Cracking may be caused by settling of the soil below the wall. The wall may have been built on land that was not compact enough for it. Or, the soil may have shifted because of groundwater, cycles of freezing and thawing, or other reasons and carried one part of the wall with it.

There are all types of wall cracks: vertical, horizontal, mid-wall, freeze, step and bottom block cracks. Each has a different cause and solution. Some are cosmetic and need not be worried about and some are very serious and must be addressed to prevent the wall from collapsing. It is important to learn whether a crack has opened as far as it is going to, indicating that the source of the problem has stopped, is still expanding, or is going through a cycle of expanding and contracting as sometimes happens with the seasons in the North.

If you have problems with wall cracks they are covered in Section G – Pages 24-29 of The Home Waterproofers Manual – Home Waterproofing A to Z. What looks like a very serious and expensive problem may not be. Once they are explained, the solution to the problem will make common sense. You’ll wonder why the water proofing contractor don’t talk about it. If there’s an inexpensive way to fix the problem, they won’t tell you. Don’t put yourself at the mercy of high priced waterproofers.

You can save thousands of dollars and many headaches by learning what is going on first. Often what looks like an expensive and serious problem may not be. Once the problem is explained, solving it is just common sense. I’ve used the knowledge I’ve put in The Home Waterproofers Manual – Home Waterproofing A to Z every day to fix water problems. It will work for you too.

But remember, when dealing with salesmen, in the waterproofing business it’s “buyer beware”. Most get a percentage of the sale and don’t consider it their job to save you money. They charge as much as they can. If they see a problem that can be fixed at low cost, or one that has a simple solution, they won’t mention it, but will only talk about “preventing serious damage” and try to scare you into signing a big contract.