Imagine sitting in your basement recreation room and you notice that the wall doesn’t seem to be exactly straight up and down? You may not think too much about it, but should you? You could have bowing basement walls. It may be time to assess the damage and see what you can do to fix it or prevent further damage.
How to Assess Bowed Basement Walls?
The severity of your bowed basement walls is based on the degree of deflection. You can conduct a simple at-home assessment following these simple steps:
- Attached a heavy small object like a bolt to the end of a string.
- Hold the string against the basement ceiling.
- Move the string toward the wall until the heavy object touches the most outward part of the wall.
- Using a ruler, measure the substance from the string to the wall.
- Two inches is considered minor deflection, 2 to 4 inches is moderate deflection, and walls that deflect 6 inches or more are severely bowed.
What Causes Bowed Basement Walls?
It can be helpful to know the causes of basement wall bowing and how a American Eagle Professional Services can help you fix bowing basement walls.
Here are some of the factors that can cause bowing basement walls:
- Plumbing leaks: Plumbing leaks near basement walls can cause the soil surrounding the home to be saturated which increases the hydrostatic pressure on basement walls, which can cause them to bow.
- Heavy rain fall: Sudden heavy rain fall can lead to sudden water saturation in your soil which causes a sudden increase in the level of hydrostatic pressure on the basement walls, causing them to bend.
- Large roots: A tree’s roots that grow large and in the direction of your home can apply undue pressure on basement walls as they grow and expand.
- Inappropriate landscaping: If your landscaping is not properly graded can cause surface moisture to runoff and flow toward your home. Over time, the water’s effects can cause your basement walls to bend.
- Poorly planned downspouts: Damaged or incorrectly installed gutters and downspouts can dump roof water near the foundation. This will cause the soil to become saturated with water and exert more hydrostatic pressure on your basement’s walls.
Methods of Fixing Bowed Walls
Our team of foundation repair professionals use a variety of quality foundation repair products to fix bowed or leaning basement walls. We have the experience needed to assess the damage thoroughly and determine what solutions will work for you.
1. Wall Anchors
At American Eagle Professional Service, we use the SafeBasements wall anchor system which was specifically designed to repair bowed basement walls. The SafeBasements system uses both an anchor and a wall plate to pull your basement walls to a straight position instead of bowed and provide the needed strength to keep the walls in place. When the wall anchor is installed the lateral strength of your wall is restored and will resist the forces exerted by expanding soils.
2. Carbon Fiber
Another solution that our experts utilize is a carbon fiber reinforcement option. We use SafeBase™ CarbonFiber which has gone through rigorous testing and engineering to arrive at a solution that is installer friendly and firmly secured. This Carbon Fiber solution is quick to install, includes a 25-year transferable warranty, and has the strongest bottom bracket connection in the industry. The top bracket ties to joists for an ultra-secure connection using an 8” wide strap which allows spacing up to 6’.
3. Wall Replacement
Basement walls that deflect more than 6 inches typically must be demolished and entirely replaced. While this is the most expensive solution, it’s also the most permanent solution.
Trust Our Team Bowed Wall Repair Services
At American Eagle Professional Service, our experts provides bowed basement wall repair services. Contact us today by filling out our online contact form or by calling (410) 263-9682 to schedule an inspection and appointment.
