Does Crack Injection Work?

When your property or building begins to age, you may see cracks in the foundation of your property. If you are a homeowner seeing or noticing cracks inside and outside of the property’s foundation can be a sign that a crack injection is needed. Crack injection is one of the most used and adopted techniques because it is cost-effective, reliable, and permanent.

Why you should repair foundation cracks?

Repairing cracks is one of the most important repairs that your home needs. If a crack leaks once, then more than likely it will leak again and again after every rainfall. Here Crack injections will work wonders for you! It will save you time, money, prevent mold, and mildew problems. But if you ignore the signs and symptoms of water leaks in your home, it will only cause costly repairs and more damage to your property.

In this blog, we would understand in-depth about crack injection works:

BASIC STEPS IN THE INJECTION PROCESS

Here are the basic steps for successful low-pressure crack injection.

Note: The type of epoxy or polyurethane used and the time required for injection may vary with each job depending on the crack width, wall thickness, and other conditions.

STEP-1

Install injection ports:  The short rigid-plastic tubes with a flat base usually known as Surface Ports serve as handy entryways for getting the repair material into the crack. They reduce the requirement to drill into the concrete, thus reducing labor time and cleanup. Then the base of the port is placed directly over the crack and is stuck to the surface with an epoxy paste. A general rule-of-thumb is to space the ports an inch apart for each inch of wall thickness.

STEP-2

Seal the surface: It is advisable to use an epoxy adhesive to seal over the surface ports and exposed cracks. The paste cures in about 20 to 45 minutes to provide a surface seal with superior bond components that keep up under injection pressures. The complete exposed crack is coated with the paste, leaving only the portholes uncovered.

STEP-3

Inject the crack: Start injecting at the lowest port on the wall and precede until the epoxy or urethane starts to leak out of the port above it. That’s the visible indication that the crack has been filled to that level. Plug the front port with the cap equipped and move up to the subsequent port, repeating this procedure until the complete crack has been filled with epoxy or urethane. Let the compression spring on the dispensing tool force the material into the crack using slow and constant pressure. This will lessen the possibility of leaks or blow-outs and allow time for the repair material to fully enter the crack.

STEP-4

Remove the ports: Allow 24 to 48 hours at room temperature for the epoxy or polyurethane to keep and seep into the cracks. The injection ports can then be removed by striking them with a trowel or hammer. If appearance is an issue, the epoxy surface seal can be broken away or ground off with a sanding disk. The other option is to use a surface seal that can easily be peeled off the wall after the repair is fully cured.

The limitations of low-pressure injection

Although this method is useful in many situations, but it does have some limitations:

1. This method is not suitable for repairing cracks on a concrete foundation wall.
2. The crack must have an opening greater than 1/16″ or 1.5 mm. Otherwise, it will be difficult to inject a sealing liquid into the narrowest part of the crack. Usually, this is the area where water gets in.
3. There must be no water infiltration during the work.

High-Pressure Injection

High-pressure injection involves inserting a liquid into a very narrow crack (less than 1/32″ or 0.75 cm) at very high pressure. The required equipment is specially designed by a highly qualified technician to infiltrate any type of cracks with a 100% efficiency rate. The technician’s work involves regulating the flow, as well as the pressure of the liquid in the concrete crack for a lasting final result.

It is vital to know that too much flow and too much pressure will create micro-cracks in the concrete and around the injection port, where the liquid will escape instead of infiltrating the crack.

Conclusion:

Choosing between high-pressure injection or low-pressure injection depends on the type of crack you are dealing with.

Consider having your cracked foundation inspected so that a professional can determine the type of injection to use. Hire a professional Waterproofing company now at Dry Effect!

Want to know more about our crack injection process? Give us a call at 513-763-2121