Pay Attention to the Cracks on Your Walls

Last Updated 9 months ago by Kenya Engineer

Cracks are generally detrimental to your building. However, not all cracks are dangerous.

There are two forms of cracks namely;
Structural cracks and Non Structural Cracks.

Non-structural cracks aren’t a threat to the structural integrity of your building. It’s mostly caused by shrinkage in bonding elements, leading to small fissures in and around block joints and surfaces of slabs.

For instance, extremely high temperatures can cause the surface of the concrete to harden so quickly, while the content beneath is wet. This leads to some minor cracks appearing on the surface of the slab.

On the flip side, Structural cracks indicate there has been movement in the foundation.

These cracks can be indicative of underlying issues related to the stability, integrity, or safety of the structure. When you find a zig-zag-like crack, looking like Stair case in block or brick walls, that’s a structural crack.

Structural cracks gets bigger with time. You’ll find the size of the crack increasing months after months. Aside the many causes, Excessive loads or structural modifications can overstress certain areas of the building, leading to structural cracks.
Someone will build a house today, rip off the roofs the next year, and put another floor without recourse to structural modifications. Plan your buildings. Afterthoughts are not always good.

HOME EXPERIMENT.
If you want to check if the cracks in your walls are structural or non-structural,
Find a sizable Broom Stick, insert it in the crack, and leave it for sometime.

OBSERVATIONS
1. Non Structural Crack: The broom stick will be intact throughout the obersvation period. This is because the size and shape of the crack remains unchanged. There’s no underlying force influencing its behavior.

2. Structural Crack: The broom stick will fall off after some days or weeks of inserting it firmly into the crack. This is because, structural cracks get larger over time, and the broom stick will cease to fit properly into the fracture.

In conclusion,
A thin, non-structural crack can quickly become a structural foundation crack if it gets wider after several weeks or months. So, be on the lookout for these cracks that indicate structural problems!