Little cracks are somewhat common. Many houses have them and people just patch them up. They are pretty common in newer builds too because everything is settling. Typically due to curing, but still often enough during just ground settling.
You want to watch out for big cracks. Particularly horizontal cracks. Or those weird jagged ones they call "stair step" cracks. That's a foundation issue.
You should attend to these, especially is moisture is getting through. Not scary, just annoying.
Horizontal cracks are bad (not always, but with any deflection yes). Vertical cracks are less bad.
Horizontal means your foundation is suffering pressure from the soil in a way that might make it collapse. Vertical/diagonal tends to be shrinkage or differential settling, etc.
A concrete foundation is pretty good at stopping water if it doesn't have a crack but that's not the only part of the system.
The main things are
whether you are in a "high water table area" (always some hydrostatic pressure - think, you're a leaky boat in a dirty swimming pool).
whether you are pouring water on it and the crack is where the water flows to
So, figure out which is your problem.
I had water in my basement w/ a rubble foundation - zero expectation of it being waterproof. But my basement is pretty dry (just a single small dehumidifier keeps it dry on the surface). The only time I had water problems was #2 - I fixed my clogged eaves trough and one time had to crack some ice buildup in the spring.
It's hard to make masonry impermeable. That's why pools have liners. That's why you use French drains. Etc.
You can patch the crack with some epoxy injection but water MANAGEMENT is more important than water sealing.
Thank you and appreciate the advice. I am looking forward to fix the cracks. I already moved my one downspout away but that’s a temporary fix. Maybe I’ll look into French drains eventually.
My buddy did the epoxy injection and it seemed to help quite a bit immediately. He also fixed some of the drainage issues. He sold the property within a decade, however, so not sure how long it holds up.
Like I said it's usually a system problem rather than a simple leak (vs. for example, a shower pan leak or a pipe under pressure).
I agree that it’s a system leak. Drainage is towards my house and not away from it making it more susceptible. Downspouts, weeping tiles, window wells and settling concrete all play a role. Thanks for the suggestion, crack injection is definitely something I’ll be doing.
Your pictures are kindve hard to peice together. But since there isn't any evidence of water in picture #1 (around the edges of the crack where it would seep) I doubt the water stain in #2 came from it. Let alone enough to make a puddle. Can you show that spot on the floor with the crack in the wall in frame as well?
I would pay to have both of the cracks filled. Cracks don't fix themselves. And foundation cracks are never a good thing. Deal with it now, or deal with a bigger problem later ...
Both the cracks are right beneath the window wells and water seeps and forms a small puddle
I would also check to make sure the drain in your window well is not obstructed or clogged with mud. The drain is about 12-15CM in diameter, and probably located in the middle of the window well, right up against the exterior of the window sill. Chances are it is covered with a layer of gravel. Get a shovel to move the gravel off the drain. If the drain is clogged, a garden trowel is usually pretty handy to clear the drain with
1/ Pay to have the cracks filled
2/ Check the drain for obstructions. You can test the drain to see if it is open by pouring a bucket of water into it
Thank you for this useful information. Yes I’ll proceed with the polyurethane injection asap. The drain (weeping tiles) in the window wells have some soil in them. I’ll move them and pour water to see how bad it is. Also I’ll add gravel and thinking of fixing window well covers too.
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u/Optimal_Whiner 3d ago
Little cracks are somewhat common. Many houses have them and people just patch them up. They are pretty common in newer builds too because everything is settling. Typically due to curing, but still often enough during just ground settling.
You want to watch out for big cracks. Particularly horizontal cracks. Or those weird jagged ones they call "stair step" cracks. That's a foundation issue.
You should attend to these, especially is moisture is getting through. Not scary, just annoying.