Hello, greetings from Russia.
I am building my house here. Temperatures reach up to +45°C (113°F) in summer and down to -20°C (-4°F) in winter. Two years ago, I poured the foundation with 18 mm (0.7 inch) reinforcing steel inside.
Groundwater appears already at 50 cm (20 inches) depth, so I raised the foundation. It is 50 cm (20 inches) deep and 50 cm (20 inches) high.
Now I have noticed a crack that was not there last year. I am not exactly sure of the cause, but first, I had 200 cubic meters of soil delivered and raised the plot. I suspect the groundwater at depth froze.
The crack runs from the top down to about half the height of the foundation, as if it was pushed up from below.
My question is, how dangerous or problematic could this crack become? I am considering pouring a 15 cm (6 inch) high slab completely over it, including on the foundation.
I am building my house here. Temperatures reach up to +45°C (113°F) in summer and down to -20°C (-4°F) in winter. Two years ago, I poured the foundation with 18 mm (0.7 inch) reinforcing steel inside.
Groundwater appears already at 50 cm (20 inches) depth, so I raised the foundation. It is 50 cm (20 inches) deep and 50 cm (20 inches) high.
Now I have noticed a crack that was not there last year. I am not exactly sure of the cause, but first, I had 200 cubic meters of soil delivered and raised the plot. I suspect the groundwater at depth froze.
The crack runs from the top down to about half the height of the foundation, as if it was pushed up from below.
My question is, how dangerous or problematic could this crack become? I am considering pouring a 15 cm (6 inch) high slab completely over it, including on the foundation.
H
hanghaus200010 Nov 2021 10:04Groundwater levels can also rise occasionally.
What type of house will be built? Concrete/masonry or timber?
What type of house will be built? Concrete/masonry or timber?
Yes, I was digging at the time when the water table was at its highest level.
Ground floor house, walls made of aerated concrete.
I properly wrapped the reinforcement; I do everything myself. I have already shown this to several people here—only one said it was a problem, while the others said it was fine.
Here, almost everyone builds their own house, so everyone has their own opinion.
Could it be related to the rapid setting of the concrete?
The problem here is that large machines cannot access the yard from the street.
There is simply a 100mm (4 inch) gas pipe running along the property facade. The distance from the ground to the pipe is 2.50m (8 feet), so I had to order a concrete pump. The outside temperature during pouring was also above 40 degrees Celsius (104°F), and the concrete set so quickly that I couldn’t keep up. After 30 minutes, it was already barely workable.
Concrete grade 300 (approximately 3000 psi).
I suspect it may not have fully settled or possibly did not become completely monolithic.
Ground floor house, walls made of aerated concrete.
I properly wrapped the reinforcement; I do everything myself. I have already shown this to several people here—only one said it was a problem, while the others said it was fine.
Here, almost everyone builds their own house, so everyone has their own opinion.
Could it be related to the rapid setting of the concrete?
The problem here is that large machines cannot access the yard from the street.
There is simply a 100mm (4 inch) gas pipe running along the property facade. The distance from the ground to the pipe is 2.50m (8 feet), so I had to order a concrete pump. The outside temperature during pouring was also above 40 degrees Celsius (104°F), and the concrete set so quickly that I couldn’t keep up. After 30 minutes, it was already barely workable.
Concrete grade 300 (approximately 3000 psi).
I suspect it may not have fully settled or possibly did not become completely monolithic.
H
hanghaus200010 Nov 2021 11:15The base slab is placed directly on the topsoil?
Who planned that?
If it’s just a single crack, in my opinion it can’t be a shrinkage crack. You would expect multiple ones in that case.
Who planned that?
If it’s just a single crack, in my opinion it can’t be a shrinkage crack. You would expect multiple ones in that case.
Peug408 schrieb:
So, I have a suggestion. My construction site isn’t urgent at the moment, so I could fill the crack and observe it after winter. I would definitely recommend doing that. Otherwise, water can enter from above, freeze, and widen the crack.
No matter what you plan, leaving a building shell open through several winters will almost certainly cause damage.
Peug408 schrieb:
I’ve already brought several people here to take a look. Only one said it’s serious; the others said it’s nothing. Did that one person explain why they think it’s serious?
hanghaus2000 schrieb:
So the base slab will be placed on the topsoil?
Who planned that?
If it’s just one crack, in my opinion it can’t be a shrinkage crack. You would have several in that case.No, the soil inside was brought in and is still settling.
I was thinking of putting in gravel, compacting it thoroughly, adding waterproofing, reinforcement steel, and then pouring concrete over the entire foundation so that it sits about 15cm (6 inches) higher.
@Tassimat, no, he didn’t know the exact cause either and just told me to pour a thick base slab over it myself.
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