[shibby]

Hi there-


I live in a 6-unit condo complex with a sub-level garage.



During the past few years, I have noticed a hairline crack develop along the concrete walls in the sub-level garage of my unit. It's about 10' - 12' long


During heavy rains, this area would develop visible moisture, and more recently has gotten larger and is now visibly leaking water from this crack.

Directly behind this wall is soil and one level up is my backyard area. There is an underground drainage system in place to manage water flow, but it seems like the existing crack needs to be repaired regardless.


My options are to either dig up the soil in my backyard to expose the wall and somehow repair or seal the crack there, or seal the crack from the visible garage area.


My HOA is resistant to me digging up the backyard to make the fix possibly due to cost and labor and I am as well.


Is there a viable solution to seal this hairline crack by dealing with it directly in the garage space as you see it?



Please help! thank you

 

[Nealtw]

Send these videos to the HOA

 

[shibby]

Well, this is kinda scary.



From those vids, is it indicating that my foundation is failing? Does anything indicate that the entire wall of that area needs to be replaced?


Or would a patch and reinforcement be applicable here?

 

[stadry]

relax, the vid's of a cmu ( block ) basement wall,, yours is concrete,,, hydrophyllic polyurethane injection + some carbon fiber stitching dogs & you'll be fine,,, this method would meet icri specs,,, enecole is a good source & diy friendly however not as easy as imagined u-tube'd
knowing where YOUR 'where's located would be helpful

 

[shibby]

relax, the vid's of a cmu ( block ) basement wall,, yours is concrete,,, hydrophyllic polyurethane injection + some carbon fiber stitching dogs & you'll be fine,,, this method would meet icri specs,,, enecole is a good source & diy friendly however not as easy as imagined u-tube'd
knowing where YOUR 'where's located would be helpful

Thanks for the info. I am located in Los Angeles, CA


I watched some emecole vids on youtube and it seems like low pressure injection might be a viable option. I will not be DIYing this, will need to hire someone to do this.

 

[Nealtw]

Thanks for the info. I am located in Los Angeles, CA


I watched some emecole vids on youtube and it seems like low pressure injection might be a viable option. I will not be DIYing this, will need to hire someone to do this.

Is this picture oriented right can you take another picture from another angle?

 

[huesmann]

Neal, I believe it is oriented correctly; the bin on the right has a lid, which I presume is located on the top of the bin.

It looks like some kind of weird storage nook under that wall. Very strange.

 

[shibby]

Is this picture oriented right can you take another picture from another angle?

Hi- Yes the pic is oriented correctly. There is indeed a portion of that wall that protrudes outward by about 5 feet and it is the portion that protrudes outward that has the crack. I hope these 2 pics below help clarify things a bit.


Please excuse the mess!

 

[Nealtw]

Hi- Yes the pic is oriented correctly. There is indeed a portion of that wall that protrudes outward by about 5 feet and it is the portion that protrudes outward that has the crack. I hope these 2 pics below help clarify things a bit.


Please excuse the mess!

What is on the outside above that deck ? Picture?

 

[3onthetree]

+1 not sure what is above that recess on the outside and which wall is the bearing wall for anything above, either the cracked one or the outermost one inside the recess, or both. Regardless, any liquid water intrusion into the concrete will eventually rust the rebar, it will expand, and blow the concrete out. If other units have the same waterproofing and stresses, this may happen to them at some point too.

P.S. your stuff is wet, buy a roll of 3 or 4mil clear poly plastic for $10 and cover all that once you dry the stuff out.

 

[Nealtw]

+1 not sure what is above that recess on the outside and which wall is the bearing wall for anything above, either the cracked one or the outermost one inside the recess, or both. Regardless, any liquid water intrusion into the concrete will eventually rust the rebar, it will expand, and blow the concrete out. If other units have the same waterproofing and stresses, this may happen to them at some point too.

P.S. your stuff is wet, buy a roll of 3 or 4mil clear poly plastic for $10 and cover all that once you dry the stuff out.

I would expect the slab to be 8" thick but not supported the edge would be a 12" thick concrete beam. the window and guitar kind of suggest wood framing to the interior or a patio.

 

[That Guy]

add a gutter on the inside... viola! problem solved.

 

[3onthetree]

Because of the indentation along there (like a web), it almost looks like it could be a precast 18" or so beam, with a wall on top, so the crack is occurring at the top transition (and that could be less of a problem). I think that's a hanging picture though.

 

[Nealtw]

Because of the indentation along there (like a web), it almost looks like it could be a precast 18" or so beam, with a wall on top, so the crack is occurring at the top transition (and that could be less of a problem). I think that's a hanging picture though.

It is nothing I have ever seen before. He mentioned landscape so I suspect it is a patio area.

 

[huesmann]

It still seems weird to have a cavity there.