Basement Wall Hairline Crack

Hairline crack in concrete basement wall, older home?

I can t say for sure without seeing the crack, but from you re description this sounds like an extremely common condition I m more surprised if I DON T see a crack in a foundation.. It may be caused by shrinkage in the concrete, or by some minor movement. In either case as long as a vertical crack is not displaced sliding inward, spread apart more the 4mm, etc. the load bearing capacity of the wall would not be significantly affected. That being said, it would create an avenue for water entry into the basement.

Maintaining a good drainage pattern at the exterior of the house will help to reduce the risk of water entering. I should also point out that in order for a crack like this to leak we need some lateral pressure to force the water through the crack, as such they tend to leak bellow grade rather then from the top - so any repair that s only done above grade will not fix the issue.

Fortunately it sounds like you haven t had water enter, so you can leave it as is and you may never have a problem. However, if you re thinking of finishing the basement you may want to seal the crack to prevent more expensive future repairs. The crack can be sealed by excavating on the exterior, or by injecting epoxy or polyurethane from the interior. You should also keep an eye on the crack to make sure that movement is not continuing. Since movement is extremely gradual, I usually tell people to mark grid lines across the crack, so that future movement will be more visible.

Hope this helps.

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