Usually when it changes season we don’t hesitate to clean our yard, paint our walls and fix our fences but we don’t take time to check our basement walls for any damage that a changing of the season, particularly from winter to spring, does there. Although we are not aware of it, the process of thawing from a freezing state to a thawed state is particularly devastating to structures. It can destroy trees, electric poles and wires, and even streets and they can cause the same damage to your basement walls if left unchecked. This freezing and thawing cycle is particularly damaging to basement areas where water seeps in. The ground near the wall and the water that is seeping in through small cracks in the wall expands when they are frozen. This will push against the basement wall creating newer cracks or enlarging smaller one’s. When spring approaches, the ground will contract because the surrounding ice will thaw and this contracting and expanding state of your basement walls through the years will take its toll eventually in the materials used to build it.
In order to combat any structural failure that would arise from the thawing cycle it is better to check your basement for possible cracks by clearing the wall of any object or thing that may hinder inspection. The best materials for a basement wall or foundation should be stone because they can stand the test of time and the next best material should be poured concrete for your basement wall.
The type of crack to look out for are cracks with water seepage and a horizontal crack, this types should be approached with importance and would probably be best to call in professionals for this because they can cause structural damage that can be costly if not addressed early. If you are to try to fix it yourself then you should try to use a sealant specifically manufactured for foundation cracks like a polyurethane sealant. The procedure is much like an exterior foundation crack repair wherein the sealant is injected into the entire length and depth of the crack and closed and flattened by concrete plaster.
Doing a basement crack repair is an integral task that insures the integrity of your home’s structure and for serious issues should be left to professionals to assess and mitigate.