Repairing Bowed or Leaning Walls

Should you have bowed or leaning foundation walls, these may cause serious structural damage if not fixed. From an engineering explanation, this condition originates when hydrostatic pressure from high water gets to be too great. This affects the soil surrounding the dwelling, which enlarges and applies stress. All this pressure pushes the foundation wall in. The basement wall cracks you notice in your St. Charles or St. Louis house are proof that the structure is moving.

Bowing basement walls with a block foundation have symptoms that can include cracks in mortar joints, stair-step cracks at exterior corners, horizontal shearing towards the bottom of the wall and tipping at the top of the wall.  You may see basement walls that are bulging and have cracks throughout the wall.  If this is actually the case, the wall is possibly on the verge of a collapse.

Poured foundation walls show warning signs like the tipping of the wall, diagonal cracks at exterior corners, and vertical or horizontal fractures in the wall.

The good news is we at Ramjack of St. Louis have experience solving these kinds of bowed wall problems using proven engineered helical wall anchor systems. We use these machined anchors, which are machine drilled past the active zone of moving earth at a descending angle, to support the structure or even restore your house to its initial position.

Soil exerts pressure on your foundation wall

Helical wall anchors are installed to straighten and stabilize bowed walls

Foundation wall is than backfilled and water drainage is addressed

It's also possible to deal with footing drain issues that may have been the cause of the issue at the same time.  We also carry a full line of helical tieback anchors and soil nails for commercial applications where engineered solutions are needed.

So don't take a chance with someone that doesn't really know what they are going, contact Ram Jack of St. Louis today!

Types And Tips When It Comes To Basement Leaks

Locating where liquid is penetrating your home is key to addressing the wet basement issue, so tag the source when the seepage is active. Basement leaks in the St. Louis area are infuriating and can cause difficulties for your house.

Through the walls:

The most common basement leak is caused by seepage through wall cracks. These cracks will continue to weaken and will eventually leak, and this seepage gets worse over time. Other possible wall leaks are tie rod ends, honeycombed concrete and pipe penetrations.

Through the floor or floor/wall joint:

Most modern homes are designed with a drain tile system around the footings to help keep water from creating pressure against the floor or cove area (floor/wall joint). Certain drain tiles run into the sump pump, others to the city storm sewer system. If seepage occurs in this particular area, examine your pump's operation first, if that's working normally, then your drain tile is not.

Over the top of the wall:

Water entering towards the top of the wall is a type of basement leaking problem, between the concrete and wooden sill-plate, is caused by one of two things: The soil grade has been built up outside of the home, higher than the cement. Homeowners, in efforts to keep water away from the foundation, build the dirt level higher than the concrete wall, ironically making a seepage problem through the below grade brick or siding.

Sometimes there's an above grade penetration of water, as a result of caulking or tuckpointing problems. Any water that permeates the veneer of the property is going to run down the backside of the siding and appear at the sill-plate juncture inside the basement. The most sure way to confirm which of these two "spillover" problems you have is to water test by running a hose on a lawn on a dry day. If liquid comes in, it's a below-grade problem. If water doesn't come in, then it's an above grade problem that will require caulking, tuckpointing, or possibly roofing repairs.

Surface water runs down foundation walls:

Saturated soil then causes the groundwater to be pushed through porous concrete and cracks by hydrostatic pressure causing leaky basement issues.  Leaking gutters cause basement water problems and storm sewers may also back up during heavy rains leading to a leaking basement.

Blocked gutters are a leading source of surface water. Keeping gutters totally free of debris is important maintenance for homeowners to avoid the buildup of surface water. If the gutters are clean, perhaps there are not enough downspouts on the property's guttering system to deal with a heavy rain.
Check during a heavy rainstorm and see if the gutters are overflowing. If they are, another downspout may relieve the amount of water collecting near your foundation. Extending the downspouts away from the home by at least 10 feet will minimize the surface water. Ten feet is the minimum distance required to discharge water coming off your roof.

Paved areas that slope to the house will funnel surface water towards your foundation. Occasionally paving settles over time due to aging or improper installation. It is important to make sure all paved segments slope from the home.

The ground around the house should also slope away from the foundation. Ten feet is the recommended distance the water should be moved out from the foundation. If the ground has any indentations within those 10 feet, they should be stuffed with dirt so water drains out from the house. Choosing a clay rich soil in the depressions will repel water far better than sand based soil, which will absorb the moisture into the surface instead of repel it.

One other reason surface water may build up is irrigation systems that give off too much liquid near the house. The irrigation system should include a rain stat that turns the unit off when the ground is drenched.

Ramjack of St. Louis is the place to go if you are having trouble with foundation problems. Whether a leaky foundation, a cracked or bowed wall, or any other issue, call Ramjack of St. Louis today and see for yourself why we're the best in St. Louis, St. Charles, Chesterfield, or anywhere else in the area!