Elsie's Leading Basement Waterproofing & Foundation Repair Company

Brad has a home that was built in the 190s made with block walls. He noticed horizontal cracks in his basement walls. Horizontal cracks are usually the first sign of wall failure. The cracks start off small and increase in size as added pressure is exerted against the wall causing it to bow. This pressure can come from various sources including hydrostatic pressure, the pressure from water filling the soil and exerting it against the wall. Our team of experts installed CarbonArmor in Brad’s basement. CarbonArmor is substantially stronger than concrete and 10 time stronger than steel. Its flexible design allows it to adhere tightly to the wall, even when bowing,  and has a low profile design enabling it to be installed in tight spaces and around obstacles.

This homeowner called us because over time their basement wall had began to bow inward. This was a slow process and has horizontal cracks around the bowing. They weren't experiencing any water issues...yet. We assured them it was best to get it fixed before they did have a foot of water in the basement or before the foundation failed. 

After a careful inspection and talking to the homeowners we both decided the best solution to the problem would be to install our Carbon Fiber straps. Carbon fiber is made of a very high tensile strength that is impossible to stretch. This makes it easy to adhere the carbon fiber to the bowing wall. This makes the wall stay where it's at without getting any worse over more time. 

Brad was experiencing cracks in his basement walls. He had both horizontal and stair-step cracks. He explained they had been worsening over time. These cracks are signs of wall failure and that Brad’s was beginning to bow.

Horizontal cracks are usually the first sign of wall failure. They begin small and increase with size with added pressure against the wall causing it to bow. When the problem worsens you begin noticing those stair-step cracks forming from the corners of  the wall. To stabilize Brad’s walls we installed CarbonArmor. CarbonArmor is substantially stronger than concrete and 10 times stronger than steel. It is specifically designed to be flexible in order to contour tightly and adhere to basement walls. The low-design also allows for it to be installed in tight spaces and behind obstacles.

The owners of this crawl space stayed away from the area as often as possible. Not only was it uninviting, but it smelled! The mustiness was a tell tale sign that there was moisture in the crawl space. Not only does a damp crawl space smell bad, but also it can be an indicator that mildew is present, posing a serious health risk to those who live in the home.

Sealing off the space with a CleanSpace moisture barrier was the first step in improving the atmosphere of this crawl space. CleanSpace is durable, a multi-layer plastic liner manufactured with a antimicrobial additive. This prevents mold growth on the liner, helping make the space healthier.

To help eliminate moisture in the air, our system design specialists also installed a SaniDry CX dehumidifier. This high-efficiency dehumidifier can take up to 100 pints of water per day out of the air in the crawl space. This helps keep the air dry, and eliminates any musty, damp smell.

SaniDry and CleanSpace are both effective solutions to combating a damp, smelly crawlspace. Not only do they make the space healthier, but brighter and cleaner, turning this space into an area the homeowners won’t be afraid to enter.