Stair Step Cracks In Concrete Block Walls Florida

Walls had rebar at aprox 36 inches o c.

Stair step cracks in concrete block walls florida.

The continuous pattern usually follows the grout or cement. The gaps in the wall can run in different directions but one common crack is called a stair step where the crack follows the mortar at a diagonal spreading across many blocks. Stair step concrete block walls often crack along their block lines. Stair step cracks a stair step crack looks like a flight of stairs and runs in both vertical and horizontal directions across the wall.

Cracks seemed to start in center and run for 6 ft or so and peter out in both directions with the widest point in crack being more towards the center of the wall vertically. The reason i ask is because i sold a home a few years ago one inspector says there was structural damage because of them and one said that it was normal settling. Are the step cracks a defect if the are very small. A stair step crack is a diagonal crack but since mortar is usually not as strong as concrete block or brick the crack migrates to the mortar joints as it zigzags along a path of least resistance.

In most cases you won t have to worry about the minor cracks that appear in your concrete block wall. A common location for a stair step crack to occur is at the corners of wall sections where there is a transition from the block wall s lead sections to the infill sections see figure 2. Stair step cracks in walls well trained and experienced home inspectors like michael del greco will accurately report any cracks that are found in brick cmu or poured concrete walls even if they do not look like they are going to fail. If you notice a stair step crack think of it in the same terms you would a diagonal crack.

Inspection today i found stairstep cracks on three out of 4 exterior walls. Diagnose evaluate step cracks in concrete block walls foundations angular cracks step cracking in concrete block brick or other cmu walls diagonal foundation or wall cracks in concrete block or other cmu walls foundations diagnosis repair. Specifically when constructing a concrete masonry wall a mason will commence with the construction of the leads or corners first and will. Hi everyone new to the site and also now training to be home inspector.

Cracks in brick cmu and poured concrete walls that have a pattern to them can be indications of serious structural problems that can be expensive to cure. Sometimes a stair step crack will mostly follow the mortar joints then take a short cut through a defective block or brick before returning to the. This chapter of the foundation crack bible discusses in detail the process of evaluating stair stepped or diagonal cracking and related signs.