Q–There are several cracks in my concrete foundation wall. Last year, I patched them with patching cement, but now most of this material has fallen out. Is there a specific way to fill these cracks?
A–Assuming you didn’t mix too much or too little water into the patching cement, the most likely causes for premature failure are:
1. You didn’t clean out the cracks thoroughly before filling them, or
2. you didn’t “undercut” the cracks to ensure a good mechanical bond, or
3. you didn’t keep the patches moist while they cured. This is especially important if the job is done in hot weather.
This time, use the corner of a cold chisel or masonry chisel to chip out all of the old, loose material and to undercut the edges of the crack. Then use a stiff brush to clean out debris and dust.
Wet down the masonry before packing in the cement. Keep the patches damp for at least 12 hours by hanging wet rags over them, or by spraying with a fine mist.
Q–We have to install a sump pump to dispose of basement water in the basement after it rains. Our problem is that our local ordinance forbids the discharge of sump pumps to the street or sewage system. Where should the discharge water go?
A–The first thing I would do is check with your local building department. Usually they will let you send the water out onto your lawn or garden, since this is plain water–not sewage or polluted water.
If this is forbidden, then you probably will have to install an outdoor “dry well” to handle the drainage problem. This is a sump or pit, often built like a cesspool, which the sump pump empties. It should be deep enough to go down below the foundation and must be at least 10 feet away from the house foundation.
The pit can be filled with rocks or can be lined with a submerged drum or concrete container similar to a cylindrical cesspool. It must be large enough to hold all the water coming from the pump.
Q–There is a wall between our bedroom and the adjoining bathroom. Because there is no sound insulation in that wall, we always hear the water when it’s running in the sink, tub and toilet. Is there a way to soundproof this wall?
A–One way would be to build a new wall or partition a couple of inches in front of the existing bedroom wall, but not touching the old wall in any way.
This new partition should be covered with a layer of sound-deadening board and then a layer of gypsum board. For even better sound-proofing, fill the space between the two walls with fiberglass.
This will involve losing a few inches of floor space in your bedroom, but the only other solution would be to tear open the existing wall and cover all the pipes inside it with acoustical insulation.
Q–We have a bedroom door that tends to swing closed by itself when left open. Is there a way to cure this?
A–When a door tends to swing closed by itself it is usually because the door frame is not plumb or vertical, or because the door was not hung plumb in its frame. As a result, when it is open the door is slightly tilted inward toward its frame and its weight causes it to swing closed.
The solution lies in remounting the hinges so that the door is perfectly plumb. Sometimes this involves merely moving the upper hinge slightly further out from the stop moldings or moving the bottom hinge a little closer to the moldings.
The same goal can be accomplished by simply inserting narrow cardboard shims behind the pin edge of the appropriate hinge.
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Have a question about home repair problems? Write to Bernard Gladstone in care of Your Place, Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60611. Questions of general interest will be answered in future columns. Sorry, letters cannot be answered personally.
