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by crazyjncsu 2102 days ago
> Waterproofing has to go on the outside surface to work.

He was fixing cracks, which is effectively waterproofing, and it did work, locally, as he mentioned the water was "rerouted".

It works like this:

- Injection ports are adhered and spaced along the crack.

- Epoxy is smeared along the crack from the inside, providing a temporary seal for the next step.

- Epoxy or polyurethane is injected into the ports, starting from the bottom and progressing upwards as material seeps out of the ports above

This works, but this guy just didn't take it far enough, probably for good reason.

2 comments

As others have pointed out, you need a water mgmt plan. You can't seal these kinds of problems away permanantly. The seal will last for a couple years until the water/moisture in contact will find a way through during temp cycling, or any other insignificant movement.

The sealant should be the last line of defense after channeling the water away, and keeping anything that can wick moisture away from the sealed surface.

I’ve had good luck with a concrete product called Xypex for waterproofing cracks (in my case between a foundation and bedrock). It’s is much more within the scope of a DIY project so maybe something to try first.