Found a weird hack for checking foundation cracks in Charlotte

I bought a 1950s house in Dilworth last year and saw some hairline cracks in the basement wall. My inspector told me to try taping a piece of plastic wrap over the crack for a week to see if moisture collects inside. Did that last month and sure enough, the plastic was wet on the inside so now I know it's leaking. Anyone else tried this simple test before calling a foundation guy?

2 comments

2 Comments

xena_taylor6417d ago

Did your inspector recommend breathers or something after the test? I had a buddy in Plaza Midwood who did the same plastic wrap trick on his 1920s bungalow's crawl space. He taped it up, waited a week, and found a whole puddle inside, lol. Turns out the crack was way worse than he thought. He ended up having to get epoxy injections and a French drain put in, cost him like $4k lmao. Smart move catching it early though, that moisture can turn into mold real fast.

scott.grace17d ago

...and I don't know, $4k for a little bit of moisture seems steep. I did the plastic wrap thing on a crack in my garage slab a few years back, got some dampness inside, and I just patched it with some hydraulic cement from Home Depot. Been dry ever since. Not everything needs a full French drain and epoxy circus. Sometimes a hairline crack is just a hairline crack, especially in a house that's been settling for 70 years.