What You Should Know About Bowed Walls in the Basement
Even if your basement is out of sight and out of mind, its maintenance has crucial implications for the stability of the house as a whole. When bowed walls develop, there’s a risk that they could collapse, endangering everyone in the house. Here’s a guide to the best approaches for repair.
Why Do Walls Become Bowed?
A bowed wall means that it has begun to buckle inward due to external pressure. In a basement, that condition generally occurs due to changes in the soil or the encroachment of a tree’s roots. Before addressing the repair of the bowed walls themselves, the source pressure must be alleviated, so the same problem doesn’t recur. In the case of soil plagued by overwhelming hydrostatic pressure, one solution is to create a superior drainage system or fully waterproof your basement. When tree roots are the problem, the best option is to remove or relocate the tree.
How Do You Repair Bowed Walls?
As long as you act quickly to reinforce the basement’s bowed walls, you should avoid a costly and dangerous collapse. The first repair method to consider is using steel I-Beams. This method employs powerful steel vertical supports that are inserted along the wall and used to bear the weight of the house. Another option is to re-straighten the walls with the help of wall anchors. Through a sophisticated system of anchoring and steel rods, the bowed walls are pressured back into a ninety-degree angle. You can also opt for carbon fiber, which acts similarly to the steel I-beams — covering the vulnerable wall functions as a reinforcement support system.
If your property has bowed walls, don’t hesitate to reach out to a specialist like The Dwyer Company in Ohio and Kentucky. In business for over 46 years, the professionals specialize in all manners of concrete repair. You can receive a free estimate about their services by calling the Lexington, KY, location at (859) 231-0998, Louisville, KY, at (502) 489-5438, and West Chester, OH, at (513) 777-0998. Learn more about the concrete lifting company by visiting their website.
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