Bowing Wall Supported With PowerBraces In Manton, MI

Thursday, October 26th, 2017 by Brian Bigger

Challenge

This basement had horizontal and stair-step cracks throughout much of the basement walls, creating some large gaps between the blocks. The walls were very visually bowing and in need of some new support. For much of the walls we would be able to use a solution that sat directly against the blocks, however, along one wall, there was a plumbing pipe that was sitting right against the wall making a conventional installation less possible. We needed a solution that could provide support for the bowing wall without disturbing the plumbing pipe.

Solution

For much of the basement, we installed WallAnchors. These large steel plates along the basement wall are connected to GeoLock earth anchors buried in the ground away from the home with steel rods. This helps to support the wall using competent soil away from the home. These Wall Anchors were not easily installed around a solid copper plumbing pipe that traveled closely along one of the walls so we opted to install PowerBraces instead. Generally PowerBraces, which are galvanized steel I-Beams, are installed directly against the wall as well. In circumstances like these however, we used 4x4 lumber against the wall with the PowerBraces installed against the lumber. This allows us to keep solid pressure and support on the wall while installing the PowerBraces away from the wall and around the solid copper plumbing pipe. A unique feature of both WallAnchors and PowerBraces that still comes into play here is the the ability to tighten the system over time, mainly during dry periods. This tightening of the system has the potential to improve the condition of the wall and possibly restore it to its original position. With this unique solution, we were able to provide support for all affected walls