Repair of cracks in concrete: injection, waterproofing and

When settling in new houses and during construction work, defects in concrete structures are often detected, which can affect the integrity of the building and the subsequent stay in such a house in different ways. In order to prevent this phenomenon, it must be prevented. And for this you need to know the minimum standards (with independent construction) and the causes of what is happening.

The formation of cracks in concrete itself is a signal that warns of possible danger and should be approached with seriousness. Of course, you can contact the construction company or, with minor violations of the composition, try to restore everything with your own hands.

Few people want to live in the house, where from the basement to the roof there is a gap width in the palm. This is an emergency, which should immediately be reported to the relevant utilities structures serving high-rise buildings and organizations.

But a slight discrepancy in the construction of 2-3 mm can be “restored” by yourself, especially for home builders who built the house, and a month later they were surprised that a gap was formed in the wall

Regulations

In order to accurately understand the need for repair or the ability to do without additional measures, one should either be an engineer, or study the necessary documentation, which clearly specifies the crack resistance of reinforced concrete structures and permissible norms.

If we speak in ordinary language, the categories of crack resistance of reinforced concrete structures are divided into several main ones:

• When the formation of any kind of cracks is not allowed at all. This applies to all hermetic elements and tanks. In this case, the elasticity of the concrete should be minimized, which would prevent any deformation of the composition.
• A small gap in the normal range is acceptable (1 mm maximum). This is possible in any buildings with shrinkage of the building and short-term exposure to external atmospheric factors - frost, heat, as well as mechanical influences from the outside - wind, groundwater movement, etc. Also, cracks are possible from improper pouring of the foundation during the cold season and with the expansion of concrete in the summer period.
• And the last, most common category - the formation of cracks limited in width. It is found in almost all reinforced concrete structures. Here external factors and human activity influence the appearance of cracks. The reinforcement is not susceptible to corrosion, and this situation can be called critical only in rare cases when the width of the slots becomes too obvious.

Tip: do not wave your hand and do not hope for the Russian "avos", in any case, if the crack resistance of concrete is broken, repair is necessary. Minor defects can be removed on their own or invite more experienced professionals. The price for the services of each team is different and it all depends on the complexity of the work.

Cause and effect

Before you start any restoration work, you should identify the cause of the formation of cracks and the subsequent fate of the structure in this regard.

There are several main reasons:

• Constructive, which are caused by errors in the design, insufficiency of building materials, reboot of the operation time. This can lead to complete destruction of the entire structure and deformation of the building.
• Fire and flood, which lead to the separation of the concrete layer. Depending on the complexity of the elements are subject to recovery or complete reconstruction.
• Nonconstructive, the most common. The reason may be premature shrinkage of the building immediately immediately after pouring concrete. The width of the cracks in the concrete reaches a slight, and the length reaches 75 cm.

The latter causes may be invisible for several weeks after the laying of concrete and manifest themselves with a sharp increase in air temperature and quick drying of the concrete. The depth is insignificant and all these deformations are often caused by poor-quality material and non-compliance with building codes.

Shrinkage cracks can be not only on the foundation, but also on the walls of the structure and therefore the repair work is also different.

Tip: be sure to clarify the reason for the formation of any kind of cracks in the wall, foundation or floor, as the restoration work is directly dependent on it.

Repair options

Repair of shrinkage cracks in concrete depends on the complexity of the damage and the main task is to ensure optimum bond stiffness between concrete layers. To do this, use only the material with high adhesion with respect to concrete.

Injection

One of the most common jobs is the injection of cracks in concrete with special resins without solvents and with low viscosity. This is necessary in case of further discrepancies and cracks in this case will not be, because the resin has astringent properties and will simply stretch, and not break, like cement mortar.

In this case, there is a specific instruction that should be followed:

• Along the cracks with a gap of 0.5 meters, holes are drilled to a depth of 2/3 of the masonry and with a diameter of up to 20 mm.
• Holes using a special construction vacuum cleaner or suction cleaned from dust.
• Inside the sleeve are inserted through which the solution is poured, as shown in the photo.
• Outside, everything is sealed and sealed with putty.
• After drying and hardening, the putty is removed and the packers are removed from the holes.
• Everything is again sealed with shrinkage solution.

Tip: if the injection of cracks in concrete is also needed to enhance waterproofing, the work is done a little differently, which is better to check with professional craftsmen. Independently perform the full range of restoration work is difficult.

Easy reconstruction

If there are no differences in the seams in the future, and you are sure that the shrinkage is over, you can repair the cracks in the concrete walls in a simple and simple way:

• The entire surface is washed and treated with a soil compound for concrete.
• After everything is dry, a cement-sand mortar is diluted at a ratio of 1: 3 or 1: 2.
• If necessary, epoxy resin is added to the solution for better screed.
• Everything is puttied and rubbed as described below.

Dust and dirt residues are removed with a special brush, and the surface is covered with a reinforced mesh and puttied.

Tip: if you do not want further cracks, then to prevent their occurrence you can lay a serpyanka on the surface in several layers or a special mesh, and then all putty.

Waterproofing and sealing joints

If at the same time during repair work it is necessary to improve waterproofing, then the following work should be done:

• Armed with a grinder cut through the entire fracture (crack) of the chute 20 by 20 mm.
• In the slots themselves, drill holes for inclination at a distance of 2 cm.
• Purchase or prepare high flowable cement mortar and pour it through the wells by injection.
• Stitches must be sealed with the same compound.

Tip: the easiest ways to seal shrinkage cracks are given, but in some cases bitumen coatings, brackets, latex mortar and asphalt mastics may be needed. Consult in case of doubt about everything from experienced builders or craftsmen.

Cracks and their grout

Well, be sure to face during work with grout shrinkage cracks before pouring.

You will need:

• Bulgarian or drill.
• Brush with a metallic pile.
• Putty knife.
• Capacity and mixer for kneading mortar or a special concrete mixer.
• Chisel.

In order to most accurately eliminate the effects of shrinkage, it is necessary to most accurately determine the location of shrinkage cracks in the foundation, since they may be hidden.

To do this, some masters rattle the surface, identifying voids by sound. If the crack is small, but voids are audible, then it will be stitched to the maximum size and full identification of the size of the crack and the entire internal void.

Tip: in order to prevent shrinkage of concrete, it is better to add polypropylene fiber at the initial stage of construction to the solution, which will protect against breaks later.

Total

In this material, only the main points concerning cracks and their reconstruction in concrete structures are affected. Some useful information is on the video in this article. Repair correctly and build with quality.