HOME       Foundation Inspection Glossary of Foundation Terms Recent Project Highlights   FOUNDATION REPAIR   Horizontal Crack Repair Improper Horizontal Repair Underpinning and Releveling Foundation Replacement  DEEP FOUNDATIONS  Helical Piles Resistive Piers Drilled Piers   RETAINING WALL   & HILLSIDE ISSUES New Retaining Walls Retaining Wall Fortification Walls with Limited Access Landslide Repair Hillside Stabilization Hillside Road Repair Hillside Additions   COMMERCIAL PROJECTS   Mega Foundations Post-tensioned Concrete More Commercial Projects   FOR ENGINEERS   Liquefaction? Problem Solved Typical Helical Specs   CAREERS & CONTACT   Personnel Careers at Avalon Avalon Supports the Famous Rockettes		BEWARE IMPROPER HORIZONTAL CRACK REPAIR Beware: Fiber Alone is Not a Solution Some contractors shortcut the full process to reduce their costs. They attempt to repair with only glued-on fabric, aka Carbon Fiber, or epoxy injection to fill the crack. However, the root cause of the crack (the rusting rebar) remains! It is compromised and may continue to expand and further damage the foundation. In this image, the carbon fiber simply fell off revealing a woefully improper repair under it! Don't be fooled by these bandaids! Please note that Carbon Fiber and Epoxy Injection are each amazing solutions for some problems in the world of concrete repair. We use them too when appropriate. But neither are appropriate for horizontal cracks in foundations unless as part of complete solution certified by an engineer. Beware: Don't Assume it's a Pop-Out Unless it looks like this! Some contractors treat all horizontal cracks as if they are a "pop-out" which looks like this when the rebar is so close to the face of the concrete that the expanding rebar pops out a chunck of concrete instead of forming a crack through the stemwall. If it really is like this you can chip only a few inches into the concrete, and replace the rebar. But for real horizontal cracks, this is not the right repair! Beware: Loopholes and Fine Print! One local contractor slides into their contract a loophole to abandon the search for rebar if none is found within three inches of the crawlspace side of the wall. As if walls only have one side! They offer engineering "if necessary", presumably leaving it to a laborer to make the call. Despite representing they will replace rebar, fine print states "No rebar replace. Epoxy and carbon armor." For real horizontal cracks, this is not the right repair. This is a superficial approach and drastically saves on costs by eliminating or reducing: shoring, difficult demolition, breaking, loading and hauling of the removed foundation, setting forms, and placing new concrete. To the best of our knowledge these contractors do not involve engineers in the project, as no conscientious engineer would certify this approach to a horizontal crack. Please read their fine print and compare it our fine print! Avalon Structural, Inc. 181 Ridgeview Drive Aptos, CA 95003 (831) 479-4389 (office) info@avalonstructural.com Copyright © 2020 Avalon Structural, Inc. All Rights Reserved CA License 677116 Classifications:  B, C-8 Avalon is a general building contracting firm and does not employ engineers.