Basement wall anchors can restore the integrity of your home’s foundation, preventing further damage and potentially fixing existing damage that threatens your home. Foundation issues can open your home to increased risk of flooding and structural failure. By acting quickly to stabilize your home, you’re creating a safer environment for your family and protecting your property investment. A professionally installed wall anchor system is a permanent solution for the lifetime of your home.
A Strong Foundation Makes A Strong Home
Your home’s foundation provides a firm footing for the rest of the structure to set on. In homes with a basement, that includes the walls and floor that not only extend your living space below ground level, but support the upper levels of your home. When these structures deteriorate, they can crack, bow, or even buckle. These instabilities radiate upward and outward, putting more stress on your home’s other structural components as settling and shifting pull them out plumb. Unaddressed foundation problems can lead to increasingly severe damage, up to the collapse of your home.
Why Basement Walls Fail
There are several reasons why your walls may be showing inordinate signs of wear that could point to failure. Basement wall anchors add additional support that corrects the damage caused by these major issues.
- Hydrostatic Pressure – When a house with a basement is constructed, an excavation is done to clear the earth from the area the basement will occupy. After the basement and the rest of the foundation is built, the area surrounding it is filled back in. This creates an area of looser soil surrounded by the untouched, hard-packed ground that has been there all along. Water from rain, runoff, snow melts, or even busted pipes can more easily penetrate and accumulate in these looser areas, increasing the pressure pushing inward on the walls of your basement.
- Clay Bowl Effect – Similar in cause to hydrostatic pressure damage, this phenomena is caused when the water trapped in the looser soil immediately surrounding your basement, begins to erode at and seep into the walls. The loose dirt can also be carried away or shifted by this water, leading to unsupported voids behind your walls. Over time, this causes cracks and leaks that weaken the structure.
- Aging Structures – Sure, you take good care of your home, but what about the last owner, or the owner before them? Even with a record of perfect maintenance, after generations of families living in a home, with all the walking, running, jumping, and living that comes with a normal, happy family life, age can take its toll. As structures begin to weaken, more pressure is put on the lowest levels of your home.
The Costs Of A Crumbling Basement Wall
As basement walls fail, they put your personal property, home, and family at risk. Water infiltration can increase, flooding the basement and damaging your belongings. This can create the perfect environment for mold to enter your home, increasing the likelihood of respiratory ailments and allergic reactions. Walls can collapse, creating a dangerous lack of support for upper floors while doing immediate damage to anything stored in the basement. Unaddressed basement wall issues can see costs skyrocket rapidly in the form of replacement costs for possessions, repair costs for the structure, remediation costs for mold removal, and medical costs for treatment of injuries and illnesses caused by failing basement walls.
How Wall Anchor Systems Work
Every basement wall anchor is precisely placed by an engineer to address the unique damage and profile of the wall it’s attached to. A basement wall anchor consists of a steel plate inside the wall, a steel anchor plate sunk into the ground away from the home, and a connecting bar that attaches the two plates together and allows for the counteracting pressure to be exerted using a tightening nut that is adjusted at intervals. The anchor provides immediate stability to prevent further damage to your basement wall, while precise adjustments work to correct any bowing or shifting.
Basement Wall Anchor Installation
Installing a wall anchor system always starts with an inspection by a trained and experienced professional. They’ll inspect your basement and the existing damage as well as the land surrounding your home. Depending on the severity and scope of the existing structural issues, they’ll work to find the best permanent solution to restore your home’s integrity. After the inspection, they’ll talk to you about potential solutions, offer you a fair quote, and set the expectations about scheduling the job and how long it will take.
Installation of the new basement wall anchors begins by drilling small holes at precise intervals into the area around your house, but away from the loose, porous soil that is causing the damage. Steel anchor plates will be lowered into the holes, ready to support your walls and relieve the pressure on them by transferring the load to the hard packed earth the anchors are set into. Inside the basement, small holes will be drilled in the walls aligning with the anchor plates’ positioning, and long steel rods will be pushed through and connected to the anchoring plates.
Finally, the inside plates will be attached and tightened. These broad plates distribute the adjustment pressure along the inside of your wall, pulling it back into plumb, restoring your home’s strong foundation. Our wall anchor systems come with a lifetime warranty backed by the service we’re known for.
Basement Wall Anchor Experts
We’re proud to put our experience to work for you. Our professionals will help you understand the cause of your basement’s damage, your options moving forward, and what to expect from us. We don’t disappear once the check is cashed. You can always call us with any questions, and if future adjustments are needed, we’re ready to help. Protect your family home by requesting a free quote from A.M. Wall Anchor & Waterproofing today.
