to ten years, and the cement mortar, on the contrary, very quickly gains its strength. Such a very large difference between the time of subsidence and settlement of the house can lead to the appearance of cracks and large splits, which will intensively tear the mass of the bearing masonry.

Well, as for the solution of lime with the addition of sand, things are much simpler. It hardens rather slowly and at the beginning of the settlement of the foundation itself, empty or through voids in the walls should not arise. This strengthening technology is mainly used exclusively in the construction of new houses according to today's standard, and as time shows, in new buildings there are no problems with cracks and foundation settlement for a long time.

Builders - specialists share the cracks among themselves in brickwork according to the following criteria:

Because of what they appear: deformation of the structure of the house, shrinkage or thermal wear of a residential building;
External and internal view of the destruction itself on the wall: Split, tear, cut;
Destruction direction: horizontal, vertical, inclined at various angles;
Shape: curved, straight, closed or torn in half (that is, it almost does not reach the edge of the load-bearing wall).
Size and depth: on the surface of the wall and inside it;
How difficult is the repair work, what is the risk of wall destruction: dangerous and non-dangerous;
Time since destruction: stable or unstable;
The size of the opening of the split or crack itself: microscopic (up to one millimeter), small (up to three millimeters), medium (from four to eight millimeters), large (more than ten millimeters), very large (from fifteen millimeters or more).

A few main reasons for the appearance of such destruction on the wall, which, by the way, are quite a lot:

Settling or destruction of the soil itself. This problem can be caused by uneven natural burning of the soil (its strong and weak sections), incorrect and unacceptable load of the main foundation, leakage into the soil of a very large amount of runoff, as well as polluted water. It is these reasons that can lead to the appearance of large indirect splits or to the formation of vertical cracks that can reach right up to the edge of the load-bearing wall, and so on.
Strong hardening of the soil on which the house stands. A similar phenomenon can cause severe frosts, which can cause an uneven rise in the foundation. In particular, hardening of the ground is very dangerous for a building that has not yet been completed, the walls of which have not yet hardened and have not acquired the necessary stability. Specifically, in this case, uneven and deep cracks can form near the walls, and when the soil begins to thaw after the winter, it is more likely that the opposite process may occur - the foundation will settle, which can lead to new damage to the bearing walls.
A new repair for a load-bearing wall may be needed after the addition of a small building or room, as the foundation may not withstand the new, additional weight and settle.
Uneven and unstable loads on the foundation of the house. For example, if a house is built in Art Nouveau style, then luxurious and long glazing (which is very often used in this architectural style) can often alternate with small blind areas of the house, which will lead to a large difference in weight and ground settlement.
If the pit is located next to the building, then very high temperature conditions also adversely affect the soil, which in the future can lead not only to soil settlement, but also to its excessive looseness. It is for these reasons that medium-sized cracks can form on the walls.
Extra load due to neighboring houses. On a common foundation, the zones of greatest stress overlap each other and allow the soil to settle very strongly.
The reasons can be not only in the soil itself, but also above it. For example, the collection of heavy building material in large quantities next to an unfinished building and already in the ground itself, additional loads and stresses may appear, and it is they who can cause a very strong external settlement of the foundation and the appearance of large cracks and splits.
Permanent impact on the foundation. For example, if you drive piles on the territory of a residential building, constantly move heavy vehicles, compressors work - all this leads to drowning of sandy soil and a strong softening of clay masses in the soil. In the aggregate of all these factors, you can get soil settlement and cracks on load-bearing walls.
Exposure to high temperatures can cause vertical cracks and splits to form on the walls of your home. Filling cracks in masonry is mainly required for longer buildings that do not have expansion joints.
Reloading masonry. In this case, cracks can appear between the walls and on the pillars. Such cracks can be identified by the characteristic closedness and verticality of their direction. Overloading masonry. Appear in piers and on pillars. A characteristic feature of crush cracks is closedness and vertical direction.
Various non-hazardous shrinkage deformations can be observed on the plastered walls of the house - these can be small or small cracks that are very randomly scattered over the entire area of \u200b\u200bthe wall and are mostly closed, and most importantly, they do not reach the edge of the wall. They appear due to shrinkage of too thick plaster mortar.

Crack Filling Technology

There are many ways to close a crack in brickwork:

You can install a brick castle or a castle with an anchor;
Strengthening walls with tension bolts;
Repair of a through crack with steel staples;
Carry out repair work in the place of unlocking the floor slab;
Strengthen the cracked wall;
Make an overlay from hardened steel;
Install special brackets
Install a floor slab;
Cover the wall with a finishing layer.

See this video for more details:

Conclusion

Apparently, the above can be noted that the general condition of a house made of building bricks must be monitored very carefully. Since the sooner a crack or split is detected, the less time and money will have to be spent on fixing this problem.

A cracked wall should not be treated negligently. A crack in the wall of the house is a consequence of a violation of the technology of building a foundation or walls. After reading our short educational program, you will learn how to correctly determine the cause of the appearance of cracks by indirect signs. And, as a result, you can quickly eliminate the flaw, avoiding further complications.

Causes of cracks

Due to the movement of the soil layers, the entire building tilts to one side or the other, but on the whole the building is held tightly and monolithically, thanks to a massive and strong base. And this is what scares: if cracks appear on the wall, it means that the foundation does not fulfill its function.

Meanwhile, there are a number of reasons due to which cracks can form without destroying the base. And if the foundation is not rigid enough or the supporting soils do not evenly accept the load, the tape will bend more than the walls can withstand. We can safely say that cracks appear due to the imperfection of the building structure, design errors or shortcomings during construction.

Cracks can be the result of errors in the design, construction or improper operation of the building.

The root cause is the fact that the soil layer under the foundation is heterogeneous. In areas of high density, the pressure is greater, causing the building to rest on just a few points and deform under its own weight. The main feature is that the density of plots can change significantly over time or depending on weather conditions. Due to freezing, heaving of the soil occurs, when wet it becomes too soft, less often geological, seismic and geomorphological factors come into play.

Just repairing or hiding a crack is not enough; you should find out the cause of its formation and only after that start restoration.

How to determine the cause of a crack

At the first detection of cracks, it is necessary to begin close monitoring of their development, fixing in parallel changes in temperature and the presence of precipitation during this period. In order to have the most complete picture of the nature of cracking, it is useful to keep a detailed log throughout the year.

For a visual representation of changes in the width of the cracks, small lumps of alabaster, soaked to the consistency of plasticine, are attached to them. Beacons are installed along the entire length of the crack every meter. By periodically checking the marks, for example, after a month, two, and so on, we can conclude about the nature of the damage:

If the label cracked or fell off, then the crack continues to expand. By the gap in the mark, one can judge the speed of discrepancy.
If the mark is cracked, there is no gap, the wall is subjected to dynamic loads, but there is no longer stress in the material, and no further discrepancy is observed.
If the mark remains intact, then there is no stress in the wall. The crack was the result of one-time shrinkage.

To obtain more accurate information, observations are continued for a long period, and damaged marks are replaced with new ones with fixation of the previous result.

Any hard but brittle material capable of revealing the slightest deformations of the base can be used as marks.

The shape of the cracks can tell a lot about the nature of the movement. If the fracture site is even, the edge is sharp and has no chips, then the crack has expanded and simply tore the lighthouse. If the edges of the crack on the lighthouse have jagged edges, or it has completely disappeared, most likely, the crack, on the contrary, has decreased, and the lighthouse collapsed from compression.

The special shape of marks and beacons helps to detect even the slightest fluctuations

By projecting these changes onto the geometric model of the house and foundation, you will be able to establish with high accuracy how precipitation occurs over a long time, whether it depends on the wetting of the earth during rain, where there are places of high and low density.

And yet, only a comprehensive analysis performed by specialists on the basis of an examination, which includes:

strength control of supporting structures;
analysis of supporting soils;
detection of hidden cracks or uneven distribution of loads.

Ultimately, with your own observations or with outside help, it will be possible to draw up a plan of measures to strengthen the foundation and walls of the building and eliminate cracks.

Eliminate the cause, get rid of the crack

The most dangerous case is when the crack continues to expand. This suggests that the walls of the building or the foundation will be irreparably destroyed. The problem can be cardinally solved only by a complete restructuring of the emergency section of the building. However, if you notice the problem in time, then a much less radical way will help - tight at home.

Everything is done quite simply:

Steel corners with a 100 mm shelf are installed at the outer corners.
On crutches, at least two lines of smooth reinforcement are laid along the walls - upper and lower.
Each rod is threaded: on one side, left, on the other, right. Nuts are screwed onto the fittings, which are welded to the corners.
A meter from the corner, on the side of the reinforcing bars, it is welded along a small parallel bar so that the rotation can be transmitted with an ordinary adjustable wrench.
In the final tightening, two people twist the bar at the same time, gradually increasing the tension.

At the same time, the cracks literally melt before our eyes, it remains only to replace the protective plaster of the walls and the plinth, reinforcing it with a steel mesh.

An example of building bracing along the plinth

It is possible that the markers on the crack will remain intact for a long time, or the gap will constantly expand and narrow, but generally not increase. This is a clear sign that the foundation is working normally, and there were initially excessive stresses in the material of the walls, which resulted in a crack.

To strengthen the wall in a problem area use:

external reinforcement with carbon fiber, steel mesh;
anchors and metal frames;
embedded reinforcing elements along the strobes;
injection method.

It is important to close the crack and restore the strength of the structure. If the cause was the wrong dressing of the brick rows, then it is quite possible that the only effective remedy would be a complete or partial re-laying of the wall in the emergency area.

Laying reinforcement in strobes helps to contain further deformations

Massive reinforcement with an external frame with anchor fastening to the wall

Reinforcing walls with external carbon fiber reinforcement

Elimination of cracks by injection method

To seal any cracks, it is necessary to clean it along its entire length and depth from dirt, dust, remove a layer of mortar and base material, expanding it to 15 mm or more. The resulting gap is filled with a solution, having previously performed reinforcement by one of the methods listed above.

Heaving as a result of soaking the soil

So that the soil under the foundation is not oversaturated with moisture, a blind area is mounted around the house and drain pipes are diverted as far as possible. However, over time, the screed can collapse, and rainwater will seep right under the foundation, washing it away.

Usually, a sign of such a phenomenon is the gradual expansion of cracks, which occurs mainly during heavy precipitation or some time after it. It is typical for such phenomena that cracks, as it were, “chop off” the corners of the house, passing through the nearest window openings.

Frost heaving can destroy the foundation of a house

The foundation continues to remain intact, but the general tilt of the building may increase from year to year. In addition, no one knows how much the next shrinkage will occur, and how this will affect the integrity of the concrete base. Heaving due to high humidity can also occur due to the rise of perched water.

A drainage system assembled around the perimeter of the building to drain groundwater and perched water away from the foundation will help to qualitatively solve the problem. It is necessary to expose the foundation to the base, lay the drainage pipe on the prepared sand and gravel pad around the perimeter of the foundation and drain to the side. To discharge water, it is necessary to prepare a drainage well or bring a pipe to the nearest reservoir.

Drainage for the removal of groundwater, precipitation and melt water from the base of the foundation

A wide blind area will not allow precipitation to flow under the foundation

An obligatory step towards eliminating the problem is the restoration of the cement blind area and its expansion. Usually, for a shallow strip foundation, a blind area about 40-60 cm wide is sufficient, and for buried foundations - up to one and a half meters. It will also not be superfluous to install low tides and discharge rainwater 4-5 meters from the house.

What to do if the problem is in the foundation

If no measures have been successful, you will have to look for a problem in the foundation. A prerequisite for this can be not only the visible formation of a crack in the exposed area, but also the general structural unsuitability of the base, causing insufficient rigidity.

Local faults in the foundation should be repaired immediately. First, a tunnel is dug to a depth of 60-100 cm under the lower edge of the tape and up to 2 meters wide. A pedestal reinforced with reinforcement is poured under the fracture point, after which the pit is expanded by another meter in each direction and topped up again.

Strengthening the foundation with piles

Do not forget that the reason may be an initial miscalculation in the design of the house or non-compliance with the requirements during construction:

the properties of supporting soils are not taken into account;
the depth of the foundation is incorrectly selected to the actual depth of freezing;
foundation width is not sufficient for real loads, etc.

Strengthening the foundation with additional pouring of reinforced concrete along the perimeter of the building

If cracks appear in the foundation and walls of the house, then measures should be taken immediately to strengthen the foundation, for example, screw piles, side or bottom grout. It is possible to determine which strengthening method is required only based on the data of the construction expertise and the preparation of the corresponding project, which is best entrusted to professional designers.

Due to the movement of the soil layers, the entire structure rolls, then to one side, then to the other. But the building itself stands solidly, due to the good.

In the event that a crack appears in the wall of the house, this may mean that the foundation is doing its job very poorly. But there are many more reasons why cracks can occur even without destroying the foundation.

If the supporting soils do not evenly accept the load, the tape will deform more than the walls of the building can withstand.

It's easy to do this:

If the markers remain intact or the cracks expand or narrow, then this means that the foundation is doing its job well, and there was stress in the wall materials that splashed out in the form of cracks.

To strengthen the wall in the emergency area, apply:

Reinforcement with carbon fiber or steel mesh, on the outside;
Metal frames or anchor fastenings;
Reinforcing elements that are laid along the strobes;
Use the injection method.

So before you start building, consider all the nuances. Well, if troubles did occur, then after reading this article you will know what to do.

We hope that the information in this article was useful to you. We wish you good luck!

Any violation of the construction technology of load-bearing structures is fraught with the opening of cracks. In 90% of cases, the reason is the foundation of the house (soil) or the foundation, which is enough to strengthen using one of the technologies below.

If the crack on the wall surface is horizontal (girdle, local), the foundation has nothing to do with it. The reason often lies in the sagging of the jumpers or the truss system. In the absence of puffs, the hanging rafters try to push the opposite walls apart.

There are several main reasons if the foundation sank, cracks appeared in the house. Traditionally, the main ones are:

areas under the base, consisting of subsidence soils - rupture of the foundation tape, change in the geometry of the structure;
swelling forces - uneven loads tear the foundation, the walls warp;
violation of construction technologies - low grade of concrete, loading of the foundation to a set of 70% strength, low coefficient of reinforcement, corrosion of reinforcement, winter concreting without heating.

If the foundation has lost its integrity, restoration is necessary, in other cases it is enough to strengthen the base under the sole of the tape in separate areas. There are several technologies for this.

Attention! The crack is a "pointer" that makes it easier to find the boundaries of subsidence or swelling soils. This facilitates the localization of repair work for specialists.

There are inclined and vertical cracks with a divergence up or down, indicating the nature of the deformation as accurately as possible:

a vertical slit, diverging upward, in the middle part of the wall - swelling of this particular area;
the gap is vertical, the discrepancy downwards - subsidence of soils in the middle of the house;
a similar defect with a divergence downward - swelling on both sides of the wall due to lateral freezing;
inclined crack from the corner to the center of the facade - the backfill of the adjacent wall sank;
inclined crack from the center to the corner - the shrinkage funnel is located directly under this crack;
cracks converging in the form of an arch - soil subsidence in the central part of the foundation tape.

A crack in the wall radiating upward.

After determining the cause, in any case, it will be necessary to expose the foundation with a trench close to the tape to carry out measures to strengthen the soil, lay drainage, establish bulls, make a clip and other work.

Soil strengthening

If the foundation has vertical movements on soils with low design resistance to loads from the weight of the building (embankment, peat bog, dusty sand), it is necessary to strengthen the foundation according to the technology:

lifting the foundation with jacks - to the design level in compliance with safety measures (partial or complete unloading with props), meaning the lifting of sagging parts;
drilling of pits - for immersion of injectors with a diameter of 20 - 40 mm;
filling voids with liquid glass (silicification), cement laitance (cementation), synthetic resins (resinization) or hot bitumen (bitumization).

These substances reduce water permeability, fix unstable soils, increase the design resistance (bearing capacity) of the base. The disadvantage of the technique is the need to use professional equipment capable of injecting binders under a pressure of 5–10 atmospheres. Other methods are not available for an individual developer; they are used by restoration teams for architectural monuments.

Attention! These actions may not be enough, because if the foundation sank in a separate area, this means its destruction in 70% of cases. Instead of the costly demolition of the building, tape recovery methods are used.

Foundation reinforcement

There are several ways to strengthen the foundation tape, depending on the condition of the reinforced concrete structure:

unloading - the introduction of beams into load-bearing walls to support masonry;
restoration of bearing capacity - drainage for the removal of ground, soil, surface water, relocation, replacement, protection against mechanical damage (weathering, corrosion);
increase in bearing capacity - clips made of monolithic concrete, brickwork, reinforced concrete slabs;
hardening - epoxy, polymer resins, cement mortar, penetrating compounds are introduced into the drilled holes;
special methods - screw, pressed piles, "bulls" in the corners, injection of cement mortar into the masonry.

If the foundation has non-through cracks caused by weathering, the surface is plastered or tarred, covered or impregnated with penetrating mixtures. Tarketing is called pressure (0.4 - 0.6 MPa) spraying with cement milk with a minimum amount of quartz sand.

To strengthen the prefabricated foundation with a clip, technology is used:

tape exposure - a trench along the wall to a depth just below the sole;
reinforcement - own frame by analogy with a strip foundation, installation of bars in holes drilled in the foundation, tying them to the frame rods;
formwork - below the blind area or to the entire height of the basement;
concreting - standard laying of the mixture.

After stripping, the upper part of the clips, rising above ground level, is protected from moisture by ebbs.

Attention! Unlike the underlying layer created during the construction of the foundation, non-metallic materials under the widening (cage) are tamped into the ground without laying geotextiles.

Reinforcing clip around the foundation.

In the manufacture of reinforced concrete clips, the following points should be considered:

width - from 15 cm on each side for reinforced concrete, from 20 cm for concrete;
the thickness of the underlying layer - from 10 cm of crushed stone or sand;
anchoring with existing tape - rods with a diameter of 20 mm to a depth of 12-25 cm, rod length 25-40 cm, step 1 - 1.5 m;
clip reinforcement - mesh with a cell of 15 x 15 cm for the lower belt, 10 x 10 cm for the upper belt;
concrete - class B10 - B15.

When restoring brick strip foundations, it is necessary to remove the crumbled stone. When repairing reinforced concrete structures, it is necessary to remove the film of oxides from the surface, increase the roughness with a notch.

If it is not possible to increase the bearing capacity of soils under the foundation (the thickness of the loose layer is significant), the technology of reinforcing the underground structure with piles is used:

short driven pipes - pipes with a diameter of 57 - 89 mm with a pointed tip made from their body (similar to SHS, but without a blade) are driven in next to the foundation, embedded in a clip;
screw remote - SHS are immersed around the perimeter, the building is raised, the heads are tied with a metal grillage, the house is lowered onto a new foundation (suitable for wooden houses);
"bulls" - the method is used when corners sink, screw piles are screwed obliquely from both sides of the corner, a beam (I-beam, channel) is welded onto their heads, on which the corner of the foundation rests.

The advantage of the technology is the unloading of the existing foundation. Piles are guaranteed to pass through unstable horizons, resting on a bearing layer with high resistance.

These measures are usually carried out in a complex, since during the subsidence of individual sections, the integrity of a monolithic or prefabricated structure is violated. For example, if the foundation partially rests on subsiding soil, the foundation is first strengthened, after which the reinforced clip is poured. When using screw piles, there is no need to strengthen the foundation, however, after raising the foundation to the design level, it is necessary to fill the voids formed under it with concrete or cement mortar.

Another option for strengthening the foundation with piles.

When the clip is deepened by 0.7 meters or more, standard thermal insulation measures are taken. This is necessary to reduce pull-out forces during swelling:

vertical surface of the cage with high-density EPS foam + horizontal thermal insulation of the blind area 0.6 - 1.2 m wide at a depth of 0.3 - 0.4 m;
sand, crushed stone of the sinuses of the trench + at the level of the sole of the clip;
or crumpled-sliding thermal insulation - rigidly fixed on the vertical surface of the cage EPPS, polyethylene film (attached only in the upper part), polystyrene foam PSB-S without attachment to the cage (pressed against the film with backfill material).

In some cases, it is possible to sufficiently strengthen the foundation in certain areas and strengthen the foundation in one of the indicated ways, but sometimes this may not be enough.