Crack in the brick wall of the house. Crack in the wall: a threat to the whole house or a small defect Cracks in the facing brick

Olga, Yekaterinburg asks the question:

Good day! All my life I lived in an apartment, but I always dreamed of having my own house with a large piece of land. Six months ago I decided to make my dream come true. Over the course of several months, I reviewed a lot of houses, but I liked only one. I liked everything: price, layout, location, decoration, large and beautiful garden next to the house. She even gave a deposit and asked the owner of the house to prepare it for sale. I brought a friend to see the house. He immediately drew attention to the presence of cracks in the house (I did not even notice them right away) and began to discourage him from buying. If the wall of a brick house is cracked, is this a serious problem? How much does it cost to fix it? Or is it better to refrain from purchasing this house altogether?

The expert answers:

The appearance of cracks in the wall of a brick house is an alarm signal that indicates a pre-emergency situation. The crack usually becomes visible when its width reaches 5 mm. Cracks in the wall not only spoil the appearance of the house, but are also conductors of moisture and cold into the house.When it freezes, water that gets inside the wall leads to its even greater destruction.

If cracks are found, the causes of this phenomenon should be established immediately. If you yourself are not a specialist in the field of construction, then you should seek help from professionals. It is very difficult to identify cracks in a house when a facade system is laid during construction, which covers the outer surface of the brickwork.

The most dangerous are through cracks, which become visible not only outside the house, but also inside.

The main reason for the appearance of cracks in a brick house is the uneven shrinkage of the foundation. This can happen due to unreliable or incomplete engineering and geological surveys, violations of technology during the construction of the foundation, improper operation of engineering structures.

The wall of a brick house can crack due to the appearance of groundwater on the site, which has changed its course, due to the appearance of new buildings that have arisen on their way. This can happen when a large plot is built up, and engineering surveys are carried out not throughout the entire territory, but for each plot of land separately. Thus, the direction of movement of groundwater is very difficult to predict.

Oblique cracks in a brick wall usually run diagonally along window openings. The reason for their appearance is the different level of soil subsidence under the base of the house. This is due to the different bearing capacity of the soil or the formation of cavities. Horizontal cracks occur mainly over window openings. The reason for their appearance is the bending of the above-window or beam floor. Vertical cracks in a brick wall appear at the joints if no expansion joint was made during construction. Arcuate horizontal cracks are caused by too heavy slabs.

From all this, we can conclude that the main reasons for the appearance of a defect are mainly due to errors in calculations when planning the construction of a house and due to non-compliance with construction technology. If the damage is too severe, a complete re-placement of the wall may be necessary.

To understand how to proceed if the wall is cracked, it is necessary to determine whether the force continues to be applied, which causes defects to appear on the structure of the house. For this, the cracks in various places are measured and the change in their size is monitored over several months. If there are no changes, then this means that the shrinkage of the house is over. The problem in this case will help to solve the use of heat-insulating materials that are used for embedding. After that, the wall is plastered or partially dismantled and the masonry is replaced.

In any case, it should be remembered that the elimination of such problems requires the involvement of specialists and large material costs. If the measures to eliminate the problem did not make the proper impact, then the foundation will have to be strengthened. Most often, inclined piles are installed for this, which are brought under the foundation to reduce the load on the ground. After the causes of shrinkage have been eliminated, the damaged brick wall is repaired to its full depth.

Many people know the expression of the famous poetess Faina Ranevskaya that after a few years life gives cracks, which will grow over time if they are not patched up during the time. So with a residential building, if a split or small crack appears on the load-bearing wall, then it is urgently necessary to address this problem.

The very first question that comes to mind is “ What to do if a brick wall is cracked?”

First of all, you need to consult with a professional builder, because a person who does not even have a minimum level of knowledge in the field of building and repairing the foundation will be very difficult to understand how to get rid of this problem once and for all.

Why does the brick crack and how can cracks in a brick wall be repaired, and similar brickwork? These issues need to be examined from many angles. So let's get started.

Types and causes of cracking

Today, construction companies are offering revolutionary, strong and durable Portland cements, which have revolutionized the building materials industry. It differs not only in its durability, but also in the instantaneous speed of hardening, which, perhaps, is its main advantage among competitors in the field of strengthening materials.

All experienced builders know that immediately after construction, the building is not immediately strong and takes its place in the main foundation for a long time, this process takes about five to ten years, and the cement mortar, on the contrary, very quickly gains its strength. Such a very large difference between the settling time and the settlement of the house can lead to cracks and large splits, which will intensively tear apart the mass of the load-bearing masonry.

Well, as for a solution of lime with the addition of sand, things are much simpler. It hardens rather slowly and when the foundation itself begins to settle, empty or through voids in the walls should not arise. This strengthening technology is mainly used exclusively in the construction of new houses according to today's standard, and as time shows, in new buildings for a long time there are no problems with cracks and foundation settlement.

Builders - specialists share cracks among themselves in brickwork according to such signs:

Because of what they appear: deformation of the house structure, shrinkage or temperature wear of a residential building;
External and internal view of the destruction itself on the wall: Split, gap, cut;
Destruction direction: horizontal, vertical, inclined at various angles;
Shape: curved, straight, closed or torn in half (that is, almost does not reach the edge of the load-bearing wall).
Size and depth: on the surface of the wall and inside it;
How difficult is the repair work, what is the risk of wall collapse: dangerous and non-dangerous;
Time since destruction: stable or unstable;
The size of the opening of the split or crack itself: microscopic (up to one millimeter), small (up to three millimeters), medium (from four to eight millimeters), large (more than ten millimeters), very large (from fifteen millimeters or more).

There are several main reasons for the appearance of such destruction on the wall, of which there are quite a lot:

Settlement or destruction of the soil itself. This problem can be caused by uneven natural burning of the soil (strong and weak parts of it), incorrect and unacceptable loading of the main foundation, leakage into the soil of a very large amount of runoff, as well as polluted waters. It is these reasons that can lead to the appearance of large indirect splits or to the formation of vertical cracks that can reach right up to the edge of the load-bearing wall and so on.
Strong hardening of the soil on which the house stands. A similar phenomenon can cause severe frost, which can cause uneven lifting of the foundation. In particular, soil hardening is very dangerous for an unfinished building, the walls of which have not yet hardened and have not acquired the necessary stability. Specifically, in this case, uneven and deep cracks can form near the walls, and when the soil begins to melt after winter, then the opposite process can most likely occur - foundation sediment, which can lead to new damage to the bearing walls.
New repairs for the load-bearing wall may be necessary after the addition of a small building or room, as the foundation may not support the new, additional weight and settle.
Uneven and inconsistent loads on the foundation of the house. For example, if a house is built in the Art Nouveau style, then luxurious and long glazing (which is very often used in this architectural style) can quite often alternate with small blank areas of the house, which will lead to a large difference in weight and ground settlement.
If the pit is located next to the building, then very high temperature regimes also adversely affect the soil, which in the future can lead not only to soil settlement, but also to its excessive looseness. It is for these reasons that medium-sized cracks can form on the walls.
Excessive load due to neighboring houses. On a common foundation, the zones of greatest stress are superimposed on each other and allow the soil to settle very strongly.
The reasons may be not only in the soil itself, but also above it. For example, the collection of heavy building material in large quantities next to an unfinished building and already in the soil itself, additional loads and stresses may appear, and it is they that can cause a very strong external settlement of the foundation and the appearance of large cracks and splits.
Constant impacts on the foundation. For example, if on the territory of a residential building you drive piles, constantly move heavy vehicles, operate compressors - all this leads to drowning of sandy soil and strong softening of clay masses in the soil. In the aggregate of all these factors, you can get soil settlement and cracks in load-bearing walls.
Exposure to high temperatures can cause vertical cracks and splits in the walls of your home. Filling cracks in masonry is mainly required for longer buildings that do not have expansion joints.
Overloading of brickwork. In this case, cracks can appear between the walls and on the posts. Such cracks can be identified by the characteristic closeness and verticality of their direction. Overloading the masonry. They appear in walls and on pillars. A characteristic feature of crush cracks is closedness and vertical direction.
Various non-hazardous shrinkage deformations can be observed on the plastered walls of the house - these can be small or small cracks that are very randomly scattered over the entire area of \u200b\u200bthe wall and are mostly closed, and most importantly, they do not reach the edge of the wall. They appear due to the shrinkage of an overly thick plaster mortar.

Crack sealing technology

There are many ways to repair a crack in masonry:

You can install a brick lock or an anchor lock;
Strengthening the walls with tension bolts;
Repair of a through crack with steel staples;
Carry out repair work at the point where the floor slab was unlocked;
Reinforce the cracked wall;
Make a hardened steel plate;
Install special brackets
Put the floor slab;
Cover the wall with a finishing coat.

Look at this video for more details:

Output

Apparently, the above can be noted that the general condition of a house made of building bricks must be closely monitored. Since the earlier a crack or split is found, the less time and money will have to be spent on fixing this problem.

Causes of wall damage

There are several main reasons for which a crack may appear in the wall.:

Regular natural settlement of the house for more than 1-2 years (of great importance is the choice of a foundation that can be erected on a specific type of soil) and natural shifts.
Subsidence and further cracking of the foundation due to regular erosion of groundwater or poorly distributed load, which gives a bias by one point.
Freezing of the foundation and further destruction after the next change in temperature.
Heavy load on the brickwork. Under such circumstances, cracks appear not only on the walls, but also on the pillars. A characteristic feature of cracks that have appeared due to excessive pressure is vertical direction and closedness.
Violation of the pouring technology at the stage of building the foundation of the house, poor-quality materials and their incomplete drying.

Cracking

Strengthening the foundation

Serious structural integrity issues involve a total foundation overhaul:

Strengthening the foundation of the house

The first step is to make a deep trench along the wall with a crack to the level of the base horizon. The width of the trench should not be greater than the thickness of the foundation.
After that, the crack needs to be slightly widened, cleaned of weakly fortified stones and cement that adheres them.
The widened and cleaned section is drilled for the reinforcement horizontally and vertically. Reinforcement rods of suitable size must be interlaced with anchors and secured by welding. The distance between the rods depends on how wide the crack needs to be repaired.... This reinforcement is made as a further connection with the skeleton of the new reinforcing base.
Now you can make the formwork and pour concrete into it. In order to prevent new cracks, all work with the base is carried out only after it dries.... You can also sprinkle it with water occasionally so that it hardens evenly.

The solution will dry for a very long time - at least a month, only after this time you can tamp the site and make a blind area.

These measures will stop the destruction of the walls and only after they have been carried out, you can proceed to the direct elimination of defects.

Elimination of defects

Reconstruction of a brick wall

After strengthening the foundation, cosmetic filling of cracks in brick walls is performed... In order to make sure that new cracks are no longer foreseen, it is worth sticking pieces of paper in places of damage and monitoring their integrity. If the piece of paper does not break, you can start restoring them.

Small, shallow cracks can be repaired with a cement mortar by first cleaning their edges and knocking unstable pieces of material and bonding mortar off them with a hammer. To make the adhesion with the new solution more durable, it is worth moistening the edges of the gap with water... The middle gaps should be sealed with a mixture of sand and cement (ratio 3: 1).

Sealing large cracks

Reinforcement with plates

In order to eliminate large (more than 1-2 centimeters wide) connectors, you need to do much more operations, which are discussed in more detail below.

First, you need to completely disassemble the entire area with a crack, starting with the top rows. All unstable and crumbling bricks must be replaced with new ones. When laying new brickwork, they need to be additionally reinforced. If a rupture occurs in a brick wall assembly, reinforcement can be made using a strip of steel strip, bending its ends towards the masonry and fixing it with bolts.

If it is not possible to disassemble the wall, the filling of cracks in the brick walls is carried out by throwing crushed stone with cement mortar into large crevices and strengthening with a metal strip fixed with anchors.

a - installation of a brick castle; b - brick castle with an anchor; reinforcement with plates with tension bolts (c - flat wall; d - wall corner); e - repair of a through crack with steel staples; e - repair in the place of support of the floor slab; g - strengthening of the cracked pier. 1- brick wall; 2- crack; 3 - brick castle; 4 - cement mortar; 5 - tie bolt; 6 - channel (anchor); 7 - steel plate; 8 - staples (installation step 50 cm); 9 - floor slab; 10 - brick wall; 11 - corner; 12 - finishing layer.

If the cracks that appear threaten the integrity of the building, it is necessary to perform a major reinforcement of the wall. Steel rods are installed along the perimeter of the house from the outside and inside. The result is a kind of powerful steel belt that encompasses the entire building.

a, b - steel rods along the outer (a) and inner (b) sides of the wall; c - installation of non-tensioned tie-bars; 1 - steel rod; 2 - corner; 3 - steel base plate; 4 - channel.

If the crack is too deep, you can also use the cement injection method: for this, inch holes are drilled along the entire length of the crack at a distance of 15-20 cm from each other. A tube filled with cement mortar is placed inside the hole, and by means of a sealant or a special construction syringe, the solution is injected into the crack, filling it with itself.

Injection method

In addition, some builders use polyurethane foam to fill large cracks.... To do this, it is blown into the depth of the crack, dries and is fixed on the outside with cement.

Sometimes the cracks and breaks are so catastrophic that the wall cracks through and through. In such cases, it is also necessary to reinforce the wall from the inside. To do this, you need to deeply moisten the gap, fill the gap formed with cement and gravel, and install metal linings fixed with anchors. After the mortar has dried, you can start finishing the inside of the cracked wall.

So, repairing cracks in brick walls is an important and complex task that requires large physical and material costs. Nevertheless, if such defects are not repaired in time, the house will soon simply be warped or deformed irrevocably.

All cracks appearing on the foundation of the house indicate that the base of the structure needs to be strengthened or repaired. But in order to do this with your own hands, you need to know about the reasons for the destruction of the base, as well as how exactly restoration work should be carried out.

Why are cracks dangerous?

If the foundation of the building is cracked, you must immediately begin work on its restoration. If this is not done, after a while, due to the skewing of the house, the doors and windows will begin to jam. If the house is made of bricks, the crack can spread to the wall, causing the entire structure to collapse. That is why it is necessary to begin work on strengthening the foundation as soon as possible.

Before starting the restoration work, it is worth determining the type of crack. To do this, it is enough to clean it from dust and rinse with water. After that, you need to install a beacon on the fault. The date of consolidation is applied to it. This is necessary to determine the rate of destruction of the base. If the lighthouse remains intact within two weeks, the crack can simply be repaired with concrete. If the lighthouse breaks, it is necessary to begin work to strengthen the base.

Usually cracks begin to appear in winter or spring, since it is at this time that an incorrectly created foundation begins to rise or settle unevenly. It is worth remembering that the foundation can burst due to many reasons, so you need to think about this problem even at the design stage of the house.

Causes of faults

Before starting the restoration work, it is necessary to determine the reason for which the destruction began. If these actions are neglected, even after repair, the base will gradually collapse. The causes of destruction can be divided into several groups:

Technological. An example is the creation of the foundation of a house with violations of the reinforcement or installation of formwork. Also, the choice of the wrong grade of concrete can be attributed to errors. The laying of the foundation above the water table is also considered a technological error.
Operational. Such mistakes are made already in the process of using the constructed structure. For example, an increase in the load on the foundation as a result of the creation of the second floor. Also, a violation is an increase in humidity in the basement or poor-quality installation of a drainage system near the house.
Structural. An example is the compilation of incorrect calculations during the design of a structure. Often, the foundation begins to collapse ahead of time due to the fact that geological studies were not carried out before construction began.

Important! In order not to face the described problem before building a house, it is necessary to accurately calculate the load on the foundation.

Crack types

Cracks in the foundation of a wooden house that can occur on the foundation are divided into several types:

Hairy. Such cracks are hardly noticeable and have a thickness of no more than 3 mm. Their presence speaks only of a change in the outer layer of the base. Such flaws can be corrected quite easily.
Horizontal. Such defects do not affect the integrity of the foundation.
Shrinkage cracks. Such defects occur when the rules for creating a foundation are violated.
Vertical. It is these cracks that are a sign that the foundation needs repair. Often they appear under the influence of groundwater on the base or due to heaving of the soil.

How to fix the problem

If you notice that the foundation of the house has cracked, you need to start strengthening it as soon as possible. Such work is carried out as follows:

first, with the help of a jack, the sagging parts of the base are raised to the design level;
after that, pits are drilled, the diameter of which is from 20 to 40 cm;
the resulting void is filled with liquid glass, cement laitance or hot bitumen.

This reduces the permeability of the soil, which will make the soil more stable. The described strengthening method can only be used with the use of special equipment, therefore, professional builders must be hired for such work.

Strengthening the foundation of a stone house

The main task of repairing the base of a house is to stop the process of settling the structure. therefore it is impossible to dig under the foundation without securing it. A reinforcement method is often used, in which a reinforcing concrete belt is erected from all sides. Such work is performed as follows:

A trench is dug along the strip base of the house, the width of which is approximately 45 cm. During such work, the sole of the foundation must not be exposed.
After that, the foundation is cleaned of dirt and dust. In this case, all cracks must be opened with a spatula.
Then the falling off parts of the old foundation are removed.
In the next step, the concrete surface is treated with a primer. It is worth remembering that you need to choose formulations of deep penetration.
After that, holes are drilled in the foundation. The distance between them should be about 60 cm.
Anchors are driven into the created holes, which are subsequently welded to the reinforcement cage. The diameter of the reinforcement should be approximately 12 mm.
At the last stage, concrete is poured into the created trench. In order for the concrete solution to be evenly distributed over the trench, it is necessary to use a construction vibrator. It also helps to fill cracks in the old foundation. If this stage of work is neglected, voids can remain in the concrete, which will subsequently cause the foundation to collapse.

Backfilling of the soil occurs only after the concrete has completely solidified. If the cracks are not caused by subsidence or deformation of the foundation, they can be repaired with mortar and plastered.

It is worth remembering that if the work is carried out with an error, the foundation will quickly begin to collapse even if there are additional reinforcing elements of the structure.

Repair of the base of a house made of wood

The cracked foundation of a wooden house can be strengthened quite simply, since such structures can be lifted with a jack and installed on temporary supports. But it is worth remembering that if the lower logs are rotten, the structure cannot be lifted.

If the crowns are unreliable, rotten areas are cut out in them, after which the house is raised. After that, you can restore the foundation in one of the common ways. Often the owners of country houses install a concrete bandage around the base. You can also dig under the base and fill in concrete pillars. This will make the foundation resistant to significant loads.

It is worth remembering that before lifting the house, it is necessary to disassemble part of the roof in the place where it connects to the chimney. To carry out such work, it is better to invite professional builders.

Reinforcement with piles

In some cases, it is not possible to increase the density of the soil under the structure. In such a situation, it is necessary to strengthen the base with piles:

If the house is wooden, the entire structure is raised on temporary supports, after which a bunch of heads with a grillage occurs. After that, the building is lowered to a new foundation.
In the case when it is necessary to strengthen the base without raising the house, "bulls" are used. They are piles that are driven obliquely from different sides of the corner. Beams are welded onto the heads of these elements, which will serve as a support for the structure.

When using piles, it is worth remembering that their length must be sufficient so that they abut against solid ground.

Monolithic slab repair

Monolithic foundations are destroyed quite rarely, but under certain conditions it is possible. If a serious crack appears on such a base, it can only be replaced with a new plate. No method will help stop the destruction of a monolithic foundation if it is already beginning to deform.

Conclusion

If it is impossible to completely replace the foundation for some reason, the walls are strengthened and the old sections of the slab are removed. In these places, concrete solution is poured, which helps to temporarily preserve the integrity of the structure. you can also install concrete blocks or piles as supports.